From Monday, Aug. 24 through Saturday, Aug. 29, almost 80 adult Boy Scout adult volunteers participated in Wood Badge 90, presented by Circle Ten Council at the Philmont Training Center in Cimarron, New Mexico.  The course’s setting was Boy Scouts’ 137,493-acre Philmont Scout Ranch.  In this region, scenery as well as road signs announce that this is where “the Rocky Mountains Meet the Plains.”

Kimberly Colonnetta, of Preston Hollow, was course director and Scoutmaster.  Her staff of 24 adults included Lake Highlands residents Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) and Donna Robinson.  Among 53 participants were Richardson/Lake Highlands residents Phillip Blatzheim, Kyle Friedel, Richard Graves, Jon Hartigan, Rogge Heflin, Paul Howard, Ken Hughes, Doug Kirsop, Jeff Koch and Russell May.

Wood Badge – Learning Experience 

Wood Badge for the 21^st Century is an advanced training program designed to develop adult “servant leaders” for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity, and Venture units as well as district and council organizations.  Its direct heritage is a training session that Boy Scouts’ founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, held for Scoutmasters in 1919 at Gilwell Park near London.  The current courses honor the program’s proud history.  Flag ceremonies and gatherings are held at an area designated as Gilwell Field.   

Wood Badge is divided into two separate parts – a learning experience for six days or two weekends followed by an application phase with the home unit, district or council.  Using current models from corporate America, government, academia and outdoor organizations, the staff presented the latest in leadership theory, team development concepts, project management, and responsible recreational land-use practices. 

Rep. Sessions, who taught coaching, mentoring and team development concepts, devoted a week of his summer recess to the course.  "Scouting has developed in me skills and values that guide me daily,” he said.  “I value the opportunity to teach our newest Scouting volunteers, so they can lead quality programs at each Scouting level.” 

Participants Organized by Patrols 

Throughout the week, the participants experienced “compressed Scouting careers,” starting as Cub Scouts, crossing over to Boy Scouts and finally moving on to a Venture Crew.  As the program transitioned from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, participants were divided among eight patrols in Troop 1.  Each day, a different participant served as patrol leader. 

For the first three days, the center of the activity was the Philmont Training Center, adjacent to the property’s main house, Villa Philmonte.  Participants slept in tents – with electricity, ate hot meals served in a dining hall, and attended formal training sessions in classrooms equipped with a PC and digital projector.  The program schedule was intended to be action packed and rigorous, without much free time. 

Thursday, the center of activity shifted to Rocky Mountain Scout Camp on the ranch property.  Although flip charts replaced a digital projector, formal training sessions continued outside.  Participants also experienced briefly, but first hand, why Philmont is called “Scouting Paradise.”  Here, they slept in tents with no electricity, cooked and ate trail food, hiked more than two miles to Lovers Leap, completed a conservation project, and performed skits at an evening campfire.  Nature’s backdrop for this setting was the Tooth of Time, an aptly named mountain with a peak that is 1,700 feet above its base.

To not only survive but more importantly enjoy the outdoors at Philmont, Wood Badge participants were trained to identify “smellables” – anything with an aroma that attracts hungry or just curious bears and “mini bears,” a category of wild animals that includes chipmunks and skunks.  When not being used, “smellables,” including tooth paste and deodorant, were stored in an empty cabin.

Training Supports Scout-led Troops

A member of the Bobwhite Patrol was Circle Ten Council President Tom Baker.  ”I was so impressed by the volunteers who attended the course and those who presented the course.  These people are fantastic examples and mentors for our youth,” he said.  “The leadership training will not only be directly applicable to the adult leaders, but unlike a lot of similar training, the examples and techniques used are readily transferable to train the Scouts who actually run their troops and patrols under adult supervision.”  He added, “It truly will provide for young adults grounded in leadership, character and values for God and country.”

Wood Badge – Application Phase

As the week at Philmont progressed, each participant began to focus on what is done during the application phase of Wood Badge.  Using knowledge presented in the class-room sessions and applying skills developed through practice exercises, participants wrote “tickets” of five goals directly related to their specific Scouting roles at the home unit, district or council. 

Each participant left Philmont committed to work and complete his or her “ticket” in the next 18 months.  ”This means that 265 projects, representing an approximate total of 1,300 man-hours, will be completed by Wood Badge 90 participants,” said Course Director Colonetta.  “This is a remarkable commitment to our community.”

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Contributor

Kimberly Colonnetta is the mother of three Boy Scouts in Troops 82 and 577, which are chartered by and meet at Highland Park Presbyterian Church and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, respectively.  She also serves as the Committee Chair of the North Trail District, which is comprised of Scout units in Lake Highlands, North Dallas, Park Cities, Preston Hollow, and Richardson.