Welcome Parents

For Cub Scouts, each den determines the day/time/frequency of their meetings, usually coordinating with the families in the den to ensure everyone is available to meet on the selected day. The entire pack meets once a month on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in St. Ambrose Hilkert Hall.

For Scouts BSA, our troops both meet on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in St. Ambrose Hilkert Hall.

Our campout costs are to cover the expenses of campsite rental and food. A typical campout will cost about $20.00 - 25.00 per person. Larger events such as Cub Scout Day Camp, Cub Scout Overnight Camp, and Scouts BSA Summer Camp will cost more, and those costs are announced each year.

Families can typically use proceeds in their Scout Account from fundraising to pay for campouts and other Scouting-related expenses. Financial aid may also be available for summertime camping events.

In Cub Scouts, they are grouped in dens by grade level, and each level is associated with an animal or symbol. Kindergartners are Lions, 1st graders are Tigers, 2nd graders are Wolves, 3rd graders are Bears, 4th graders are Webelos (which stands for "WE'll BE LOyal Scouts") and 5th Graders are Arrow of Light Scouts. Towards the end of each school year, a ceremony will take place where all the members of each den will "move up" to their next level. Lions will become Tigers, Tigers will become Wolves, and so on. Arrow of Light Scouts will typically cross over to a Scouts BSA Troop in February or March of their 5th grade year.

In Scouts BSA, Scouts are assigned to a patrol, which is a group of Scouts similar in age. They will elect their own patrol leader, and come up with their own patrol name, yell, and flag, all of which are requirements for their first rank in Scouts BSA, Scout Rank.

In Cub Scouts, all the members of the den will work together on advancement. They will earn achievements and adventures along the way towards their goal of earning their rank badge by the end of the school year. Scouts at each rank level will need to earn 6 required adventures and 2 elective adventures in order to earn their badge of rank. All adventures are age-appropriate and increase in challenges as they mature through the program. The Cub Scout program year runs June 1 - May 31, so a Cub Scout has an entire year to work on their adventures.

In Scouts BSA, Scouts work independently of each other on their advancement, and at their own pace. Older Scouts and the troop's adult leadership are there to help them learn the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed. Unlike in Cub Scouts, they do not work in lock-step with each other, nor do they earn only one rank per year. Scouts BSA ranks start with the work building towards First Class rank, which consists of learning Scouting skills and other life skills that our founder, Robert Baden-Powell, felt would provide a Scout with the skills and knowledge needed to become a well-rounded, contributing citizen in society. (A First Class Scout, according to Baden-Powell, was considered to be the "ideal" Scout) For the later ranks of Star, Life, and Eagle, a Scout's work is primarily concentrated on earning merit badges, performing leadership and service, and sharing the knowledge and skills they previously learned with others. By the time a Scout has made it to Eagle Scout, they will have earned at least 21 merit badges, 14 of which are required, spent many months in positions of responsibility, and performed dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of service.