Troop 258 was chartered in 1939, and is affiliated with the Cascade Pacific Council, in the Three Rivers District. The troop is chartered by the Canby Kiwanis Club. The troop is based in Canby, but also includes boys from Oregon City, Milwaukie, Mollala, Mulino, Aurora, Hubbard, Donald, Brooks and Woodburn, as well as other cities in the local area.
The troop consists of scouts ranging from the fifth grade up to seniors in high school and represent many different nationalities and religious backgrounds. Several of our leaders are Eagle Scouts themselves—some of whom earned their Eagle Scout rank as members of Troop 258.
Troop Philosophy
The philosophy of Troop 258 is to develop confidence and leadership within the boys of the troop through a boy run troop, enjoying various experiences in camping, education, and many outdoor events. Teaching, training and encouraging boys to be leaders is the core of scouting. Scouts learn by doing.
There are some troops that run all their scouts through a one-style program for every scout, with a goal of each boy obtaining their Eagle by the age of 14. We are NOT this type of troop. We are not a “conveyor belt troop.” We do not create cookie cutter Boy Scouts, nor do we spoon feed our scouts through advancement or merit badges. Our scouts are members of the troop, but we also recognize them as unique individuals. Opportunities to obtain specific merit badges are available at the troop meetings, however our scouts are encouraged to pursue merit badges relating their own particular interests. We produce older, mature Eagle Scouts — an average age of 16-17 year old. Our Eagles average 30 merit badges, which is more than the required number of merit badges to qualify, and we have a higher number of Eagle advancements than the national average.
Ours is a boy-lead troop which means that the troop elected scouts provide overall leadership for scout activities and troop adult leaders serve advisory, safety net and logistics roles in the background. The troop is lead by the Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader, both elected by the scouts themselves. We have several patrols, each lead by a Patrol Leader. Patrols are the building blocks of a Boy Scout troop. A patrol is a small group of 5-10 boys. Working together as a team, patrol members share the responsibility for the patrol’s success. They gain confidence by serving in positions of patrol leadership. All patrol members enjoy the friendship, sense of belonging, and achievements of the patrol and of each of its members. Leadership sets the schedule for each term, plans the troop activities, coordinates advancement, and resolves minor conflicts. The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters role is to guide and advise the scouts but the goal is to allow the boys to fulfill their leadership responsibilities.
The Boy Led Troop concept is quite different from Cub Scouts regarding parent involvement. During Cub Scouts the focus of the parent was primarily on their own child and involved a good deal of one-on-one involvement. The Boy Scout troop still requires a good deal of parent involvement but the focus needs to be on the troop as a whole instead of the individual scout.
The troop meets Monday evenings year-round at our lodge. One Monday of each month is the Senior Patrol Leader meeting where upcoming activities are discussed by the scout leaders. Quarterly, the troop holds its Court of Honor ceremony to celebrate scout achievements over the past quarter and to highlight the troop’s activities. Our troop activities include a monthly camping trip or event, annual summer camp, high adventure outings for older scouts, merit badge opportunities, and community service projects.
Troop 258 is backed by an active parent support group and a strong executive committee, that continually strives to improve and work towards quality programming for our scouts.
HISTORIC TROOP PHOTOS:
