Scouts focus on earning merit badges

Josh described the camp, situated around the lake and surrounded by mountains, as picturesque.

‘‘It was definitely worth waking up at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise over the lake,” said James Bryan, Josh’s father and one of the adult scout leaders who accompanied the troop, in a press release from the troop.

The troop stayed at Camp Olmstead, one of the four camps at the reservation and the only one with a mess hall. Josh said this allowed the boys to concentrate on their merit badges because they did not have to spend time cooking their own food. He also said an advantage of going to a merit badge camp was that scouts could pursue their badges in a structured environment, where camp counselors could explain the requirements of each badge.

‘‘With a merit badge camp, it’s a lot easier to earn merit badges,” he said. ‘‘The staff is great.”

The boys attending the camp from Troop 268 ranged in age from 11 to 15 years old, and while the older boys could choose which badges they wanted to pursue, the younger boys had to participate in a program called Trailshead. This is a program to teach first-year scouts basic scouting skills and help them through merit badges appropriate to their age and skill level. ‘‘The merit badges are picked out by the staff based on what would be a good skill at that age,” Josh said.

The older, more experienced scouts pursued advanced badges such as first aid, lifesaving motor boating, small boat sailing and shooting sports, such as archery and rifle shooting. In their free time, the boys were able to kayak and swim in the lake, Josh said.

On campus

* Five area residents recently graduated from Salisbury University, the school announced.

They include Mark Rivas and Catherine Zerhusen, both of Middletown; David Brandenburg and Christine Foster, both of Myersville; and David Lapkoff of Point of Rocks.

* Cali M. Chase of Myersville was awarded a Master of Arts in teaching on June 28 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

* Six area students were named to the 2008 spring semester dean’s list at Virginia Tech, the school announced July 15. They include Chase F. Khoury and Matthew J. Manousoff, both of Adamstown; Daniel W. Hemp and Kaitlin E. Herber, both of Jefferson; Christopher M. Whitley of Middletown; and William V. Roney of Myersville.

In order to be named to the school’s dean’s list, students must attempt at least 12 credit hours and earn a grade point average of 3.4 or above, on a 4.0 scale, for a semester.

* Three area students were named to the 2008 spring semester dean’s list at the University of Delaware, the school announced July 18. They include Rebecca Gail Dorough and Scott William Ohlmacher, both of Adamstown; and Alison Blair Borcherding of Middletown.

In order to be named to the school’s dean’s list, students must attempt at least 12 credit hours and earn a grade point average of 3.33 or above, on a 4.0 scale, for a semester.

Volunteers sought for saint’s birthday party

The Emmitsburg Business and Professional Association is seeking volunteers for an Aug. 24 celebration of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s 234th birthday.

Duties would include filling up helium balloons, scooping snow cones and monitoring children's games, among other tasks.

For more information or to volunteer, call Tina Lamont before Aug. 1 at 301-447-6606.

For more information, go to www.setonshrine.org.

Salesman earns scholarship

Jesse Johnson of Woodsboro recently received an $800 scholarship for ranking third place in sales out of 40,000 sales representatives for Vector Marketing, according to a press release from the company.

Johnson has received the scholarship eight times through the company’s ‘‘Skills for Life” training. Johnson has graduated from the University of Hartford and is continuing to work the company. Vector Marketing sells Cutco Cutlery, and 80 percent of its sales force consists of students.

Do you have an item for Valley Voice? Contact reporter Connor Adams Sheets at 301-846-2130, e-mail csheets@gazette.net, or fax news to 301-846-2124.