HOME—Troop 97—Annual Report

Troop 97 Annual Report (2024-25)

Our activity year ("fiscal year", including budget and program planning) runs concurrently with the school year, from 1 September through 31 August. This report covers the activity year ending 31 August 2025.

Troop Activities & Program

Troop 97 earned the current-year BSA "Journey to Excellence" award for quality program at the Gold (highest) level. [BSA has discontinued this recognition program, and it appears that for the first time in over 50 years, there will be no further uniform insignia to recognize quality troop program.]

Membership (1 September 2025)—36 Scouts (boys & girls) and 24 active uniformed adult leaders and committee members, and a total of 50 registered adults. Troop 97 is about double the size of the average Adventure West Council troop.
Schools—Scouts attend 8 middle schools & 6 high schools, including 4 Scouts who are home-schooled. [As of August, all our elementary school Scouts are now middle-schoolers.]

Advancements Earned During the Year—174 merit badges and 36 rank advancements: 9 Scout, 7 Tenderfoot, 4 Second Class, 5 First Class, 4 Star, 3 Life, 4 Eagle Scouts, plus 4 Eagle Palms
Eagle Scouts—4 this year; troop has averaged 3.8/year since 1979 (26% of all Scouts), 211 Eagle Scouts since the troop's beginning in 1952
Troop 97 Master Camper Award—earned by 4 Scouts & 2 adults this year (35 nights camping, 5 winter campouts, 2 summer camps, 1 high adventure trek). Twelve current Scouts plus 12 current adults hold the award, and 60% of Scout recipients have become Eagle Scouts.

Summer Camp—21 Scouts & 8 adults attended 6 days & nights at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, our first time there since 2021. Our Scouts earned 104 merit badges at camp.
High Adventure 'Trek'—(2025 was a "SuperTrek" year): In early June, 18 Scouts & adults spent 12 days & nights exploring the British Virgin Islands on 50-foot sailing ships. The Troop 97 Treks challenge our more experienced Scouts, developing leadership, initiative, teamwork, and maturity. Since 1978, 476 T97 Scouts and adults have gone on one or more annual backpacking, bicycling, canoeing, or sailing treks and SuperTreks.

National Pilot Program—For the past year, Troop 97 has been participating in the BSA's Combined Troop Pilot Program, to test the best ways to provide quality Scouting for boys and girls in a combined troop.