BSA Kennett Square Troop 53

04/27/2026

This past weekend two Troop 53 members completed their Ordeal with Octoraro Lodge 22! Congrats on becoming members of the OA Ben & Rob!

04/26/2026

Scouts from Troop 53 spent the weekend at French Creek state park! Activities included a 6.5 mile hike with fantastic weather, some lunch on the trail, wood chopping practice, log roasting, good food, and lots of rain!

04/09/2026

Tonight Troop 53 acknowledged and awarded the merit badges, awards and rank advancements from the last couple of months. Over 30 merit badges and many rank advancements.

Congratulations to each of the scouts on their progress.

04/03/2026

03/28/2026

Keeping our community clean! Troop 53 participated in the annual Brandywine Red Clay Alliance Kennett Cleanup Day!

Scouts & parents from 53 spent the morning cleaning up the Kennett Greenway and the perimeter of Legacy Fields.

03/25/2026

This past weekend Troop 53 headed to Camp Rodney Boy Scout Reservation and spent Saturday enjoying a beautiful 7 mile hike, saw some bald eagles, shot some rifles, and ate some great food!

03/05/2026

Youth leaders of Troop 53 spent tonight during a planning meeting reviewing what it means to be a servant leader. During this, scouts had an opportunity to talk about what Scouting means and how we as a troop become successful. Scouts set program goals and decided what they want the culture of Troop 53 to be all about.

Scouts were asked four main questions and then had an opportunity to post their answers for everyone to see. Scouts then talked about their answers and used them as a guide to plan for the next set of meetings and trips.

Question 1: Experiences We Want Scouts to Have

Some answers include:
*Bring home fun!
*The feeling of getting comfortable with the uncomfortable
*fun, action packed
*leadership roles
*how to cook
*competition & success
*I want scouts to have an equal balance of fun and learning

Question 2: What We Want Scouts to Remember.

Some answers include:
*how to cook, prepare shelter, first aid, etc
*any skills that transform someone into a leader
*a time that everyone was involved and everyone was having fun
*how great the food was
*how to speak up for themselves
*what they did and what they learned
*mistakes and successes
*camping trips, hiking, high adventures, team activities

Question 3: What Leaders Do To Make That Happen

Some answers include:
*teach leadership to others
*guide and teach younger scouts
*making learning into a game
*leaders keep cool
*plan what we do & how we do it
*planning meaningful and thoughtful activities that are not just filler
*planning the fun events seriously

Scouts were then asked a fourth question with the intent to keep the *easy* fallbacks in mind so they can stay away from the leader-follower mindset and really take ownership in a servant leader-leader organization

Question 4: Things That Drift Us Towards Comfort

Some answers include:
*phones
*social media
*goofing off with others
*procrastinating necessary tasks
*letting older scouts take over the work
*relying on older scouts to do everything
*only being with people you like
*not asking questions
*waiting to be told what to do or how to do something
*relying on adults for answers

Scouting is a team effort. Scouting works best when leadership exists at every level of the troop, not just when one or two leaders make all the decisions. If scouts can’t take accountability and ownership for decisions, we stall our leadership growth as soon as we start.

Tonight was a fantastic step for these boys to start taking ownership for their troop. It’s for the scouts, by the scouts.

As adults, we are encouraged to ask the scouts ‘what do you intend to do’ or ‘what do think would be best in this situation’ instead of giving them the answer.

Servant Leadership is all about empowering every member of the organization to be successful. Leading from inside rather than in front.

I’m looking forward to how our scouts embrace this leadership model moving forward. It won’t always be easy. It won’t always be smooth. Things might get messed up, forgotten, left unplanned, but the moments that are great and the experiences that our LEADERS create will come with lasting memories that they will tell their families and new scouts about for generations.

02/23/2026

There’s legendary… and then there’s “Chief Scout of the World.”

On February 22, everywhere honor Robert Baden-Powell — the founder of the global movement and the first recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award (in 1926), Scouting’s highest honor for adults.

More than 150 years after his birth, his impact lives on in millions of young people learning to lead, serve, and explore.

That’s a legacy worth celebrating. Happy , all!

02/22/2026

This weekend scouts from Troop 53 spent the their time at Avondale cabin. They went on a hike, cleaned up some trash around the train tracks and practiced some scout skills including shelter building, litter lashings, & a cooking competition (GO THUNDERBIRDS!). Also they had some time to work with some AOL scouts who will be continuing their scouting journey by crossing over to a troop later this year!

02/08/2026

No thank you, sir, I’m a scout and this is my good turn for the day.

Happy 116th anniversary to Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America). I have many memories from my time in the program. From the camping trips as a youth with my troop in NY to leading my son and other youth on trips from 2017-2025.

From the Jamborees, Camporees, Summer camps and high adventure to even the simple campfires on trips find those moments to connect with the scouts. To teach and share and guide.

If you were a scout, what is a highlight or memory you have? Were you an Eagle? Or were you in Scouts for the adventures?

01/25/2026

Scouts from Troop 53 competed in Chester County Council’s Klondike derby. The scout participated in various scout skill events from fire building and first aide to archery and lashings.

01/08/2026

Happy New Year!
Tonight the scouts started off the bew year with a white elephant gift exchange. And preparing for the upcoming Klondike derby.