About the Pack

Who are we?
We are Cub Scout Pack 787. Our Charter is held by the Carman Trails Elementary School PTO. We are part of the New Horizons District, the largest of 16 Districts in the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. St. Louis is the 5th largest Council in the United States. In fact, if the New Horizons District were a Council unto itself, it would be the 15th largest Council in the United States.

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• Influence the development of character and encourage spiritual growth.
• Help develop habits and attitudes of good citizenship.
• Encourage good sportsmanship and pride in growing strong in mind and body.
• Improve understanding within the family.
• Strengthen the ability to get along with other boys and respect other people.
• Foster a sense of personal achievement by developing new interests and skills.
• Show how to be helpful and to do ones best.
• Provide fun and exciting things to do.
• Prepare the Cub Scouts to become Boy Scouts.

Who may join?
Any boy age seven or in the first grade through age ten or fifth grade.
Please email us if you are interested in joining the pack.

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What are the cub scout ranks?
There are five ranks: Tiger, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos.
Each rank has a handbook (provided by the Pack) which outlines all the achievements, electives, and activities for that rank. The boys should try to finish all requirements for the rank badge in time for the Blue and Gold Banquet in February, and will be advanced to the next rank at the June Pack Meeting. Regardless of whether he earns a badge or not (and every effort is made to help a boy complete all requirements), a Cub Scout will advance to the next level. Rank is based upon school grade, not achievements. You cannot flunk cub scouts!!

Tiger Cubs
The Tiger Cub program is for first grade (or age 7) boys and their adult partners. There are five Tiger Cub achievement areas. The Tiger Cub, working with his adult partner, completes 15 requirements within these areas to earn the Tiger Cub Badge. These requirements consist of an exciting series of indoor and outdoor activities just right for a boy in the first grade. Tigers are invited to participate in all Pack Meetings, but do not participate in some of the special activities such as fund raising and Scouting for Food.

Bobcat Badge
With the exception of Tiger Cubs, all boys, regardless of when they join, must first pass the requirements of the Bobcat badge. These are the fundamentals of Cub Scouts including the Law of the Pack, the Cub Scout Handshake, the Scout Salute, and the Cub Scout Promise. These requirements are outlined in the front of the handbook for each rank.

Wolf Cubs
The Wolf program is for second grade boys (or age 8). To earn the Wolf badge, a boy must pass twelve achievements involving simple physical and mental skills. For this rank, either the parents or the Den Leaders may sign the Scout's book when he has satisfactorily completed the work. Some achievements will be done in Dens, but remember, Cub Scouts is a family affair and it's a lot of fun to help your boys achieve his goal of advancement. Both parents and boys benefit greatly from working on achievements together. After receiving the Wolf badge, the Cub may work on electives found in the handbook to earn Arrow Points.

Bear Cubs
The Bear rank is for third grade boys (or age 9). There are 24 Bear achievements in four categories. The Cub Scout must complete 12 of these to earn the Bear badge. These requirements are somewhat more difficult and challenging than those for Wolf rank. Either the parents of the Den Leaders may sign the Scout's book when he has satisfactorily completed the work. After receiving the Bear badge, the Cub may work on electives found in the handbook to earn Arrow Points.

Webelos
This program is for fourth and fifth grade boys (or age 10 - 11). Webelos is the transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Your scout will work on activity badges rather than achievments and electives, and become familiar with the Boy Scout requirements. There are 20 activity pins grouped in 5 categories. Activity Pin requirements are completed to the satisfaction of the Den Leader or other Pack Leader. First year Webelos are in 4th grade, and their primary focus is on the Webelos Badge.

Second year Webelos are in 5th grade, and their primary focus is on earning the Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouting, and the only award (excluding Religious Awards) that can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform. They take part in slightly more outdoor activities, including some as guests of Boy Scout Troop 787. Please note that these boys graduate from the Cub Scout Pack in March and join the Boy Scout Troop if they so desire, but in any event are no longer members of the Pack after the March Pack meeting.

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What are the parents' responsibilities?
In order to have a successful Cub Scout program it takes the active participation of Adult Leaders willing to manage the Pack activities and be Pack or Den Leaders. Today's Leaders will soon be moving on with their sons into Boy Scouts. We expect all parents to express a willingness to serve on a Pack Activity Committee or in a Pack or Den Leadership position. Parents agree to willingly:

• Complete the Adult Volunteer Participation Form (fully)
• Serve on a Pack Activity Committee
• Assist your son's Den Leader when asked
• Assist in Webelo Activity Pin achievements
• Provide snacks to the Den on an equitable basis as requested by the Den Leader
• Provide transportation for your cub to and from Den and Pack Meetings
• Attend monthly Pack Meetings
• Participate in Pack fund raising efforts
• Serve as a Den Leader, Pack Leader, or Chair of an Activity Committee.

What training is provided for leaders?
"I don't know how..." is the most frequently heard response when parents are asked to become Leaders. The Boy Scouts have a very comprehensive training program for Adult Leaders in all phases of Scouting. These include Fast-Start Videos, Basic Leader Training seminars, Leader's Roundtables, and Pow Wow. All of these are designed to help parents help their Pack put on a quality program for their boys. All Training is led by volunteers who represent a wealth of Scouting knowledge and experience.  All training is paid by the pack.

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What is the uniform?
To help control costs, Pack 787's uniform consists of the official Cub Scout blue uniform shirt with appropriate insignia, neckerchief, and slide. Blue jeans, dark pants or shorts are OK but sweatpants, brightly colored shorts and similar brightly colored attire are inappropriate. The Tiger cub uniform is the same as the offical Cub Scout uniform.  A Cub Scout is expected to wear his uniform to all Den and Pack activities. An insignia placement guide is on the inside cover of all handbooks.

The pack provides each Cub Scout with a neckerchief, slide and Handbook for each rank, and all the earned badges, awards, and achievements. All uniform items may be purchased from either of these locations:

What happens at the meetings?

Pack Meetings
Pack Meetings are held once a month usually on a Thursday night throughout the School year, normally in the School Cafeteria. See the Calendar for a list of meetings and events. It is required that a parent or guardian attend Pack Meetings with their Cub Scout. If a Parent or guardian is unable to attend, please send your son with an adult other than your son's Den Leader. Cub Scouts usually sit up front with their Dens and parents and other guests sit behind them. Siblings are always welcome at all Pack Meetings and Activities. Parents need to keep younger children from disturbing the Pack Meeting. By School rule we are only allowed to use the area of the School that we have reserved. The rest of the building is OFF LIMITS. This is to prevent accidents and to not disrupt other groups that may be using the School at the same time. Parents, please turn off the cell phones during a Pack Meeting. Pack Meetings generally last 60-90 minutes. This depends greatly on everyone being prompt and ready to go at starting time.

Remember, Pack Meetings are supposed to be FUN. So please tolerate the poor jokes, bad puns, weird cheers, and apparent utter chaos. Believe us when we say there is a method to the madness. Pack Meetings are also about recognizing achievement. At those times, encourage the boys to show the same respect they would at a school assembly, and refrain from talking.

Den Meetings
Den Meetings are held weekly or biweekly at the discretion of the Den Leader. These meetings take place at a time and location of the Den Leader's choosing. They may be held at someone's home or at school. It is the parents' responsibility to arrange transportation for their son to and from a Den Meeting. Please be prompt, both in arriving on time so that the meeting can start promptly, and also in picking up so that the Den Leader isn't waiting for a boy to be picked up.

Den Meetings are meant to be fun and educational. The activities of the Den are geared toward that Den's age group. Dens will work on achievements and some electives in meetings and do fun crafts and games. Sometimes they will take a field trip to a local firehouse or police station to learn about those jobs. Sometimes it will involve preparing a skit or sparkler for a Pack Meeting. But the key word is FUN.

Webelos Dens work on their Activity Pins and also take field trips to places like Beaumont Scout Reservation. Tiger Dens share the responsibility of leading the meetings, require an adult partner at each meeting, and meet less often.

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What are the dues?

Pack Dues (Or, "Where does my $42 go, anyway?)
Running a Cub Scout Pack is not cheap. For every registered Tiger Cub, Cub Scout, Den Leader and Unit Leader we must pay $10.00 to the St. Louis Area Council per year. The Council uses this money to help support Scout units with Leader Training and Roundtable Meetings, a Council Newsletter, a trained professional staff, and some of the finest scout facilities in the United States. Cubworld at Beaumont Reservation is unlike any Cub Scout facility anywhere else in the country. The remainder of the money goes to the Pack. We provide numerous items including:

• Wolf/ Bear/ Webelo handbooks and neckerchiefs
• Tiger handbooks and shirts
• Progress towards ranks recognition
• Badges of Rank
• Arrow Points and Activity Pins
• Webelo Colors and Compass emblems
• Pinewood Derby kits
• Pack meeting expenses such as facility fees, entertainment, refreshments, paper products, etc.

Pack 787 operates on an February 15-February 16 fiscal year. This is determined by the Greater St. Louis Area Council. We are required to reregister all Scouts and Leaders for the coming year in late January and pay the $10.00 per scout at that time. This means that dues are collected in the spring in addition to any fall sign-ups. Fees are prorated when joining at a different time than February. The total fee for joining in September at School Night for Scouting is $21.12.

Pack Fund Raiser
Dues do not cover all the costs of the Pack. Every scout is expected to participate in a fall Fund Raiser for the Pack. This is usually a candle sale. This not only provides the Pack with working capital for activities, but provides the boys with a learning experience of meeting people and helping to do their part for the benefit of the Pack as a whole.

Den Dues
Each Den Leader my also collect Den Dues at their discretion. This is a nominal amount that covers the costs of individual den activities and supplies.

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