LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield’s BSA Boy Scout Troop 48 recently held a “Crossing Over” ceremony, which celebrates the Arrow of Light Scouts’ transition from the Cub Scout Pack to the Scouts BSA Troop.
A total of eight Arrow of Light Scouts, all of whom are finishing fifth grade at Lynnfield Middle School, crossed over into the Troop. In addition, Arrow of Light Den Leader Brian Charville also “crossed over” and formally became an Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 48.
The “crossing over” is both figurative and literal in that each Scout has to walk across the Troop’s wooden “da Vinci bridge,” which the older Scouts carefully assembled at the start of the ceremony.
Leonardo da Vinci designed the bridge in 1502. This unique, self-supporting structure is held together without nails or ropes. Each part plays a vital role in holding the bridge together. It is only when all of the parts work together that the bridge can accomplish its task. It is the same with a Scout Troop. Each Scout has a role to play in making a Troop run well.
Senior Patrol Leader Alan Curley and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Evan Carty, who are both in ninth grade, welcomed each new Scout by exchanging the Scout’s Arrow of Light neckerchief and shoulder epaulets with the Troop 48 neckerchief and epaulets.
The night following the ceremony, 13 Scouts from Troop 48 attended its annual overnight at Metro Rock climbing gym in Everett. The Scouts enjoyed the high ropes obstacle course as well as dozens of challenging climbing routes as high as 50-feet tall then slept over on the climbing gym mats. In May, the Scouts have a two-night campout adventure in Cape Cod to enjoy bicycling the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
Scouting offers Lynnfield’s youth an opportunity to take a break from their digital lives: Mobile phones, computer gaming, etc. and experience real life adventures, make friends and develop leadership and life skills. The Cub Scout Pack includes Scouts from kindergarten to fifth grade and the BSA Troop Scouts range in age from 12 to 17. New Scouts can join in any grade. Over time, BSA Scouts can work their way along the path to “Eagle Scout,” which is a rank achieved by fewer than 5 percent of Scouts.
If residents have interest in learning more about Scouting for their child, they can contact Troop 48 Scoutmaster Jim Squadrito at jsquadrito@gmail.com.