January 2014

Leader INSIDE THIS ISSUE January 2014 1 First Super Nove in NEPA Council Volume 1 Issue 1 2 Venturing Leadership Awards 2 Crew 365NEPA Council Venturing Officers Association 3 Crew 365 72 Montage Mountain Road 3 2013 a Year in Review Moosic, PA 18507-1776 4 Looking Forward voa.nepabsa.org 4 Building up Camp [email protected] 4 Stuff we did in pictures 570-207-1227 Every month we will feature two NEPA Council Crews drop off your crew bio at the next VOA meeting.First Council Super Nova STEM awardeeVenturer Rachel Stark By J. SepcoskiIt was 2012 and then 16 year old Rachael \"It's (Venturing) changed my life in so Additions to CampStark was searching for a geocache using VOA to help with camp improvements ata GPS near her home in Wyoming. But many ways, Venturing gives you both Camp Acahela and Goose Pond Scoutwhat she found was Scouting. Reservation. Gaga Ball anyone? experiences for the rest of your life.\"She was introduced to Venturing. On Full Article on Page 4Tuesday, Stark, 18, was awarded the Dr. the Venturing program. Rachael statedSally Ride Supernova Award, becoming that \"It's (Venturing) changed my life in Council VLA’s Presentedthe first person to receive the award so many ways, Venturing gives you Council Venturing Leadership Awardsthrough the Northeastern Pennsylvania experiences for the rest of your life.\" Presented during the NEPA Council AnnualCouncil. Recognition Dinner. To learn more about the STEM initiativeRachael said, \"It's really exciting,\" just in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Full Article on Page 2before she was awarded her medal and Council, contact:plaque at the council's annual meeting onJanuary 22nd. Rachael is a freshman Jerry Ephualt [email protected])majoring in environmental science at John Sepcoski ([email protected])King's College. Mark Diefenderfer ([email protected])To earn the Supernova award, named forthe first American woman in space, Starkhad to earn three Venturer Nova awardsand complete other tasks, includingwriting a paper and job-shadowingsomeone in a STEM-related field.Gerald Ephault, past president of thecouncil, said \"These are the skillsnecessary for our future,\" he said. \"We'reensuring that we're helping our youth.\"Rachael was joined at the presentation byher parents, Michelle and Chuck Stark,she said she is thankful she learned about

Venturing Leader Page 2Venturing Leadership AwardsBy Matt GromalaCouncil Venturing Leadership AwardsPresented during the NEPA CouncilAnnual Recognition Dinner.On November 8th 2013, VOA presidentDonnie Stephens (2012 - 2014) and Area 5President (2013-2014) and former NEPAVP of Administration (2012-2013) TylerSepcoski were awarded The CouncilVenturing Leadership Award.2011 was the last year the VLA wasawarded to both Adult and Youth. Since2012 this is a youth only award.Our Council is permitted to award only two • Show exceptional dedication and give outstanding leadership(2) VLA's per year. To be considered for and service to Venturing and to Venturers (on the levelthe award, a youth must: appropriate for the award). • Be registered and involved as a Since the start of Venturing in 1998 the NEPA Council has presented the Venturer for at least one year. following VLA's awarded to: • Be a youth member when 1. Tom Kameroski (Adult) nominated for the award. 2. Jeremy Kuhar (Adult) 3. Walt Godshall (Adult) • Hold a leadership position or 4. Cara Sepcoski (Youth - 2011) an office at the unit, district, 5. John Sepcoski (Adult - 2011 ) council, area, region, or 6. Tyler Sepcoski (Youth 2013) national level (as appropriate 7. Donnie Stehens (Youth - 2013) for the level of the award presented). Featured Crew - Crew 365 Paupack Area By Deb Coppola A brand new adventure awaits the The Venturers of Crew 365 are also youth of Paupack area. Newly formed co-ed BSA Venture Crew discussing and planning and a long 365 chartered to the Paupack United Methodist Church has great things range adventure. Crew 365 is looking planned. forward to attending the “Dr. Who themed Rendezvous” and summer camp.“Brand new adventures The new crew had 7 youth attend Our meetings are held 2 Sundays a await the youth of their first meeting Jan.12th .The month at the Paupack United number of youth has doubled before Methodist Church. Paupack area in new our 2nd meeting to be held Jan.26th. Crew 365.” For more information on Crew 365 At the first meeting, the youth of Crew 365 forged ahead and designed Call the Crew t-shirt, planned their first winter camp-out to include snow Deb Coppola at 1-570-832-3694 or shoeing, fire building, open fire Dave Zipperlen at 1-570-470-8052 cooking, winter survival skills and much more.

Page 3 Venturing Leader VenturingLeader Page 3Students looking for a club or activity VOA conducted in NEPA in 2013. Sixcan join Archery, one of the newest NEPA youth Venturers receivedclubs on campus. Year in Review 2013 partial scholarships to help pay for the cost of this course, and benefitted fromStudents Cara Sepcoski and Erika By Matt Gromala the advanced and diverse training theyDeckard led the effort to create the club were able to receive from theirlast school year. 2013 proved to be an eventful for the Powderhorn experience. Northeastern Pennsylvania CouncilIt took some time to persuade VOA. We have a year of far-reaching The STEM (Science, Technology,administration to give the go ahead, and highs, and we are looking to continue Engineering, and Mathematics)it took chartering the club as a this pattern in 2014. This year we had a Initiative was also introduced to theVenturing crew, Crew 301. mostly new cabinet put in place, headed council as well, with the first youth in by President Donald J. Stephens, in his the council, Rachel Stark, earning the“Cara and I are in the same class and second term in office. This team prestigious Dr. Sally Ride Super Novaare friends. We started talking about continued the advances made by the Award.how there are no real activity clubs on previous administrations, furthercampus and how it would be cool to cementing the legacy built for the NEPA Insomniac’s Revengehave something. Then she said that Council VOA.through the support of the Boy Scouts it In September, the VOA put on themight be possible. The VOA sponsored and constructed a annual Insomniac’s Revenge, which storage facility which was officially was a huge success. The title of thisWe talked to the necessary people and completed and opened in May, at Camp year’s event was Out of the Darkness,got the job done,” Deckard said. Acahela in Blakeslee, PA. And Through The Night, essentially aTurnout was good at the club’s first James Bond spy theme. There weremeeting in September and its first shoot In July, Council and Area Vice 120 people in attendance at the event,Oct. 7 at the Harvey’s Lake Rod and President Sarah Gromala was among the held over a weekend at Goose PondGun Club. council Venturers in attendance at the Scout Reservation. 2013 National Scout Jamboree, in the first time the Jamboree was opened to A hugely successful marketing drive Venturing participants (also in was conducted over two weekends in attendance was Area 5 President, and October and November at the NEPA council native, Tyler Sepcoski), Wyoming Valley Mall, where several along with several Venturing staffers NEPA Venturers advertised to the from the council. The National community at large all of the fun and Jamboree was extremely well-received excitement that the Venturing program among the Venturers in attendance. has to offer. The fourth annual Three new crews were chartered in the Nationally Accredited council this year, STEM / Archery Venturing summer camp Crew 301 at College Misericordia, Crew 1 in Honesdale, and Crew 365.First year student and archery/ personal was also conducted in August at Goosebow-making enthusiast Jeff Li joined Pond Scout Reservation. Venturers We also submitted all the necessarythe club to “to continue training in participated in three distinct treks, which paperwork to be recognized at themarksmanship.” took each participant on a unique national annual meeting with the journey through the mountains and council venturing excellence award.Members’ experience levels vary from waterways of Northeasternnew archers to experienced shooters. Pennsylvania. New this year, a Kodiak All in all, 2013 was a highly successful leadership trek was also run at camp. year for the council VOA, and we lookFor the full article see the Misericordia Everyone in attendance made memories forward to continuing this standard ofHighlander News. and formed bonds to last a lifetime. excellence through 2014.http://www.highlandernews.net/uncategoriz Powder Horn (a National Highed/2013/10/22/new-club-shoots-in/ Adventure Leadership training) was also

Venturing Leader Page 4Looking Forward The VOA is happy to purchase and install Check out the two Gaga Ball pits, one for Camp Northeast RegionBy Donnie Stephens Acahela and one for Goose Pond Scout Area 5 website forAll in all, 2013 was a highly successful Reservation.year for the council VOA, and we look informationforward to continuing this standard of The camping committee is working out concerning the newexcellence through 2014. There are the final locations before summer camp. Venturing Awardsseveral things to look forward in the 2014 We can’t wait to see them in use!calendar year from our VOA, including: and the Area 5 Rendexvous!  Camp improvements to be made ne5venturing.org to both of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council camps, Goose Pond Scout Reservation and Camp Acahela, by the VOA. Including 2 gaga ball pits and several new storage sheds.  A membership recruitment kit will be finalized and put into production.  A New and Improved Spring Lock-In, which will just as excellent if not better than the holiday Lock-In!  A updated Fall Insomniacs Revenge We do stuff!https://twitter.com/NEPABSAVOAhttp://nepabsavoa.tumblr.com/http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6Lhb5hg-P6gOCCCsf2OXwhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/NEPA-Council-Venturing-Officers-Association/485868761534738