About Us

Troop 159 has been serving area youth for more than 65 years. Sponsored by First Parish Church United, Westford, Massachusetts

Philosophy – Troop 159 is dedicated to the fulfillment of the Mission and Vision of Scouts/BSA and places a strong emphasis on providing the tools and training for young men to learn to make ethical decisions while having fun and adventure.

Mission – The mission of Scouts/BSA is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

Vision – The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values based leadership training. In the future scouting will continue to:

• Offer young people responsible fun and adventure.

• Instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law.

• Train young people in citizenship, service, and leadership.

• Serve America’s communities and families with its quality, values-based program.

Organization – Troop 159 strongly endorses and rigorously implements the Boy-Led concept of troop leadership. With the guidance, encouragement and training from the adult leaders, the scouts of Troop 159 plan and implement the program of the troop through the utilization of the patrol method. Scouts function in patrols of 7 to 10 Scouts without the direct participation of adults and learn to depend on each other. While parents are encouraged to contribute to the troop in many ways, Scouting is not a father/mother and child program. Scouts learn the skills of self-sufficiency and independence, working with other Scouts their age.

Leadership – Every uniformed adult leader of Troop 159 has completed the minimum suite of training courses prescribed by Scouts/BSA including “Fast Start” and Youth Protection. Most of the (non-uniformed) Troop Committee members have also completed one or more of these programs. Several leaders have completed more advanced training courses.

Requirements – A youth may join Troop 159 upon reaching age 11, or upon completing the AOL Cub Scout program, or upon completing fifth grade. We expect of each scout the following:

• Attendance: Regular attendances at all scout activities, including weekly meetings and monthly overnight outings. Troop 159 meets on Thursday evenings  7:00-9:00pm at the First Parish church United, 48 Main Street in Westford, MA.

• Scout Uniform at appropriate times- We stress the importance of proper uniforming. Scouts should wear their official Class A scout uniform when they’re representing the troop, during Courts of Honor, and during advancement activities.  Scouts should wear their Class B polo uniforms during weekly troop meetings. Uniforms should always be clean and worn in a tidy fashion.

• Behavior- Scouts are expected to conduct themselves in accord with the principles of the Scout Oath and Law.

• Handbook- Scouts should bring their copy of the official Boy Scout handbook to every troop meeting and camp out.

Advancement - Troop 159 is very proud of the accomplishments of our scouts. The goal of every scout is to become an Eagle Scout, Boy Scout’s highest rank. Numerous scouts in Troop 159 have reached this pinnacle. The troop’s activities are centered on learning and doing the things that scouts need to do to advance. A scout who has completed requirements for a rank may advance after participation in a conference with the Scoutmaster and a review by the Troop Committee’s Board of Review. It’s the scout’s responsibility to ask for this review. We present awards at a quarterly “Court of Honor” attended by all parents and other family members.

We keep the “Outing” in “Scouting” – The Troop’s annual program consists of weekly troop meetings, quarterly Courts of Honor, at least 10 weekend outings, and a one-week summer camp. Older scouts also may also attend ‘Venture Outings’ during the year and ‘High Adventure’ camps during the summer.

• Troop-Provided Equipment - The troop owns camping equipment that provides patrols with cooking equipment, axes, saws, shovels, stoves and lanterns.

• Scout-Provided Equipment – please refer to the Forms section of this website for detailed information on equipment and supplies scouts need to bring to each outing. Please note that absolutely no electronic devices of any kind are permitted on trips unless specifically noted as being allowed. This includes cell phones.

Troop Dues - The Troop is funded through annual dues paid by each Scout. The amount of the annual dues are established each fall by the Troop Committee and pay for all Troop owned camping equipment, awards presented to Scouts in recognition of their advancement, training programs provided to youth and adults, Troop administration expenses, Boys Life Magazine for each scout, registration fees paid to the National Scout office, and other miscellaneous expenses. Scout’s transferring from other units (even Cub Scout Packs) need to pay a pro-rated fee at the time they join.

Parent Participation - We encourage all parents to contribute in some fashion for the betterment of the Scouting program of Troop 159. Troop 159 is a large organization and there are numerous areas where we need parent help.