About Troop 5
Troop 5 of Palo Alto is a friendly, medium-sized troop with active scouts and involved adult leaders.

Troop 5 was established in 1961. Its chartering organization is the Rotary Club of Palo Alto.

Troop 5 presently has about 50 Scouts, mostly from Jordan,JLS and Terman Middle Schools and Palo Alto and Gunn High Schools. Most Scouts live in Palo Alto and Mountain View. Former Cub Scouts come from Pack 6, Pack 14, and Pack 52.

Boy Scouting is intended to aid a boy in the process of developing into a young man. The major purposes of Scouting are the development of character (personal qualities, values, and outlook),citizenship (relationship and obligations to other people, society, and government), and fitness (physical, emotional, and moral). The Principles of Scouting are stated in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Motto, and Slogan.

Troop 5, like most Boy Scout Troops, is run primarily by the Scouts with guidance from the adult leaders. Scouts in the Troop elect the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL), who heads the Patrol Leaders' Council (PLC). The SPL, with the help and advice of the Scoutmaster and elected Patrol Leaders, appoints one or more Assistant SPLs, Quartermaster, Instructors, Troop Guides, Scribe, and other Troop Officers. These officers, along with the Patrol Leaders, make up the PLC.

Troop Meetings
Troop 5 meets most Mondays at Palo Verde School at 7:30 PM in the Multi-purpose Room, with some activities occasionally preceding the meeting. The Troop does not meet on Monday holidays or in August. Those dates are often used for extended campouts.

Outings
A major part of the Scouting involves outdoor activities. There is a saying that 3/4 of SCOUTING is "OUTING". Troop 5 has had a very strong outing program.

Each year includes overnight camping (typically 30 or more nights offered each year), several backpacks, winter campouts, day hikes, orienteering, skiing, rock climbing, and bicycling. Other activities include whitewater rafting and canoeing. In alternate years, Troop 5 sends crews to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and the Minnesota-Canada Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoeing Area. View our current and past Troop calendars (2010/2011, 2009/2010, 2008/2009) to see the many outings our Scouts have enjoyed.

The Troop participates in District and Council activities each year including the Mountain Man Rendezvous, the Spring Camporee, and Scout-O-Rama.

A trip fee is generally charged for each activity to cover the expenses incurred for that outing. The fee covers the cost of transportation, meals, and any park entrance, toll, and campground fees. Some of the outing equipment, such as tents and cooking gear, is provided by the Troop, using funds collected by the scouts during the Troop’s annual fundraiser.

Community Service
Troop 5 participates in a number of community service projects each year including Scouting for Food, Memorial Day Flag placement at the National Cemetery in San Bruno and community Emergency Preparedness events.

Advancement
Scouts who are active in the Troop's program will advance in rank almost automatically. As he learns each skill by doing it on the outings, a Scout will be signed off for the requirements or will accumulate the experience needed for many of the merit badges. As a result, a large fraction of the Scouts in Troop 5 achieve the Eagle rank. A recent year saw seven Scouts completing their Eagle rank. At present, about 1/4 of the Troop is Life or Eagle, and another 1/3 1st Class or Star. Nearly all Scouts in Troop 5 reach 1st Class before the end of their second year..

Recent Eagle projects include a portable library for a reading garden, information kiosk for Towle Campground in Foothills Park, food boxes for Towle Campground in Foothills Park, an emergency amateur radio repeater located in Foothills Park, game tables for senior citizens having restricted mobility, a classroom with an evolving mural for a restricted opportunity school, benches for a church courtyard, and several storage sheds for schools in the Palo Alto district.

Adult Roles
Each Scout's family is expected to directly support at least 2 major activities each year. This may take the form of being a trip coordinator, adult leader on a campout, adult leader at summer camp, handling the annual registration, Troop Committee member, Assistant Scoutmaster, serving as a Board of Review member or Merit Badge Counselor, or other activity. In addition, each family provides a driver for about 1/4 of the Troop's outings (that way, no family has to drive more than 1/4 of the time).

The Troop encourages each family to support our local BSA council – Pacific Skyline – in their annual Fair Share drive. The council provides essential services to all the troops in the area, such as the BSA store, Camp Cutter and Camp Oljato.

Visit Adult Roles for information about Scoutmaster and Troop Committee responsibilities.

Uniforms
All Scouts wear the appropriate Scout uniform to all Scouting functions, including outings. The Troop 5 uniform is the usual BSA class-A uniform - BSA shirt with proper patches, BSA pants (long or shorts), Scout belt, Scout socks, and Troop 5 neckerchief (green with red piping and the Troop 5 emblem shown at the top of this page). The troop also has a "Class B" T-shirt and heavier fleece pullover with the Troop 5 "tree" logo suitable for non-uniform activities and general wear.

In Summary...
The goal of Troop 5 includes building Character, Leadership and Teamwork Skills, Moral Values, and Outdoor Skills... All while learning and having fun in a safe environment.