Welcome!

Whether you volunteer as a leader, on a committee, or work with your scout at home, parents and guardians are key to the Scouting experience. We hope you and your scout will enjoy a long relationship in Scouting. We hope you and family enjoy being involved in Scouting and the many skills it builds while having fun!

We also love parent volunteers and they are the glue of a pack.  If you would like to be a leader, co-leader, be a chair person or assist in one of our many pack activities during the year, please send your questions to our Committee Chairperson, Kathy Ferdig or Cubmaster, Tim Goddard

The High Desert Scout Shop will have everything you need and will make sure you know where patches go and that you have all the correct ones. Just tell them the Pack and Grade your Scout is in (or going into if you register before summer).
 
They will need the handbook appropriate to their grade, and you’ll need you to pay the pack registration dues each year.

They will  want a uniform which includes:

• Lion T-shirt or blue shirt for Lions
• Blue shirt – for Cub Scouts (Tigers, Wolves & Bears)
• Tan shirt – for Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts
• Pack specific T-Shirt (Class B Uniform) You will get this from the pack, not the scout shop.
• Neckerchief – appropriate to their grade. The Scout Shop can help.
• Neckerchief slide – holds the neckerchief together. You might want to buy two. Kids lose these often.
• Scout pants/shorts, leggings (girls) or skorts (girls) (Optional) – blue for Cubs, green for Webelos/Arrow of Light. The Scout Shop can help.
• Belt – appropriate for their group.
• Patches – Unit patch “174” - purchased at the pack - they are not sold at the scout shop.

·The "Dens" are the term used for the different ages/grades. The different Dens are all part of one Pack.

·In our Pack 174, we have one den for each grade level. Each den is a single gender - all boys or all girls in a den.

·If we have too many scouts in one den, then we would start a second den for that age group.

·Your child's grade in school will determine which group they join within the pack.

·They are separated based on grade level, ensuring that the requirements and activities are age appropriate.

·Scouts can begin their adventures in Cub Scouts starting in Kindergarten, and can continue through 5th Grade, or when they become eligible for Scouts.

·If your family moves, your scout can transfer to another pack at any time.

·A scout can join any time from Kindergarten on; and does not have to wait until the next school year. If your scout joins mid-year, the fees will be adjusted accordingly, but they may have to work a bit harder to complete requirements but please do not be discouraged and remember the Scout Motto: "Do Your Best"

Grade groupings within Cub Scouting:

Kindergarten - Become Lion Cubs.

They work on their Lion Badge and prepare to join the older cub scouts in the Pack

First Grade – Become Tiger Cubs.

They start with the Bobcat Badge and then work on their Tiger Badge.

Second Grade – Become Wolf Cubs.

They start with the Bobcat Badge and then work on their Wolf Badge.

Third Grade – Become Bear Cubs.

They start with the Bobcat Badge and then work on their Bear Badge.

Fourth Grade – Become Webelos Scouts. Webelos stands for We’ll Be Loyal Scouts. Webelos Scouts work on their Webelos Badge. If they are joining for the first time, they will earn the Bobcat Badge first.

Fifth Grade - Become Arrow of Light Scouts. The Scouts will work on earning the Arrow of Light award, the highest award in Cub Scouts. If they are joining for the first time, they will earn the Bobcat Badge first. The boys who complete all of the requirements can participate in an Arrow of Light Cross Over Ceremony, usually held in conjunction with the annual Blue & Gold Banquet.  This Cross Over ceremony graduates those Scouts from Cub Scouts and welcomes them into Scouts if they choose to continue their Scouting Journey.

BASIC TERMS YOU’LL HEAR

• Pack – The whole group of scouts, often times all Cub Scouts in a community. This could be sponsored by a school, church, or other group and usually involves all youth in grades K-5. The Pack meets once per month as a group with their families. This is where awards earned by the scouts are presented, so the entire family is invited.
• Den – A group of 4-8 scouts of the same gender and grade. Dens usually meet weekly or bi-weekly, except for the week of the pack meeting, and work on badges, crafts, etc.
• Den Leader – The primary leader of your scout’s den. Program ideas are easily available from other Pack Leaders, District Roundtables, or the Boy Scouts of America to make this the best “job” in Scouting. Den meetings are usually set for the convenience of the den leader and the scouts/parents. Other parent participation is necessary for Den meetings to occur. Enjoy your turn!
• Cubmaster – The Cubmaster leads the pack and the pack meetings. He or she is a primary source of information for the group and will be able to answer most of your questions.
• Council – You and your scout are joining a specific Council of the Boy Scouts of America. A council is a geographic area, divided into districts that provide services to local packs. We belong to the GREAT SOUTHWEST COUNCIL.
• District – A district is a sub-division of the council and helps deliver service to packs. You will find several district volunteers working with your pack’s leadership as well as a full-time District Executive, who is a full-time professional Scouter. We are part of the RIO GRANDE DISTRICT.