About

Troop 572 (boys) and Troop 8572 (girls) are two Scouts BSA units chartered to Rose Hill Church in Kirkland, WA. They’re separate troops, with separate charters, rosters, and leadership structures. But they’re linked from the start: they share a chartering organization, a meeting location, and much of their adult leadership. Many adults register with both units to support outings and Boards of Review across the two troops.

Both troops run on the same foundation every Scouts BSA unit does: the patrol method, where scouts organize themselves into small patrols with elected youth leaders, plan their own program, and learn to lead by leading. Adults coach and support. Scouts run the troop. Monthly events include camping and service projects, plus an annual summer camp and high adventure trips for older scouts. Youth leadership is reinforced with semi-annual leadership training sessions.

This page covers where the troops come from, how they’re chartered, and how the program runs. For what a week or a year looks like as a scout today, see Scouts; for getting a new family started, see New Families; for volunteering as a parent or adult, see Parents & Adults.

For where the troops have gone over the years, see History; for photos from recent outings, see Gallery; for scouts who’ve reached Scouting’s highest rank, see Eagle Scouts.

On this page: Chartering Organization · Council · Service Projects · Program Philosophy

Chartering organization

Rose Hill Church hosts both troops’ weekly meetings and a number of their service projects, and appoints the Chartered Organization Representative who maintains the relationship between the church and both units.

Council

Both troops are part of Chief Seattle Council. Council resources, camps (including Camp Parsons, the council’s long-term summer camp), and district events are shared across both troops.

Service Projects

Service is built into the program, not bolted on. Scouts serve their community throughout the year, from a recurring monthly commitment to the capstone project every Eagle Scout candidate leads.

Monthly service

As a service to Rose Hill Church, the troops’ chartering organization, scouts take part in the church’s monthly cleanup, typically the second Saturday of the month, 9am–noon. Recurring seasonal service traditions include cleanups around Christmas and Easter. This is one of the easiest ways for a new scout to get involved right away.

Eagle Scout service projects

Every Life Scout on the path to Eagle plans, fundraises for, and leads a service project that benefits an organization outside of Scouting. They identify a genuine community need, secure approval from the beneficiary and the troop committee, and lead other scouts and volunteers through execution. See Path to Eagle for the full process, and Eagle Scouts for scouts from either troop who’ve reached it.

Council and district service

Beyond the troop’s own projects, scouts take part in council-wide service opportunities through Chief Seattle Council and the district, alongside troops from across the region.

Interested in leading or organizing a service opportunity? Reach out through Contact. The Special Events sub-committee (see Committees) coordinates troop-wide service activities.

Program Philosophy

The Patrol Method

Scouts bring issues, problems, or questions to their Patrol Leader and Troop Guide first. If unresolved, the scout can approach the Senior Patrol Leader, and from there, any adult leader present. Parents at campouts: encouraging your scout to follow this process, rather than stepping in directly, is how scouts learn to lead.

New scouts join a dedicated New Scout Patrol of 8–10 scouts for about six months before integrating into a regular patrol. An experienced scout, the Troop Guide, is assigned to this patrol to teach new members the patrol method and ease the transition. They work alongside the Patrol Leader to help new scouts work toward First Class rank.

See The Patrol Method for patrol sizes, election terms, and Troop 572’s current patrols.

How the Program Gets Planned

Scouts plan the troop’s program. Adults advise. They don’t run it. The Patrol Leaders’ Council (PLC) meets monthly to plan upcoming meetings, outings, and events, with the Scoutmaster or an Assistant Scoutmaster advising from the side.

Learning scout skills (tying a knot, planning a menu, swimming, administering first aid) is a vehicle for personal growth, not the end goal itself. That's the point.

See How the Program Gets Planned for how to raise an idea today, and Rank Advancement for how sign-offs work.