For the 30th-straight year, Santa Claus is facing “trial” as part of the Troop 285 Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge.
San Antonio police will arrested Santa on Thursday as he is handing out gifts at James Bonham Academy. He will be accused of violating a fictitious statute concerning the separation of church and state.
The trial is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, December 9th at the John H. Wood Jr. U.S. Courthouse before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Bemporad. Members of Boy Scout Troop 285 will make up both the prosecution and the defense teams, and fourth-graders from James Bonham Academy will serve as the jury.
The prosecution has secured a conviction only once in the program’s history (it’s based on “Miracle on 34th Street”).
Summer Camp at Lost Pines Scout Reservation is one of the top experiences any Scout will have, enjoying a week-long adventure in the outdoors while making new friendships and deepening existing ones with other members of your Scouts BSA Troop. The memories made during camp remain with you for the rest of your life.
When you challenge yourself to a new activity like climbing, stand-up paddle boarding, archery, the mile swim, lifesaving, or others – and SUCCEED – you establish a renewed confidence that will enable you to do your best in school, sports, and other activities when you return home. After all, if you can repel down a 65 foot tower or hit a bullseye on the shooting range or swim an entire mile at once – there’s nothing you can’t do!
Summer resident camp is provided by the outstanding Lost Pines staff. In addition to the activities noted above, Scouts can participate in a myriad of merit badges and high adventure experiences including: .22 rifle, shotgun, ATV, scuba, action archery, sailing, kayak, stand up paddle board, mountain bike, triathlon, Bike-Athlon, and more. Lost Pines can help your Scouts BSA Troop provide a “mountain top” experience for your annual program.
National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is a six day, five night course that gives Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, Explorers and Venturers methods, skills and experiences to become better leaders in their unit. The course centers around the concepts of what a leader must be, what they must know, and what they must do – with a clear focus on how to accomplish all this.