Visitors are always welcome, especially Webelos Patrols. Please
be our honored guest! It's best to call ahead just in case the Troop is on an evening field trip or the
day is a holiday. Troop 135 meets in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church, our charter organization
since the 1940s. The entrance is on the courtyard (south side) of the building opposite Legends (Golf Course) Drive.
Please email our Scoutmaster, Mr.Bontempi, or complete the survey form at the bottom of this page for more information.
Troop 135's Scoutmaster is John Bontempi. Our Troop has very
good adult participation. Approximately 1/3 of the parents participate as active leaders. Currently, five
adult leaders have earned the BSA Woodbadge, three have been awarded the District's highest honor, the Long Rifle
Award and two are former Scoutmasters. Several adults are Merit Badge Counselors. The adult leadership strives to guide
the boys in accomplishing a "boy lead" program. A typical Troop meeting will offer an opening ceremony, individual
Patrol meetings, a period for skills accomplhishment (typically, Merit Badge classes or other skills training)
and fun activities. Uniforms (Class A shirts) are mandatory for Troop meetings.
Enrollment at Troop 135 varies between 30 to 50 boys. There
is a wide age span to our scout group. The boys come from a variety of educational paths; City, County, private
and home school. Our younger scouts typically advance through the camping ranks (Tenderfoot through 1st Class) within
1year depending on level of participation. Some scouts have earned the Eagle Badge as young as 14 while most earn
the badge by age 16. The Troop has an aggressive Merit Badge program providing extracurricular learning opportunities
and advancement to all scouts.
Troop 135 scouts plan an outdoor experience trip or activity every
month of the year that takes us across the State of Tennessee and sometimes beyond. Camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing
and canoeing are just to a few of a variety of experiences. Troop 135 scouts especially enjoy camping,
bicycling, snow skiing and swimming. We Go Places!..but within a budget.
Summer is an exciting time for the scouts. In 2005 and 2006, Troop 135
enrolled nearly 40 scouts to attend Boxwell Summer Camp. In addition to Boxwell Camp, a high adventure trip
is planned for scout 14 and older. Younger scouts also have an opportunity to extra fun in the Summer months. Many
of our Senior Scouts have attended Philmont Reservation, Sea Base in the Florida Keys, the Grand Canyon and
various other high adventure destinations. Enrollment in the 2007 Philmont is currently full (see Blog). To
view photos of some of our trips, click on pictures to the right of the screen. Also please see the Event
Calendar web page for our program's schedule.
