Here is the article that ran in the National Navigators Newsletter:

CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT ON NAVIGATORS TROOP 99

Navigators Troop 99 began in June of 2015 with the support of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society. Their support helps to fund our badge programs and provides us a place to perform and to hold our badge ceremonies.  Our Troop currently has 12 very active scouts who range in age from 5-12.  The Troop leaders are Patrick Savage, Rolando Rivera, Kevin Castellucci and the NOVES DEE, Kimberly Nyilasi.  However, ALL of our scout parents attend EVERY event with their children.  We have strong focus on family, friendship and fellowship within the group.  Our troop strives to hold one event per month, primarily focused on nature and the outdoors.  The children of our troop are all also members of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society’s Sunday School, which affords us an opportunity for fellowship and friendship building outside of troop gatherings.  We also use the afternoons after platform to hold many of our badge events, freeing our weeknights for extracurricular and school activities.  NOVES also provides us space on their website and FB page in which to show our scout activities and encourage other families to join in on the fun!  https://noves.org/Navigators

Our first badge ceremony was held in January 2017.  Our troop had been active for 18 months and we had earned 8 badges (Moral Compass, Map Reading, Hiking, Climbing, Safety, Safety, Skating, Charity and Volunteering).  During this first ceremony, we began the tradition of holding an annual Badge Ceremony during the NOVES Winter Festival.  We show a video summary of our activities throughout the year and recognize the children with a round of applause from the society!  The Charities Committee with the consent of the Board generously performs a collection during the Festival to benefit the Navigators in their pursuit of badges during that calendar year.  We use the funds to rent campgrounds, pay fees, provide supplies and purchase our badges.  By our second badge ceremony in January 2018, we had purchased shirts and sashes and had began to look more like an official troop!  That year we earned 9 badges (Camping, Sewing, Water Conservation, Space, Knots, Minecraft, Swimming, Cycling, and Arts & Crafts).  We also had decided as a troop to undertake a HUGE STEM project in 2018 that would take half of the year to complete.  We designed a craft and entered the Cardboard Boat Regatta as Team NaviGATOR.  And we won both of our races!  In February of 2019 the troop earned 6 badges (Rafting, Paddle Sports, Survival, Geocaching, Performing Arts)

The 2019 Scout Year was off to a robust start!  8 scouts attended a Camp In at the Maryland Science Center and earned a special patch, awarded by the Science Center, for their participation in several STEM classes.  We held our annual camping trip adn we challenged the families to sign up to host a monthly badge event.  The pandemic has derailed our acitivites for quite some time and we hope to resume in early 2022.