Events 2023

Activities that we have done in 2023

ILST

ILST, which stands for Introduction for Leadership Skills for Troops, is one of the troops many yearly events in which young scouts get the chance to learn the basics of fulfilling their role in the troop. With senior scouts as their instructors, scouts learn about communication, planning events, leadership, and teamwork. But ILST isn't just a long lecture. The troop also takes this opportunity to celebrate the past year's events with a big feast prepared by hardworking parents and videos to reminisce on our most memorable moments.

Chinese New Year Celebration

The CNY Celebration is an annual day event held during troop meetings. Scouts were graced by the beauty of Chinese dance and Chinese zither, from graceful movements to soothing rhythms, and enjoyed a humorous Chinese crosstalk performance, all done by guests invited by the troop. Next, they were tested on their wit by solving riddles in the Lantern Riddle competition, and their creativity by making Chinese knots and paper cutting. To top it off, everyone attending had the opportunity to consume delicious food and drinks, and receive a lucky red envelope from the Scoutmaster!

Bearpaw

Bearpaw is an annual snow camping event. Armed with heavy snow jackets, little snow shovels, and plenty of hand-warmers, scouts set off into the forest to create a structure to shelter them overnight. To say snow was plentiful this year is an understatement--the benches that were supposedly at our campsite were nowhere to be seen, covered by a dozen feet of snow!

Seabase High Adventure

The Seabase High Adventure was "low adventure" according to the scouts that attended, a stark contrast to the grueling adventure they expected. Lying idly on hammocks, happily fishing on motorboats, snorkeling in the coral reefs, and visiting the infamous Key West, the scouts wonder if they accidentally had booked a vacation.

March COH

This quarter (2023 Q1) we celebrate the advancement of four scouts to Tenderfoot, one scout to Second Class, one scout to First Class, and four scouts to Star. Two patrols earned the NHP award and the scoutmaster presented the Messenger of Peace award to one scout.

Wilderness Survival Campout

Wilderness survival is a difficult yet exciting aspect of the outdoors, and through this activity campout, scouts were able to demonstrate their knowledge of the natural world. Carrying all their gear with them, scouts endured a five mile hike to get to a remote area where they held a competition on building the toughest shelter!

Ziplining

On platforms attached to colossal redwood tree trunks, up to two hundred feet tall, the scouts dared to look downwards to see the ground far below. Those ziplining for the first time shook from fright and clung to the trunk, some saw the sight and appreciated the bird's eye view. After all, the only thing holding them from the ground was a cable and a rope. Hopping from platform to platform, zooming through the air at speeds up to thirty miles per hour, all their fears gradually disappeared, replaced by exhilaration.

Rock Climbing

The rock climbing campout was activity-based, where scouts tested their grip strength in an indoor rock climbing gym (with the help of instructors). Many scouts completed courses up to 50 feet high, some rushing to the top with unprecedented energy, and they even free-climbed on some short ledges.

Scout-O-Rama

Scout-O-Rama 2023 was a huge social event for troops all over the area, and our troop's Water Rocket Launch booth was a major hit! From the early morning setup to the final cleanup, our scouts worked tirelessly to ensure a fun experience for all visitors. The hydraulic-powered water rocket launcher launched water rockets high into the sky with impressive force.

Mother's Day Celebration

The Mother's Day celebration is an annual event celebrating the passing of Mother's Day, honoring mothers worldwide. Scouts presented wonderful gifts and cards to their mothers, took photos with them, and enjoyed a barbeque and potluck.

Ocean Fishing

Scouts attended the ocean fishing campout prepared to catch and eat lots of delicious fish, but most of them got off the boat pale and seasick after enduring the rocky Monterey Bay waves. At last back on land, they took a short hike around their campsite, looking over the view of the bay.

Father's Day Celebration

The Father's Day Celebration is held to honor the importance and contribution each father has to their family. This year, it was a day event that consisted of fun activities, including a fathers versus scouts blind tent setup and a watermelon eating contest. Scouts cooked delicious food samples for their fathers, then enjoying the catering and potluck, everyone went home with a full belly.

June COH

This quarter (2023 Q2) we celebrate the advancement of one scout to Scout, one scout to Tenderfoot, three scouts to Second Class, one scout to First Class, five scouts to Star, and one scout to Life. Two patrols earned the NHP award, and both the new ASMs and the new SPL were sworn into office.

Philmont High Adventure

Philmont High Adventure in New Mexico is known far and wide for its difficult hiking, testing both the physical and mental aspects of oneself. It is not only a backpacking adventure, but also a test of rationing and moderation. But with all due pleasure, it can be said that the scouts were extremely well prepared. With months of arduous hiking training and packing planning, the real deal turned out easier than they expected. The most difficult part, the scouts say, is simply not being able to shower for twelve days straight...

Summit High Adventure

This Summit High Adventure in West Virginia was the most difficult event attended by all participants; scouts chose the bike-packing adventure, a tough combination of biking and backpacking. Needing to keep balance on the mountain bike with twenty percent more mass while navigating narrow, bumpy, and often inclined paths, this adventure really stretched the physical limits of all participants and left them a lasting impression.

X-Miler Hiking

This year's X-Miler Hiking was held at Yosemite National Park, world-famous for its beautiful gushing waterfalls, towering granite monoliths, deep valleys, and ancient giant sequoias. Astonishing views of Yosemite Valley awaited the scouts as they hiked up the mountains; those daring enough took their chances at ascending up Half Dome, one of the hardest hikes our troop has ever done.

Summer Camp

Ending the eventful summer was a getaway trip (not really) to Seattle, Washington. Regarding the location of the camp, the troop has an impressive history. Troop 453 originated out of Troop 452, whose founder was a former scoutmaster who moved from Seattle to the Bay Area. One of his favorite places to go for summer camp was Camp Parsons, Seattle, with a beautiful scenic view of the bay. Scouts enjoyed many activities daily and set out in the morning to complete their merit badges.

Eagle COH

This year, we celebrate the advancement of Chris Zhang, Christopher Chen, and Ivan Lin, the 99th, 100th, and 101st Eagle Scouts of our troop! Having over 100 Eagle scouts, this is a huge milestone and achievement, and these scouts will be remembered forever in our troop's history.

Family Camp

Family camp is an annual campout where scouts have fun with their families, taking the time to enjoy family bonding activities with the rest of the troop. Not only was it a relaxing day filled with fun games, including volleyball, A-frame racing, ping-pong, and more, scouts also enjoyed a delicious feast prepared by hardworking parents.

Polaris Fall Fest

Polaris, our District, created a fun-filled event where many troops all around the area participated and racked up many, many service hours! Our booths this time consisted of Kim's Game, Connect 4, and Pole Ball Toss, bringing fun to all visitors that came.

September COH

This quarter (2023 Q3) we celebrate the advancement of five scouts to Scout, five scouts to Second Class, and two scouts to Star. Three patrols earned the NHP award, five scouts and two adults obtained the Triple Crown award, for attendance of three of the four scouting High Adventures, and seven ASMs were sworn in.

Popcorn Sales

Popcorn sales is an annual fundraising program to help Troops and Scouts raise money for recharters, activities, and badges. It was held at storefronts across San Jose, Cupertino, and Sunnyvale, or done online. As scouts would test their marketing and communication skills with customers while learning the value of working, goal setting, and inventory management, they would also rack up points for selling their popcorn, used to redeem gifts. With enough sales (the number is quite high!), a scout could earn themselves up to a $1,000 gift card!

KFF

This year during the Kids Fun Festival, we were not asked to host a booth--like we usually do for similar events--but to oversee the entire event. Scouts helped operate the bouncy house for the kids who came to play and made sure the event ran smoothly. With many responsibilities falling on the scouts, everyone earned lots of service hours.

CASA Camporee

CASA Camporee is an annual 3-day, 2-night camping event where all troops part of the Chinese American Scouting Association compete against each other in a test of scouting skills and Chinese heritage. This year's theme was "Chinese Dynasties", making the events organized by staff particular to the year. Scouts blindly crawled through mock minefields, cooked samples for judges to test, gathered materials to build campfires as quickly as possible, and more.

Caving

As an activity-based campout, scouts explored the massive Glory Hole cavern, and some crawled around the connecting caves. Descending down a tall spiral staircase, they reached the rocky ground. Looking around themselves, with stalagmites littering the walls, they envisioned themselves twelve thousand years ago, when Natives first discovered the cavern. As the lights turned off, nothing was visible, but a dim light illuminated revealed what seemed to be a monster... made of rocks.

Cooking

After a refreshing hike, the scouts came to a beautiful campsite on a sunny day. A long-awaited cooking competition was held among the patrols, bringing out the "inner Gordon Ramsey" of the scouts, and deciding which patrol had the best food of the troop. The scouts eagerly competed for their ingredients through a cooking-based Jeopardy then raced to a nearby destination to secure their final ingredient: the noodle. With these noodles and ingredients in hand, each patrol organized themselves and used all of their culinary knowledge to produce the best-tasting noodles they could. Judged by the parents, the patrol crowned winner of the competition was...

December COH

This quarter (2023 Q4) we celebrate the advancement of three scouts to Scout, four scouts to Tenderfoot, three scouts to Second Class, one scout to First Class, two scouts to Star, and three scouts to Life. Two patrols won the NHP award, a wood badge beading ceremony was conducted, and seven scouts and two adults earned the 50-miler award. Finally, the Committee Chair, Committee Sub-Chairs, ASMs, Scoutmaster, and SPL all were sworn in, marking the beginning of the new year.

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