Merit Badges are awards that recognize knowledge and exposure to a particular specialized area covering everything from American Business to Farm Mechanics to Nuclear Science and pretty much everything in between. While Scouts can earn merit badges at any time throughout the year, summer camp provides a terrific opportunity to earn a number merit badges in a week.
There are two kinds of merit badges; Eagle required and non-Eagle required. Although you must earn the Eagle required badges to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, you can chose which of the others you want to earn. Before you start a merit badge, you should determine who the counselor is and obtain a merit badge card (also known as a “blue card”) from Mr. Bob Peters.
How to properly complete a merit badge
- The merit badge process starts with the Scout. He identifies what badge he would like to do.
- The scout then talks to the Advancement Chairman and requests a blue card.
- The scout fills in the merit badge information correctly onto a blue card. The scout meets with a scoutmaster, they agree on a counselor, and the scoutmaster signs the blue card to start the badge.
- The scout talks to a potential merit badge counselor and agree to do the badge.
- The scout completes the requirements and periodically checks in with the counselor.
- If a requirement is not completed correctly, the scout will have to fix it and then follow up with the merit badge counselor.
- When all the requirements have been completed, the merit badge counselor will sign the blue card.
- The scout will meet with the scoutmaster and discuss the merit badge. The scout will get the scoutmaster’s signature on the blue card, indicating the badge is finished.
- The scout turns in the blue card to the advancement chairman, who will record it in the scout’s official record.
- At the next court of honor, the scout will receive the actual merit badge which can be attached to the merit badge sash.
Latest Troop 615 merit badge counselor list can be found in TroopMaster Web.
- Log into TroopMaster Web: www.troopmasterweb.com/bsatroop615
- Click on Reports
- Click on Merit Badge Counselors
- The Counselor by specific badge allows you to search for a merit badge counselor for a specific badge. If the resulting report is blank, that means there are no merit badge counselors in Troop 615 for that specific badge.
- The Counselor badge list allows you to select a specific merit badge counselor and see what badges are supported.
Information on STEM NOVA requirements/tracking: