Advancement
Table of Contents
Court of Honor
The purpose of the Court of Honor is to recognize those Scouts who have completed requirements for badges and ranks or earned some other recognition. Parents and family are encouraged and expected to attend these meetings and share the accomplishment of each Scout that has earned recognition. A Court of Honor is held every three (3) months. Please refer to the Troop 61 Calendar located in the back of this guidebook for specific dates.
Merit Badges
When your Scout is ready to work on a merit badge, he should contact the Advancement Chairman who will help him select a counselor. The counselor should normally not be one of the Scout’s parents. After a counselor is agreed upon and the Scout fills out his parts of the merit badge card, the card should be brought to the Scoutmaster who will fill a portion of the card.
It is the Scout’s responsibility to contact the merit badge counselor and arrange to meet with him or her. Be certain that the Scout takes the merit badge application and the appropriate merit badge pamphlet. If there is not one located in the troop library that is up to date, one may be purchased at any Scout supply store, including the Council office, for $1.50. If your Scout is the only one taking the merit badge, you or your spouse may be required to attend the merit badge sessions as one-on-one merit badges counselor/Scout sessions are not permitted. This is to protect both the Scout and the merit badge counselor from “misunderstandings.” When the Scout has satisfactorily completed the requirements for the merit badge, the counselor will sign the merit badge application card. The Scout should return the signed card to the Scoutmaster who will then complete the last portion of the card and forward it to the Advancement Chairman. The merit badge and certificate will be presented to the Scout at the next Troop meeting and again recognized at the next Court of Honor.
Troop Library
A Troop library of merit badges pamphlets is maintained for use by Troop 61 members. Scouts should see the Troop Librarian to check out a pamphlet. If the needed pamphlet is not in the library, the Scout should make arrangements with the Librarian to obtain one.
Service Projects
The Scout ranks of Star and Life both require that the Scout take part in a service project totaling at least six (6) hours of work. Before your Scout starts his service hours for these ranks, he should contact the Scoutmaster or Advancement Chairman for approval of his plans. His plans will normally be approved after a brief consultation.
The Eagle rank requires that a Scout plan and carryout a comprehensive service project to benefit his community or church. As he identifies an Eagle project, he should contact the Scoutmaster for the necessary forms, “Eagle Scout Service Project Outline”, for the Eagle project approval. Either the Scoutmaster or one of the Assistant Scoutmaster will be assigned to work with him in writing up his project before he actually begins work on the project.