Hint

I ended up buying a second sash and redesigning it to make a "double-wide" as the MD scout from 2007 did. The XL sash can only hold a bit over 60 badges on the front.

Quarterly BORs are a mass production in my son's troop. They are held on a non-meeting night and usually have 9 adult Reviewers (3 inquisition rooms, not including the waiting area) for the actual BORs. I really like the idea of BORs scheduled more often during the meetings but wouldn't it take away from Patrol Corners time? I'm just trying to think of objections that might be raised so I could have solutions to rebuttals.

Now I have to persuade these guys to listen to a woman's suggestion.

Scoutmaster conferences are held at the troop meeting nights usually during patrol corners or directly after the meeting SM conferences can be scheduled as needed (just ask the SM when you are ready) since it is on the troop meeting night. The BORs are made up from any non-ASM parent from the troop, not just Troop Committee Chairs. Our quarterly BORs usually do have 2 or 3 rooms going. I know there were about 20 boys who had BORs on June, Day X as I was one of the reviewers. I like the idea of monthly BORs or just having them on the night of the regular meeting. Many parents stay for the meeting so it wouldn't be a problem to get 3 adults to be Reviewers. I will suggest it to the committee but many on the committee don't like to interfere with the status quo. I can see them objecting to it on the grounds that it is less efficient and will involve more bookkeeping, paperwork.

First of all I apologize that my posts came off as abrasive. I agree that it's not all about my son (who does write TY notes fairly promptly (w/in a couple of days) with minimal reminders and definitely meets the other Palm requirements by staying active in the troop and serving the troop in various leadership positions, being active in OA, helping with other scouts' ES Projects and in any capacity that he is needed or wanted). We live in a hyper-crazy area with way too many helicopter parents who max out their kids' schedules with APs, ECs, travel teams. They bribe/threaten to not let kids get their licenses until they earn Eagle. I try not to be one of those parents. I am definitely involved with the troop and will help out with MBs, BORs, troop committee, etc. As the female parent, I do not think it is appropriate for ME (not all moms) to be an ASM (not that anyone asked and I refused). We have tons of dads (and a couple of moms) as ASMs so there is no shortage. Our troop is big (about 80 scouts)but that is a standard size for our area. In short, I agree that the troop cannot plan around 1 Scout's personal needs. I realize that a Palm BOR cannot be backdated or postdated on the form as suggested by nolesrule (to me that actually seems logical if it's within a week or so). So as to not inconvenience the adult leadership of a Scout's main troop, can the Scout request a BOR from a troop within the district that happens to meet on the Day of X night? We live in an area that has many, many BSA troops that all meet on different nights.

In addition to the quarterly BORs for the other ranks, Eagle BORs are held on demand so to speak. My son did request this back in mid-may to remind the SM that the 3 month anniversary was coming up. My son's first Palm BOR was on December, Day X+7. It was the night of the troop BOR. His 2nd one was on March, X+7 and the troop did hold a special BOR for him (happened to be on the same night as a troop meeting so it wasn't difficult). June, Day X was the troop BOR but he isn't eligible for a week later until June, Day X+7 which does not fall on their troop meeting night. If this is going to be an ongoing occurance (he has enough badges to earn Palms through his 18th birthday which is not until 2012) and they know he is going to need a BOR exactly 3 months apart, wouldn't it make sense to just schedule the quarterly BOR for everybody on this night anyway? I have sat for many BORs (both regular and Eagles) even when they are on "off" nights. Can a boy go to a different troop and have a Palm BOR there if it's in the same district? We have a lot of BSA troops in our town and there is usualy different ones meeting every night somewhere.

Can anyone pinpoint a link to the BSA policy that states a Scout has a right to request a BOR at any time (of course with a couple weeks notice)? I believe I have seen it mentioned on here that Scouts do have this right but I was hoping to find something official. Our quarterly Troop BOR was held on June, Day X. My son is eligible for a Palm on June, Day X+7. It has to be exactly a minimum of 3 months between Eagle Palms and his last one was on March, Day X +7. The Scoutmaster is already complaining about the one my son will need in September, Day X+7 as it will fall on the day after the first troop meeting of the academic year. My son has many years until he is 18 and has a ton of merit badges so it seems as if this is going to be a recurring issue.

It seems as if the Troop needs to hold this Scout's BOR on the X of every third month even if the X falls on a Sunday or other day not convenient to the adult leaders. Hopefully the leaders will be willing to do this for multiple consecutive quarters.

Okay, so you're saying it does have to be EXACTLY every 3 months to maximize the possible Palms, it just can't be January 14 and then ANY time in April.

The question isn't of being active or not, the question is what defines the 3 months ie does it have to always be the same day of the month every quarter? What about when the day falls on a non-Scout meeting day which would be a much bigger favor to ask vs just 3 non-ASM parents who are sticking around for the meeting anyway.

What does the 3-month rule mean? If the Scout is trying to earn the maximum number of Palms between Eagle and the 18th birthday (ie once every quarter), does that mean that the Palm BOR always has to be on the exact date every 3 months (ie March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1) or does it mean at each normal quarterly BOR that is held for the entire troop which could vary (ie March 17, June 10, September 22, December 8) as long as it is in the 3-month window in terms of the months? Can the troop backdate or postdate the palm Application form to make it exactly 3 months apart (ie scenario 1)each time as long as the BOR is held on the correct month? If the ruling is date-specific (ie the 13th of the month), what if SM and BOR ASM/Coordinator don't want to have an extra BOR for that scout each time? 1. Be active in your troop and patrol for at least three months after becoming an Eagle Scout or after award of last Palm. (Eagle Palms must be earned in sequence, and the three-month tenure requirement must be observed for each Palm.) 2. Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life. 3. Make a satisfactory effort to develop and demonstrate leadership ability. 4. Earn five additional merit badges beyond those required for Eagle or last Palm. (Merit badges earned any time since becoming a Boy Scout may be used to meet this requirement.) 5. Take part in a Scoutmaster conference. 6. Complete a board of review.

As a rising 9th grader, my daughter volunteered at our local Cub Scout day camp for a week. She was a Silver Award GSUSA member, freshly crossed from Cadette to Senior Rank. Working at a CS camp gave her enough hours to knock out a prereq for her Gold Award which she ultimately earned by the end of the following summer. She had to persuade some FEMALE adult BSA members that she wouldn't be a distraction etc to the male teen staffers. She and a fellow Girl Scout member who also volunteered were able to correct any misconceptions that girls would automatically be flaky or flighty.

I am not concerned for the scout who has the stomach of steel, rather a family member about to undergo surgery who lives in the same house when the scout gets back. NCAC Public Relations (the # I was told to call after I called Goshen directly) said that the lake was declared negative and that they threw out ALL the food in the kitchens (meat and produce).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102855.html Hmmmm, my scout is supposed to go to Goshen on Sunday.

Olmstead? Actually I know of at least one Scout in my kid's troop who has done all the waterfront, shooting, outdoorsy type badges. If Farm Mechanics and Animal Science were offered, that would be great!(This message has been edited by hint)

I was hoping to see some GSUSA fabric after I saw the Kaufman line. I googled around but no such luck, at least not yet. I do some custom-ordered quilts, especially tshirt quilts at this time of the year (graduations). The merit badge fabric would be awesome for the borders and sashing between the Ts.

On that note, could some of the Hispanic scouts earn the Translator Patch? There are a couple of boys in my son's troop who have it for Japanese and Spanish.

I'm not sure where this thread should be posted (so mods feel free to move) but I definitely want to share as I was excited to stumble across it. It may be of interest to some of you or other parents in your troops. Boy Scouts of America in conjunction with Robert Kaufman Fabrics (a good quality fabric manufacturer) is releasing a new line of quilting cottons this week. As seen by the link below, the motifs are all Scout-themed. The line is officially licensed through BSA so I would assume that BSA gets some money back on each purchase. http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/designers/boy_scouts_of_america/ I'll be curious to see if the official Scout Shops carry some of this or if it will only be sold in quilt stores. This fabric would be great for a Scout-themed tshirt quilt! (This message has been edited by hint)

Not exactly a discount but more of a case of corporate generosity towards scouts benefitting the community: The Chipotle's Restaurant Chain was extremely generous towards my scout's Eagle Scout project. They donated 30 gigantic burritos, a huge carton of lemon-lime chips with corresponding fresh salsa, etc. The local supermarket chains wouldn't even donate a case of water....

Kbandit, thanks for the tip. My scout tried the PDF2Word free trial today. Unfortunately, the program does okay for empty line fill in (like address and phone number section) but does not format correctly for the part where one fills in a letter per box such as the 30 spaces for a full name or the part where the scout puts relevant dates. You would think that BSA could format this rank application could be an editable version....

Got it!

John, The FM description and reqs in your link and my link match so at least I know I have the correct version of the requirements. Thanks for sharing another source!

Anarchist, Thank you so much! I pm'ed you my email addy. We live in Fairfax County so anywhere in Loudoun, PW, Fauquier is easy. If your troop would certify you as a MB Counselor for the Farm Mechanics Badge, I will take my kid and at least another one (to meet the chaperoning safety rule) to your farm. An hour or even more driving distance is fine as my scout's schedule is fairly flexible in the summer afternoons and pretty much all day on Sunday. I know nothing about mechanics so I won't be of tremendous help but of course I would stay so we meet the BSA safety regulations. Here is the link to the specific reqs. http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php?title=Farm_Mechanics 1. List 10 common tools found in a well-equipped farm shop and explain how to safely use each one. 2. Do the following: a. List ten safety devices in a well-equipped farm shop and explain the function of each. b. Demonstrate proper safety apparel and equipment to be worn and used when operating a grinder, wire-brush wheel, welder, or drill. c. Draw a plan showing a well-equipped farm shop. Point out mandatory safety devices and features in the shop. 3. Explain how power is produced or transferred in a: a. Diesel engine b. Hydraulic system c. Transmission or any other power system. 4. Do TWO of the following: a. Replace the handle on any tool found on the farm. b. Build a tool rack with storage for nails, bolts, nuts, and washers. c. Properly grind the mushroom head off of a chisel or punch. d. Correctly grind or file a screwdriver tip. 5. Do ONE of the following: a. Make the necessary adjustments to ready a piece of farm equipment or machinery for field operation. b. Choose a piece of farm machinery or equipment. Check all nuts, bolts, and screws. Tighten any that are loose. Replace those that are missing, worn, or damaged. c. Repair broken or worn farm machinery or equipment. Make a list of safety precautions for adjustments or repairs you make for requirement 5. 7. Do ONE of the following: a. On an engine-powered machine: grease all fittings, change oil and oil filter, clean air cleaner, flush cooling system, clean radiator fins, and replace diesel fuel filters. b. With any farm machine, do a daily service check for field use. (Do things needed for best field performance.) c. Prepare any farm machine for winter storage. 8. Visit an implement dealer. Interview the dealer, technician, or service manager for hints on good preventive maintenance. Ask why it is important. What are the costs? What happens that causes wear or damage? Report what you discovered. 9. Explain each step in ONE of the following maintenance procedures: a. Tightening hydraulic fittings b. Servicing spark plugs c. Lubricating a clutch-release bearing d. Cleaning a work piece with a wire-brush wheel. It almost looks as if the scouts did 1, 2, 3 by using the FM MB Book (the little red pamphlets) before meeting with you and were able to visit the implement dealer (#8) in the morning, then the rest could be completed in one or 2 days. I'm not sure if the MB Counselor would have to go with the scouts to the implement store or if a scout could go without a BSA adult and write up his findings for the MB Counselor. Please check your PMs.Thanks again! -------------------------------------- Hint, not familar with the requirements...even "out chere" in the sticks most of our boys never get aound to Farm Mechanics, but... what are you near in NCAC... are you in VA or Maryland? As a "virginney boy" I could recommend a couple of machinery shops in Leesburg or Warrenton or Manassas...they'd propably help or he can come down to my place and putz on my 50hp new Holland....'bout an hour or so "south" of the NCAC HQ.(non rush hour drive time) let me know if I can help... anarchist

Every kid matures differently. My scout's troop have had younger and older ASPL/SPLs. They of course all have to have to be 1st Class, butI think everyone had earned higher rank by the time they run for the position. I know for a fact that the last 3 ASPLs (my scout and the ASPLs both right before and after him) were all Life Scouts when they were elected. By the time my scout was elected as ASPL, he had been APL, PL, Scribe, and Instructor. Each of those positions taught him valuable skills to make him a successful ASPL =>SPL. This troop also does the same system for the individual ass't patrol leader positions. The scout is APL for a 6 month period and then he is automatically assigned as PL for the following 2 quarters.

My suburban scout wants to earn the Farm Mechanics badge because he is weird like that. I'm kidding, he just wants to do it just because he is who he is. In any case, is there anyone in the NCAC area or even further who knows a farm that would let him do the reqs on their property? We live close to DC so it's not rural near us. He of course would have a blue card from his troop properly signed from his ASM with an MBCounselor to sign off on reqs. I am willing to drive him a healthy distance to where he needs to go and of course stay the entire time to chaperone for safety concerns. The FM reqs does look like it would take a couple of lengthy days vs. a DIAD kind of badge I am sure he can rope in a fellow troop member or 2 if that would help