National Honor Patrol

[ntrog8r]

Buffalo Skipper,

 

I think the award can be a great incentive for the Patrols. This used to be the Baden Powell Award but changed in the mid-90s to the National Honor Patrol award. As you've noticed, the requirements do leave some room for interpretation by the units and I presume this is purposefully done to allow leaders to apply the award appropriately. A great article from Scouting magazine can be found here: http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0401/d-gbar.html

 

Can Patrol meetings at troop meetings count? In the end it is up to you. In the troop we first instituted this program, the troop met 4 times a month - meaning all three patrols met in the same place at the same time. The Patrols performed their own opening/closing ceremonies and planned their own meetings but the whole troop was there. This allowed overlap in some areas - like skill presentations, games, etc between Patrols. The last meeting of the month was the troop meeting. So HOW your Patrols are doing things is important. In the spirit of the award, is the Patrol coming together, planning and doing things together as a Patrol? If it's a Patrol meeting - and not just the Patrol members are there - it counts.

 

I certainly think a district Camporee would count as a Scouting event. Again, the spirit of the award is the Patrol is functioning as a team and doing things together. If the Patrol is intact and competing together then sounds pretty reasonable to me.

 

Your math for the stars is correct. The award is worn as long as a Scout is a member of the Patrol. Patrols can earn it more than once, I think eight or nine stars fit around the patrol medallion, and those members who earn it wear as many as they were part of.

 

Good luck with the program, our troops benefitted from it.

 

 

 

 

[Spiney Norman]

Every year at TLT I throw down the gauntlet of National Honor Patrol to the new junior leaders. Still no one patrol has even tried yet. Perhaps I could bring it up every so often at their PLC meetings.

 

I will say this though, I have challenged the PLs to have an off site patrol meeting and even sweetened the pot with a promise of me treating them to ice cream. Say what you will about bribery, but our newest patrol leader had his patrol go door to door selling the troop's pancake breakfest tickets in his part of town. I am ready to pay up.

 

 

[clydesdale115]

(old thread alert!)

 

My son is a newly-elected PL and he is excited to work with his patrol to earn the NHP award. In 2-1/2 years in the troop, they have not earned it. He has given copies of the reqs. to his patrol members and they seem excited along with him.

 

We do have "patrol corner" time at each troop meeting, so he is using that has his patrol meetings, although they may have to meet outside occasionally. He is following the Patrol Meeting Planner and has a written agenda, even though they don't have a whole lot of time for their meeting. (By the looks of things, our troop doesn't even use the Troop Meeting Planner, so I thought his efforts to be organized were great!)

 

They already have their first service project idea to bring before the PLC and they came up with a few ideas to choose from for their patrol activity. The record-keeping is going to be challenge for him (as it is for most 13-year-olds) but if they can get off on the right foot, they can have everything done in time for their September COH.

 

I do like the idea of having some recognition for their patrol flag - maybe I'll drop the hint to the SM about buying one extra star to sew on their flag.

 

clyde