First Year Program
This fall, Scouts who have recently joined the troop will be focusing on their Tenderfoot rank. The goal of our First Year Program is to help our new Scouts advance through the first four ranks in Scouting during their first year with the troop. For more details on this, see https://www.troop542.com/rank-advancement/.
Merit Badge Program
Older Scouts will be able to choose from the following merit badges choices for the fall. Please note that Scouting for America has made all merit badge pamphlets available digitally for free. Scouts are strongly encouraged to download the pamphlet for the course they will take.
Citizenship in Society – Eagle Required (limited to 10 Scouts, Life Scouts are given preference) – Realize the benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership with the Citizenship in Society Merit Badge. Scouts will research any individual who has demonstrated positive leadership while making an ethical decision, explain what options the leader had when faced with a problem, why they believe they chose their final course of action, and the outcome of the leader’s decision. https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-society/
Cooking – Eagle Required (limited to 10 Scouts, Life Scouts are given preference) – The Cooking merit badge introduces principles of cooking that can be used both at home or in the outdoors. Scouts who earn this badge will learn about food safety, nutritional guidelines, meal planning, and methods of food preparation, and will review the variety of culinary (or cooking) careers available. https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/cooking/
Personal Management – Eagle Required – Personal management is about mapping a plan for your life that will involve setting short-range and long-range goals and investigating different ways to reach those goals. Education, training, and experience all help make your goals become a reality. To achieve your goals, you will choose the best path and make a commitment to it, while remaining flexible enough to deal with changes and new opportunities. https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/personal-management/
Electricity and Electronics – These two merit badges will be taught together.
Learn why electricity plays a significant role in the economy and how energy consumption impacts our daily lives with the Electricity Merit badge. Scouts will demonstrate how to respond to electrical emergencies, explain how a fuse blows or a circuit breaker trips, and complete an electrical home safety inspection. The Electricity Merit Badge is an excellent opportunity for Scouts to learn how to read an electric meter and determine their household’s energy cost from meter readings. https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/electricity/
The Electronics Merit Badge is a fun, STEM-based merit badge that will inspire Scouts to pursue a possible career in Electronics. Scouts will learn about capacitors, transistors, and resistors while grasping the basic principles of digital techniques and demonstrating how to build a control device circuit. Understand the behaviors of electrons and learn safety precautions when using, building, altering, or repairing electronic devices with the Electronics Merit Badge. https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/electronics/
Sports – Millions of people participate in sports every year. For some the appeal is the close friendships that come with being part of a team. Some revel in the joy of victory and lessons of defeat. For some, the personal fitness is so important that exercise becomes a daily need. And still others desire the feeling of achievement, that feeling of measurable improvement that comes with dedication to a sport. https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/sports/