How It Works

Most Merit Badges will be earned by the Scout independently. Occasionally our instructional time at weekly meetings will lead to a Merit Badge, and we usually attend 2-3 Merit Badge Forums each year.

To earn a Merit Badge independently, the Scout should first choose a Merit Badge to work on and check the requirements in the Boy Scout Requirements 2003 book to be sure it will be manageable. Then he'll need to find a Merit Badge Counselor (view the MB Counselor Directory below) to help him through and award the badge. It may be necessary to buy the Merit Badge book for that badge or borrow it from the Troop library. Scouts are encouraged to go outside the Troop for counselors, and will usually have to. A list of Red-Tailed Hawk District counselors is posted in our Scout room at the church. We can also go outside the District if needed. Mr. Davey or Mr. Bay can help with this if needed.

When a counselor is first contacted, they may want to meet, or just advise on the completion of the requirements. When the Scout is done, a face-to-face meeting will be necessary to demonstrate what's been learned to the counselor. A Merit Badge card will be given to the Scout when all items have been completed. It's the Scout's responsibility to turn that in to the Troop Advancement Chairman (Steve Bay) so that the Merit Badge can be recorded and awarded at the next Court of Honor.

See the complete Merit Badge List as it is included in your Scout Notebook.

Download Merit Badge worksheets at MeritBadge.com, at http://www.meritbadge.com/bsa/workshts/index.htm. Always check the worksheet against any requirement changes that might have occurred since the worksheet was developed.

View the Red-Tailed Hawk District Merit Badge Counselor Directory to find a MB Counselor to help you with your Merit Badge. (1.1Mb Adobe pdf file) This directory hangs on the Troop bulletin board in the main Scout room as well.