Troop 38: Advancement
Boy Scouting provides rank advancement for guiding boys from the rank of Scout all the way to Eagle. We encourage all of our scouts to advance regularly. The first year of scouting is an adjustment, especially if the scout has come from Cub Scouts, where all of the activities are planned and executed by adults and families. Boy Scouts is run by the boys, with adult mentorship and support. During the first year, the Troop Guide helps the new scouts with this transition and with the initial advancement, but thereafter, the initiative to advance must come from the scout. While we offer many opportunities at the troop level for learning skills that can help toward advancement, most merit badge work is done independently.
Rank Advancement
Boys begin at the level of Scout and advance through Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. Merit badge work is not required until working on the Star rank, but the scout may begin work at any time on merit badges that interest him or that are required for the Eagle rank.
When the Scout completes the requirements for his next rank advancement, he verifies that his book has been properly signed off, and then presents himself with his book and proper Scout uniform to one of the Scoutmasters and asks to have a Scoutmaster conference. At this time, the Scout and Scoutmaster will discuss progress and goals for future advancement.
After the Scoutmaster conference, the Scout will be asked to report to the Troop Advancement Chair and set up a Board of Review. The Board of Review, made up of at least three troop leaders, will review his progress, goals, and evaluate what has been learned by the Scout. After the board meets with the scout, they will ask him to leave the room while they decide whether he has earned his rank advancement. The Scout is asked to return, and the Board gives their decision. If the Scout has earned his rank advancement, he shows his signed book to the Advancement Chair, who will then fill out the necessary paperwork for rank advancement and arrange for the new rank insignia to be presented. In most cases, this will occur on the same night or the next regular meeting of the troop. If the Scout has not earned his rank the reasons will be explained. Once improvements have been made, a new Board of Review can be arranged. Appeals to these decisions will be considered.
This general rank procedure applies from Tenderfoot through Life Scout. The Boy Scout working on Eagle has different, more rigorous requirements. As the Scout reaches Life rank, more details will be given.
When the Scout completes the requirements for his next rank advancement, he verifies that his book has been properly signed off, and then presents himself with his book and proper Scout uniform to one of the Scoutmasters and asks to have a Scoutmaster conference. At this time, the Scout and Scoutmaster will discuss progress and goals for future advancement.
After the Scoutmaster conference, the Scout will be asked to report to the Troop Advancement Chair and set up a Board of Review. The Board of Review, made up of at least three troop leaders, will review his progress, goals, and evaluate what has been learned by the Scout. After the board meets with the scout, they will ask him to leave the room while they decide whether he has earned his rank advancement. The Scout is asked to return, and the Board gives their decision. If the Scout has earned his rank advancement, he shows his signed book to the Advancement Chair, who will then fill out the necessary paperwork for rank advancement and arrange for the new rank insignia to be presented. In most cases, this will occur on the same night or the next regular meeting of the troop. If the Scout has not earned his rank the reasons will be explained. Once improvements have been made, a new Board of Review can be arranged. Appeals to these decisions will be considered.
This general rank procedure applies from Tenderfoot through Life Scout. The Boy Scout working on Eagle has different, more rigorous requirements. As the Scout reaches Life rank, more details will be given.
Merit Badges
Merit badges are special area achievement badges that are earned independently by the Scout. When a boy wishes to work on a merit badge, he must first obtain a blue card from the Advancement Chair. He will need a merit badge book, which is available from the Scout store, our troop library, or online. Next, he needs to contact a Merit Badge Counselor, from the Hiawatha District Merit Badge list. Once the merit badge work is complete and signed by the Counselor, the Scout turns in one copy of the card to the Advancement Chair so that the badge can be recorded in the Council office. It is imperative that the Scout take care to keep his copy of the blue card for future reference and proof that the badge have been earned, particularly for Eagle rank advancement. We recommend a binder with baseball card collection storage to organize and protect blue cards. The slots are the exact size of the folded blue cards, and make an excellent way to keep them all in one place, and safe from damage and loss. Blue cards CANNOT be replaced, so take good care of them!
The button below will take you to a document listing all the current merit badges in the troop.
The button below will take you to a document listing all the current merit badges in the troop.