Boy Scouts of America® Gateway Area Council

Scouting at Home Online Merit Badge Classes Week 6

We are excited to offer a SIXTH week of online Merit Badge Classes- all provide a fun, interactive experience with each Scout!  This will be our last week as we reasses the online needs of our Scouting Community.

To Register - go to the bottom of this page and click on the RED register buttons.

The cost of the merit badge classes is $5 in-council and $10 out-of-council to offset the cost of the Zoom technology needed for the sessions.

Classes Offered the Week of May 18th:

• Engineering - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu from 2:00 - 4:00 PM 
  by David Foye, dfoyelax@yahoo.com
  PRE-WORK:  Cyber Chip & Identify five appliances or machines around the house to investigate or discuss.  Identify three engineering achievements to discuss.
   
• Fish & Wildlife Management - Mon, Tue from 5:30 - 7:00 PM 
  by Karl Kramer karlkramer85@yahoo.com
  PRE-WORK:  Cyber Chip &  Be prepared to discuss requirements #2 and #3 for first session
   
• Citizenship in the Community - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu from 5:30 - 7:30 PM (Thur if needed)
  by Christopher Matuska cmatuska84@gmail.com
  PRE-WORK:  Cyber Chip &  Prepare requirements in attached pre-work letter for Citizenship in the Community
   
• Fingerprinting - Thu from 2:00 - 3:30 PM
  by Debbie Hansen, mdhansen@charter.net
  PRE-WORK:  Cyber Chip & Be prepared to discuss requirements #1 History of fingerprinting for first session

How will the online merit badge class work?

• Each class will consist of one to two hours of instruction each day for three or four consecutive days.  (The Scouting Heritage and Environmental Science merit badges will be for two weeks.)
• The merit badge instruction will be provided through an online format called Zoom.
• See Online Merit Badge Setup for more detailed, but important information
   

What steps do I need to do to participate?

1. Register for the event below.
    
2. Each Scout needs prior approval from their Scoutmaster, and the Scoutmaster needs to send an email to the merit badge counselor (listed above) indicating this approval.
    
3. Each Scout Parent or Guardian needs to be willing to attend at least one of the sessions to ensure there is two-deep leadership for each session.  The merit badge counselor will ensure adequate coverage for all sessions based on the number of Scouts and Scout Parents.
    
4. Each Scout Parent or Guardian needs to read the attached Online Merit Badge Guidelines along with their Scout and send an email to the merit badge counselor (listed above) AND their Scoutmaster that they agree to these guidelines.
    
5. Each Scout needs to have the Cyber Chip for their grade before taking classes (or at least complete all requirements except for teaching the EDGE method to their troop or patrol.)

Please be advised that if you are having technical difficulties with the Zoom platform, we will not have anyone available to help you start your Zoom session, so please download and ensure a working session before class begins..  Please visit Zoom.com to see video tutorials on how to Join a Meeting or click on the link below.

• Download Zoom on your Computer or Smart Phone
• How to accept a Zoom Invitation Video

Please wear your Class A uniform shirt while online.

 

Registration for Merit Badge Classes opens on May 13th at Noon and will be open until May 16th. Merit Badge spots are on a first come first serve basis.  No wait lists.

 

Review the attached help sheet to make sure your troop is setup correctly.

Review the user guide video for help in registering.

 

Refund Policy

Cancellations accepted up to 5 days before the event with a full refund.

Cancellations after that date are non-refundable unless due to extreme circumstances.  All refunds after this date must be requested in writing within one week of the event.

 

Registrations:  Online registration opens on May 13th at Noon and closes on May 16th