Scouting is all about doing fun things with friends. Things that you might not have a chance to do outside of scouting.  It is also about building skills, gaining confidence, mastering things other boys don't know how to do, teaching others what you have learned, becoming a leader.  But how do you do those things?  Where do you start?  How do you know if you are making progress? 

This webpage explains:

• what new scouts need to work on.
• the first class emphasis program.
• how scouts earn merit badges.
• how scouts advance in rank.
• Troop 673's Trail to Eagle.
• procedures for Eagle Palm applications.
• additional development programs for experienced scouts.

Any scout wanting help with his advancement should talk to the scoutmaster or an assistant scoutmaster, any of whom will be pleased to help.

New Scouts

If you are new to the troop, you have already taken a first step toward advancement.  By registering as a troop member, and getting the uniform and Boy Scout Handbook, you have what you need to prepare for your first advancement - to the rank of Scout.   Do this as soon as you can.  It's not hard;  just study Chapter 1 of the Handbook.  When ready to show that you know what's required on Page 4, and with your application, medical form and dues turned in, request a conference with the scoutmaster.  Scoutmaster conferences are required for all rank advancements, and scouts must present themselves with pen and Handbook and in full uniform - including regulation scout socks, scout pants or shorts, scout belt, merit badge sash (if you have any merit badges), and Troop 673 neckerchief.  The scout shop can help you get what you need, except for the neckerchief which needs to be purchased from the troop. 

After a successful scoutmaster conference, the scout will be presented with the Scout badge of rank at the next Court of Honor.  The inside cover of the Handbook shows the proper location for affixing the badge of rank on the uniform.  It signifies full membership in the Boy Scouts of America for a scout who is on his way to building skills, taking on challenges, and leading others, with friends he will have a lot of fun with along the way. 

Attend the troop meetings.   Bring a pencil and paper so you can note things you need to do, and things your family needs to know about. Make sure that Mr. Eckert has at least one email address for your family, so that you can be kept updated on troop news (use the "Contact Us" webpage to send him your address). We usually broadcast several announcements by email every week.  Parents should attend monthly parent meetings to keep up to date.  See the troop Calendar webpage for information on upcoming events and meeting dates.

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First Class Emphasis

Making the rank of First Class Scout is a very important achievement, which signifies a scout who has the skills to handle just about any task at our troop campouts and other troop activities.  These are the scouts who the leaders depend on to get things done. 

Troop 673 teaches within the troop the skills required for rank advancement through Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class ranks.  They can be learned in any order, with requirements for all three ranks being worked on simultaneously.  Refer to the Scout Handbook for the requirements for these rank advancements, or click here to download in Microsoft Word format.  These skills will be taught in troop meetings, at our April Skills Discovery campout, and our May service/First Class Emphasis campout.  By the end of Summer Camp in June, most scouts will have completed all requirements through Tenderfoot, and will have completed the "skill requirements" needed up through First Class.  Campouts and other troop activities from August through November will offer opportunities to complete "time and service requirements," so that scouts can expect to be first class at or before the following spring Court of Honor, if they put in the effort. 

Each of these rank advancements requires a scoutmaster conference and a board of review.  A scoutmaster conference must be arranged by prior appointment only.  A scout should be able to show how he has met all requirements for his next rank.  A scout must present himself in full uniform, with badge sash, scout handbook and pen. 

After the scoutmaster conference, a Board of Review must be requested.  These are available only by prior appointment with the advancement coordinator, normally on  designated dates or at campouts - refer to the troop calendar.  A scout must present himself in full uniform, with badge sash, scout handbook and pen.  The handbook must already be signed off for all other requirements.  The Board may already have input from the scoutmaster conference about the scout's progress.  While meeting with the scout, the Board may decide to offer a review for evaluation to give the scout an indication of his progress, to make suggestions on how to prepare for a rank advancement, and to invite him to return for another Board of Review.  Or the Board may decide in favor of a review for advancement, with the rank advancement to be conferred at the next Court of Honor. 

It is easy to get a little excited with the progress you can make through the ranks, but don't be in too much of a hurry!  Take the time to carefully learn these skills.

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How scouts earn merit badges

Scouting is all about building skills and character growth.  The primary means for  encouraging and recognizing personal growth is the merit badge program.   There are well over 100 badges to choose from, far more than any scout will generally try to earn, all of which are listed in your Boy Scout Handbook.  Each badge has different requirements, which you can examine by clicking here. 

There are several ways to get started in earning your merit badges:

1. Attend Summer Camp with the troop.  A wide variety of merit badge classes are taught there, and it is not unusual for our scouts to earn as many as five merit badges at a week of Summer Camp.  The scoutmaster typically will suggest the badges that are most suitable for a particular scout, depending on that scout's experience and development needs;  experienced scouts with more badges generally have more latitude to select some of their own badges.
2. Attend Winter Camp with the troop.  It is possible to earn up to four badges at Winter Camp.  The scoutmaster will be helpful in selecting badges suitable for each scout.
3. Attend Merit Badge Fair in January.  On this one Saturday you might earn two badges.
4. Come to the troop meetings regularly  on Monday nights.  Several badge classes are usually being taught at each meeting,  with two to four Monday night sessions required to finish all the requirements.
5. The traditional way to earn badges is to select one that you want to work on in your own time.  First, look at the requirements for the badge to be sure that the work will interest you.  Then ask the scoutmaster for his permission to work on that badge.  He will then help you get in touch with a badge counselor, who will be assigned to help you work through it and certify that all badge requirements are met.  Click here for a list of Troop 673 merit badge counselors. If we have no assigned counselor within our troop for the badge you are interested in, click here for a list of merit badge counselors for the Mustang District.
6. We expect our Troop 673 scouts to earn "eagle required" merit badges with counselors from our troop, not at summer camp, winter camp, etc.  Exceptions need to be discussed with the scoutmaster, and are commonly approved for swimming, lifesaving and environmental science badges earned at summer camp, and for first aid which is offered at the local Red Cross office.  Check with the scoutmaster first.

For badges taught within our troop, the badge counselor will turn in paperwork to the advancement coordinator, who will record the achievement. 

Badge counselors at Summer and Winter Camps and at the Merit Badge Fair will give scouts or troop adult leaders paperwork showing that all or some of the badge requirements have been met.  It is up to each scout to complete any unfinished requirements and to get paperwork for completed badge work to the advancement coordinator. 

All badges are presented at the next Court of Honor, based upon the records turned into the advancement coordinator.  Typically all scouts will be given a printout for review of their individual achievement records a few weeks before a Court of Honor so that inaccuracies can be corrected.

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How scouts advance in rank 

The description above of our troop's First Class Emphasis program shows how the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class are earned. 

But scouting does not end at First Class, of course.  There is plenty more to learn!  The ranks of Star, Life, and Eagle indicate significant accomplishment and discipline.  These scouts of higher rank are the corps we draw from to teach and encourage the newer scouts, and to fill key leadership positions within the troop.  We depend on them to demonstrate and maintain our standards for responsibility within the troop, and to lead by their example in living the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. 

Technically, the requirements for rank advancement to Star Scout and Life Scout are straightforward, and are described in your scout handbook:

1. There are a certain number of merit badges required, some of which must be from a group of "Eagle required" badges.  The Eagle required badges are listed in your handbook.
2. A required number of community service hours, performed in the troop, are specified in your handbook  for each rank advancement.  The troop provides ample opportunities to serve the community, such as:

• Service projects at some campouts,
• Assistance you may be asked to give toward someone's Eagle project,
• Oktoberfest service,
• Scout Sunday participation,
• Hospitality Sunday participation,
• Troop fundraising activities,

and other service activities.  Generally it has been our troop's policy to award one hour of service time toward rank advancement for every service event a scout participates in, regardless of the actual time served.
3. Service in a position of responsibility is required.  Assignments are made by the scoutmaster, and by elections within the troop, depending on the position.  Among these are:

• Senior patrol leader and assistant senior patrol leader
• Patrol leader and assistant patrol leader
• Den chief
• Scribe
• Historian
• Chaplain's aide
• Bugler
• Quartermaster

4. Demonstration of scout spirit.  It is the scoutmaster's decision if a scout is demonstrating appropriate spirit for the scouting program.  His decision is guided by: 

• Properly filling the scout's position of responsibility
• At least 75% attendance at troop meetings
• At least 50% attendance at campouts
• Attendance at all required troop functions: Courts of Honor, Eagle Courts of Honor, Oktoberfest, Scout Fair, Arrow of Light campout.  Absences may be excused for special circumstances.
• Wearing the uniform properly.
• Completing merit badges which have been started.

A review of an individual's scout spirit is generally made at scoutmaster conferences.
5. A scoutmaster conference must be arranged by prior appointment only.  A scout should be able to show how he has met all requirements for his next rank.  A scout must present himself for his scoutmaster conference in full uniform, with badge sash, scout handbook and pen.  He must also present an individual progress report which he must request from the advancement coordinator.
6. After the scoutmaster conference, a Board of Review must be requested.  These are available only by prior appointment with the advancement coordinator normally on designated dates - refer to the troop calendar.  A scout must present himself in full uniform, with badge sash, scout handbook and pen.  The handbook must already be signed off for all other requirements.  The Board may already have input from the scoutmaster conference about the scout's progress.  While meeting with the scout, the Board may decide to offer a review for evaluation to give the scout an indication of his progress, to make suggestions on how to prepare for a rank advancement, and to invite him to return for another Board of Review.  Or the Board may decide in favor of a review for advancement, with the rank advancement to be conferred at the next Court of Honor.

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Troop 673's Trail to Eagle

Many of our scouts have the goal to become an Eagle scout, the highest rank available in Boy Scouts of America.  It takes years of commitment to earn the rank of Eagle.  Nationally, only a few percent make it.  In our troop, we provide many opportunities and experiences for meeting the requirements for the rank of eagle.  It is up to our scouts to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and put in the effort required, if that is their goal. 

There are a number of special requirements for the rank of Eagle, which are described in the Scout Handbook.  Scouts should remain alert throughout their scouting careers to earning the "Eagle required" merit badges.  Because these teach particularly important life skills, it is our preference  generally to teach these skills in merit badge classes within the troop during troop meetings. 

We try to show in the troop calendar which merit badge classes will be taught during upcoming troop meetings.  Generally, we teach the Eagle required merit badge classes in the following progression: 

Specifically, these are the steps to attain the rank of Eagle Scout: 

1. ACHIEVE LIFE RANK 

Once a Scout achieves the rank of Life Scout, he may request an Eagle packet from either the Eagle scout coordinator or the Scoutmaster.  Eagle packets are kept at the Scout Hut. 

2. COMPLETE REQUIREMENTS 

Refer to the current requirements for achieving the rank of Eagle in the Boy Scout Handbook. A scout must complete all requirements for Eagle prior to his 18th birthday. The Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook must be completed and approved by Eagle Scout Project Coordinator, Committee Chairman and District Chairman (Mr. Tony Money) prior to any work beginning on the project. The printed copy of the Workbook from the Eagle packet may be used, but it is probably much more convenient to use an electronic copy in RTF format, because you can (and surely will need to) edit your drafts in any word processor.  The project may be worked on and completed any time after achieving Life Scout rank; it certainly need not wait until all other requirements are completed.

3. INDIVIDUAL HISTORY REPORT 

Request an Individual History printout from the advancement coordinator showing progress and status. This report will be needed in order to complete the Eagle Scout Rank Application. Do not complete the merit badge listing in your Eagle application on the basis of your own records, as the information on your Eagle application must agree in all respects with the troop's records.  Only select merit badges for your Eagle application that are identified in the Eagle section of your current records.

4. COMPLETE EAGLE SCOUT RANK APPLICATION 

5. SCHEDULE MEETING WITH THE EAGLE ADVANCEMENT COORDINATOR

During this first meeting, the Eagle Advancement Coordinator will review your completed Eagle Application for accuracy and the rough draft of your Life Purpose statement and a summary of leadership roles, awards and other accomplishments.

6. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION 

Request letters of recommendation as noted on the Eagle Scout Rank Application, page 1. Click here to download a form you might use to request letters of recommendation.  Completed letters should be mailed directly to the Eagle scout coordinator. It is recommended that the Scout give a deadline to those people submitting letters so the process can proceed in a timely manner. The Scout should also provide the Eagle scout coordinator with a list of people submitting letters. 

7. SUBMITTING THE EAGLE SCOUT PACKET 

When all work is complete and letters of recommendation are received, the Scout should submit the following information to the Eagle scout coordinator:

• Completed Eagle Scout Rank Application
• Completed Eagle Scout Project Workbook
• Life Purpose Statement written by Scout including:
• What Scouting has meant to the Scout
• Life's goals-religious, education, future career, family life
• Leadership and Awards summary 

8. SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCE 

Once all requirements are complete, you may request a scoutmaster conference.  The Eagle scout coordinator will also inform the Scoutmaster that you are ready for this step. The Eagle scout rank application must be signed by the scoutmaster and committee chairman. The troop provides a $100 allowance for each Eagle scout to be used toward the purchase of the Standard Eagle Presentation Kit, or to upgrade to the Sterling Eagle Presentation Kit, or to use in another manner deemed appropriate to the family for the Eagle Court of Honor.  Submit an expense reimbursement form to the troop treasurer.

9.  SUBMIT ALL FINALIZED PAPERWORK TO EAGLE SCOUT COORDINATOR

Once the Scoutmaster Conference is complete, and the Scoutmaster and Committee Chairman have signed the Eagle Application, the entire packet is submitted to the Eagle scout coordinator.  The following steps will then be taken: 

i. The completed Eagle scout packet will be taken to the Boy Scout office by the Eagle scout coordinator. 

ii. After review by the BSA, a Board of Review will be scheduled. 

iii. After a successful Board of Review, the paperwork is submitted to the BSA office. The Council then completes the processing and forwards the application to the National Eagle Scout Service. (Steps i to iii should take approx. 1 month). If necessary, we can expedite this process for a fee of $55.

 iv. At this point, the Scout may begin preparations for the Court of Honor. The Scout should allow 2 months between the Board of Review and the Court of Honor. We encourage families to conduct individual Court of Honor ceremonies, except in the case of brothers or close relatives who may want to conduct a joint ceremony. 

v. During this period of time, the Scout and his family should do the following: 

• Schedule Court of Honor date with the St. Cecilia office for the Community Center. Make sure to contact the Scoutmaster and Committee Chairman to let them know the date.  For more information on Courts of Honor and other Eagle related information, visit the following websites: www.eaglescout.org, www.usscouts.org, www.macscouter.com
• Write letters to local, state and national dignitaries to request letters of congratulation.
• Prepare invitations, display items, etc. for Court of Honor.
• Select program, contact speakers, etc. for Court of Honor.
• Purchase Eagle awards from Scout Shop.
• A Court of Honor planning binder is available by request from the Eagle Scout Coordinator. 

10.  COURT OF HONOR

Request help from other scouts and parents to assist in this special event.

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Procedures for Eagle Palm applications

Special attention to these procedures below will help avoid delays in processing eagle palm applications.

1. Obtain and fill out an application for Palm rank. This document is available from the Downloads page and can be printed from there. The merit badges you select for this application must match those listed under the appropriate portion (bronze, gold, etc.) on the troop's record.
2. Request a scoutmaster conference and board of review.  Your application must be signed and dated by the scoutmaster and the board of review members.
3. The original and one copy of the Palm rank application must be given to the advancement coordinator for processing.  You should retain a copy of this paperwork for your records.

Programs for experienced scouts

Each rank advancement reflects a significant level of achievement that is recognized by other scouts and adult leaders. And each advancement presents a new goal to work toward - the next higher rank. 

While working on merit badges and the other requirements for rank advancement, a scout will often advance in other ways that are perhaps just as important.  Here are some of those ways: 

1. Patrol leadership.  The troop is made up of several smaller units called patrols.  Each patrol has a patrol leader and assistant patrol leader.  These scout leaders are responsible for making sure that the work of their patrol is properly handled, both in patrol meetings and on campouts.  These patrol positions generally offer the first opportunities for leadership as a scout.  Before taking patrol leadership positions, scouts receive leadership training from the troop.
2. With more experience comes the chance for higher office.  After leadership in the patrol, leadership in the troop becomes the next step.  The senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, historian, troop guide, chaplain's aide, scribe, quartermaster, and librarian have usually  tested their leadership skills at the patrol level.  Their experience is in demand to lead the troop as a whole.
3. Troop 673 emphasizes spiritual development.  Our older scouts are all encouraged to earn the religious emblem of their faith. Some are Roman Catholics who work toward the Ad Alteri Dei  award, for example, and there are religious emblems for most of the world religions you have heard of.  These are uniquely challenging programs requiring months of study and spiritual reflection. Scouts are generally 13+ before starting to work on the religious emblems.
4. The scouts who have demonstrated an interest in leading often attend a week long junior leadership training conference at Camp Strake.  JLTC is designed for a boy about 14 years old who can handle the stressful demands of this advanced course.  It requires maturity, experience, and proficiency in basic camping skills.  The training is conducted by highly qualified  group of outstanding youth and adult trainers.  After JLTC, the scout returns to his troop with advanced knowledge of leadership skills, troop and patrol operation, and has increased his scoutcraft skills.  Many report this to be a highlight of their scouting careers.
5. The Order of the Arrow is a special fraternity of scouts and adult leaders.  Admission to OA is by election.  Arrowmen are summoned to service within their district and council. There are various ranks of membership and positions of leadership available within the OA lodge.
6. JLTC Instructors keep an eye out for especially capable scouts for a rare invitation to a National Junior Leadership Training Conference.
7. Some older scouts try the Pack and Paddle program that is offered at Hammon Scout Camp, instead of the usual scout summer camp.  They will travel to El Rancho Cima with the rest of the troop, but split off for this special week of hiking and white water canoeing. Trips are limited to 12 scouts age 13+.
8. Our troop usually offers a summer high adventure trip of a week or more to the older scouts in the troop.  We have been hiking at the prime Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico (for 673 Philmont selection criteria, click here), sailing in the Carribean, rafting in Idaho, and canoeing in the remote Boundary Waters near Canada.
9. Every 4 years a National Jamboree is held in Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.  Scouts must be at least 12 years old to attend this spectacular event.  Outstanding programs dealing with every aspect of scouting are presented, many of which are otherwise unavailable to our troop.   A few days in Washington DC are usually part of this trip.
10. Summer camps and winter camps have junior staff positions for older scouts.  They generally prefer age 16+.  The summer camp jobs are paid positions with room and board included. For those especially skilled, staff positions are available for age 18+ at national scouting facilities at Philmont in New Mexico, Sea Base in Florida,  and Boundary Waters in Minnesota.
11. Work toward the rank of Eagle Scout takes years to complete.  These scouts are generally among our older and most mature scouts.  Even after attaining Eagle rank, active participation in scouting and additional merit badge work can earn Eagle Palm insignia, signifying accomplishment even beyond that required for the Eagle rank.  The number of palms that can be earned is limited only by the number of merit badges offered by BSA and the time remaining until a scout's 18th birthday.
12. Many of our older scouts become members of our Venture Crew 673.  Venturing is a BSA chartered program for young men and women ages 14 to 20.  Mr. Kuper guides the Crew, which meets less often than the troop, and organizes more high adventure activities.