Author: Adam Gerstein

2019-09-04 SM Minute

The words ‘No, you can’t because …’ are heard way too often in life.  
How pleasant it would be if the phrase were simply turned around to ‘Yes, you can when …’ ‘Yes, you can if …’ or ‘Yes, you can as soon as …’

Instead of ‘No, we can’t start the game without the umpire’, it would be ‘Yes, we can start as soon as the umpire gets here. And if he’s not here in 5 minutes Mr. Smith will stand in for him.’

Using positive words shows a positive attitude and a positive attitude makes the world a bit better.

Boy Scout Trail Website

Merit Badges you can earn by going to school…

You go to school and you work hard – is it possible that your hard work will pay off in the form of a Merit Badge? Quite possibly!

Scholarship: Have you improved your grades since last semester? Or have you maintained at least a B or higher for a semester? Then you’ve already done one of the five requirements for this badge! A little hard work during your school year and you can have this badge by the end of the school year!

Reading: Do you have a library card? Do you know how to find things in the card catalog? Then you’re well on your way to earning this badge – so why not finish it off?

Programming: If you’re taking STEM classes and they include robotics, you might already have done work on this badge. Learn about different programming languages on your way to completion.

Music: If you’re in the orchestra or band, you’ve probably already been playing for more than 6 months, which is one of the requirements for this badge. Write a song or make and learn to play a traditional instrument and you’re well on your way to finishing this badge.

Weather: We always hope for good weather on campouts; by using the skills you learn for this badge you could be making your own predictions about what’s going to happen.

Merit Badges

Given the number of Merit Badges available to you, you can bet that some are more popular than others. “Brian on Scouting,” a popular blog run by an Eagle Scout who is also Senior Editor of Boy’s Life, Scouting and Eagle’s Call magazines, took a look at the top 10, top “alternative 10” and bottom 10 Merit Badges, as well as providing all the numbers for all the Merit Badges in between:

2018 Merit Badge Rankings: A deep dive into the official number, from 1 to 137

A quick look at the most and least popular Merit Badges:

If you find a Merit Badge that you want to do, just come see myself, Mr. Lynn, or Mr. White and we’ll be happy to get you started with a Merit Badge counselor and get your Blue Card started.

— Mr. Gerstein