2017 Texas Skies District Merit Badge Fair March 25, 2017 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Holy Covenant United Methodist Church Katy, TX 77449 Event Guide and Registration Information Registration and Badge Selection Deadline: March 21, 2017 Hosted By: Texas Skies District Sam Houston Area Council 1 P age
Boy Scouts of America Table of Contents I. Blue Cards No Changes from Last Year... 3 II. General Description... 3 A. What is the Merit Badge Fair... 3 B. Merit Badge Fair (MBF)... 3 C. Volunteers D. Location... 3 E. Dates... 4 F. Schedule... 4 G. Abbreviations... 4 H. Recycle Opportunity... 4 III. Administration... 5 A. Registration... 5 1. Key Dates... 5 2. Registration Site... 5 3. Registration Fee & Lunch... 5 4. Maximum Capacity... 6 5. Class Assignments... 6 6. Attendance... 6 7. How to Register The Big Picture... 6 8. Where to Submit Forms... 8 9. Late Registration... 8 B. Requirements and Merit Badge Booklets... 8 C. Blue Cards... 9 IV. Program... 9 A. Preparation..... 9 B. Badges Available... 10 C. Pre-requisites...11 D. Partial Completion...11 V. Conduct and Discipline...... 11 VI. Uniforms... 11 VII. Lunch...11 VIII. Health, Safety, and First Aid... 12 IX. Lost and Found... 12 X. Exhibits... 13 2 P age
A. Map... 13 B. Example of Scout Registration Confirmation... 14 C. How to Fill Out Blue Card for MBF......... 15 I. Blue Cards No Changes from Last Year IMPORTANT: Blue Cards will not be issued electronically!!! A Scout must bring a signed Blue Card with them for each class they have enrolled in. Without a signed Blue Card, a scout will NOT be given credit for the class. II. General Description A. What is the Merit Badge Fair? Merit Badge Fair is a Boy Scout advancement opportunity open to any registered Boy Scout. A Scout has, under most cases, the opportunity to earn up to TWO merit badges at MBF. These are not "give-away" merit badges; and MBF is not a "merit badge factory." Each Scout is expected to fulfill ALL the requirements by attending classes and doing prerequisites. Scouts are expected to participate fully in order to receive full credit for their Merit Badges. B. Merit Badge Fair (MBF) The Texas Skies District Merit Badge Fair (MBF) is an educational and advancement opportunity open to any active registered Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or Venturer under the age of 18. The event is hosted by the Texas Skies District of the Sam Houston Area Council (SHAC), Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Questions by parents should first go to Scoutmasters. Scoutmasters having questions should contact or email the event organizers below: MBF Chairman Philip Cox Email: philipcoxjr@gmail.com For additional information, visit the Texas Skies District website or log into the MBF registration website: http://texas-skies.shac.org/mbf 3 P age
C. Adult Volunteers (Required) for all Troops sending scouts to MBF Event Staff Successful Scouts have the support and guidance of parents. The parents are a treasure trove of information that can benefit every young man in our leadership program. Your encouragement and occasional refocusing of purpose that boys your son s age require will be invaluable. The successful leader in Scouts learns quickly to be successful in everything they attempt. Adults are needed to set up the facilities before the fair starts, handle registration, act as "roamers" to look out for issues that need to be resolved, assist the merit badge counselors, and to help clean-up after the event is over. Volunteers who work directly with the boys must have current Youth Protection Training. YPT can be taken at www.myscouting.org. All adult volunteers are contact: Philip Cox- 832-808-1939 philipcoxjr@gmail.com D. Location The location for MBF will be at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, 22111 Morton Road, Katy, TX 77449. (See map at end of this document) Please do not call the church about MBF questions. 4 P age
E. Date The MBF will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2017 F. Schedule The schedule is as follows: Registration: 8:00 8:30 Opening Ceremony: 8:30 8:45 Morning Sessions: 9:00 Noon Lunch: Noon 12:45 Afternoon Sessions: 1:00 4:00 Scouts Dismissed: 4:00 pm G. Abbreviations MB = Merit Badge MBF = Merit Badge Fair SHAC = Sam Houston Area Council BSA = Boy Scouts of America H. Recycle Opportunity We will have a recycling truck from Technocycle that will be visiting the event. ALL scouts are encouraged to bring electronic technology items to be recycled. It will be available most of the day, including lunch, for people to observe what a mobile technology disposal truck looks like. They don t accept TV s, CRT monitors, or alkaline batteries. In addition, they don t accept household appliances like microwaves, fans, etc. They will be crushing hard drives for us. Please take advantage of this opportunity to Recycle and Reuse 5 P age
III. Administration A. Registration 1. Key Dates Ø On-Line Registration Opens for Texas Skies District: 8 am February 25, 2017 Ø On-Line Registration Opens for all Districts: March 6, 2017 Ø On-Line Registration Closes: March 21, 2017, 10 pm. Ø Payments to be made online via Doubleknot. 2. Registration Site Registration will be conducted online through http://texas-skies.shac.org/mbf on a First Come, First Serve Basis. 3. Registration Fee and Lunch The fee for attending classes at MBF is $7.00 for each Scout. Registration fee is $7.00, which covers registration and a participation patch. Extra fees may apply to some classes to cover the counselors' supply costs. Registration and supply fees are to be paid as soon as on-line registration is completed. Payments to be made online through the Double knot system. If a scout is unable to attend once registered, the Registrar should be notified. No refunds will be given. Lunch: Each scout needs to bring $5 cash for lunch, which will include pizza or hotdog, plus chips, cookie and a drink. Additional snacks will be available for purchase, so bring extra cash. 4. Maximum Capacity There is a limit for MB class, which varies by class. Last year we had over 300 Scouts register. When you register, if the class limit is reached before the deadline, then registration for that class will be closed and no more applications will be accepted. Due to room sizes, in general, there is a limit of 15 Scouts per class. There are some classes that are a few more and some that can only handle fewer Scouts. 6 P age
5. Class Assignments Please note some classes are offered in both the AM and PM, so be sure you are signing up for the correct session. 6. Attendance Merit Badge Fair is a one day event. Requirements that are not completed at MBF will have to be finished by the Scout using a counselor outside of MBF. 7. How to Register http://texas-skies.shac.org/mbf Instructions: After signing in: Step 1: Select a participant Step 2: Select a category (morning) Step 3: Choose merit badge (click + sign) Repeat step 2 and 3 for afternoon class Continue steps 1, 2 and 3 for additional participants Step 4: Review the schedule at the bottom of the page Step 5: Click continue at the bottom of the page Step 6: Checkout Step 7: Payment B. Requirements and Merit Badge Booklets MERIT BADGE BOOKLETS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT MBF Those Scouts starting and completing any badges at MBF must use the current requirements at the time of the event. Scouts must: a) Provide their own merit badge booklets, b) Must read PRIOR to class and c) Must bring their book with them to class. A scout should be prepared. Merit badge books may be purchased at any of the local area Scout Shops for approximately $4.50 each. 7 P age
North Loop - Houston Service Center SHAC HQ Scout Shop 2225 North Loop West, Suite A, Houston, TX 77008 (713) 865-5190 Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9 AM - 6 PM / Sat.: 10 AM - 5 PM 2017 Merit Badge Fair Stafford Scout Shop 12300 Parc Crest Dr. Suite 130 Stafford, TX 77477-5034 (281) 207-2340 - Closed Sunday Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 10 AM - 6 PM / Sat.: 10 AM - 4 PM C. Blue Cards (see pages 15-17 of this Guide for more information) Each scout must bring a signed blue card from their Scoutmaster with them for each class they are registered for. Blue cards will be completed at the end of each class and returned to the scout. Note: We will not be issuing electronic blue cards. IV. Program A. Preparation Merit Badge Fair should not be considered another "school" where the pupils sit and stare for hours on end. Scouts should come prepared to participate in a seminar. The counselor's job is to encourage self-discovery and then check that each boy has the minimum knowledge and does the requirements. Each Scout should have read his merit badge pamphlet and prepared answers to each requirement. Scouts are encouraged to print the worksheets available at http://usscouts.org/usscouts/mb/worksheets/list.asp and fill out the answers. Scouts should be ready to take notes and come prepared with a notebook with blank paper and a pencil. Remember one goal of the merit badge advancement system is to develop individual growth and initiative. 8 P age
B. Badges Available The merit badges below are being offered for registration at the Texas Skies District MBF. Due to popularity, and availability of counselors, some classes will fill up quickly. Scouts who register early have the best chance of getting the classes they want. This list is current as of 19 Feb 2017 Geology- AM-PM Photography- AM only Home Repairs- AM-PM Citizenship of the nation- AM-PM First Aid- AM/PM Coin collecting- AM-PM Communications-AM-PM Digital Technology-AM-PM Family Life- AM-PM Citizenship of the World- AM-PM Engineering- AM-PM Soil and Water Conservation- AM-PM Plumbing- AM-PM Geocaching- AM-PM Scouting Heritage- AM-PM *** We are currently in need of approx 15 additional MBC s. If you have counselors available within your Troop and they are willing to participate please have them contact: Philip Cox- 832-808-1939 C. Prerequisites Many merit badges require prerequisites to be completed at the MBF. If a Scout does not complete the prerequisites, the Scout may complete those requirements with a Troop or District Merit Badge counselor at a later date. Prerequisite requirements will be available when registering. Scout should read the merit badge booklet in its entirety PRIOR to class and be prepared to discuss. D. Partial Completion If a Scout is unable to complete his merit badge, the "PARTIAL" completion will be noted on his Blue Card, which will be given back to the Scout. MBF Counselors are not always available to serve as counselor after MBF ends, unless arrangements are made afterwards which are acceptable to the Scout, his 9 P age
parents, and the counselor. Remember that TWO scouts are required to visit with a counselor. V. Conduct and Discipline As a participant of the Merit Badge Fair, I will: Observe the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. Wear my official uniform when requested. Attend the classes I am assigned. Be personally responsible for breakage, damage, or loss of property. Be courteous to other students, counselors, and staff. Clean up my classroom at the end of each session. Clean up my trash after eating lunch. Keep my cell phone in my pocket, unless for emergencies VI. Uniforms Scouts are encouraged to wear the official field uniform for MBF. Most units call this a "Class A" uniform. VII. Lunch Each scout needs to bring $5 cash for lunch, which will include pizza or hotdog, plus chips, cookie and a drink. Additional snacks will be available for purchase, so bring extra cash. All food must be consumed in the gym. No food or drink is allowed to be consumed inside the classrooms. Counselors are permitted to drink in classrooms, but only covered containers should be used. Scouts are expected to clean up after themselves. VIII. Health, Safety, and First Aid No running inside or outside the school. No roller blades, roller shoes, roller skates, or skateboards are allowed. No alcohol, illegal drugs, fireworks, firearms, slingshots, or anything else that might distract from the learning environment. No tobacco or coffee for Scouts. The location of the MBF First Aid station will be announced during the opening ceremony IX. Lost and Found The MBF Lost and Found will be located at the registration tables. 10 P age
Thank you for registering for the 2017 Texas Skies District Merit Badge Fair! 11 P age
X. Exhibits A. Map 12 P age
B. How to Fill Out Blue Card for MBF 13 P age
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