Advancement
Adult Recognition Time
Now is the time to start thinking about recognition for adults in your unit or in the district. From District Executive Con Sullivan:
There are nomination forms for you to complete if you feel someone in your unit or district is deserving of recognition at the North Star District Dinner on March 9th. Please complete the relevant nomination form(s) and return to Mark Pishon, North Star Advancement Chair, at mpishon@gmail.com by February 12th.
The flyer is worth distributing to your unit.
Unit Leader Award of Merit Nomination Form
North Star District Awards Dinner Information and Nomination Form for Calendar Year Ending 2016
District Award of Merit Nomination Form
Eagle Report January 2017
Congratulations to new Eagle Scouts from the January 2017 Boards of Review:
- Christopher Rodriguez from Troop 514, and
- Kevin Braxton from Troop 269.
Troop 358 has 3 new Palms
I attended last Monday’s Court of Honor for Troop 358 in Zionsville. The troop award an Eagle Scout medal, various rank advancements, merit badges, and Wood Badge beading for OA Advisor Mark Pishon, ASM Chuck Bricker, and ASM David Guzman.
The most unique part of the ceremony to my eyes was the award of three Eagle Palms. The first was for a bronze palm (the first palm awarded for 5 merit badge and 3 months leadership service after receiving Eagle). The second was for a scout’s silver palm (the third palm awarded for 15 merit badges and 9 months service after Eagle). The last was a second Silver Palm! 
Think about that. A second Silver Palm for one scout. That means that he has served in his troop for 18 months as a leader after his Eagle Board of Review and earned an additional 30 merit badges in addition to the required 21 merit badge for Eagle Scout. Only 1/10th of 1% of Eagles earn a Silver Palm. To earn two Silver Palms is extraordinarily rare. (I cannot find the stats.)
Shown above from left: Matthew Heath, second Silver Palm; Josh Sheppard, first Silver Palm; John Heath, first Bronze Palm. All are White Stag/NYLT trained and have served on staff, too.
Congratulations to each of these three worthy scouts and to Scoutmaster Jim Beck and Troop 358 for providing such a rewarding environment that Eagle Scouts stay actively involved in the troop.
Merit Badge Counselors Terms Expire
Remember that your Merit Badge Counselors are District Staff, not Troop Staff. That means their positions expire every year when the District’s Recharter Application (yes, District has a recharter application, too) expires on December 31, 2016.
We still have several troops and crews that have not confirmed the renewal of their Merit Badge Counselors. We need those immediately to prevent any loss of authority to sign Blue Cards.
Next week I will report on troops and crews that have completed the MBC rechartering process.
For more information, see prior postings.
Scout Ranks Grandfathering Period Expired
Remember on January 1, 2017, all scouts are required to advance on all ranks using the new requirements effective January 1, 2016.
Unfortunately, that means scouts who had not completed their last rank may now have many new requirements to contend with that they did not just a few days earlier.
Please make proper announcements to your troop so that there is no confusion at their next scoutmaster conference or board of review.
Year End Eagle Report for 2016
Congratulations again to the following 49 scouts for having earned their Eagle Rank in 2016.
Think of the number of service hours each of these gentlemen have contributed to their communities by organizing and running their projects.
Immediate Changes to Cub Scout Advancement Announced
From Pack 358’s Delaware Tribe’s Cubmaster Sharla Merrick:
The Boy Scouts of America has announced modifications to Cub Scouting that make the program more flexible for busy parents, den leaders and Cubmasters.The BSA gathered feedback from den leaders who had delivered the new Cub Scouting program for a year. What they learned was that some den leaders had difficulty fitting into their program year all of the adventures required for advancement. This resulted in boys not advancing. After a thoughtful and deliberate review, the BSA has released some modifications to address this concern.What are the modifications? Some adventure requirements that previously were mandatory will become optional, in a move intended to give Cub Scouters more control over their den program.The changes, which take effect today (Nov. 30, 2016), were approved by the National Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America.The fine-tuning reflects the BSA’s three-step approach to new programs: Launch. Learn. Modify.Here’s a link to the updates 🙂 http://www.scouting.org/filestore/cubscouts/pdf/CubScout_Advancement_Modifications.pdfYIS,Sharla
Here’s a quick look at what you need to know.
Cub Scouting’s fall 2016 modifications, an overview
- First of all, you won’t need to buy any new materials. The new requirements will be posted in a free addendum available at scouting.org/programupdates. This will supplement the handbooks in current circulation and for sale online and in Scout shops.
- While the overall feedback from den leaders about the new Cub Scout program has been very positive, some den leaders said a number of the new adventures had requirements that were too difficult for dens to complete within the Scouting year.
- The number of new Cub Scouts is up in many areas of the country, but rankadvancement rates have not kept pace, meaning the BSA’s team of volunteers and staff advisers wanted to react quickly to eliminate what might have become a roadblock for some dens.
- A national volunteer task force developed a solution: Make more of the adventure requirements optional, giving dens more flexibility to match their unique needs.
- The modifications are designed to ensure that adventure requirements are achievable by today’s Cub Scout dens within a program year. This means they are achievable by all Cub Scouts, regardless of background or socioeconomic status.
- Most of the modifications involve the number of requirements that must be completed, reducing the mandate to a number achievable within the limited time available to many dens. This is done while retaining the rich program options that allow leaders to build strong programs adapted to their needs.
- The changes increase den-level customization. Units that can handle more content, perhaps because they meet more often or for longer periods, can — and should! — keep the optional requirements part of their program. On the other hand, those that have struggled to finish the requirements will welcome these changes as a way to meet their needs.
- With the modifications, dens should be able to complete one adventure in approximately two den meetings.
- The transition should be seamless, with leaders able to use revised requirements as the den begins any new adventure.
Where to find the new requirements
Simply log on to scouting.org/programupdates. I suggest making it one of your bookmarks.
Where to go first if you have questions
See answers to FAQs about these changes here.
Encouraging Parental Involvement through Recognition
Many Cub Scout Packs are getting ready to change leadership in the coming months as Webelos transition to Boy Scouts and their parents follow.
Recognition of outgoing leaders is important to inspire incoming and future leaders to uphold a high standard of service in your unit. If outgoing leaders are recognized, incoming leaders will become more excited to duplicate the feat.
Now is a great time to see if your departing leader has earned the Unit Award of Merit. This is an award offered by the unit, approved by your Unit Commissioner or lacking a Unit Commissioner the District Commissioner, and then the Council Executive and Council Commissioner.
Please review this recognition now so that you can have it available for worthy volunteers at the coming Blue and Gold Banquet for your Pack.
For more information contact your District Commissioner or District Executive.
Scholarships and Recognition for Eagle Scouts
While we all know that scouting is more than just the attainment of Eagle, earning the Eagle rank does offer some perks.
First, the Council has several Council-wide scholarships or recognitions. Take a look at the Council website for more information. Many have deadlines in the next 30 days. District Advancement Chair Mark Pishon reports that new forms for those programs were just issued.
The John Price Scholarship is named for the late Judge John Price who sat on the Marion County Municipal then Superior Courts bench for many years. He was an avid member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and Crossroads of America Council. I had the honor of knowing him from court and Kiwanis. His grandsons were recently members of a North Star Troop.
Second, Eagle Scouts who enlist in the military automatically are promoted upon completion of basic training. Here is some information about the Marine Corps version.
Third, many scholarship programs and recognitions are available at the local, state, and national levels. More exist than I can count.
The most famous scholarships are the National Eagle Scout Association scholarships.
Many other programs not officially seeking Eagle Scouts look favorably on Eagle Scouts, so look everywhere!
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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