Scouts BSA Troop 457 > FAQs

Who can sign-off on Rank Requirements?

The unit leader authorizes those who may test and pass the Scout on rank requirements. They might include the patrol leader, the senior patrol leader, the unit leader, an assistant unit leader, or another Scout.Guide to Advancement

At Troop 457, rank requirements may be signed off by:

  • Any registered leader
  • Any Scout who has earned at least 2 ranks higher than the rank in which the requirement is being signed off (i.e., a Scout rank requirement may be signed off by a Scout who holds at least the Second Class rank, Tenderfoot requirements may be signed off by a Scout with the First Class rank or higher)

Parents or guardians are involved at home encouraging, mentoring, and supporting, but they do not sign for rank advancement requirements unless they serve as registered leaders and have been designated by the unit leader to approve advancement.  (Guide to Advancement Section 4.2.0.0)

As a general rule of thumb, Troop 457 encourages Scouts to have rank requirements signed off by leaders who are not related to or guardians of the Scout.

How do I apply to be an Adult Leader?

Individuals who wish to serve as a registered adult leader in the Boy Scouts of America are REQUIRED to complete the following:

  1. A BSA Adult Volunteer Application
  2. The BSA’s Youth Protection Training
  3. Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Check
  4. PA Department of Human Services Child Abuse History Clearance
  5. EITHER:

Specific instructions on how to complete these required items can be accessed by clicking on each link.

SUBMITTING DOCUMENTS

Documents can be submitted to the Scoutmaster or Committee Chair using the Service Portal 🔒 (preferred) or in hard copy.  They will obtain the necessary signatures from our Charter Organization and turn in the paperwork to the Council office.

How do I apply to be a Merit Badge Counselor?

The following steps are required for all adults who wish to become a Merit Badge Counselor:

  • Identify the Merit Badges you would like to be a counselor for.  The latest list of merit badges and their requirements can be found in the Advancement and Awards section of Scouting.org.
  • Complete a BSA Adult Leader Application, BSA Youth Protection Training, and obtain all necessary clearances (see How Do I Apply to be an Adult Leader?)
    • Use Position Code 42 (Merit Badge Counselor)
    • There is no cost associated with being a registered merit badge counselor.
  • Complete the BSA Merit Badge Counselor Information Form.
    • Complete all of the required fields (indicated by an asterisk)
    • In the table, list the merit badges you would like to be a counselor for in the left most column.  In the second column, enter “A” to indicate you would like to add the merit badge.  In the third column provide a reason why you are qualified to be a counselor for the merit badge.
    • Under “I agree to work with:”, select
      • All Scouts if you are willing to be contacted by Scouts outside of Troop 457 as a counselor.
      • Only with Scouts in these units if you should like to only counsel scouts from Troop 457 (be sure to list Troop 457 in the space provided)
    • UPDATE March 2023 – Moraine Trails Council NO LONGER limits individuals to counsel no more than 8 merit badges.
    • The following merit badges have special qualifications or certifications requirements for the counselor or supervisor of the activities.  Include documentation showing you have current required certifications to expedite your acceptance as a counselor.  (Consult the BSA Guide to Advancement section 7.0.1.1 for specific guidance):
      • Climbing
      • Snow Sports
      • Canoeing
      • Kayaking
      • Lifesaving
      • Motor Boating
      • Rowing
      • Scuba Diving
      • Small Boat Sailing
      • Swimming
      • Water Sports
      • Whitewater
      • Archery
      • Rifle Shooting
      • Shotgun Shooting
  • The completed BSA Application forms, certificate of completion for Youth Protection Training, documentation of required clearances, and the completed Merit Badge Counselor Information form can be provided to an Adult Leader or directly to Moraine Trails Council.

Additional Resources

What volunteer opportunities are there for Adults?

Many hands make light work.Proverb

While the Scouts BSA program places additional responsibility on the youth to plan and coordinate events, there are still several easy ways that parents, guardians, family members, and family friends can be involved in the Scouting program.This includes:

  • Just helping out
  • Becoming a Merit Badge Counselor
  • Becoming an Adult Leader within the Troop

What and when is Scout Sunday?

The Boy Scouts of America designates the Sunday that falls before February 8 (Scouting Anniversary Day) as Scout Sunday; a day on which we recognize the contributions of young people and adults to Scouting.

Every year, Troop 457 celebrates the birthday of our program by supporting our charter organization (English Lutheran Church) by participating in their Sunday service and hosting a pancake breakfast for the congregation to say Thank You to the church for sponsoring our Troop since 1940.

What is the difference between a Troop and a Patrol?

A Troop is an organization of youth enjoying the challenges and adventures of Scouting. (If you were a Cub Scout, the Troop is roughly equivalent to the Cub Scout Pack.)

Scout Troops are made up of Patrols with each of patrol’s members sharing responsibility for the patrol’s success.  (If you were a Cub Scout, a Patrol is like your Den.) Everyone in the patrol will have skills and knowledge to share.  By working together in small groups, Scouts lean together, make plans and turn their ideas into actions.

The Troop and each patrol have various leadership positions that Scouts may fill.

How do I RSVP for an event?

Effectively planning events and some Troop meetings is a challenging task that can be made even more difficult if we don’t have an accurate headcount of attendees for the event.  That is why it is extremely important for our members to RSVP for events in advance.

RSVP Deadlines

  • Events requiring an RSVP will include an RSVP deadline.
  • The Troop will send several email reminders within several weeks in advance of the RSVP deadline.
  • We cannot guarantee that RSVP changes can be accommodated after the stated deadline.  This is especially true when the Troop must make per-person reservations in advance.
  • We encourage our members to RSVP early for events so we have an indication on your intention as soon as possible.  You can always change your RSVP before the deadline.
  • In TroopTrack, you have the ability to state you are Going or Not Going to the event.  Any individuals who do not reply as of the stated deadline will be assumed to be Not Going.

RSVPs for Troop Meetings

RSVPs are not required for weekly Troop meetings UNLESS a headcount is needed in advance.  You will only receive an email reminder for weekly Troop meetings if an RSVP is required or the meeting date, time, or location is different than standard.

How to RSVP in TroopTrack

Most Troop Events will require you RSVP in TroopTrack.  To do this:

  1. Navigate to the event details via the calendar or by clicking the View Event Details button or the Going / Not Going links in the TroopTrack email.
  2. On the event details screen, you will find the RSVP card on the top right portion of the page.  This card shows you all individuals for whom you can RSVP as well as their RSVP status (“Coming?” column), the number of youth and adult guest attending, and the fees associated with the RSVP.
  3. To RSVP, click on the RSVP button.  This will popup a screen where you can:
    • Respond that you are Going or Not Going to the event.
    • Add additional youth or adult guests to your RSVP (if permitted).  Only add guests if you are RSVPing for someone in your household not listed in the RSVP card.
    • Add an RSVP comment.
      • If you are RSVPing for guests, include their names in your RSVP note.
      • Check the Event Description to see if any additional information should be included in the RSVP note.

    Do not ask questions in the RSVP note field as these may not be checked in a timely manner.  Contact a Troop leader if you have questions about the event.

    Click on the Save button to save your RSVP and repeat this process for any additional members of your household who will be attending the event.

    Other RSVP Options

    In some cases, the Troop will utilize an online form to gather additional information for RSVPs.  For example, the Troop planned a ski trip in January 2023 where we needed to know who needed to rent skis and take lessons.  To simplify the RSVP process, we used a form here on the Troop website to gather RSVPs rather than TroopTrack.

    When we are not using TroopTrack to track RSVPs for an event, you will see a card stating:

    Outside RSVPs
    See Event description for information about RSVP’ing

    As stated, the instruction on how to RSVP are then provided in the Description card.

How do I add the TroopTrack calendar to my personal device?

A great way to make sure you never miss a Troop event is to add the Troop calendar to your calendar application of choice.  Some calendar applications even allow you to overlay your personal calendar with the TroopTrack calendar.  To do this, you first need the Troop’s ICS URL:

  • Navigate to the Calendar in TroopTrack
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the calendar.  There you will find the ICS URL.  Click the Copy button to copy that URL to your clipboard.

Now you just need to subscribe to that calendar in your calendar application of choice.  Below are links to instructions on how to add an internet calendar to the most popular calendaring applications.  Instructions for other applications can be found in their help files.

Why does my Scout have a Troop Track account?

A TroopTrack account is created for every youth member of our Troop.  This allows us to track each Scout’s achievements (rank advancement, merit badges, other awards), participation, leadership,  medical information, and money accounts.  Scouts can also use TroopTrack to communicate with one another and leaders (with built in youth protection controls).

Scout accounts are not initially associated with an email account so they cannot login to TroopTrack directly or receive Troop emails.

As a youth led organization, Scouts should get in the habit of reading all troop communications directly.  We encourage parents to provide the Troop with an email address for their Scout different from a parent’s email address.

How do I get a TroopTrack account?

When you join Troop 457, we will setup two different types of TroopTrack accounts for you:

  • A Scout Account
  • One or more Adult Accounts

Scout and Adult accounts are joined to one another to form a household.  Both types of accounts have the ability to:

  • View and update advancement, including ranks and merit badges
  • View and update contact information for the Troop roster
  • View parent and leader contact information
  • View account balances
  • View the Troop calendar of events and RSVP to event

Additional permissions may be added to accounts if the individual has a leadership role within the Troop.

The primary difference between these accounts is the level of access.  Scout accounts can only view and edit their own information while parent accounts can view and edit information for any member of their household.

Requesting Additional Adult Accounts or Adding a Scout Email Address

Complete the TroopTrack Account Request form on this website to request the addition/removal of an adult account or to associate an email account with a Scout account.  Note the following:

  • You are required to login to the Troop website to access the form.  Use the TroopTrack username and password from the Initial Account Setup lesson.
  • Email addresses added to TroopTrack must be able to receive emails from external addressed.  (Do NOT use a Seneca Valley School District student account as that email system does not receive emails from external sources.)
  • Requests will be confirmed with adult members of the household before being processed.
  • Requests could take up to a week to process.

Reference Information

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