We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
J.J. Colby and his sister, Aspyn, pose in front of sacks and containers holding about 150 two-liter plastic bottles. J.J., as part of his Eagle Scout project, will use about 1500 bottles to build a greenhouse. He's looking for more bottles and has various ways he is collecting bottles. The Chinook High junior has about year to complete his remaining Eagle requirements and final project.
This is a photo of a completed greenhouse made with 1500 plastic bottles. J.J. Colby, a Boy Scout from Chinook, is planning to build a similar greenhouse at the Blaine County Fairgrounds as part of his Eagle Scout project. He is seeking help from locals to gather the plastic bottles he will need to build the greenhouse.
Reporter's note: I saw a notice about a Boy Scout Merit Badge College to be held in Havre on a Saturday in January. Having written some stories about boys completing their Eagle Scout rank, I knew about merit badges but had no idea how merit badges connected to college. I went to the LDS Church in Havre to see if I could 'shadow' some Scouts from Blaine County and learn what the merit badge college was all about.
In the foyer of the church, at the registration table, I ran into Bill Lanier. Blaine County readers may know Bill as one of the office people in the Blaine County Clerk and Recorder's office. Turns out he is also Hi-Line District Committee Chairman, one of 15 regional districts that make up the Montana Boy Scout Council (The Hi-Line District covers the area between Chester, Malta and Big Sandy). Lanier was responsible for organizing the event and connected me with a Boy Scout from Chinook. I guess you could say I was beginning Merit Badge 101.
Some background on merit badges
The Boy Scout website describes the merit badge program: "...to help youth experience a broad range of interests that will hopefully bloom into future hobbies or careers." The website lists 135 badge topics that range from American Business to Woodwork. The requirements for a badge typically include background about the topic, definitions and discussion about terms relating to the badge and activities that a boy must complete. Badge counselors, people with knowledge of specific badge topics, help the Scouts learn the material, complete the required activities and then sign off on the completion of the badge requirements.
The merit badge program is also a part of the Eagle Scout (the highest Scouting rank) program. Boy Scouts, after completing a number of ranks, have until their 18th birthday to complete Eagle Scout requirements. Scouts must complete at least 21 merit badges, 13 of which are from a list or required badges and the remaining badges according to the boy's interest. The final thing to complete the rank is the Eagle Scout Project-to give the Scout an opportunity to "plan, develop, and give leadership to others." Each project must be preapproved and is evaluated on its benefit to an organization and the leadership provided by the Eagle Scout candidate.
The Hi-Line Merit Badge College
Hi-Line Commissioner Lanier said this was the fifth year the Hi-Line District had conducted a merit badge college. He said, "There are several other merit badge colleges around the state. The biggest I've taken Scouts to was at Carroll College in Helena, where 600 Scouts met to earn badges." He showed a schedule of the classrooms where the badge sessions would be held. He added, "We schedule some badges that are required for the Eagle program, some are more of a general interest." At this event there were badge classes on dentistry, medicine, railroading, rocketry, sculpture, inventing, chess, family life and citizenship in the community-the latter two part of the Eagle requirements.
Lanier described a typical badge session. He explained, "First the presenter has to have some expertise in the badge topic-an emergency room doctor, from Havre, is teaching the class on medicine." For some badges most all the requirements can be done in the one class session, others require additional activities that may involve doing a project with another Scout, an adult Scout leader, the Scout's entire troop or with a family member. Each requirement has to be certified and 'signed off' to satisfactorily complete the badge.
J.J. Colby and the "Inventing" badge class
J.J. Colby is an 11th grader at Chinook High and has about one year remaining to complete his Eagle Scout requirements. He said, "I have most of my required badges done, I'm now taking additional ones to complete the number I need." A Scout leader said, "Many of the Eagle Scouts earn many more merit badges than they actually need. They earn badges because they have an interest in learning new things." Commissioner Lanier added, "The focus with badges, just like in schools, is now about STEM topics-STEM is an acronym for classes and information related to "Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics."
The Inventing class, that J.J. Colby attended, was about finding technological solutions to real-world problems. The classroom topics explained how inventors use the scientific method to develop and refine ideas and products. Thomas Edison's life was used to show how inventors work and the kinds of breakthroughs they can create.
Finally, it was time to 'conceptualize and make something useful.' The boys were divided into teams made up of four Scouts. They were given a pile of Zoob Builders (sort of Legos on steroids) and they began to build, test, then refine their idea. It was quite interesting to watch the boys try something, find it didn't work, then tweak their idea to something functional.
J.J. Colby's Eagle Project:
a greenhouse made of
plastic bottles
Scouts going for the Eagle rank can begin work on their final project, even before they have completed all the merit badges. Colby has received approval for his project, to build a small greenhouse made of about 1500 two-liter plastic bottles. By cutting and nesting the bottles in a certain way, a greenhouse can be created. Colby's plan is to erect the greenhouse at the Blaine County Fairgrounds where it could be used in conjunction with 4-H and other projects. With help from his family, he's already collected about 10% of the bottles he will need to build the greenhouse.
Colby said, "I still have some work to do on estimating the costs and raising the money for the materials. I plan on getting all the plastic bottles donated." He's already working with Hi-Line Recycle, the once a month program held at Pacific Steel and Recycling, where he and family members find suitable bottles. He also has a recycle box at Domino's Pizza on Highway 2 in Havre, where people can leave two-liter bottles. Or, if someone has bottles that they will give to Colby, he asks they call 357-2197 and he will arrange a way to get the bottles.
Bill Lanier said his goal is to hold next year's merit badge event at MSU-Northern. He explained, "With the emphasis on STEM topics and technology, it's a natural to have the merit badge college at the university here in Havre." He said there were about 40 boys from seven troops at the badge event, one group traveled all the way from Glendive. The "Journal" salutes all the volunteers who organized this merit badge college, brought the boys to attend, taught classes and prepared lunch.
