Calling all Merit Badge Counselors! We need your help for the 2021 Merit Badge College! If you are interested in helping to teach a class please contact Christina Cunningham as soon as possible. She would be more than happy to give you more information or help you register as a counselor!
2021 Orion Merit Badge College
Dates: January 30 and February 27, 2021
Location: This year, the college will be delivered at least partly online (the first weekend will be online; if conditions allow, the second weekend will be in person).
Cost: $5.00 per Scout + optional pamphlet costs
Registration Deadline: December 28, 2020
Contact: For more information, contact one of the planning committee members Lynne Cox, Christina Cunningham, Yoli Johnson, Rudy Kamman, Mark Lampe, or Jeff Mack.
The objective of the Orion District Merit Badge College is to provide Merit Badges that a Scout may not have an opportunity to take otherwise. Scouts may sign up for three Merit Badges offered during three sessions: Session 1: 9:00 – 10:45; Session 2: 11:00 – 12:45; lunch break 12:45 to 1:30 and Session 3: 1:30 – 3:15. Session times may be adjusted as we get closer to the event. Class sessions are for both Saturdays and will require off site work (homework) and/or field trips in order to complete all requirements. Attendance alone will not result in any/all requirements being completed. Each Scout must participate and demonstrate they have met each requirement in order to earn the badge. Scouts are limited to no more than two Eagle required merit badges. Scoutmasters must discuss all merit badge choices their Scouts sign up for but please keep in mind that per the Guide to Advancement, there are no minimum age requirements for participation in a class.
The event cost per Scout is $5.00, which covers all required program expenses and includes a patch. Troops will designate one person to register Scouts using an online system. Registration closes on Dec 28th. Registering early is a good thing to do – classes will fill on first come first serve basis!
Since many units have extensive libraries, the MBC committee has adjusted the budget to make the purchase of pamphlets optional this year. Pamphlets will be available for pre-order only through the MBC committee at a reduced cost. Registered troops will be contacted to collect the pamphlet pre-orders. Troops will then be invoiced for the cost of the event and the pre-ordered pamphlets. Money will be collected prior to distribution of program materials. Units will be required to furnish Blue Cards to each Scout. Scouts will need a pen or pencil and workbooks or paper to take notes with. If a Merit Badge requires additional expenses the Scout will be notified in advance.
Merit Badges offered:
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Coin Collecting
- Communication
- Crime Prevention
- Emergency Preparedness
- Engineering
- Digital Technology
- Fire Safety
- Game Design
- Graphic Art
- Inventing
- Law
- Leatherwork
- Medicine
- Movie Making
- Personal Management
- Photography
- Programming
- Reading
- Space Exploration
- Truck Transportation
Holiday Toy Drive
For the past 2 years, Blake Travis with Troop 9168 has organized a toy drive to benefit Scottish Rite Hospital. Unfortunately this year due to COVID, his toy drive does look different and he was unable to speak at the Orion District Roundtable as he has done in previous years with Tonkawa District. Blake has partnered with several hospitals in the area for this year’s drive. There are 2 options for donation:
- Donate a toy in person. Contact Blake’s dad Jonathan, at 214-293-2921 to arrange the donation.
- You may donate via Amazon to one of the hospitals.
Read on for a note from Blake about the drive as well as links for all of the hospitals.
Continue reading “Holiday Toy Drive”2020 Wellness Checks
Given the uniqueness and challenges of 2020, Longhorn Council has asked for a ‘wellness check’ of registered Scouts.
District Commissioners/Committee Members will contact scout families by phone within the next couple weeks to see how they and their unit are doing during these unprecedented times. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your District unit representatives.
Service Hour Opportunity
The Flower Mound Rotary Club is looking for volunteers to help at the city’s reindeer run 5K on December 5th, 2020.
They will need to be there from 7 am – 11 am at Heritage Park. The scouts will be stationed along the course to keep racers on the track.
To volunteer email mcsherwood@verizon.net with how many people are coming.
Looking to the Stars!
The new Orion District is here! Born out of the redistricting efforts in early 2020, a new name has been selected for the district.
Orion is one of the most conspicuous and recognizable constellations in the night sky, visible to people throughout the world. Located on the celestial equator, Orion has a long-standing history of being useful as an aid to locating other stars. Orion contains two of the brightest stars in the sky, several famous nebulae, and the commonly recognized asterism – Orion’s Belt.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The Orion Space Program seeks to reach uncharted areas of space including the Moon, Mars, and beyond!
The Naming Committee believes that the name Orion symbolizes a rich cultural heritage much like our district’s history and represents our best hopes for the future – the Scouts we are charged with nurturing and encouraging to aim high in all aspects of their daily lives. Complex and diverse lore surrounds the mythological hunter and space explorer Orion, providing a strong foundation for meaningful Scouting lessons and engaging campfire stories for generations to come!
