Scouts going to Camp Mach will be asked to sign up for merit badges classes at our Camp Mach meeting on Monday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. at RPC. (6th grade parents–this is different than Owasippee, where the scouts chose their classes after they arrived at camp.) The Merit Badge schedule is available on the DPVC website.

First-year scouts should sign up for:

Brownsea (First Year Camper) 9:00 – 10:30
Swimming Merit Badge 10:30 – 12:00 (Scouts who do not know how to swim should, instead, sign up for Instructional Swim, which is from 11:00 – 12:00)
One other merit badge of your choice in the afternoon.

Signing up for three classes will still leave plenty of time for other open activities the camp has to offer, such as open swim, open rifle, and open archery. It also leaves you some free time to enjoy the outdoors and to completely finish those merit badges.

First year campers can not take any of the water sports/boating merit badges (Canoeing, Rowing, Motor Boating, Skiing, Small Boat Sailing, Snorkeling), because the Swimming merit badge is a prerequisite for these classes. Also not allowed for first-year campers are the shooting merit badges (Archery, Rifle, Shotgun — although scouts will have an opportunity to try these sports during “Open” times). Also not recommended for 1st year are Camping, Environmental Science, Pioneering, and Wilderness Survival. No one should sign up for First Aid, as Dr. Stephanie teaches that during the year. What’s left? For first year campers, we encourage the Cooking Merit Badge (teaches skills used on almost every camp-out, and satisfies requirements for rank advancements). Other choices are Geology, Leathercraft, Mammal Study, Reptiles & Amphibians, Soil & Water, Weather, Woodcarving. Many of the merit badges require you to have completed some requirements at home before coming to camp.

A complete list of merit badges offered at camp is included in the Camp Mach Leader’s Guide (which is helpful for scouts and parents as well as leaders). In fact, the list is so complete that it includes some badges not offered this year! Please review the prerequisites for the badges your scout plans to work on. It’s disappointing to a scout to expect to complete a badge and not do so, but items for many badges must be completed at home. (Just as an example, Requirement 7 of the Cooking merit badge requires that the Scout plan and prepare meals at home.) Ideally those requirements should be done before camp, but they can also be done after returning home.

If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late! We will accept registration forms until May 23. The cost is $290. We have reserved a bus to take scouts and leaders to camp. The bus will leave from RPC early Sunday morning, July 31, returning the afternoon of August 6. The cost for the bus trip is $100 (same as last three years). Checks should be made out to Troop 24, and can be turned in at a troop meeting, or given to Mrs. Gomorczak. Also due no later than July 15 is a medical form for each scout (and each leader).