The Council’s annual Advancement Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Seven Mountains Scout Camp. Check-in for the event will open at 8:30 a.m. in the dining hall with instruction beginning promptly at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 4:00 p.m. – with a break between 12 noon and 1pm for lunch. The program will include instruction towards the completion of five merit badges (First Aid, Orienteering, Fingerprinting, Indian Lore and Law) and in four Scout skill areas (Hiking Skills, Field Skills, First Aid Skills(AM ONLY), and CPR).

Younger boys should plan to register for two skill sessions – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each skill session will cover the appropriate requirements for the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class as listed on the enclosed page. The CPR session is designed to meet the CPR requirement portion of eight different merit badges. Scouts who are First Class and above are advised to register for just one merit badge class, which will run all day. (The Fingerprinting merit badge class will take a half-day.) Scouts planning to work on a merit badge should bring a signed blue card, the necessary equipment, and evidence of previously completed requirements. Paper and pencil will come in handy and Scouts should review the requirements for the badge and read the merit badge pamphlet. Scouts should also be reminded to dress properly for the weather. (Some instruction sites are not heated, and some classes will be outside.)

The requirements listed on the enclosed sheet for the merit badges being offered are requirements that will not be covered during Advancement Day. They must be completed in advance if a Scout wants to successfully complete the badge requirements on Advancement Day, or they may be completed later at Troop meetings. A signed statement attesting to the prior completion of these requirements may be brought to the Advancement Day counselor. Partials will be given to Scouts who have not completed all of the requirements by the end of the day. Please note that due to some Merit Badge requirements of extensive time and/or materials, some badges are not anticipated that they will be completed during Advancement Day.

Please plan to pre-register your Scouts for this event. Scouts who pre-register will get the first preference in selecting their topic(s) for the day. Some classes will have limited enrollment. (We plan to assign pre-registered Scouts to their half-day sessions to balance the sizes of the a.m. and p.m. classes.) Scouts who do not pre-register will only be permitted to attend classes with openings

Pre-Registration for the event is $3.00 per Scout, which includes a coupon for a hot dog and cup of Hot Chocolate. After Feb. 26, 2010, the fee will be $4.00 with no coupon included. Scouts can either bring their own lunch or purchase other lunch items at the dining hall.

Please encourage your Scouts to attend this event and assist us with our planning by submitting the enclosed pre-registration form to the Council Service Center or registering online at www.jvcbsa.org by February 26, 2010. Questions about this event can be directed to your District Advancement Committee Chairman.

Oneida – Tom McClain (814-644-7478)

Shawnee –Robert Miller (717-248-6847)

Nittany Mountain – Tom Fonda (814-238-4758)