Scouts attend School Board meeting to earn merit badges

By Jean Reid Norman

Friday, April 3, 2009 | 10:56 a.m.

A group of Henderson Boy Scouts got a different perspective on education this week when they sat in on a Clark County School Board meeting to prepare for the Mega Scout Expo 2009, which runs April 24-26.

The four boys from Troop 903 were fulfilling one of the requirements for their citizen and community merit badge. They also planned to spend one day next week during spring break volunteering at Opportunity Village, said Connie Mulick, one of the parents accompanying them.

The boys weren’t sure what to expect, they said. The agenda included reports from students and teachers of Miley Achievement School, Global Community High School and Variety School, as well as a presentation of awards to the winners of America’s Schools Environmental Ambassador Award.

Foothill High School junior Kayla Cothrun read her winning essay to the board.

“It’s not as bad as I expected it to be,” said Trenton Mulick, 10, a student at Henderson International School.

Chet Pressler, 12, who attends Bob Miller Middle School, said, “I didn’t know kids would talk as much as they did. It made it more interesting.”

The Scouts have been busy completing prerequisites for merit badges in time to get them signed off during the Scout Expo, said Carol Lee, who was at the meeting with her son, Andrew, 12, a student at Jack Schofield Middle School.

The preparation will allow them to complete the merit badges during the expo at Sunset Park, where Scout troops from throughout the Las Vegas Valley and Arizona will camp out for the weekend and have the opportunity to earn merit badges at the Merit Badge Midway.

It also is helping keep the boys busy, Mulick said.

“That’s good. It keeps them out of trouble and limits the video time,” she said.

The boys ended up at a meeting that was not too taxing. While some School Board meetings this year have lasted from 4 p.m. until midnight, Thursday’s meeting ended at 6:15 p.m.