Boy Scout Troop 840 held its summer Court of Honor on Sunday, August 25, 2019, at Church of the Apostles in Coppell. The Court of Honor is held tri-annually to recognize the hard work and achievements of the scout members in the troop.
Fifty-three scouts were recognized for advancing in rank, with 20 scouts achieving the rank of Scout, 7 achieving the rank of Tenderfoot, four achieving the rank of 2nd Class, three achieving the rank of 1st Class, 8 achieving the rank of Star, and 8 achieving the rank of Life. Some of these scouts will go on to earn the Eagle Scout rank; and three scouts were recognized for accomplishing this rank. This Court of Honor was particularly special because the Troop participated in presenting the Eagle Oath and a Bronze Palm to Anuj Parikh. Eagle Palms are bronze, gold and silver awards presented to young men who earn five, 10, 15 or more merit badges beyond the 21 required to become an Eagle Scout. Troop 840 also takes great pride in presenting its Eagle Scouts with a hand decorated Eagle scarf and handmade Eagle slide; a tradition held since the Troop was established in 1987.
In addition to ranking up, scouts were also recognized for their hard work in earning merit badges. Seventy-one scouts earned a total of 346 merit badges, many of these earned while at summer camp at Camp Constantin near Graford, Texas, Camp Cris Dobbins, in Elbert County, Colorado, and at Camp H. Roe Bartle in Missouri. Troop 840 also participated in three High Adventure camps this summer; Northern Tier trek through Ontario, Canada down into Northern Minnesota, SeaBase Sailing in Key Largo, Florida, and Philmont backpacking trek with over 50-miles hiked. Scouts who participated in these camps spoke on the experiences they had, the camaraderie they shared, and the sheer joy of the time spent on these campouts. The Troop 840 mulch sales and spreading held in early spring each year, the year-round Flag program through the Rotary Club, and any popcorn sales or camp cards sales made by the scouts contribute to their accounts to help fund their participation in these awesome adventures, summer camps, and the local, monthly campouts.
Merit badges are earned to meet requirements for rank advancements, but scouts also learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as they earn these. There are more than 135 different merit badges that can be earned and give scouts an opportunity to learn about and participate in areas they may normally not have any exposure to through school or in their day- to-day lives.
Special awards are also given during the Court of Honor. This Court of Honor included awards for the honor camper programs, Order of the Arrow and Mic-O-Say. Troop 840 was honored to have four Braves named, and three Warriors with the Tribe of Mic-O-Say at Camp Bartle. Ten Scouts also completed their Ordeal with the Order of the Arrow, and three earned their Brotherhood within the Order of the Arrow. Additional special awards for participation in NOVA, Snorkeling, Mile Swim, 50-Miler, 75-Miler, and National Youth Leadership, National Youth Leadership Training, and Trainer’s Edge were also acknowledged. Lastly, scout Sean Nelson was recognized for his Triple Crown. He has the distinction of participating in three High Adventure trips, Philmont, Sea Base, and Northern Tier. He happily detailed his experiences to the Troop and encouraged all of the scouts to participate in as many as possible.
Following the awards program, scouts and parents were treated to an Ice Cream Social in the church's Fellowship Hall.
BSA Troop 840, which is led by Scoutmaster Craig Warner and Senior Patrol Leader elect Jared Morse, meets weekly at the Church of the Apostles, 322 S. MacArthur Blvd., Coppell, TX. The Troop currently consists of 147 scouts, with 33 of those scouts being newly crossed over members.
Attached photo: Troop 840 Boy Scouts (l-r: Sanchay Biradar, Rithvik Namasivayam, Lorenzo Lueiro, Sarthak Shelar, Carter Elliott, Erik Nguyen, Kavin Chengavarayan and, not pictured, Param Raval) advanced to Life rank at the Court of Honor ceremony.