Scout leader asks Penn-Trafford board to help recruit merit-badge counselors from district staff

Rick Broadwater, a Scoutmaster with Troop 201, used the meeting's public-comment period to ask the Penn-Trafford School District board for assistance reaching district educators to recruit registered merit-badge counselors.

Broadwater said the Bushy Run District—he named Penn-Trafford, Norwin, Franklin Regional, Southmoreland and Jeanette—covers many troops and offers about 135 merit badges across subject areas including arts, trades, STEM and aquatics. He said summer scout camps typically offer “20 to 25 different merit badges” and that outside of camp scouts must find registered counselors to complete badges.

Broadwater described prior Eagle Scout projects that benefited district sites, saying “Dominic Morelli… did shelving for the backpacking backpack program,” “Gabriel List did a butterfly garden at Sunrise Elementary,” and “Nick Ferlino actually did the benches that are in front of the auditorium.” He said he had used talent surveys to start connecting volunteers and asked the board how he could get information distributed to teachers: “I’m not gonna sit there and start emailing people because I don't have the authority to do that. So that's what I'm coming to the board for.”

A district staff member offered to circulate Broadwater's materials: “You can send me, what you wanna have sent out. I can send it to all the teachers, and I can copy you on it as well.” Broadwater said he would leave contact information and later spoke about ongoing local support for scouts, including a $1,000 donation from a community foundation referenced in the meeting.

Broadwater's remarks were delivered during the public comment portion of the meeting; no formal action was recorded in the transcript to create a districtwide outreach campaign.