'Phenomenal combination' upskills Scouts
Friday, February 21, 2025
Photos by Anna E. Reed, student photographer
Penn College’s ninth Merit Badge College offered 20 different badges to 178 Scouts from six states. The recent Saturday event was hosted in partnership with the Susquehanna Council, Boy Scouts of America.
In addition to Pennsylvania, Scouts traveled to Penn College’s main campus from Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. The Susquehanna Council saw 98 participants, and the 80 other Scouts were representing 17 additional councils.
“It was a privilege to cohost our ninth Merit Badge College with the Susquehanna Council,” said Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies (and a proud Eagle Scout). “Through this event, Penn College is able to expose Scouts to more than 20 different career paths and our beautiful campus. Scouts have the opportunity to learn with experienced faculty in state-of-the-art labs. It’s just a phenomenal combination. I can’t wait to see what we can do in our 10th year in 2026!”
Merit badges were offered in architecture, chemistry, composite materials, dentistry, digital technology, drafting, electricity, electronics, engineering, fingerprinting, first aid, graphic arts, landscape architecture, metalwork, photography, plumbing, programming, soil and water conservation, sustainability, and welding.
Badges: The focus of the day
A Scout explores a professional camera in the photography session.
A graphic design lab in Penn College's Bush Campus Center offers hands-on, high-tech engagement.
Paige A. Shultz, a dental hygiene student from Port Matilda, lends her expertise in the dental hygiene lab.
Proudly representing his troop (chartered in 1928)
Parents and council leaders hang out in the atrium of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center while the Scouts are in the various sessions.