National Scholastic Achievement Medal/Badges

[cdwscout]

Since we have a National Outdoor Achievement Medal/Badges, why not a National Scholastic Achievement Medal/Badges?

The requirements for the badges would be:

Grades:
1. Earn First Class
2. Maintain a GPA of 3.8 or grade of B+ for at least one semester.
3. Participate in two approved extra-curricular clubs for one semester (besides scouts).
4. Participate in at least 10 service hours benefiting your community.
5. Tutor somebody in at least one subject.
6. Earn the Scholarship Merit Badge.

Science:
1. Earn First Class
2. Write a 500 word essay explaining why science is important.
3. Do a science project approved by your counselor.
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA or grade of B+ in all math-related classes for one semester.
5. Do TWO of the following:
5a. Participate in a science club, science bowl, or other science-related extra-curricular club for one semester.
5b. Teach a science-related subject to a younger group.
5c. Explain what a science journal is and their importance to science. Read two issues of a science journal.
5d. Serve on staff at a scout camp in a science-related area for at least two weeks.

Math:
1. Earn First Class
2. Write a 500 word essay explaining why math is important.
3. Write a 500 word essay explaining the history of math and how other cultures used math in the past.
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA or grade of B+ in all math-related classes for one semester.
5. Do TWO of the following:
5a. Participate in a math club, math bowl, or other math-related extra-curricular club for one semester.
5b. Teach a math-related subject to a younger group.
5c. Explain four sub-disciplines of math and their purpose.

English:
1. Earn First Class
2. Write a 500 word essay explaining the history of the English language.
3. List 10 common grammatical errors and 10 common spelling errors, and the how to correct each.
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA or grade of B+ in all English-related classes for one semester.
5. Do TWO of the following:
5a. Write at least 5 creative stories of at least 1,000 words each, each using a different character set and setting.
5b. Write at least 5 essays of at least 1,000 words each, each on a different topic.
5c. Give 5 speeches of at least 7 minutes each, each on a different topic, AND earn your Public Speaking Merit Badge (the speeches for the requirement and the speeches for the merit badge must be different).
4d. Write reports about 5 different books by 5 different authors AND earn your Reading Merit Badge (the books for the requirement and the books for the merit badge may be the same).
5e. Participate in a English club, English bowl, or other English-related extra-curricular club for one semester. (NOTE: A spelling bee can count as an English bowl.)

History:
1. Earn First Class
2. Write three 500 word or two 1,000 essays about two historical events, characters, or periods of your choice.
3. Write a 500 word essay on why studying history is important.
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA or grade of B+ in all history-related classes for one semester.
5. Do TWO of the following:
5a. Participate in an history club, history bowl, or other history related extra-curricular club for one semester.
5b. Teach a history-related subject to a younger group.
5c. Explain the general periods of history, and write a 300 word essay for each.

For the medal:
1. Earn First Class
2. Earn the grades award.
3. Earn at least two other awards.
4. Earn the Public Speaking, Reading, and Scholarship Merit Badges.
5. Earn at least five scholarship/academic-related Merit Badges.
6. Teach a scholarship/academic-related skill to a younger group on three separate occasion to three separate groups.

Any other ideas?

[Reasonable Rascal]

Math:
1. Earn First Class
2. Write a 500 word essay explaining why math is important. Use your own words, not what the coach wrote for you.
3. Write a 500 word essay explaining the history of math and how other cultures used math in the past. The mathematics of score keeping does not count.
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA or grade of B+ in all math-related classes for one semester. You must take your own tests without a coach present.
5. Do TWO of the following:
5a. Participate in a math club, math bowl, or other math-related extra-curricular club for one semester. Missing meetings because of a game is not allowable.
5b. Teach a math-related subject to a younger group. Reaching score keeping to a Cub Den does not count.
5c. Explain four sub-disciplines of math and their purpose. Total completed passes, total yardage gained, career total touchdown scores and average NFL entry-level salaries do not count as sub-disciplines.

RR

[Quailman]

5d. Solve the Hodge Conjecture, the Riemann Hypothesis, or Catalan's Mersenne Conjecture.

[tonkatim]

Wow. Bitter, huh?

[ronin718]

How does a 3.8 GPA and a B+ average equate? Based on the standard GPA scale, a B average is 3.0. If I were going to equate a GPA score with a letter-grade average, then a B+ average would be more like a 3.2 GPA, wouldn't it? I could see making the GPA requirement closer to 3.5, but certainly not a 3.8 if you're going to equate it to a B+ average.

Any educators out there want to chime in?

[cdwscout]

5d. Solve the Hodge Conjecture, the Riemann Hypothesis, or Catalan's Mersenne Conjecture.

That would be a National Heroic Medal

[cdwscout]

How does a 3.8 GPA and a B+ average equate? Based on the standard GPA scale, a B average is 3.0. If I were going to equate a GPA score with a letter-grade average, then a B+ average would be more like a 3.2 GPA, wouldn't it? I could see making the GPA requirement closer to 3.5, but certainly not a 3.8 if you're going to equate it to a B+ average.

Any educators out there want to chime in?

Sorry, I'm not too familiar with GPA's. I just looked it up, and B+ (usually) equals a 3.33, 3.3, or 3.25. So, wherever is says, "3.8" above, substitute "3.33," please.

[cdwscout]

Math:
1. Earn First Class
2. Write a 500 word essay explaining why math is important. Use your own words, not what the coach wrote for you.
3. Write a 500 word essay explaining the history of math and how other cultures used math in the past. The mathematics of score keeping does not count.
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA or grade of B+ in all math-related classes for one semester. You must take your own tests without a coach present.
5. Do TWO of the following:
5a. Participate in a math club, math bowl, or other math-related extra-curricular club for one semester. Missing meetings because of a game is not allowable.
5b. Teach a math-related subject to a younger group. Reaching score keeping to a Cub Den does not count.
5c. Explain four sub-disciplines of math and their purpose. Total completed passes, total yardage gained, career total touchdown scores and average NFL entry-level salaries do not count as sub-disciplines.

RR

Looks like we may need a National Sports Achievement Medal to distract some people.

[razor_strop]

Standard GPA/grade equivalents for a 4.0 scale:

A+ : 4.33
A : 4.00
A- : 3.67
B+ : 3.33
B : 3.00
B- : 2.67
C+ : 2.33
C : 2.00
C- : 1.67
D+ : 1.33
D : 1.00
D- : 0.67
F : 0.00

[cdwscout]

Standard GPA/grade equivalents for a 4.0 scale:

A+ : 4.33
A : 4.00
A- : 3.67
B+ : 3.33
B : 3.00
B- : 2.67
C+ : 2.33
C : 2.00
C- : 1.67
D+ : 1.33
D : 1.00
D- : 0.67
F : 0.00

Some schools consider an "A+" an "A" for GPA purposes. I know of a few who do (Texas A&M, for example).

[AquilaNegra2]

That's what your school's honor societies are for. I don't see Scouting as the place to shine for academic achievement, but for character building.