ALPINE — As many as six Boy Scouts have completed the requirements for a new Alpine Scout badge that was designed and promoted by City Councilman and Scoutmaster Kent Hastings.

"Scouting is very prevalent here," he said. "I see the great impact and importance of the Boy Scouting program to young men and women. The patch requirements are geared for Boy or Girl Scouts, and the requirements vary by age. ... It helps the Scouts feel a sense of community in Alpine and their troop."

Among the requirements that teach Scouts about their community is a visit to Historic Relic Hall and hiking in Lambert Park. The Scouts must also learn to wear their uniforms properly. That teaches them to feel part of their Scouting community, Hastings said.

The uniform requirement is one of the most difficult, he said. The patch can be worn on the pocket of the uniform and identifies the Scout as being from Alpine.

The requirements vary by age and get more difficult the older the Scout. Cubs and Brownies/Juniors, for example, have just a few requirements, including attending Scout meetings in their Scout uniform. They must also provide one hour of volunteer service that benefits Alpine and be an Alpine resident or member of an Alpine Scout group.

Older Scouts have a few more conditions to meet, including wearing their uniform to as many as 12 Scout activities or meetings and reading the Alpine city history on the Alpine city Web site.

The uniform requisite has turned out to be one of the most difficult, Hastings said.

Scouts under 14 get to write a 300-word essay on a quality that Scouting promotes in Alpine. The word count for Scouts over age 14 is 500.

Scout leaders can also get the patch by monitoring other Scouts who are working on it or by completing all the requirements for older Scouts.

---

E-mail: rodger@desnews.com