Six Scouts Presented First Supernova Awards in Greater St. Louis

Six Scouts Presented First Supernova Awards in Greater St. Louis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tom Kroenung, STEM Director; C: (314) 452-3967

ST. LOUIS—The first six Scouts who earned the new Boy Scouts of America’s Supernova Award in the Greater St. Louis Area Council were presented their recognitions on Feb. 5, 2013, during the New Horizons’ District monthly Scouter meeting at Manchester United Methodist Church.

The BSA’s NOVA Awards program incorporates learning with fun activities and exposure to STEM-related fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).  Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers can work on requirements for a wide range of awards. 

There are two levels of involvement in this program that lead Scouts to earn the NOVA award and the Supernova award.  The NOVA awards are presented for cumulative achievement of badges in each of the STEM areas.   The Supernova award has more rigorous requirements than the NOVA awards and is designed to recognize more in-depth, advanced achievement in STEM-related activities.

Due to the intensity of this award, Scouts work with a Supernova Mentor to guide them through the process.  The Supernova requires earning 3 of the 4 possible NOVA awards, as well as performing research, preparation, setup, coordination and organization of a high-level STEM activity or experiment, followed by analysis and reflection, and culminating in a report demonstrating superior effort and understanding of the technical topic. 

More information on the program can be found at http://stem.stlbsa.org