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Here’s some court of honor ideas we use that you may find helpful:
Some court of honor ideas can enhance the central theme (recognizing Scout advancement) and some detract from it;
Ideas that Enhance:
1. Recognition of Scout achievement in Scouting and outside of Scouting (If we know about a special accomplishment or award a Scout has received outside of Scouting we’ll mention it at the court of honor)
3. Ceremony and decorum.
4. Parents and families witnessing the entire troop in action.
5. Encouragement to wear the uniform properly
Ideas that Detract:
1. Lengthy Announcements.
2. Administrative business.
3. Council or District fundraising.
5. Adults up front running things.
A court of honor is great opportunity for the Scouts to show their parents who runs the troop, they do the talking and presenting and adults are seated. Our committee chair gets a couple of minutes occasionally to hand out special recognition (usually to an adult volunteer). Sometimes I’ll do a Scoutmaster minute
We keep things that belong at a parent’s meeting and things that belong at a court of honor separate. If we need volunteers or want to talk administrative business (scheduling, unit fundraising, etc.) we will call a separate parent’s meeting. While Councils and districts may protest I have never allowed them to present fund raising talks at our courts of honor, we’ll schedule that for a parent’s meeting.
How Often?
Current Journey to Excellence standards set the gold level at four courts of honor each year. We do three a year, that seems right for us.
1. August
This is our post summer camp Court of Honor. We start at 6:00 pm with dinner in the fellowship hall and the ceremony starts in the sanctuary at 7:00 pm Our Scouts take advantage of the timing of the court of honor in our schedule to finish up a rank or a partial merit badge after camp. We present a lot of merit badges at this court of honor!
2. December
Court of honor at 7:00 pm followed by refreshments.
3. Late April or early May
Court of honor at 7:00 pm followed by refreshments.
This schedule follows the course of advancement in our troop – lots of merit badges and some ranks in August after summer camp, we see a lot of Tenderfoot through First Class ranks in December after the fall camping season, the spring is quieter because we generally have fewer requirements completed (we’re off backpacking and canoeing that time of year).
There’s always plenty of fellowship time for families. Dinner and refreshments are served separately from the ceremony itself which is normally held in the sanctuary in a fairly formal atmosphere. Occasionally our December or April court of honor is held around our fire circle behind the church (it’s a nice thing to have!) , but usually we are inside. Naturally Scouts are expected to attend in full uniform and maintain appropriate behavior.
A Court of Honor should last no more than about 45 minutes. Our August court of honor sometimes runs about an hour, but that’s the upper limit. If your courts of honor runs much longer than 45 minutes you ought to think about shortening them by doing them more frequently or changing the program.
