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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; More than 300 Boy Scouts from around the state found their way to King&#8217;s College Saturday for the 18th annual Merit Badge College.</p><p>Scouts gathered at the day-long event from across the region - and beyond - to earn a chance at completing numerous merit badges, as well as getting a taste of collegiate life and meeting new friends.</p><p>The Merit Badge College was arranged by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council of the Boy Scouts of America and King&#8217;s College.</p><p>Merit badges are introductory learning modules, exposing Scouts to a plethora of professions, hobbies and more through experience and education. Scouts who have a First Class rank or higher were eligible to attend the event. Many of the Scouts ranged in age from 12 to 17.</p><p>Once registered, the Scouts could choose up to four classes to complete and earn badges. About 30 classes were available.</p><p>The classes are taught by volunteer counselors who have industry expertise in the corresponding field.</p><p>Dave Srebro was the adviser for the event and has been involved in the Merit Badge College for about 15 years.</p><p>&#8220;Most of (the boys) are on a quest to become an Eagle scout,&#8221; he said of the highest ranking in the Scouts. &#8220;It&#8217;s not so much about earning to get here, but getting here to gain something later.&#8221;</p><p>According to the National Eagle Scout Association, one must earn 21 merit badges to become an Eagle Scout.</p><p>Throughout the day, Boy Scouts wandered in and out of multiple buildings on campus, either sitting attentively while listening to their instructor or taking a more &#8220;hands-on&#8221; approach.</p><p>In the metalworking class, however, there was very little sitting.</p><p>More than dozen scouts were filing, grinding and cutting away at one of four projects they had to complete to earn the badge.</p><p>On the front and back walls four poster boards were hung, each depicting a project with instructions. These included creating a metal box, cooking pot, dust pan or dry material scoop.</p><p>Nick Moshey, 13 of Troop 281, was preparing to use a metal brake tool to complete his box. Volunteer instructor Larry Kiwak was by his side, helping Moshey line the metal up evenly in the machine.</p><p>While Kiwak was helping Moshey complete his box, instructor Bob Pilger, a Troop 281 committee member, was assisting two scouts place handles on their cooking pots. Pilger, who has experience in auto-body work and welding, said many scouts like to choose the metalworking class.</p><p>&#8220;Somebody may like to take up auto-body or sheet-metal fabrication,&#8221; Pilger said. &#8220;We also offer plumbing. You never know what someone may want to do.&#8221;</p><p>Across the hall, about a dozen Scouts were learning about chemical reactions from King&#8217;s College chemistry instructor Brian Williams.</p><p>&#8220;Just so you boys know, unless you want black fingers make sure you use a glove when using silver nitrate,&#8221; he warned Scouts eager to see how much chloride was in tap water using the substance.</p><p>Down the hall, 13 year-old Ben Heintzelman traveled from Kempton to learn about mining and veterinary medicine.</p><p>&#8220;Mining in Society holds a lot of key elements that hold useful later in life,&#8221; the Scout said as he listened to the instructor.</p><p>Heintzelman noted that some merit badges go with one another, such as Mining and Geology, which he&#8217;s also working on.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Tyler Yablonski, 13, of Troop 132 in Springbrook uses a magnifying glass to get a closer look at his fingerprints during his fingerprinting class during Saturday&#8217;s Merit Badge College at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre for area Boy Scouts. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_meritbadge01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tyler Yablonski, 13, of Troop 132 in Springbrook uses a magnifying glass to get a closer look at his fingerprints during his fingerprinting class during Saturday&#8217;s Merit Badge College at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre for area Boy Scouts. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_meritbadge02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nick Moshey, right, of Troop 281 in Dallas uses a metal break machine to bend sheet metal to make a box during Saturday&#8217;s Merit Badge College at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre for area Boy Scouts. Looking on is metalwork instructor Larry Kiwak of Troop 444 in Sweey Valley. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_meritbadge02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Nick Moshey, right, of Troop 281 in Dallas uses a metal break machine to bend sheet metal to make a box during Saturday&#8217;s Merit Badge College at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre for area Boy Scouts. Looking on is metalwork instructor Larry Kiwak of Troop 444 in Sweey Valley. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_meritbadge03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Boy Scouts Michael Ceklosky, 14, left, of Troop 434 in Dorrance and Eric Lawson, 14, of Troop 339 in Kingston test for chloride ions in water during Saturday&#8217;s Merit Badge College at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre for area Boy Scouts. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_meritbadge03.jpg</photo2><caption2>Boy Scouts Michael Ceklosky, 14, left, of Troop 434 in Dorrance and Eric Lawson, 14, of Troop 339 in Kingston test for chloride ions in water during Saturday&#8217;s Merit Badge College at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre for area Boy Scouts. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

King’s College hosts annual Merit Badge College