Cub Scout STEM Awards: Nova and Supernova

STEM Counselors and Mentors help Cubs in Pack 505 earn their Nova and Supernova Awards. These awards are available beginning at the Wolf rank.

To become either a Nova Counselor or a Supernova Mentor, you must:

Be eligible to register as an adult leader in the BSA;
Be willing to volunteer your time working with Scouts on these awards;
Complete Youth Protection Training on my.scouting.org; AND
Complete the STEM in Scouting Course (under Course Catalog -> Expanded Learning) on my.scouting.org

Counselors and mentors are council positions, not pack positions. You do not have to register as a Pack 505 leader to be a counselor / mentor. You can register for free with the Sam Houston Area Council. To volunteer: email Kyle Verret. We will need a complete council application for each position and an adult paper application:

SHAC STEM Counselor Application
SHAC STEM Mentor Application
BSA Paper Application is required for each position
If registering as a mentor we will need both the Counselor and Mentor application, and TWO BSA paper applications (one for each position).

Nova Awards

Any of our Scouts trusted adults (and any other qualified adult that has an interest in volunteering) can be a STEM counselor. You only need enough interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math that you can learn the topic and discuss it with our Cub Scouts.

Pack 505 aims to have at least one Nova Counselor for each Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and Arrow of Light den.

You can find all the awards and their requirements on the BSA Nova Awards page.

Find a Nova counselor for your Scout to contact on our NOVA Counselor / Mentor list.

To volunteer: email Kyle Verret.

Supernova Awards

Wolf to Arrow of Light Scouts may earn Supernova Awards.

Wolf and Bear Scouts may earn the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Bronze Medal.

Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts may earn the Dr. Charles Townes Bronze Medal.

Whereas counselors can be ANY adult, a mentor should be an "expert" in STEM topic(s) by vocation, hobby, or education. You do not have to have a degree in STEM to be a mentor, only knowledgeable enough in about STEM topics to mentor a Cub Scout in one of these areas. If you register as a Mentor, we will register you as a counselor as well.

Before a Scout may begin working on the Supernova Award, they must first earn two different Nova Awards before working on each award (i.e., one Science and one Math award (not two Science awards or two Math awards) as a Wolf or Bear before working on the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Award). If a Cub earns the Dr. Luis Alvarez Award, they must earn two more Nova awards before beginning work on the Dr. Charles Townes Bronze Medal. Mentors may recommend an exception of this rule to the pack committee for approval.

You can find all the awards and their requirements on the BSA Supernova Awards page.

Find a Nova mentor for your Scout to contact on our NOVA Counselor / Mentor list.

To volunteer: email Kyle Verret.

Counselors and Mentors

Find a counselor or your Scout's

Supernova Mentor

Below is a list of our counselors and mentors for the Nova awards.

If you want your Scout to meet with a counselor or mentor, please contact them through Scoutbook ahead of the meeting to make sure that they are available to meet.

Patricia McGinnis

Counselor

Den leader for Dens 14 & 16

Ms. McGinnis is available to counsel all of our Scouts in any of the Nova awards.

Your Scout can meet with her before or after a Pack meeting.

Adriana Ordonez

Mentor

Counselor

Den Leader for

Den 12

Ms. Ordonez is an expert at statistics and mathematics. Ms. Ordonez is available to counsel all Scouts for Nova awards and mentor all Supernova awards.

Meet with Ms. Ordonez before Pack meetings (or for Den 12 girls, at your den meetings).

Jeff Frey

Mentor

Counselor

Mr. Frey is an expert with computers. He is especially excited about getting to build robots with Scouts working on their Supernova awards. Mr. Frey is available to counsel all Scouts for Nova awards and mentor all Supernova awards.

Meet with Mr. Frey before Pack meetings.

Kyle Verret

Mentor

Counselor

Cubmaster

Meets with Den 2 and Den 10

Mr. Kyle is a lawyer with some university level education in coding and math, and a lifetime of reading National Geographic. He is a hobbyist computer programmer, rocket builder, fossil hunter, and nature watcher.

Mr. Kyle is available to mentor Scouts for the Supernova awards by appointment with a parent (or for Den 4 boys, counseling or mentoring at the den meeting.).

Kevin Horner

Mentor

Counselor

Den Leader

Den 4

Mr. Horner has some university level science and math courses and enjoys hobbies relating to STEM topics.

Mr. Horner is available to counsel all of our Scouts in any of the Nova Awards and mentor all Supernova Awards.

You can meet with him before or after a Pack meeting if you contact in advance, or for Den 4, at your Den meetings