Arrow of Light and Crossover

[Lodge 489]

We have two Webelos Scouts that will be crossing over to Boy Scouts at our upcoming Blue & Gold Banquet. Neither boy will have earned their Arrow of Light award by the B & G. I know that the other Cub Scouts that did not earn their appropriate rank have until the end of the school year to do so if they didn't get it done by Blue and Gold.

 

Please clarify whether the Webelos can still work on their Arrow of Light Awards until the end of the school year. My understanding is that the minute they cross over then they are "officially" Boy Scouts and thus would no longer be able to work on Cub Scout/Webelos awards.

 

Any clarification on this would be much appreciated.

[Basementdweller]

Crossovers, everybody puts too much emphasis on them. It is just a ceremony after all.

 

I would see what the boys want to do crossover or work on the AOL. You simply cannot do both in my book.

 

I will say it seems more than a little silly to hold a crossover ceremony if they are not going to actually crossover. Forget about tradition or what you have always done. If the boys want to finish their AOL great, postpone the crossover till they finish. If they chose to crossover and become boy scouts great, see you.

 

It is my belief that you shouldn't have it both ways, crossover and then finish the AOL.

 

Agree or disagree, just my opinion and how I have handled it in the past. Few boys stay and finish but most crossover. Bored with cubs would be my guess.

[Twocubdad]

Crossover is simply a traditional ceremony used by many packs and troops. It doesn't do anything to change a boy's status in the program.

 

Boys may continue on in Webelos until age 11.5. If your two scouts wish to continue and complete their Arrow of Light award, I would sure hope the pack leaders would honor their wishes.

[T2Eagle]

Crossover is simply a ceremony, unless you actually become a Boy Scout, then you are a Boy Scout and cannot work on AOL. I am facing this in my Pack right now. We split our AOL and Crossover this year for scheduling reasons (we go both ways and there are arguments for both, but that's a separate thread). Both our Webelos II dens were, I thought, on track to earn AOL before Crossover, now all of Den I but only one boy from Den II will earn his AOL before our scheduled Crossover. So the boys from Den II have a choice, keep working on AOL -- or crossover, join the troop, and go on our Tenderfoot weekend as full fledged Boy Scouts. They may want their AOL, but given the choice between working on AOL or going camping as a Boy Scout --- part of a patrol, up with your buds, not a Cub anymore--- I know which I would choose.

[T2Eagle]

Lodge 489,

 

After rereading your post let me give a more technical answer. Until they are 11.5 years old or register as Boy Scouts, they can work on AOL, once they cross either threshold then they can no longer work on AOL. The choice is theirs and it is important that they make it. My own advice wouyd be to have them think hard about whether they want, at this point, to finish AOL or start the path to Eagle

[ScoutNut]

Actually, without earning their AOL, a Cub Scout can NOT become a Boy Scout (crossover) until he has EITHER reached 11 years old, or completed 5th grade.

 

So, for those of you considering "crossing over" Webelos to Boy Scouts this month, if they have not earned AOL yet, they MUST be 11 years old, or they have to remain Cub Scouts.

 

The policy for remaining a Cub Scout is as follows from the Cub Scout Leader Book -

 

"Although a Webelos Scout reaching age 11 or completing fifth grade and at least 10 years old is eligible to become a Boy Scout, he may remain in the pack for six months after his 11th birthday or until he completes fifth grade, whichever is later."

 

Note, he would be a CUB Scout, not a BOY SCOUT.

 

 

[eghiglie]

As I recollect this happened once or twice when I was a DL in Pack.

 

Simply put the boys got to finish up by the end of the school year with his AoL, the troop crossed him over in May. The troop always went to a local council camp so if there was an issue the parents could remove him.

 

In both cases the boys finished the week and made it to 1st class or so. Sadly both boys left Scouting because they have a bunch of outside activities. One boy at 15 yo now, is an accomplished violinist and play with the local orchestra and gets paid for it.