Need short AOL ceremony presentation

[CPAMom]

Ok, y'all talked me into it. We plan to present the AOL award to our son (and any other scout who earns it and reports before next pack meeting) at the Sept. pack meeting. Is there a website or Webelos leader book reference that has something short to use for that purpose?

 

We hope to have a nice formal ceremony for everyone who earns it at the end of February or beginning of March.

 

Thanks.

[Scoutfish]

We usually ask the Order of the Arrow guys to hold a ceremony for the AOL scouts.

 

They do a really nice job of meeting, planning and executing the ceremony.

 

Plus the Cub Scouts are really impressed with the fact that older scouts do the entire thing themselves.

[CPAMom]

We plan to do that exact thing at the end of February. If kids earn them early, is there anything short that can be done to recognize and honor quickly at a regular pack meeting?

[Scoutfish]

Well,I wouldn't do anything too big as it will only dull down and lessen the later ceremony you have.

 

Not sure when you have your pack eetings normally, but maybe you can move it to a Friday night and have an extra presentation ater the normal recognition.

 

Buy an arrow for each AOL scout. Break it down into 4 equal segments .Starting at the feather end, paint the first segment orange, the second yellow,the third light blue, the fourth segment dark blue.

 

This represents the colors of the ranks Tiger(orange), Wolf(yellow), Bear(light blue),and Webelos(dark Blue). If a AOL recipient didn't do Tiger, leave that color off.

 

Now, within each color,paint a small band around the arrow: 1 Gold band for gold arrow points recieved and 1 silver band fopr each silver arrow point recieved for that rank. If a scout did not earn an arrow point at each particular rank, leave it blank.

 

Basically, this represents thie scouting accomplishments as a timeline.

 

You can mount it or not.

 

NOw, it sounds like alot, but with 2 or 3 adults, this can all be done in about an hour and a half.

 

After you go about your regular pack meeting and hand out the usual recognition, ask everybody to stay a bit longer for an extra presentation. Have all the AOL sit in anarea by themselves, say a little bit about what earning the AOOL means, Why you are giving the arrows and what the colors and bands signify. Then call each boy forward to recieve his personal Arrow.

 

If you want to list that a scout earned this many arrow points in each rank, that's pretty cool to.

 

Afterward, maybe a basic sheet cake with an arrow on it, some chips and dip and drinks. Nothing too fancy as it will take away from the AOL ceremony/ and or Crossover ceremony (we do our one behind the other)put on by the Aorrow of Light scouts.

[ScoutNut]

BSA has a publication called - "Cub Scout Den & Pack Ceremonies". It is available from your local Scout Shop.

 

For online resources you can check out the following -

 

http://macscouter.com/Ceremony/

 

http://insanescouter.org/c/146/webelos.html

 

http://usscouts.org/bbugle.asp

 

Many are theme based, or Indian based. If your Pack is using a theme of some kind for your September Pack meeting you can look for a ceremony that would go with the overall theme.

 

Edited to add that the Baloo's Bugle site at the end has ceremonies written into Pack Meeting outlines.

 

So do the BSA Cub Scout Program Helps -

 

http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/CubScouts/Leaders/Cubmaster%20Resources.aspx#_helps

 

(This message has been edited by Scoutnut)

[Gary_Miller]

CPAMom, "We plan to do that exact thing at the end of February. If kids earn them early, is there anything short that can be done to recognize and honor quickly at a regular pack meeting?"

 

Why not have the OA guys come and do every Arrow of Light Ceremony for every boy, even if there is only one boy. There is no need to do another ceremony in February for those who have already had a ceremony. Then at the end of the program year have a crossing over ceremony.

 

Since most of the units in our area are LDS and the boys usually cross over when they turn 11 yrs old. We do an arrow of light ceremony for each boy and a crossing for each boy. Sometimes we only have one boy and sometimes we have more boys in the ceremony. But the ceremony is the same no matte how many we have.

[Basementdweller]

Gary

 

Wow, That is asking a lot from your OA lodge Ceremony team.

 

They could conceivably be at every pack meeting for 6 months just for your Pack. I am not sure how many packs you have in your council but we have more than 100. So what you ask is an impossibility and incredibly selfish.

 

Schedule your cross over a year in advance, just like you do for the rest of your program. Gives the young men something to shoot for. They miss the crossover, by all means give them the career arrow. A nice in house ceremony.

 

But asking the OA ceremony team to possibly drive 100 miles round trip, on a school night for 1 Cub scout that cannot wait for the scheduled crossover/AOL or missed it is over the top ridiculous . Believe it or not these teenage young men have lives other than scouting, jobs, girl friends, troops and families.

 

Not trying to be mean, just giving you something to think about before you make requests that in my opinion are out of line from the OA(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

[Gary_Miller]

Basementdweller, "Wow, That is asking a lot from your OA lodge Ceremony team."

 

Our CS Ceremonies are the responsibilities of the chapters. Each chapter handles all the ceremonies for their district. We have a check out procedure through the scout office for the regalia or the chapter provides their own. Works out quite well.

 

Our chapter also serves on CS day camp staff and are also the district camping committee. Responsible for all district camporees.

 

 

[Basementdweller]

Your chapter is in much better shape than ours. we only have two ceremony teams and one dance team. I have requested participation from them a number of times with no luck, busy or it was a school night. I was told that it would be a 150 mile round trip for them to visit us and put on the ceremony. NO was the answer.

[SMT224]

Our feeder Pack does their AOL ceremony in conjunction with the Crossover ceremony for the entire Pack and all Cub parents. It is done in late April after a joint Webelos/Scout camping trip where each of the five Patrols creates sets up a Scout skills & games station for the Webelos and their parents. It has worked out very well, and the Cubs look forward to their time to go on the camp out and then earn AOL and cross over to the Troop.

[John-in-KC]

To get back on topic,

 

If he's crossing over with the rest in the winter/spring, I'd have a standard rank advancement stand up as part of the Pack Meeting. Then he can participate with the others in the big show when they're ready to move up to the Troop.

 

If he's moving up right now, though, invite the Troop SM to help.

[campfire]

Is everyone doing the Cub Scout 2010 program which has the Webelos bridging to Scouting in December? It is the first year for this national program and will move the presentations up to the end of this fall. This year our AOL ceremony is November and Bridging is December. Previously the AOL was January and Bridging was Feb at B&G.

 

We found for our unit having the two combined was too much and the remainder of the pack did not feel included. We made some changes to include the cubs in the AOL presentation as well as OA for the main presentation. It has been a wonderful program and we are grateful for the OA. The boys really do love it when they come. Many are former members of our pack, so it is an honor to welcome them home! We usually have 3 OA members attend.

 

By splitting the two ceremonies for two pack meetings, it also enabled the troops to be able to get to other pack meetings the same night as ours as we are in a heavily populated area with lots of packs that they visit. We don't all join the same troop. We often have 4 different troops attending our bridging.

 

The new timeline will be interesting to experience this year. We are going to miss our W2's this spring. They have been invited to join us for our annual pinewood derby (we will supply the kit) and also come to B&G and do the uniform inspection/table judging (We have a fun table decoration competition between the dens). Getting through this transition year will be interesting with the new Cub Scout 2010 program. It changes some of our 35 year old traditions which can be an opportunity for some new ideas.

 

Hope it helps... we just had our meetings to finalize the details of the events.

 

[Gary_Miller]

Basementdweller, "I was told that it would be a 150 mile round trip for them to visit us and put on the ceremony. NO was the answer."

 

150 miles round trip is just a short drive:). The farthest pack in out district is about a 2hr drive and we would not even blink to go there. Heck we have to drive 25 miles just to go to Wal-Mart.

 

If your unit will pay for the trip I'm sure I could get the chapter to come. Any excuse for a road trip is good.

 

 

[ScoutNut]

campfire stated - >>"Is everyone doing the Cub Scout 2010 program which has the Webelos bridging to Scouting in December?"

[campfire]

ScoutNut, I appreciate you mentioning that possibility.