Crossing Over Ceremonies

[MattHiggins]

I know most packs use a bridge in their crossing over ceremony. In the past our pack has had all ranks cross over the bridge, but we've also had the bridge pushed out of the way and only used the bridge for the Arrow of Light den crossing over to Boy Scouts. I highly favor the later. What does your pack do?

 

My plan is to have the Tigers through Bears step forward to receive their advancement and only use our bridge for the Arrow of Light den.

[Stosh]

In our area we do it differently.  Our Troop has the bridge and the Troop crosses over the boys, not the Pack.  The AOL is a Pack ceremony and is usually bestowed when the boy earns it.  It is not "saved up" for special occasions like a Blue and Gold where it is often viewed as the "graduation" ceremony from Cub Scouts. It also has the unfortunate dynamic of singling out the boys that didn't happen to earn the AOL.

 

We dropped the Pack cross-over because of the large number of boys who would simply cross the bridge and then go back and sit with mom and dad and had no intention of ever joining Boy Scouts.  We got tired of buying neckers and books and so only those that expressed interest in joining Scouts were involved.  At a welcoming cross-over, instead of having the SM and SPL attend a B&G to "receive" the boys into the Troops, now the CM and WDL "send" the boys off into the Troops where they are welcomed by the new Troop.

 

Basically we got tired of being one of many and decided to just focus on just those interested in our troop and a big shindig was laid out for them to welcome them.  

 

I like the idea of saying a troop oriented "Hello" better than the current practice of a pack oriented saying "Goodbye".

 

So, our ceremony runs like this:

 

The WDL, CM, and parents present the boy wishing to join and calls out his name.  The TG of the new patrol being formed crosses over the bridge, gives him his book, takes off his Cub necker and places the troop necker on.  Then he escorts (Guides) him over the bridge where he introduces him to everyone in the troop, the SM last. 

 

  There's also a reason why the parents stay on the Cub side of the bridge and that is explained during the ceremony.  As is the TG being his temporary guide in the new troop and it is also explained why the SM is the last to welcome the boy to the new troop.  Except for the lack of Indian regalia, it is somewhat reminiscent of an A/O call out.

 

.... Oops, one last thing.  If the boy is not a Cub Scout he still crosses over from his non-scout world into the world of scouting at this ceremony and is presented to the troop by his parents.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Stosh

[MattHiggins]

 

 

I like the idea of saying a troop oriented "Hello" better than the current practice of a pack oriented saying "Goodbye".

When the Arrow of Light Scouts cross over, the troop they are going to is there to greet them and present them with their neckerchief. We give the Scout a Boy Scout handbook before he crosses the bridge. So, our ceremony is both a goodbye and a hello. We have three packs in town and six troops, so kids go everywhere. We often have two or three troops at crossing over.

[Stosh]

When the Arrow of Light Scouts cross over, the troop they are going to is there to greet them and present them with their neckerchief. We give the Scout a Boy Scout handbook before he crosses the bridge. So, our ceremony is both a goodbye and a hello. We have three packs in town and six troops, so kids go everywhere. We often have two or three troops at crossing over.

 

Yes, I have seen it done that way in some packs.  it tends to be a bit more troop competitive and score keeping going on and a lot of confusion going on too.  It is also noted which boys crossover and those who DO NOT go to a troop.  Just a lot of things going on that make things a bit awkward at times.  Remember the big celebration is not a troop celebration but a final farewell by the pack.  The "welcome" by the troop is not really the main focus of what is important.  Our boys attend the B&G where many of these crossovers occur, but only are there in support of the new guys that will be crossing over later in the troop crossover.  It's been the "tradition" in my troops, the boys don't necessarily sit with their families, but are invited to sit with the boys in the troop instead.  Some do, some don't, it's the boy's choice.

[MattR]

All the packs I go to use their bridge just for the "graduates"

[blw2]

I don't care for how we do ours.

 

I don't think in my time we ever had a scout or den earn rank by the time of B&G.  Rarely are there even any other awards presented at B&G

we do both AOL & Crossover ceremonies at the B&G

Pack invites the troop or troop(s) 

The troops work out who's bridge they are going to use, and they set it up.

So we have the B&G... which really isn't much more than a meal, outshadowed by the AOL presentation

Usually the AOL ceremony is done inside immediately after the meal, and entertainment presentation if there is one.

Then everyone goes outside for the crossover.  Parents aren't really involved except to freely roam around the bridge and take photos if desired as their scout crosses.

There's a little script involving the Cubmaster, Den Leader, and Scoutmaster

Cub necker is removed

the scout crosses

The welcoming troop (SM & SPL, sometimes with additional scouts, especially former members of the pack) welcomes the boy, usually with troop necker and shoulder loops

Then everyone is invited back in for cake.

Usually it's a free play time while the younger boys try to cross the bridge

I let my son do it his tiger year, then decided it would be more special if he waited for the real crossing so didn't let him do it again.

 

Personally, i like Stosh's practices better more or less

I wanted to do AOL patch when earned, and ceremony at the very next pack meeting

B&G as its own event

crossover as a den, or even better a troop event separate from everything else

I failed miserably in making any of that happen.

[Krampus]

Our unit offers up our OA ceremonial team to perform crossovers. We will do their ceremony, just stand there and accept the scouts or we have our ceremony we can do. We leave it up to the pack.

 

If you are looking for something like that, ask your local troops or the OA lodge if they would be willing to do something similar.

[MattHiggins]

I don't care for how we do ours.

 

I don't think in my time we ever had a scout or den earn rank by the time of B&G.  Rarely are there even any other awards presented at B&G

we do both AOL & Crossover ceremonies at the B&G

...

I wanted to do AOL patch when earned, and ceremony at the very next pack meeting

B&G as its own event

crossover as a den, or even better a troop event separate from everything else

I failed miserably in making any of that happen.

I was thrilled (and surprised) when our committee agreed to have B&G, AOL, and Crossing Over as three separate events. There are more than a few pack members who don't embrace change.

Edited February 11, 2016 by MattHiggins

[SSScout]

B&G is a "Banquet", without awards.  Skits, intros of some guests and local dignitaries, SHORT speeches,  maybe a special entertainment like a pro Indian story teller, or "Scales and Tales".

 

Pack meeting is for awards and "moving up".  AoL is a rank and treated as such, but with perhaps a bit more brouhaha , but no "bridge".  A special Pack meeting at the end of the year (?picnic?) marks the graduation of Cubs to the next year rank.   Cross Over is done "depending", but it is only for those going on to Boy Scouts, not graduating out of Cubs.  

[blw2]

AOL was not a rank for us.  My scouts were the last class of AOL Awards.

 

The common thought from my predecessors and successors was that combining them means one event to plan, instead of 3.  WRONG

 

I look at it completely the opposite.  It means one smaller event to plan... the banquet.

The other events are in my thinking just routine den and pack meeting stuff (awards or now ranks), and perhaps a troop ceremony in the crossing over... or if it must remain under the cubs, it 's just a Pack meeting where a troop is invited to come in and set up a bridge.  It's not too much more than that really....

[Mom2a]

We have the AoL crossing over ceremony during our blue and gold banquet in February. The other boys graduate to their next rank at the end of the school year.