Q: How do we contact the Order of the Arrow?
A: There's a newly active Order of the Arrow chapter in the Utah National Parks Council Pony Express District. If you would like their help at a school or community function (they love to serve), to find out more about them, or to schedule an Arrow of Light Ceremony (or Eagle Court of Honor Ceremony), contact their chapter advisor -Sean Hammond; he can be reached at hammond.se@gmail.com.
Q: Locals... Do you know the name and number of Royal R rentals. I think that is the name. You can rent stuff really cheap for Pack Meetings and Blue and Gold.
A: For those in the Lehi, Utah, area, Charlene Rowley operates this little business out of her home as a resource for Cub Scout packs. (She used to be in charge of decorating for the council's Cub Leader Pow Wows, kept and organized her decor, and now rents them out "cheap".) How cheap is cheap? You could do a smash-up job and wow everyone at a Blue & Gold for $15 - $25, or you could get just a few things for a pack meeting for $3-10. Most things are 25 cents to $1 each. She doesn't do internet or email. Rentals are by reservations, so call ahead. You pick everything up the day of and bring back the next morning/early afternoon. (I also love to rent her stuff for birthday party games and decorations!) Royal R Rentals 801-768-3774Q: How do we find out how to sing the songs once we've forgotten them?
A: We are working on finding someone to videotape our Roundtable song-learning so that we can put it on this blog for you. In the meantime, if you scroll down the home page until you see "Songs" and click it, there should be some of the song there to practice with. If there is a particular one you want to know, you can ask your breakout teacher to reteach the class (as I've requested they do so, anyway) or you can ask Angela or Debbie to teach it to you after people have left for their breakout classes. We're not shy!
Q: All these special events come and go before I ever hear about them. What's coming up?
A: The following is for Utah National Parks Council - Pony Express District. We mention special events during Roundtable announcements, we usually have handouts about them, and they are mentioned in the District Newsletter, and yet your plight is common. Sometimes if you've never heard of something or you're new to Cub Scouting, these events just don't stick into your memory unless it happens to get mentioned at your pack planning meeting, but most of these special events are for individuals or individual families and are not covered under the pack budget so are left unsaid. These events are also on the Cub Scout Glossary page. If you see something in your District Newsletter and don't know what it is, please come ask one of the staff. Here are events you want to look for in announcements and plan to attend:
Cub Scout Day Camp (Wolf/Bear) - 2 days end of June (the boys go for both Thursday AND Friday)
Webelos-ree (Webelos) - 1 day end of June (Saturday)
BSA Family Camp - For families who enjoy camping together in tents with organized activities available (hiking, crafts, archery, swimming, treasure hunts, low ropes course, and twice per day hour-long activity classes by age, taught by fun BSA trained and approved leaders - but not necessarily scout-focused). You can choose to purchase a meal ticket or bring your own food. Two sessions the first full week of July. Now that I've been once, it's something I want as a family yearly tradition! (Debbie teaches one of the age-group classes!)
BSA Family Camp - For families who enjoy camping together in tents with organized activities available (hiking, crafts, archery, swimming, treasure hunts, low ropes course, and twice per day hour-long activity classes by age, taught by fun BSA trained and approved leaders - but not necessarily scout-focused). You can choose to purchase a meal ticket or bring your own food. Two sessions the first full week of July. Now that I've been once, it's something I want as a family yearly tradition! (Debbie teaches one of the age-group classes!)
Akela's Council - (September, this year) Four day training camp for anyone with a calling or position in Cub Scouts. It's like a Woodbadge focusing only on Cub Scouting. Highly recommended, no matter whether you're in for the first time or have been involved in Cub Scouts for 20 years! You come away secure in understanding how and why Cub Scouting ways! This is offered only by UNPC.
Woodbadge - There are several offered by Utah National Parks Council, and there's one available every month in the Greater Salt Lake District. When you finish Woodbadge, you are an expert in the complete BSA program, a much more effective leader in all areas of your life, and an even more valuable citizen in your community!
Cub Leader Pow Wow - One full morning and afternoon end of August where cub leaders attend classes of their choice to gain more ideas to make their calling or position exciting from them. Those who attend come away excited for the next year with all their new ideas! Those who've been before consider it a MUST every year!
Scout Expo - A way fun day around the beginning of September with activities that demonstrate cub scout and boy scout values and activities. This is for the whole family, all genders and all ages! One boy's reaction last year, who attended only by parental compulsion, cried because he didn't want to leave for his favorite activity - soccer! This is only one story of a typical reaction. Rock climbing, pinewood derby racing just for fun, horse-riding, rope bridge crossing, making pinhole constellations, learning cub scout games, making and flying paper rockets, reverse dunk tank .... The activities vary according to what each Unit (or Ward) provides.
50 in 20 - Okay, well, this means 50 miles in 20 hours and is a challenge for the older scouts, but within the hike is the 30 in 20, the 10 in 20, and for the cub scouts: the 3 mile hike (or is it 5 miles?). The distance and the trail is planned so that special event patches are earned.
Q: Do you have any information on the Super Achiever Award for Webelos? I've read that it is council-specific. Does our council award it?
And I have also read that it cannot be awarded after transition ceremony and Arrow of Light, which is typically awarded the same time as the transition ceremony. But what if a boy earns his Arrow of Light before he graduates/transitions, can he still work toward the Super Achiever Award? It doesn't make sense to me to make a scout wait to receive his Arrow of Light if he earns it before transition, but not let him have the Super Achiever Award.
A: The Webelos Super Achiever Award has a couple of other names. It is also known as the Heavy Shoulder Award, as well as the All 20 Award. It just means that the Webelos earned all 20 of 20 Webelos badges. Most people don't know about this award. It definitely deserves awarding.
A Webelos may be awarded his Arrow of Light as soon as he earns it. This does not change from place to place. It is what it is. People just are unaware of it.
I know several people who discourage getting the Arrow of Light before graduation, because many boys stop going to their den and pack meetings when it becomes "review" to them. That's sad, but often the case. Some packs discourage super-achieving for fear it will overwhelm the families or cost the pack too much, but in that case they can let the parents buy the extra badges, and just give the cards at the Pack Meeting.
It is true that most of the time boys are awarded the Arrow of Light at the same time as the Webelos Crossover, but that is because most of the time they pushed hard at the end of their Webelos year to complete their Arrow of Light. I, personally, made it a point to separate the two awards and ceremonies when I have been Cubmaster, specifically so that people do not get confused (because that's the way I am) - two separate ceremonies on the same night with other awards in between, if I have to. (My sons get their Arrow of Light around 6or 8 months in and spend the next months to his birthday earning the other half of the badges.)
Once a Webelos has crossed over into Scouting, he may not continue earning his Webelos badges for his All 20.
At our Council store you can get a beautiful certificate for either the Heavy Shoulder Award or the All 20 Award. You don't have to record it or anything, you just go in and buy it. You may also print your own design from your computer, since it's not an official rank or anything. The Heavy Shoulder/All 20/Super Achiever Award also may be awarded as soon as he has earned it.
As a side note, just because I've been looking for an opportunity to get the information out, one Webelos is not a Webelo, he is a Webelos. The S starts the word Scouts, as Webelos stands for "WE'll BE LOyal Scouts." We have a Webelos; he is a Webelos. :)
At our Council store you can get a beautiful certificate for either the Heavy Shoulder Award or the All 20 Award. You don't have to record it or anything, you just go in and buy it. You may also print your own design from your computer, since it's not an official rank or anything. The Heavy Shoulder/All 20/Super Achiever Award also may be awarded as soon as he has earned it.
As a side note, just because I've been looking for an opportunity to get the information out, one Webelos is not a Webelo, he is a Webelos. The S starts the word Scouts, as Webelos stands for "WE'll BE LOyal Scouts." We have a Webelos; he is a Webelos. :)
Q: Just wondering if our scouts need to sell tickets [for the District Scout Expo] beforehand or if they're only available at the door. Where is the money going to? Thanks so much!
A: No, there will not be ticket advanced sales by the boys. The money goes to pay for the porta potties, patches, mailings, and fliers.
Q: Will you please tell me about the following? National Summertime Pack Award? Journey to Excellence (replaced Quality Unit Award) and it's score card? Good Turn For America and how to record our service ? BSA Family Award?
A: Click on the highlighted subject to get to the specifics of each.
Q: It seems nice to have someone not in the Pack come in to do the Arrow of Light Ceremony. Do you have the names and numbers of people who are willing to come to Packs and do Arrow of Light Ceremonies?
Our ward makes a plaque with an arrow hanging from it for each boy. I’d like to see pictures or examples of what other wards do.
A: Check with your BSA District Order of the Arrow chapter. The Order of the Arrow is a group of elite scouting young men who's dedicated their life to service in their community. Often they specialize in doing Arrow of Light Ceremonies (as well as Eagle Scout Ceremonies). You can find UNPC Pony Express District's Arrow of Light on our Resources page. You can check out our Ceremonies page for ceremony scripts. If you scroll down to "Ceremonies" tab on list on the right side of the page, you'll find examples of arrows that people have made.
A: Check with your BSA District Order of the Arrow chapter. The Order of the Arrow is a group of elite scouting young men who's dedicated their life to service in their community. Often they specialize in doing Arrow of Light Ceremonies (as well as Eagle Scout Ceremonies). You can find UNPC Pony Express District's Arrow of Light on our Resources page. You can check out our Ceremonies page for ceremony scripts. If you scroll down to "Ceremonies" tab on list on the right side of the page, you'll find examples of arrows that people have made.
Q: I am wanting some clarification on fundraising for cub scouts. I received the below email (included in answer) from our ward clerk that he got from the scouting office that we can do one fundraiser; however, I have received some conflicting guidance and wanted to know more.
A: "Stakes and wards should fund Scouting youth activities from the budget allowance. If budget allowance funds are insufficient, young men may individually earn their own money for the cost of one annual camp. Annual day camp experiences for Cub Scouts also qualify as annual camps. If budget allowance funds are insufficient and young men are unable to individually earn enough for the one annual camp, they may hold group fund-raising activities (including sale of popcorn, if done in accordance with the Budget Allowance Guidelines). This should be done only as a last resort...Those conducting fund-raising activities should:
- Comply with tax and liability guidelines presented in the Church Handbook of instructions, book 1, section 15.
- Not sell products or services door-to-door.
- Provide meaningful value or service.
- Provide a positive experience and build harmony and unity within the group.
- Obtain the bishop's approval for the activity.
Since Scouting is an integral part of the Church program for youth, membership fees and basic unit expenses are covered by the ward budget."
The ultimate authority is the one closest to you, which is usually your Bishop or Stake President. Some wards pay for everything, including camps. Most wards I have been in pay for the awards, but camps and extra field trip expenses and sometimes even belt loops and Webelos badges (their pins) are either paid for by the parent or the money is earned by the boy on his own and the ward budget only makes exceptions and pays only for those in need. Many allow one fund-raiser as a pack per year, for instance selling Scout Expo tickets or picking up and disposing of old Christmas trees. Some wards prefer to cut out all extra activities, so not to put a burden on anyone or any organization.
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