Topic
Scouting's national honor society of cheerful service. Lodge events, Ordeals, NOAC, ArrowCorps and the traditions of the Order all show up in these posts.
253 posts · 2007–2020
A reading list that spans blogs and years.
An Opportunity Identified: Last spring, on April 12-14, a Scout Expo was held on the extensive grounds of the Myrtle Beach Speedway in Myrtle Beach, SC. for the purpose of increasing public awareness and celebrating Scouting throughout the eleven counties of the Pee Dee Area Council .
The first article in this series gave a general overview of the Order of the Arrow – what it is, how it started and how it’s organized. Last time we discussed possible objections by troop leaders and outlined the election process.
This past weekend the OA lodge held their annual spring fellowship and induction weekend. This fellowship was held at our council's cub camp, Camp Kingsley. So I arrived Friday night with our lodge chief and his brother and we Began unloading the smudge pots and regalia for the ceremonies.
Arrowmen In Action: Living Life To The Fullest What started out as a great father-son adventure one August morning turned into a quick lesson in emergency preparedness for two Arrowmen last year. Charlie and Hap Stokes, Brotherhood members from Lakeview, Minnesota, were hiking up the 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado…
I had a great opportunity to teach a class at NOAC this year. The class was part of a three class block on making Order of the Arrow Troop Representatives successful. I taught the last block which wrapped up the session.
A week ago, I attended the Totanha Nakaha Lodge's Mustang chapter conclave and it was one of the most educational experiences I've had in scouting. I've been an ordeal member for a couple years, being selected as an adult and doing the Ordeal before either son was elected.
Naguonabe Lodge 2012 NOAC patches Several Boy Scout members and adult advisors of our Order of the Arrow Lodge, Naguonabe Lodge, attended the National Order of the Arrow Conclave (NOAC) last week. Unfortunately, I did not attend, but I heard that those who were there had a great time.
Continuing our much delayed recap of NOAC 2015... Day 4 (Tuesday) This was our second day at the conference, and the first full day. The morning started off with training classes, which we had chosen months earlier in in the online registration.
Last weekend was the highlight event for many members of the Ta Tsu Hwa Lodge of the Order of the Arrow. That was the weekend that the Lodge's Vigil members assemble to confer on a number of their brethren the title "Vigil Honor Member".
In the wake of many disasters, Order of the Arrow Lodges have issued special flap patches for sale to raise money to help victims and families recover. Following the disaster in West, Texas, that took the lives of so many first responders and severely impacted the community, the local Order of the Arrow Lodge responded…
Showing 1–50 of 253 posts
Left: Five of the newest members of the Tannu Lodge in Nevada. It’s not the easiest weekend of camping a Scout will experience, but it might be the most meaningful. After a Scout, Venturer or adult volunteer is elected by their peers into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society, they don’t become…
If you tuned in to the Order of the Arrow’s virtual Momentum Launch last month, you might’ve noticed an impressive work of art shown, titled Onward and Upward. Eagle Scout and National Order of the Arrow Subcommittee volunteer Joshua Hunt of Milwaukee, Wis., created the piece.
Andrew Stokes didn’t set out to earn every one of the BSA’s top awards for youth. He just enjoyed the journey of Scouting and discovered that advancing in rank and completing award requirements came naturally. It started when Andrew earned his first BSA award at age 8.
It has become the most overused word of the pandemic: pivot. As in: “When Synergy 2.0: The Business Jargon Conference was canceled, organizers pivoted to a digital-first experience.” But as Scouts, we’ve been pivoting since long before that was a buzzword.
They’re leaders in their cities, in their businesses, in their faith communities and in Scouting. This year’s Silver Buffalo Award class combined has given more than 400 years of service to Scouting. These outstanding men and women join a long list of distinguished adult leaders dating back nearly 100 years.
April 2020 Time to make: 1 hours Finishing: 1 hour Original design: Philmont\Bill Macfarlane Days till Philmont Countdown The Order of the Arrow Trail Crew work on the trails at Philmont in cheerful service. But it's not all work, there is a comradeship of the members of OA and during the second week at Philmont…
Leadership, service and the ability to respond quickly to complex situations. Those traits, which young people sharpen in Scouting, stay with you for life. For the latest high-profile example, look to the USNS Mercy , the Navy hospital ship stationed in Los Angeles to help the COVID-19 fight.
Update, Feb. 29 : Meet the delegates in the video below! Next week’s big news out of Washington likely won’t be covered on cable news. But for those of us who care about the BSA, this will be the top story.
From left: Northeast Region Chief Conor Power, Southern Region Chief Seth Greiling, National Vice Chief Noah Smith, National Chief Zachary Schonfeld, Central Region Chief Patrick McInerney and Western Region Chief Gavin Cho Zachary Schonfeld, an Eagle Scout from Virginia, has been elected by his peers to serve as National Chief of the Order of the…
Recent developments and changes in the Boy Scouts of America have resulted in the need to revise a few policies and procedures of the Order of the Arrow. The OA, sometimes called Scouting’s society of honor campers, has been around nearly as long as Scouting itself.
They’ve led giant corporations and highly ranked universities. They’ve skied at the North and South poles and chased eclipses around the world. They’ve volunteered with music education programs and at their places of worship. Impressive stuff, but there’s something even more remarkable on the résumés of the 13 men and women receiving the Silver Buffalo…
Wildfires forced Philmont Scout Ranch to cancel treks in 2018 , but the BSA’s hiking paradise in New Mexico will be ready to welcome trekkers in 2019. To get ready for the busy summer season, Philmont staffers and volunteers are clearing debris, mitigating the risk of future fires — and preparing to give the Tooth of Time…
Looking for first-rate representation in Washington? The BSA has you covered. A group of 12 of the country’s finest young people have been selected to deliver the 2018 Report to the Nation. The delegates, who represent all BSA regions and programs, will meet with elected and appointed officials in Washington, D.C., to share the Scouting…
It’s a season of firsts for the Boy Scouts of America, and these history-making moments aren’t limited to the Feb. 1 launch of Scouts BSA . Earlier this month, a group of 18 Venturers from the Kansas City, Mo., area became some of the first young women ever inducted into the Order of the Arrow , Scouting’s…
Matt Parsons, an Eagle Scout and Sea Scout from Delaware, has been elected by his peers to serve as National Chief of the Order of the Arrow. Parsons, along with National Vice Chief Eric Harrison of Illinois and four region chiefs, will serve and represent nearly 200,000 members of the OA , the Boy Scouts of…
A Scout’s promise “to help other people at all times” doesn’t take spring break off. That’s why hundreds of Scouts, Venturers and adult volunteers will gather at Philmont Scout Ranch in March and early April for Philbreak 2019, a chance to help the legendary Scouting destination recover from the Ute Park Fire.
Periodically, the Boy Scouts of America’s national advancement team updates everyone involved with advancement with the latest trends, ideas and changes. Here are a few topics covered in the latest update: Order of the Arrow Cub Crossover Ceremonies If you’ve been around Scouting for long, you’ve probably seen an Arrow of Light or Crossover ceremony…
The National Order of the Arrow Committee today approved some exciting updates to Scouting’s national honor society. Beginning Feb. 1, 2019, unit elections will be permitted in Scouts BSA troops, Venturing crews and Sea Scout ships. Previously, elections only were for Boy Scout troops.
When you’re on a list that includes Neil Armstrong, Hank Aaron, Gerald Ford, Bill Gates and Walt Disney, you must have done something right. But “something right” doesn’t begin to describe the 10 volunteers who join the list of Silver Buffalo Award recipients this year.
Cheerful service doesn’t take a week off — not even for spring break. Arrowmen from as far away as Minnesota and Colorado traveled to the Florida Sea Base in March to complete a week of hurricane cleanup. They called this giant spring break service project SeaBreak.
NOAC 2018 — the National Order of the Arrow Conference this summer at Indiana University — is sure to be an exceptional experience for the 8,000 Arrowmen who will attend. Having been there for NOAC 2015, I can tell you it’s an event unlike anything else in Scouting.
Typical young people spend their spring break on the beach, the ski hill or the couch. Good thing members of the Order of the Arrow aren’t typical young people. A hundred Scouts and Scouters from 28 different states traveled to Puerto Rico this month to help rebuild Camp Guajataka, the beloved camp owned by the…
Cheerful service to others is at the heart of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society. In that spirit, Arrowmen are invited to spend their spring break helping BSA camps in Florida and Puerto Rico rebuild after last year’s devastating hurricane season.
Top row, from left: National chief Anthony Peluso and national vice chief Michael Kipp. Bottom row, from left: Northeast Region chief Justin St. Louis, Southern Region chief Zach Callicutt, Central Region chief Will Coots and Western Region chief Jordan Jefferis.
Nov. 16 update: The Scouting family has stepped up in a big way to support Puerto Rico. In less than two weeks, Scouts and Scouters have purchased more than $32,000 in patches. Area Director Jim Hans recently visited Puerto Rico to survey the damages to the offices and camp.
An app that lets Order of the Arrow members earn points by attending events and completing puzzles was among the technological tools developed at the inaugural OA Hackathon last month. At the Hackathon, held at the Intel offices in Folsom, Calif., participants from across the country joined one of three “leagues.”
During the Great Depression, Laurence Seeger’s family couldn’t afford to buy an official Boy Scout uniform. As a substitute, Seeger’s mother doused his father’s old white dress shirts in coffee grounds, staining them khaki. The Chicago native, who celebrated his 96th birthday last week, owns an official uniform today, which he adorns with an Order…
This is what cheerful service looks like in the era of smartwatches, self-driving cars and Snapchat. The OA Hackathon, held Oct. 6 to 8 at the Intel offices in Folsom, Calif., will give Arrowmen a hands-on opportunity to reimagine the way the Order of the Arrow uses technology.
The Order of the Arrow and the National Scouting Museum's Scouting Memories Project have partnered to jointly host the Jamboree 2017 Oral History Project. Youth-focused and led by the four 2017 OA region chiefs, our group attracted great stories big and small, old and new.
Are you a Scoutmaster or leader of a unit that does not participate in the Order of the Arrow? If so, the OA would like to hear from you! On Tuesday, July 25 at 1PM, the OA will host an open forum for leaders whose units do not participate in the OA program.
The 2017 National Jamboree will be the most-shared Jamboree in history. Scouts, Venturers, staffers and visitors will write blog updates, stream live video and post to a number of social networks, including some that were relatively unknown four years ago at the 2013 National Jamboree.
In some Order of the Arrow lodges, the practice of keeping detailed records about lodge events is ancient history. A lack of time or interest has left large holes in these lodges’ historical narratives. But all is not lost. A new generation of Arrowmen has realized that studying a lodge’s past can help the OA…
It could be the most epic summer in Scouting history. Ben Pycraft, a 19-year-old Eagle Scout from North Ridgeville, Ohio, will travel solo to all four BSA high-adventure bases this summer. But, true to Scouting values, the trip isn’t all about Ben.
Informing key leaders in our nation’s capital about all the good things Scouts did last year isn’t just a smart idea. It’s congressionally mandated. When Woodrow Wilson signed the Boy Scouts of America’s charter on June 15, 1916, he made it official that “on or before the first day of April of each year the…
As we’ve been discussing , the Order of the Arrow is an organization for youth members in Boy Scouting. Its governance and activities are all conducted by members under 21, and because they are the top tier of Scouts, they do it very well, with a sense of commitment to the principles of the Order as…
Cub Scouting is for boys in kindergarten through fifth grade or up to age 11, and the membership of the Order of the Arrow is largely made up of Boy Scouts, all of whom are First Class or higher. It would seem that they have little in common.
The first article in this series gave a general overview of the Order of the Arrow – what it is, how it started and how it’s organized. Last time we discussed possible objections by troop leaders and outlined the election process.
In the last article, I gave a general overview of the Order of the Arrow – what it is, how it started and how it's organized. This time, we'll cover overcoming some of the typical objections that troops might have and how youth members are chosen. Troop objections to the OA Although its tradition is
Forrest Gertin, an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor OA member from Rochester, N.Y., will serve as 2017 National Chief of the Order of the Arrow. His election was announced late last week by the Order of the Arrow, Scouting's national honor society.
The Order of the Arrow is at once a prominent institution in Scouting and a mysterious one. The OA is nearly as old as Scouting itself, yet it is misunderstood by some and unknown to others. While this is partly by design, there's much about the OA that every Scouter should be familiar with. In
Because the national jamboree only happens every four years, many Scouts may only have one shot at attending the BSA’s premier event. Alex Call, who served as the 2015 Order of the Arrow national chief, however, was fortunate enough to attend two national jamborees as a youth member.
During Staff Training at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, OA Foremen taught volunteer staff proper trail-building techniques during a half-day service project building mountain bike trail for the New River Gorge National River. The Order of the Arrow Summit Experience (OASE) is a 8-day individual program for young Scouts in the OA between the ages of…
As the Order of the Arrow enters its next century of service, there are a variety of new programs, initiatives and events occurring throughout 2016 and 2017 that will benefit the broader Scouting community. These include NEXT: A New Century, Prism, the Developing Youth Leaders Conference and Operation Arrow.
If your Order of the Arrow lodge is planning a council camp or service center project for 2017, you can apply now for a 2017 OA Matching Service Grant. All lodges applying for the grant must be a 2015 JTE Lodge (bronze level or higher) and should not have received a grant from the OA…
One of my positions within the Troop is the Ast Scoutmaster for the Order of the Arrow. I am the advisor for the OA Troop Rep. I gained this position last year after I was inducted into the OA. During …
The Archbishop of New York, the former CEO of Kampgrounds of America and the driving force behind the Composite Materials merit badge are three of the dedicated Scouters who received the Silver Buffalo Award at a special ceremony tonight. The 2016 Silver Buffalo Award class includes 13 Scouting volunteers whose contributions to our movement on…
The weekend of May 20th was Wauna La-Mon'tay Lodge Order of the Arrow's first Ordeal of 2016. Our Troop elections had six Scouts elected to be "tapped out" during the Skyloo District Camporee. Myself and a Troop parent were able to …
Eight stand-out lodges across Scouting Nation have been chosen to receive the National Service Award. Selected by the National Committee of the Order of the Arrow, these lodges were honored based on the service of their members in their local councils in 2015.
Antonin Scalia, the U.S. Supreme Court justice who died Saturday, was a Cub Scout, Boy Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow.
Each year our Order of the Arrow Lodge hosts two gathering events. The first is our Native American Arts and Ceremonies Seminar (NAACS) and the other is the Rendezvous of the Order. The latter being the largest event of the lodge and during which we have our annual Lodge banquet.
