Category Archives: Ceremony

Eagle Mentor

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Eagle Mentor Pin, Eagle Scout Knot, Arrow of Light Knot, Uniform, Scout, Boy Scout

Pocket adorned with Eagle Mentor Pins

Wow! Look at my pocket!

Last night our troop presented another Eagle Scout Badge to a very worthy young man. There ceremony was structured very similar to ceremonies you have likely seen in the past. Pageantry of flag ceremony, video of the new Eagle through the years, the Eagle Charge, presenting of badges amp; pins and congratulations and cake/punch reception./p pWhat made last night’s ceremony personal was that I was presented with the Eagle Mentor Pin by this young man. Wow. What an honor.

One of the best descriptions of this award is:

The Mentor, however is more than an “Assistant Scoutmaster for kicking butt” as explained in the EagleTips(tm). The Mentor is a person who assists the Scout with the Eagle Scout service project process and sometimes “runs interferrence” for the Scout when he encounters those not familiar with what the Eagle Scout service project entails and what it does not. The Mentor also “preps” the family of the Eagle Scout as to the importance of the Award. (source – Scoutinsignia.com)

My motivations for helping these young boys grow to young men is motivated solely by my desire to do what I can to make the world better. Seeing these guys succeed in life, to do good in the world etc. is my reward. To be recognized by a young man as someone that they believe has helped them is incredibly humbling.

Now, off to kick some more butt!/p

Fourth

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pYesterday a small portion of our troop participated in the 6th Annual Highlands Ranch Colorado Fourth of July Parade. This turned out to be a fun event full of the typical hijinks associated with young men./p pDuring out mile or so walk, we had the occasion to assist in a “vespa crash” and help an elderly lady that was being overcome by the heat and the strenuousness of the walk. Indeed, a strongScout is Helpful/strong. This is fairly typical stuff./p pIt was curious to me that many people clapped and said “hello” and there were definitely some that were not fans of the scouts. In reality, I don’t think many people really know what we do or the main tenets of scouting. It is my sincere hope that our presence at the parade caused at least one person to go look it up. We are doing good things./p

The Arrow

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The Chief presides

Last evening eight new candidates were “tapped out” to become members of the Order of the Arrow. Order of the Arrow, or OA, is the honor society for scout troops. It’s members must have advanced through the scout skills, have significant number of camping nights (15+) and be elected by the members of the troop.

It’s this last requirement I like most. Fact is, not everyone makes it. Failure is part of life and this is an easy, inconsequential area that the dudes can fail and learn to deal with failure.

 

Ceremony

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A week or so ago we invested a bunch of new scouts in our troop. The official ceremony is called “investiture” and is run by the Committee Chair, the Scoutmaster but mostly the Senior Patrol Leader.

I love all the ceremonies as they bring the history and tradition of the 100+ years of scouting with them. I like to think that Baden Powell himself participated in similar events. The best part is feeling that you belong to something greater.