Re: Questions from my Troop&Patrol
(no name) ((no email))
Tue, 7 Jul 1998 23:19:25 +0000
Anthony G Robinson <agr10@JUNO.COM> asked a series of questions:
>These are a few questions that the scouts of my troop came up
>with, I inputted some of my own. I wonder if any of you can answer
>some of them for me.
Okay, I'll give them a best try:
>1. Where do you buy the device pins for religious award square
>knots?
Your local Council Service Center (Council Office). They are the
same device pins used for the training awards and keys.
>2. How do you earn the "recruiter" patch?
It depends on your Council, Anthony. In some Councils, all you
have to do is to recruit a Scout or Scouter. In others, they have
to be registered. In still others, you can only earn the award
once. In still others, you can earn the patch several times.
Check with your local Council to see what it takes to earn it in
YOUR Council. It's NOT a "national award", but rather a national
piece of insignia with localized requirements.
>3. What are the requirements for the den chief service award.
To earn the Den Chief Service Award, a Den Chief must:
*discuss the importance of the role of Den Chief with his
Scoutmaster or Cubmaster and Den Leader.
*faithfully serve the Pack for one year or more as a Den Chief to a
Cub Scout Den
*attend a den chief training conference (if available) or was
trained by the Cubmaster
*complete these service requirements:
* Know the purpose of Cub Scouting
* Help Cub Scouts acheive the purposes of Cub Scouting by using
the Cub Scouting principles and ideals during the Den meetings
* Be the activities assistant during Den Meetings and lead
five songs, five stunts or skits, five games, and five sports
activities
* Set a good example by attitude and uniforming for at least 6
months
* Be a friend to the Den members
* Take part in the weekly Den meetings
* Assist the Den at the monthly Pack meetings
* Know the purpose of the monthly theme
* Meet as needed with the adult members of the Den, Pack and
Troop.
*and complete four of these projects:
* Serve as a staff member of a Cub Scout special event (Scout
Show, Bike rodeo, etc.)
* Serve as a staff member of a Cub Scout day or resident camp
* Advance one Boy Scout rank
* Assist in recruiting three new Cub Scouts
* Assist three WEBELOS Cub Scouts to join a Troop
* Help to plan and carry out a joint Pack-Troop activity or event
* Recommend another Boy Scout to be a Den Chief to your
Scoutmaster
(these requirements and complete explainations on what it takes to
do these things can be found in the BSA's Den Chief Handbook (BSA
#3211), which you can get from the Supply Division or from the
local Council office.)
>4. How active does a den chief have to be. (be there every den
> meeting, pack meeting, etc) I would appreciate any comments on
>how pack leaders manage their den chiefs.
As a former Den Leader Coach, WEBELOS Den Leader and Assistant
Cubmaster, I can tell you that I count on those Den Chiefs to be
there for every Pack Meeting and they should be there for every Den
Meeting; after all, the Den Leader looks to the Den Chief as a
assistant. A lot of times, it's the Den Leader and the Den Chief
and a lot of Cub Scouts around, and it's great to have another set
of hands that KNOWS kids and KNOWS Cub Scouting. I was invaluable
to my Den Leader when I was a Den Chief (I was a Den Chief for two
Packs' Dens at the same time for a year. It was awesome to see two
different Pack meetings with the same themes...and it made me
appreciate the creativity of those adults that serve as Den
Leaders, Cubmasters and other leaders!!). I say that I was
invaluable only because when I wasn't there, because of homework or
because I was sick (the only two reasons why I would miss out on a
Den Meeting....), I knew the next day or so in talking with either
the Den Leader (she lived across the playground from our apartment)
or from the boys in her Den, that I was missed and "they didn't
have as much fun" as when I was there....
Eat this time up, Den Chiefs....you'll NEVER get another chance to
impact so many kid's lives again!!!
>5. Which pocket flap do you wear the "totin chip" patch, also what
>do you do if you are a member of the OA, and both patches go in
>the same spot?
The Tot'em Chip patch is an unofficial patch. Now, saying this,
your Council probably authorized the patch to be worn on the
uniforms of Scouts in your Council, which makes it "official".
Councils AND ONLY COUNCILS can do this; you as a Troop leader
cannot make this decision for "your unit only". Likewise, only
YOUR COUNCIL can make the decision on where exactly where it's
supposed to be worn. In most Councils, the patch is worn on the
left pocket flap because the OA flap is worn on the right pocket
flap. In other Councils, the patch is worn on the right pocket
flap until the person becomes a member of the Order of the Arrow,
in which case the Tot'em Chip patch is removed and the OA flap goes
on the right pocket flap. In still other Councils, the Tot'em Chip
patch is worn as a temporary patch centered on the right pocket.
YOUR COUNCIL has given guidance on exactly where THEY want your
unit members to wear it if they have earned it; if they haven't
done so, ask them to do so to insure "uniformity" among all members
of their Council.
Nothing looks tacky like two Scouts in the SAME Council wearing a
patch in TWO DIFFERENT PLACES, either because of ignorance or
because they were told by their adult leaders "I think it goes
here....."
>6. I would appreciate any advice from leaders or scouts themselves
>on how they handle their "INSTRUCTORS" what are their duties and
>roles in your troop.
Instructors in my Troops and Posts were not Troop officers, even
though they may have been elected or appointed as additional
officers. For instance, my Scribe was also the Troop's resident
knot-tying expert and taught the basic knots to new Scouts.
Another Scout would be the teacher of the map reading and compass
work. Their duties are simple: to teach the skills they are
serving as instructors of and to continue to hone their skills. In
one Troop, I loaned out my instructors to younger, less experienced
Troops to allow them the experience of teaching others their
skills. It was a good experience, because they weren't "teaching
the same old Scouts the same old stuff" and it required them to
develop a little more patience with those other Scouts.
>7. What do you do if you are in the OA and have a honor sash, and
>you have a merit badge sash. How would you wear them. I have seen
>scouts wear their merit badge sash tucked into their belt, is that
>oficially allowed?
First off, you would only wear the two sashes during formal
occasions, and there's not many of them that you would wear BOTH
sashes to. I can only think of perhaps one or two events that you
would wear both to.
If you wear both, the OA sash goes in front of and over the merit
badge sash. Not under the merit badge sash. The OA sash is only
worn as part of performance of Order of the Arrow-related duties:
*escorting reciepients of special awards to a podium or platform
*showing people to their seats during a special Council event or
program
You wouldn't want to wear your merit badge sash while you are
directing traffic, or working outdoors, or while participating in a
active OA activity or event. Likewise, you wouldn't want to wear
your OA sash during a Court of Honor in which you're getting an
award. That's the purpose behind the OA flap that you and I wear;
to show others that you are an Arrowman without wearing the sash.
Why wear the OA sash in front of the merit badge sash? Because the
OA is an honor and the activity you're performing while wearing the
sash is an honor.
Second, when a sash is NOT worn, it is to be put away someplace. I
remember as a kid wearing my merit badge sash on my belt. Not only
does it tend to weaken the sash, it's not neccessary. The same
goes for the OA sash. Again, the recognition comes in the form of
the OA flap that is worn on the shirt (and the OA pin suspended
from the flap in some Councils), not from the sash. Yeah, you can't
see the flap in wearing the merit badge sash, but others will know
if you're an Arrowman.
>8. What can you wear besides merit badges on your sash, what can
>you wear on the back of the sash?
The current BSA uniforming policy calls for TEMPORARY insignia
(that means stuff that's NOT rank patches, nor pins, nor devices or
square knots, just temporary patches like summer camp, early bird
registration, round-up, camporee and the like patches) can be worn
on the backside of the merit badge sash. Of course, the first
priority should be merit badges that you've earned...they should go
on the backside of the sash.
Those are all great questions, Anthony. Some of them we've talked
about in more detail here on Scouts-L over the past few months.
I'm also glad that you're going to share what you've found out here
with those in your Troop and Patrol....I ask the adult members here
on Scouts-L to do the same.
Hope these all help out!
Settummanque!
(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
(settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
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