Re: OA Elections
CDR Michael Dobson (dobson@INFO.USUHS.MIL)
Fri, 31 May 1996 14:00:41 -0400
On the Scouts-L mailing list Bruce E. Cobern wrote:
> Well, in the normal case, a person born 1/86 would STILL be in the 4th
> Grade, about to move into the 5th. (Someone please confirm, children born
> in 86 are now finishing the 4th grade.)
Yes, that is correct.
Thus, even if he skipped a grade,
> he would only have finished the 4th grade in June 1995. Thus he would have
> first become eligible for the Arrow of Light in 12/95 and it is unlikely
This is where you are wrong. I can find nothing in the requirements for
AoL that requires 6 months *after the completion of the fourth grade*. The
requirement is (paraphrased, my book is at home) earn the Webelos Badge and
be active in your Webelos Den for 6 months. To earn Webelos, you only have
to be active in the Webelos Den for 3 months. Thus it is technically
possible to earn AoL after being a Webelos for only 6 months, which is 6
months after a boy completes the *3rd* grade!! Thus, it is possible for a
boy who is just a little under 10 years old to enter Boy Scouts with the AoL
in early spring, Feb or Mar, of his 1st year in Webelos and get enough
camping and complete the requirements for 1st class at summer camp before
he turns 11. Using the January birthday example and assuming he earns AoL
in the bare minium of time, he would have roughly 9 months to get it all
done for a fall election/ordeal and still not be 11 years old.
It is possible. My own son with a March birthday almost did just that
except I held him back. He completed everything for Webelos the summer
after he finished 3rd grade except the religious requirement (I made him
earn the religious award) as well as everything except Citizenship and
Readyman and the 6 months time in the Den for AoL by August. By Dec of his
first year he had everything done for AoL but still had not earned his
religious award so I woudn't sign his Webelos book. Had I let him do the
alternate religious requirements, he would have earned AoL before he was
10. I didn't think he was ready for Boy Scouts so that is why I made him
earn the religious award for Webelos.
> (impossible?) for him to be first class with 15 nights of camping including
> 6 long term by the time of the election in 1/96. As I said later, very
> often it is units that register people before they are eligible.
The requirements to join Boy Scouts are:
1. Be eleven years old; or,
2. Have completed the 5th grade; or,
3. Have earned the Arrow of Light.
As pointed out above, a boy can *technically* earn AoL before he turns ten
and be eligible to join the Boy Scouts. If he works at Boy Scouts as hard
as he did AoL, he could make First Class and accumulate enough camping to
be eligible for OA before he turns 11.
YiS,
Mike, CM Pack 1071, (soon) ASM Troop 472, NCAC
--
CDR M. Dobson | NetNews Admin info.usuhs.mil
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