Re: A Serious, but Odd Question
Jim Sleezer (JHS8@OSUVM1.BITNET)
Thu, 12 May 1994 00:49:50 CST
On Wed, 11 May 1994 12:47:51 EDT Settummanque, the blackeagle said:
>Gary asked a great question....one in which I've wondered myself when
>I was a WEBELOS Den Leader and later Den Leader Coach.
>
>I've tried to find something in the books here, but the best I could
>find was a statement that said that "Bears can go back and work on
>Wolf advancement and arrowpoints...." (this was quite some time ago
>and I don't know if this still applies under the present Cub Scout
>Advancement program). That statement appeared in the old Cubmaster
>Packbook and in the Den Leader Book in the middle 70s, after the
>program "changed" the first time.
>
Mike is way out of date on this one. All boys joining a pack must first
earn bobcat. After that they work on their grade level rank--second grade
works on Wolf, third-grade on bear, fourth and fifth grade on Webelos and
Arrow of Light. A Cub can NOT go back and work on a prior rank. If he enters
in third grade, he can NOT earn wolf (but must still earn bobcat).
At the time of graduation into a troop, the Cub Scout no longer works on
any Cub Scout advancement. If a second grader does not complete wolf before
he becomes a third grader, he can NOT earn wolf. Arrow points under the
rank must be earned while at the appropriate grade level. A wolf who earns
19 electives gets a gold arrow point only. The extra nine electives are NOT
carried forward. After he earns bear, he can earn arrow points under the
bear by completing bear level electives only. The rank must be earned before
arrow points can be awarded under it.
Some packs allow Cubs to finish a rank over the summer, even though they
have been graduated to the next grade. In our training, we teach that this
is a judgement call by the pack leadership. A boy who joins in the spring
might not finish a rank by the end of the school year. If the pack is active
over the summer, he can be allowed to finish before school starts in the
fall. If he doesn't he has lost his chance to earn that rank. If a boy has
been active all year, then he loses the opportunity to finish over the summer.
He begins work on the rank for his new grade level.
Webelos are expected to complete Arrow of Light before they turn 11 or enter
the sixth grade (whichever comes later). We again teach that it is a judgment
call whether the boy finishes arrow of light during the summer before sixth
grade (if he has already turned 11). If he has been in the Webelos program
for two years, it's generally time to move on whether he has completed AOL
or not. If he joined the pack as a fifth grader, he may need the summer to
finish off AOL--always BEFORE he joins a troop. A BOY Scout can NOT earn
AOL--no options, no excuses, no nothing--it is NOT a boy scout award (but it
can be worn on a scout shirt if it is earned as a cub scout.)
The Cub Scout Leader Book states that "if a boy is close to earning a badge of
rank . . . he may be allowed a few extra weeks to finish BEFORE going on to
the next rank" (caps added).
A cub scout must, in any case, be a currently registered member of a pack to
advance. If his registration expires and is not renewed in the pack, he is
not eligible for cub scout advancement.
I did the Advancement session about three weeks ago but have only half of my
notes here (I wrote a message on the back of one sheet) but I think I got it
all in.
jim Sleezer
Roundtable Commissioner, Pawnee Bill District, Will Rogers Council
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 18
Stillwater, OKlahoma
JHS8 at OSUVM1.BITNET JHS8 at VM1.UCC.OKSTATE.EDU (Internet)
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