Middle
Duck River District
Kitan Chapter of Wa-Hi-Nasa Lodge #111
Chapter Adviser
Christopher Taylor
E-mail kitanchapter@yahoo.com
Induction 2007
Schedule of Events for the Lodge:
OA Basics
The
Order of the Arrow is Scouting's National Honor Society.
Purpose
The
purpose of the Order of the Arrow is fourfold:
To
recognize those Scout campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in
their daily lives
To
develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit
To
promote Scout camping
To
crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in
cheerful service to others
History
The
Order of the Arrow (OA) was founded by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A.
Edson in 1915 at the Treasure Island Camp of the Philadelphia Council, Boy
Scouts of America. It became an official program experiment in 1922 and was
approved as part of the Scouting program in 1934.
In 1948
the OA, recognized as the BSA's national brotherhood of honor campers, became
an official part of the national camping program of the Boy Scouts of America.
Eligibility
Scouts
are elected to the Order by their fellow unit members, following approval by
the Scoutmaster or Varsity team Coach. To become a member, a youth must be a
registered member of a Boy Scout troop or Varsity Scout team and hold First
Class rank. The youth must have experienced fifteen days and nights of Boy
Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election. The fifteen
days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp
consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping,
approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. The
balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps.
Adult
selection is based on their ability to perform the necessary functions to help
the Order fulfill its purpose, and is not for recognition. Selected adult
Scouters must be an asset to the Order because of demonstrated abilities, and
provide a positive role model for the youth members of the lodge.
Induction
The
induction ceremony, called the Ordeal, is the first step toward full
membership. During the experience, candidates maintain silence, receive small
amounts of food, work on camp improvement projects, and are required to sleep
alone, apart from other campers. The entire experience is designed to teach
significant values.
Brotherhood Membership
After 10
months of service and fulfilling certain requirements, a member may take part
in the Brotherhood ceremony, which places further emphasis on the ideals of
Scouting and the Order. Completion of this ceremony signifies full membership
in the OA.
Vigil Honor
After
two years of service as a Brotherhood member, and with the approval of the
national Order of the Arrow Committee, a Scout may be recognized with the Vigil
Honor for outstanding service to Scouting, his lodge, and the community. This
honor is bestowed by special selection and is limited to one person for every
50 members registered with the lodge each year.
Lodges
Each
local Boy Scout council is encouraged to have an Order of the Arrow lodge. Each
lodge is granted a charter from the National Council, BSA, upon annual
application. The OA lodge helps the local council provide a quality Scouting
program through recognition of Scouting spirit and performance, development of
youth leadership and service, promotion of Scout camping and outdoor programs,
and enhancement of membership tenure.
Duck
River District Lodge web site http://www.wa-hi-nasa.org/
Chapters
Each Order of the Arrow chapter is a sub-unit of
a lodge, serving a specific geographic portion of the area served by the lodge.
The OA chapter helps the local district provide a quality Scouting program
through recognition of Scouting spirit and performance, development of youth
leadership and service, promotion of Scout camping and outdoor programs, and
enhancement of membership tenure, as an extension of the lodge.
Sections
An Order
of the Arrow section consists of lodges within a geographic area of the region.
Once every year, representatives of lodges in the section come together for a
conclave to share in fellowship, skills, and training. A section is lead by
three youth officers, the Section Chief, Section Vice-Chief, and Section
Secretary, who are advised by an adult Section Adviser and professional Section
Staff Adviser. All of the elected section chiefs are invited form the
conference committee for a national Order of the Arrow event, which is held
under the guidance of the national Order of the Arrow Committee.
Region Leadership
The
region chief is the youth leader of the region elected by the section chiefs in
his region. This election is held in conjunction with called meetings of the
section chiefs to elect the national chief and vice-chief, as well as to plan a
national Order of the Arrow event.
The
region Order of the Arrow chairman is an adult appointed by the region
director. The professional adviser for the region is a staff member assigned to
the position by the region director. All three of the OA region leaders serve
as members of the national Order of the Arrow Committee.
National Leadership
The
national chief and vice-chief are Arrowmen elected by the section chiefs during
the annual national planning meeting. They serve as members of the national
Order of the Arrow Committee, providing the opinion of youth on national OA
policy. They also serve as the presiding officers for the national OA event.
Their term of office is specified by the national committee, and is currently
one year. They are advised in their responsibilities by the national committee
chairman and national director of the Order of the Arrow.
The
national OA committee chairman is appointed by the chairman of the national Boy
Scout Committee. The professional adviser is the director of the Order of the
Arrow, a member of the national Boy Scout Division staff.
New BSA Leader Positions:
(This was in 2001)
Troop/Team OA Representative: The role of the Troop OA Representative is to
serve as the "go-between" the local Lodge and its chapter and to
represent the Troop to the OA Chapter and Lodge. This in effect gives each
Troop now some potential abilities to provide leadership at the unit, district,
council, section, region and national levels. Additionally, the Troop
Representative may be able to perform annual OA elections, subject to the
Lodge's rules and policies. The Troop OA Representative's primary
responsibility will be in line with the new focus of the OA – Service to the
units. Through this position, the local lodge can hopefully be of more service
to individual units.
2007
Schedule of Events for the Lodge:
April 20-22 Section SR-6N ConclaveJune 1-3 Spring OrdealAug 10-12 Fall OrdealSep 14-16 Fall Fellowship
Dec 1 Winter Banquet
