Blue Ridge Mountains Council
Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
| Tutelo Lodge 161 - Order of the Arrow | |
Blue Ridge Mountains Council Boy Scouts of America |
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Tutelo Lodge 161 Order of the Arrow I've been tapped out, now what? Congratulations! Your fellow scouts have recognized you as being a scout with exemplary leadership skills. They look up to you and have voted to give you a very distinguished honor. Now, don't let that honor go to waste. Its time to plan on attending your Ordeal weekend. The exact date of your particular Ordeal will be given to you by the Ordeal committee. It might happen the night you are tapped, or the information might be mailed to you or given to you at summer camp. You will need to take your Ordeal at one of our lodge's function weekends. These happen in September, October, May, and June. When you arrive, you will need to go through a check-in process. If a parent drove you to camp, that parent should stay with you until you are done checking in. Check-ins start at 6pm and go till 9pm. You should be at camp before 8pm if at all possible. Parents that have concerns regarding the Ordeal ceremony are asked to call the council service center in advance of the weekend. While there will be people available at the weekend that can answer questions, the only way to be sure that there are answers to all questions is to let the council know what they are early. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the Tutelo website. Just follow the OA link from http://www.bsa-brmc.org Any Scouts or Scouters with medical or dietary needs should contact the council service center prior to the weekend to make arrangements. Things that you will need for the weekend include: A set of work clothes including sturdy shoes or boots, work gloves, your scout uniform, a sleeping bag, a tent, and a ground cloth (not for under your tent). You should also bring toiletry items, a towel and a flashlight. You may also want to bring some money. All of your meals will be covered in the weekend fee. However, once you have completed the ordeal, you will have the opportunity to purchase members-only items such as additional pocket flaps, other patches and snacks from the Tutelo Trading Post. Expect to work hard! Every ordeal candidate will be placed in a group that will be assigned to a camp improvement project that matches their abilities. Expect to have fun! Once the ordeal has been completed, you will have the opportunity to attend Saturday night activities. There, you will get to participate in lots of different events, and you will get to decide which lodge committee you might want to join. On Sunday morning, after breakfast, there is a Chapel service followed by the monthly Lodge Meeting. You are encouraged to attend the Lodge Meeting to learn more about Tutelo Lodge. The weekend is over after the Lodge meeting - usually 11-11:30pm. The Order of the Arrow is one of Scouting's greatest honors. Only those whom exhibit the finest qualities of a Scout receive this award. The Order of the Arrow is not so much a rank in Scouting as it is a symbol of one's dedication to the organization. The Ordeal is a test of ones own strength to do something without having any help of another. Yet, at the same time, it teaches you how to work together as one unit and combine each others skills in order to achieve a single goal. In the Order of the Arrow, you perform an "Ordeal", which is a test of ones ability to complete a full day of hard work. In this period of twenty-four hours you cannot talk and you eat very little. You may ask: "why are these two things applied to the Ordeal?" The reason you cannot talk is because if you are talking, chances are it is hindering you from the task you are performing. If you aren't talking to others around you, you get a feel for the work and concentrate on it only. The other requirement: meager food rations, is for a similar reason as is the talking. You eat very little to show you that sometimes we take for granted all that we have. You eat enough to give you energy to work the full day. All in all, the Order of the Arrow is a great organization that really teaches you much about yourself and is guaranteed to leave you with something when you complete it. Story c opyright 2002-2004 Wagion Lodge #6 - Westmoreland Fayette Council, BSA Click here to download this page as a PDF document
Official Web Site of Tutelo Lodge 161 -
Order of the Arrow - BSA |
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