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10:05 am
November 4, 2010
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Jeff
| | Sunny Florida | |
| PTC Bear | posts 63 | |
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a year ago this week i stepped down as CM for my unit because my job was sending me off to the forsaken land of New Jersey for a project.. (j/k i liked Jersey – got to see Bon Jovi at the Meadowlands – but i digress…). I am back home now and able to participate in the weekly meetings and our pack had a pack meeting last night.
one big thing i always did was ensure that EVERY rank ceremony for my scouts was a ceremony and not a "lets clap for Matthew for getting his bobcat" sort of thing. boy was i sad to see a boy in my sons den get his bobcat with only a round of applause.
i remember – to this day – getting my bobcat and that is one of the things i will always remember from scouting. granted this kid is a little to big to be held upside down, and yes, i know G2SS doesnt allow that now, but geesh – cant we just agree that all ranks are special and deserve a ceremony of some sort? im going to make sure i am at the next committee meeting to voice this opinion. from what i was told, i was the first CM to even do ceremonies for the scouts – i hope they are not going back to their old ways.
Sorry for the rant.
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9:07 am
November 5, 2010
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SM Shawn
| | Green Bay, WI | |
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What a great topic…that's exactly what we are lacking in our pack meetings, right now. Here's a big, fat slice of suck…our CM hasn't been able to get to the last pack meeting and won't be able to make the next one. He's really good about the "show"…but in his absence, his assistant is, well, bad…she is the old CM, and there were a lot of comments about how bad her meetings were.
Sorry to get off topic, but I used to have a special portion of the pack meeting for any scout that earned the Bobcat, which included my indoor fire, turning off the lights and only talking to the new scouts. Earning the Bobcat is the first thing that all scouts must do, and in my opinion, it's super important to recognize that…it helps the scouts feel closer as a pack.
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Host of the True North Podcast
Co-Host of Scout Nation
Scoutmaster
Dad and Husband…
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10:08 pm
November 7, 2010
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MISS Liberty
| | California | |
| Admin
| posts 231 |
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Post edited 3:03 am – November 24, 2010 by MISS Liberty
*giggle* You stole my "big fat slice of suck" 
Jeff, I wholeheartedly agree that ceremonies make awards – great or small – special, but at least they are getting their awards. It's really hard for me to sit through crossovers put on by other packs cos I seriously go, "Whaaaat? That's IT!?" But I have to remember, I'm NOT the cubmaster (for them) and every pack – and indeed every leader – needs to find their own way.
That said… it's perfectly acceptable to offer up constructive criticism… "roses and thorns" or "Stop Start Continue" to the current Cubmaster. Let the current CM know what works – and what doesn't. Just do so gently and respectfully and accept it if the Cubmaster blows you off and continues pack meetings as is.
G'luck!
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"[S]He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which." ~ Douglas Adams
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2:26 pm
November 8, 2010
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Jeff
| | Sunny Florida | |
| PTC Bear | posts 63 | |
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Im one that admittedly has a bunch of great ideas but I don’t always have the best of execution. Some of my ceremonies didn’t quite go over – I remember my first one where we had dry ice and a cauldron that should’ve been bubbling over with spooky smoke… well lets just say it wasn’t as cool to some of the parents and the ‘smoke’ had to be encouraged to exit the cauldron, but the kids all wanted to come up and see it once the meeting was over and they all told me how cool it was. Heck – they don’t have to be some elaborate setup – most of the kids just enjoy someone making a big deal of their accomplishment. And, like our scouts, we should always do our best. This was the first pack meeting i attended since the new CM took over for me a little over a year ago, so I dont know if he does a ceremony when kids get rank or if its left up to the individual den leaders. He is an eagle and this is the 2nd year his son has been a cub. At 2 of the campouts he has shown up in full Indian regalia and pirate for the campfire events – so i know hes not one of those lazy ones – but i think he left too much to the discretion of the den leaders.
I am going to the committee meeting tomorrow and will let them know my feelings. Its like the bucket of scout stuff most experienced cub scouters have, it only takes a little paint to turn something into a ceremony.
I am worried about AOL and when my sons den crosses over to boy scouts in the near future. Im sure I will be stepping up and getting a proper ceremony like I did a couple years ago as CM. I don’t think the den leader realizes the importance (as evidenced by his lack of any training beyond YP and fast start for any position he has held). But that’s another thread….
Remember – even in these times of 12th place trophies, making a big deal out of an award is something we shouldn’t overlook.
-Jeff
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8:59 am
November 10, 2010
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Jeff
| | Sunny Florida | |
| PTC Bear | posts 63 | |
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well i do have some good news. the same (non-trained) den leader was the one who got lazy and didnt think it was necessary to have a ceremony – but he did want to have the pack make 5 custom t-shirts (at a cost of over $100) for 5 scouts who attended a webelos to boy scout campout last week. so surely that makes up for it. and at least i know where his heart is…
the other pack leaders also agreed about needing a ceremony. so i am not going crazy and the pack is on a great course. :)
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9:15 am
November 17, 2010
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smwalker_oh
| | Middletown, Ohio | |
| PTC Star Scout | posts 596 |
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Ceremonies are important for advancement. In our pack the Advancement Coordinator is in charge of doing those. For ranks other than Bobcat, it can be different each time.
For Bobcat, we do the same ceremony every time – a Bobcat branding. We have the fake campfire and a stick with a Cub Scout logo ink stamp attached to the end. We put the brand into the fire "to get it hot" and have everyone who has earned Bobcat before make a big circle around the fire. Then we bring in the boys with their parents and we turn down the lights in the room. One of the leaders talks for a moment about the Bobcat being the first step and the joining rank for the pack and that it is now time to brand these new boys as members of our pack. With that we take the brand from the fire, go up to each boy and brand him on the forehead. All the scouts in the circle make a hissing noise when the boy is being branded. After that is done we bring the lights back up and the Advancement Coordinator gives calls out each of the new Bobcats and gives the parent his card and badge on a safety pin (upside down) which the parent pins on the boys shirt. Once this is done we do a round of applause and everyone goes back to their seats.
We do every rank badge (from Bobcat through Arrow of Light) pinned upside down as a reminder that doing a good turn doesn't stop just because rank is earned.
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PT – Pack 19 Middletown
CR/CC – Pack, Troop & Crew 801 Middletown
MC, Packs 321, 418 & 468, Middletown
Hopewell District Cub Roundtable Commissioner
Hopewell 2011 Fall Recruitment Coordinator – Middletown
Dan Beard Council Certified Trainer
GSWO NOVA #449 Service Unit Camping Coordinator
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8:22 pm
November 23, 2010
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ScouterAdam
| | Portland, OR | |
| PTC Webelos | posts 86 |
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I am very glad to see this topic. I am so trying to work in ceremonies into the pack meetings. It's actually hard work to come up with these if you have never done them. Thanks for the ideas.
I have a good Tiger Den Leader that most likely will be the Cubmaster after me, and he is asking about ceremonies…..;)
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Cubmaster Pack 221 Portland, OR WE1-492-09 Beaver Patrol, Staff WE1-492011, Blog:http://scouteradam.wordpress.com/
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10:05 pm
November 23, 2010
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MISS Liberty
| | California | |
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http://www.ptcmedia.net/forum/…..s-show-16/
(Self promo.)
(just sayin)
For leaders *just* starting out who are totally flailing, do check out the "Ceremony Generator" worksheet that we posted in the show notes: http://sillywoppat.com/MISS/fi…..reator.pdf
Super easy to use and will give you an idea of how to at least build the framework for a ceremony – after which you'll learn creative flair and technique just from practice.
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"[S]He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which." ~ Douglas Adams
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2:55 am
November 24, 2010
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ScouterAdam
| | Portland, OR | |
| PTC Webelos | posts 86 |
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I promoted the MISS Shows at Powwow…..;) There's your big fat slice for SWEET!
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Cubmaster Pack 221 Portland, OR WE1-492-09 Beaver Patrol, Staff WE1-492011, Blog:http://scouteradam.wordpress.com/
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3:37 pm
November 27, 2010
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AmyS
| | Tucson, AZ | |
| PTC Bear | posts 52 | |
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This has happened in our pack a couple of times, when the scout in question earned a rank but missed a couple pack meetings in a row. No one was prepared with a ceremony when they finally showed up, so they got their award with a very brief "ceremony" (vs. the full face-painting hoopla that we usually do).
True, we should probably just bring the paints along to every pack meeting (or have something in a hip pocket) but sometimes it's tough when that badge has been sitting in the bin for a couple months to remember it.
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9:05 pm
November 28, 2010
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Jeff
| | Sunny Florida | |
| PTC Bear | posts 63 | |
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amy -i understand the kid that doesn't show up for the regular timing ceremony – i dont understand the DL at least not giving the heads up to someone else who cares enough to do something a little special;.
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