USSSP - Baloo's Bugle

ADVANCEMENT CEREMONIES

Arrow of Light Ceremonies –

Need a new AOL Ceremony?? Lewis posted this site on a Cub Roundtable Discussion Group. It has 25 AOL ceremonies and ideas on how to create your own.

http://www.cubscoutarrowoflight.net/

American Achievement (Music) Awards

Baltimore Area Council

Advancement Preparation:

Make “American Music Awards” for the Badges by spray-painting sauce or ketchup bottles (ones with long skinny necks) with gold paint. Staple just the Wolf, Bear, etc cloth badge on blue or yellow 1” wide ribbon and hang on the award like the picture.
Make up envelopes that contain the cards and pins for the boys who are to receive Badges and seal them with a gold seal. Have an Asst Cubmaster help you or have special presenters for the envelopes and the awards.

The script for this Awards Show Pack Meeting is written for the Cubmaster. Feel free to divide up the speaking part if you wish. Other needed personnel will be mentioned as the script goes on at the time they are needed. To help it go over big – Use a lot of enthusiasm.

Ceremony:

Welcome to the First Annual Pack XYZ Cub Scout Achievement Award Show. Our show tonight is brought to you in living color and is sponsored by (charter organization). I am your host for tonight, Cubmaster __________. We have quite a few categories to cover tonight, so on with the show.

The first category of Achievement is the Bobcat. We have several Cub Scouts who are eligible for the Bobcat and have been nominated for this award. The nominees are: (list all the boys who are to receive their badge). And the winners are: (If there are more than one, announce a tie). Now before you receive your award, please lead the Cub Scouts in the pack in the Cub Scout Promise. All Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts please: rise and give the Cub Scout Sign, while the winners lead you in the Promise. You parents have been helping in the wings. Each parent, please present your son with his badge.

Note: (In between the awards, have a song or some other musical entertainment)

Our next category is for the Achievement of the Wolf. We have several Cub Scouts who have worked very hard to be nominated for this award. They have completed twelve achievements and some have done more by earning Arrows. The nominees are: (List all the boys just as you did for the Bobcat). And the winners are: (or announce a tie). You Bobcat Scouts have worked very hard for the last year to earn this award. You parents have helped your sons to accomplish this award. Please do the honors by presenting the badge and the pin to your son. (Treat the Bear Badge like the Wolf award.)

At this time I would like to present the Gold Arrow Award. These nominees have completed 10 more electives in their books and have already received the Wolf (or Bear) Badge. The nominees are: (List all the boys just as you did for the Bobcat). The envelope, please. And the winners are: Now, before you receive your award, please tell the audience at least one of the projects you completed to receive this Arrow. (Treat the Silver Arrow Award in a similar manner).

Star Advancement Ceremony

San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach, & Verdugo Hills Councils

Set up: Similar to musical awards show with handmade “trophies” using homemade statuettes or star shaped certificates. You may want to even have special envelopes containing the boys’ patches/pins.

Announcer: (Use your best TV Emcee voice) Good evening and welcome to our star studded awards show. Tonight we congratulate all the boys for their accomplishments. First, we have the Bobcat award to be given to the boys with a fantastic first performance in a den. These boys are well on their Cub Scouting trail. The winners are: (Names of boys getting the Bobcat award.) Will these outstanding performers and their agents/parents please come forward?

Next, we have a group of Wolves who have worked hard on their 12 acts. Will the following winners of the Wolf Award and their agents please come forward? (Names of boys) Let’s give a big hand to these winners!

Moving right along, we have the band of Bears who have also learned their 12 acts well and continue to grow in Scouting. The winners are: (Names of boys)

And now, we have our stellar Webelos: They have worked diligently over the years and have completed the necessary activity badges thanks to their agents and directors – their leaders. We are proud to award them the Webelos Award: (Give names of boys.) Will they please come up along with their agents to receive their award? Aren’t these boys all stars for their achievements? They will continue practicing for only one more award, that prestigious Arrow of Light award.

Good luck to all our boys in pursuing their shining careers in Scouting!

Advancement Song Advancement

Baltimore Area Council

Have the Leaders form an arch (London Bridge style) and each time you call a den up for it’s advancements you have the leaders sing the “Cub Scout Advancement Song. This song should be practiced.

Advancement Song

Santa Clara County Council

Tune “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”

When the Cub Scouts all achieve a rank, Hoorah! Hoorah!

The moms will cheer (moms cheer)

And the dads will shout (dads shout)

The leaders all will turn about

(Leaders turn around in a circle)

And we’ll clap our hands (all clap)

When the Cub Scouts achieve a rank!

This song could be sung before the Advancement Ceremony any month. Maybe, make it like the Announcement Song that is sung when the Cubmaster says the word Announcements. Have this sung when the Cubmaster announces Advancements. CD

Musical Notes

San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach, & Verdugo Hills Councils

Props: White poster board, with lines for musical score (no notes, just lines and a treble clef), propped up; black paper notes with double sided tape or loops of tape on the back. Have the Cub Scouts’ names in bright colors on the face of each (Gold or silver marker works well).

Cubmaster: There are many beautiful songs in the world. When you are happy, you can’t help but burst out in a song.

The most beautiful music to me is the sound of a happy child when he is proud of his accomplishments. Please join me in singing the praises of the following young men. (Calls out names of first group of boys to earn rank.)

These boys have earned their (Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Webelos) rank. Their hard work and endeavor leaves a song in my heart. This patch is for their uniform to show the world what they have accomplished. The pin is for the parents, to show how much their support means to him. (Gives patches to the parents to present to their sons, pins to the Scouts to present to their parents.)

Boys, as you receive your badge, please add your note to our musical score. (Boys stick their musical notes on the board.)

Cubmaster repeats as necessary varying dialog for each rank.

Radio Station, C.U.B.S.

San Gabriel Valley, Long Beach, & Verdugo Hills Councils

Cubmaster: This is radio station C.U.B.S. signing on the air with an evening of fun and achievement for all you boys out there in radio land. Tonight we have selected several of our listeners for special awards. They have become Bobcat members of our station C.U.B.S. Fan Club. If the following boys will come to the station with their parents, we will present them with their awards. (Presents Bobcat badges to parents).

Asst. CM: This is station C.U.B.S. Mobile Control out on the Cub Scout trail. We have spotted several of our Cub Scouts who found their lucky number, 12, for the 12 Wolf achievements. Several have also collected the 10 electives needed for gold and silver arrow points. Will (Call boys' names) and their parents come to the station to claim their awards? (Present Wolf badges and arrow points.)

Cubmaster: Station C.U.B.S. asks the question: Have you earned your Bear achievements (name boys)? We know you have. Come in with your parents and allow us to present your awards. (Make presentation).

Asst. CM Visiting the studio with us tonight are (names boys). These boys have been working hard on Webelos activity badges and are being honored by having their awards presented on the air from station C.U.B.S. (Ask boys and parents to come forward and make presentation.) Cubmaster: And now for the highlight of this evening's broadcast. We take great pleasure in announcing the top of this month's Hit Parade - the boys who have earned Cub Scouting's top award - the Arrow of Light Award. The names of these boys have been added to the gold record of Cub Scouting. (Call boys and parents forward and present awards.)

Cubmaster: And now this is station C.U.B.S. signing off the air and inviting you to tune in at Pack ____ on your radio dial.

Magic Advancement Ceremony

Southern NJ Council

Cubmaster prefaces award ceremony with the following –

There's no magic in what we are about to do next. It's time for recognizing the Cub Scouts whose hard work and skills have earned them the right to advance along the Scouting Trail. No hidden cards, no disappearing balls or coins, no magically appearing scarves are involved in advancement. It's strictly a matter of knowing what you have to do and doing it - with the help of adult leaders, den chiefs, and families, it's true. But the bottom line is that a boy has to do the work by himself.

Well, perhaps there is a bit of magic in that after all - because by fulfilling the Bobcat, Wolf and Bear tracks and marching along the Arrow trail, a boy transforms himself before our very eyes. And during his years in the Webelos program, a Cub Scout enters a period of accelerated growth and development - often earning an activity pin a month as his hunger for knowledge blossoms.

So maybe Magic is what we're recognizing tonight - the best kind of magic. Recognizing young men who have discovered the magic of transforming themselves one step at a time toward their ideals of knowledge, strength, and good citizenship.

The Great Spirit

Southern NJ Council

Personnel: Cubmaster, Akela, Great Spirit

Equipment: Artificial campfire, tom-tom

Setting: Curtain opens showing Akela sitting by campfire. Tom-tom is beating softly.

Cubmaster: Chief Akela of the Webelos Tribe, I have before me (number) Cub Scouts who have lived by the Cub Scout motto, kept the Cub Scout Promise, and obeyed the Law of the Pack. They have each completed the requirements of their respective ranks. I now present and recommend each for his advancement.

Great Spirit: Tonight we honor those Cub Scouts who have grown in knowledge and have achieved a higher rank in Cub Scouting. How have they grown in knowledge? In much the same manner as Akela. Akela was the big chief of the Webelos - tall, stalwart, straight as an arrow, swift as an antelope, brave as a lion. His father was the son of the great yellow sun. He was called the ‘Arrow of Light’. His mother, from whom he learned all those wondrous things that mothers know, was called ‘Kind Eyes’. When Akela was a young boy, he was taken on short trips into the forest among the great trees and the streams. Here from the Wolf he learned the language of the ground, the tracks, the fields, and the ways of food. From the Bear he learned the secret names of the trees, the calls of the birds and the language of the air. Just like Akela, you have learned much along your trail to advancement.

Akela: Cub Scouts, you have lived by the Cub Scout motto, kept the Cub Scout Promise, and obeyed the law of the Pack. I am happy to see you come before this pack to receive your badges.

(Curtain closes)

Cubmaster: Just as Akela’s parents helped him as he grew, so have your parents helped you achieve your new rank. I know that they will be proud to share this honor with you. Will these boys and their parents come forward? (Call names, present badge to mother) Now I will ask that you boys give the Cub Scout sign and repeat after me:

“We boys now promise . . .

to go back to our dens . . .

and to do our very best . . .

to work on electives . . .

and to keep advancing regularly.”

Thank you and congratulations!