Order of the Arrow, Egwa Tawa Dee Lodge #129

April 20-22, 2012
Camp Benjamin Hawkins
Hosted by the Echeconnee Lodge

Memorabilia pre-order deadline is January 28, 2012

Each spring the Lodges of our Section meet for an annual Conclave. The word “conclave” means “a secret gathering”, but don’t let the name fool you, hundreds of people will be there, from the 12 lodges of our Section, Southern Region, Section 9.

More details on Egwa's theme and specifics on the competitions will be posted here in the near future, so check back often.

MEMORIBILIA PRE-ORDER FORM

Questions? Contact Conclave Contingent Leader Allen Bufford.

For more information on SR-9, visit http://sr-9.org

FLIER

The 2012 National Order of the Arrow Conference will be held July 30 - August 4, 2012 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Don't miss going to this National Order of the Arrow Conference in 2012, because the following one will be held in 2015. The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) is the premier event of the Order of the Arrow. It is Scouting's second-largest national program event. Over 8,000 Arrowmen from across our nation gather for an inspirational and unforgettable experience full of fellowship, training, adventure, and lots of fun!

More details on Egwa's theme and specifics on travel, sessions, etc. will be posted here in the near future, so check back often.

Section NOAC Scholarships

To help arrowmen interested in attending the conference at Michigan State, Section SR-9 will award scholarships. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is November 20, 2011. The application can be found Here.

Questions? Contact NOAC Contingent Leader Jack Brinson.

FLIER

TABLE RENTALS

Registration Deadlines

At the LEC we talked about the importances of the event sign-up deadlines. Your lodge officers are going to hold us to the event sign-up deadlines. Food is the major cost for our events, and we can't put the costly food order together without good sign-up numbers. If you can not make a payment before the deadline, you need to let us know before the deadline. There will be no more emailing or calling asking to be added to the event list after the deadline. This includes everyone. This could be a big problem if part of your ceremonial team is not signed up, so please ensure that everyone is aware that we will be enforcing the event registration deadline due dates. Brothers should not attend a Lodge event if they are not registered for the event.

Information for parents and guardians about Order of the Arrow ceremonies

1. Parents, guardians, and Scout leaders shall not be excluded from any Boy Scout activity or function including any Order of the Arrow (OA) ceremonies.

2. Any concerned parent, guardian, or religious leader may view any OA ceremonies, attend meetings, or read scripts upon request to a council, district, lodge, or chapter official to assure themselves that there is nothing objectionable. Such persons are asked to safeguard the details relating to ceremonies for the sake of the participants. Hazing or demeaning initiation pranks are also prohibited by the OA and the BSA.

3. Induction into the OA is not a hazing or an initiation ceremony. The OA is not a secret Scout organization, and its ceremonies are open to any parent, guardian, Scout leader, or religious leader. There is an element of mystery in the ceremonies for the sake of its effect on the candidates. For this reason, ceremonies are not held in public. The ceremonies are not objectionable to any religious group.

Rules for participating in Lodge Events

To meet BSA, Council and Lodge safety standards these rules will be followed during our Lodge events using Council properties. All Lodge and Chapter Leadership, both youth and adult are responsible for making sure that these rules are followed.

1) Anyone attending a Lodge weekend event must pre-register and check in at the registration station, usually set up in the dining area. Any visitors or guests that will be staying for any part of our program must also stop by this registration station. Upon check-in at the registration station, a medical information form is required as per the AAC Health and Safety Committee rules. If a complete physical medical form is not on hand, a medical information one will be filled out at the registration station with emergency contact information and what medical information can be gathered. This form will be kept by the medical officer for the event incase of a medical emergency.

2) Any visitors and guests that did not pre-register may not eat meals in the dinning hall. The kitchen team is only prepared to cook for the count we give them from full weekend registrations. Visitors and guests may be restricted from the camp at certain times, such as late hours.

3) Brothers that have registered for the weekend event must also check in and out with their respective Chapter Advisers or their designee. Chapter Advisers can get a list of pre-registered brothers in attendance from the registration station. Brothers or Ordeal Candidates whose Chapter has no adult leadership in attendance at a given event will be assigned to another Chapter for oversight at that event. This assignment will be made at time of check-in with the approval of the “provisional” Chapter Adviser.

4) Brothers that have registered for the full weekend are expected to stay until the published ending time of the event. When individuals need to leave early, they should check out with their Chapter Adviser or their designee. Lodge Officers and Advisers should check out with the Lodge Adviser or his designee. Brothers under the age of eighteen must have written permission to leave camp before the published ending time of the event. This is how we keep track of who is in camp for program purposes and in case of an emergency.

5) The Guide to Safe Scouting rules must be followed at all times. All uniformed adult leadership in camp need to have completed the Youth Protection training. At no time is a Scout under the age of 18, whether they are a licensed driver or passenger, is to leave camp without parental permission granted to the Chapter or Lodge Adviser, other then at the event published ending time.

6) Chapter Advisers are responsible to make sure all their Chapter members have rides and have been picked up from camp at the end of a weekend. If assistance is needed, please contact the Lodge Adviser or his designee. This needs to be done to ensure the safety of our brothers.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Lodge Adviser Tom Ogletree, togle73038@bellsouth.net, 770 422 5592