Order of the Arrow High Adventure
The Order of the Arrow in the Boy Scouts of America, in its focus on service, contains five different high adventure programs at the national level that focus on conservation. These programs occur at the four national high adventure bases that the Boy Scouts own. They are only open to youth aged 14 to 20, with specific ages varying by program, and are available at a substantially lower price than other programs at the base. They each include a period of service and a trek period during which the participants get to plan their own routes and experience the best of the bases.
Seeking to give more Arrowmen the opportunity to participate in these high adventure programs, Section S-4 established a one-per-lodge scholarship for Arrowmen with financial need to attend these programs. The scholarship is still available for any Arrowman seeking to attend an OAHA trek.
More information on OAHA Treks here!
Check out the scholarship form here!
National Leadership Seminar
NLS, or National Leadership Seminars, is a weekend long conference that focuses on leadership skills and characteristics. On of the main goals of the program is to enhance the leadership skills of the Order’s key youth and adult members. NLS participants will go home with a better understanding of leadership skills and how to apply them, and the different situations in which they will need to apply these skills. NLS encourages Lodge Officers, Key Lodge committee Chairs, and those aspiring to become an officer at the Chapter, Lodge, and Section level to attend this cool and informative event. Also, Adult Advisers and Key Adults in the Chapter or Lodge are encouraged to attend.
The Southern Region of the OA is hosting several NLS sessions this year. Registration deadlines, venues, prices, and more information can be found at www.southern.oa-bsa.org/nls. Please take advantage of this wonderful training opportunity!
This year, our annual Section Conference was hosted by Tipisa Lodge at Camp La-No-Che in Paisley, FL. Over 800 Arrowmen were in attendance, and the camp was packed! The Conference was kicked off by an amazing show that helped to recap the past century of history within our Section and Lodges. After breakfast on Saturday Morning, there were many Training Sessions including informational sessions about JTE and Lodge Program to AIA dancing and Ceremonies instruction. Also, many competitions were held in the morning and continued into the afternoon. In the afternoon, all Lodges participated in in the Lodge vs Lodge games including Tug-O-War, Ultimate Frisbee, and “Lodge” Ball.
The Conference came to a close on Saturday Night with another great show and the Festival of Feathers where the AIA awards were given to some of the best dancers in the Section. On Sunday, the Section Business Meeting was held where the numerous awards were handed out, and the new slate of Section Officers were elected. Aaron Gluck was elected Section Chief, Ethan Smith was elected Section Vice-Chief, Bryce Brandvold was re-elected Section Secretary, and Preston Richter was elected Section Historian.
This year’s Section Conference was truly a blast, and we look forward to a great Conference next year hosted by O-Shot-Caw Lodge at Camp Elmore on April 08-10, 2016.
