Court of Honor

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Today my son's scout troop had their big end of year event. Typically you have to be "registered" with the troop (at least have child abuse clearances on file) to attend any over-night event. The end of year celebration is typically a camp out that goes from Friday night into Sunday afteroon, and is one of two over-night events the fathers can attend and stay over-night. They do skits, activities to showcase the outdoor skills they learned that year, and Saturday night is a camp-fire with the end of year award ceremony where they receive the pins, badges, and other awards they earned since January. The end of year ceremony also involves a "bridging" where Trailmen who are advancing levels do a ceremonial walk across a bridge, and the new troop leadership are announced.

 

Due to issues with boys leaving after the Saturday night ceremony and not having enough hands to break camp efficiently the last two years they changed it up a little. Instead of a camp out, the middle and high school aged trailmen setup and ran a carnival type deal for the younger boys and families, which was also used as a fund-raiser for their big bi-annual trip next summer.

 

This one was very exciting for me, because my son finished all his badge work for this year, bridged to the next level, and received his leveling award for the elementary level, the "Timberline Award". This is not something that one just falls into by showing up, it involves a lot of other work outside regular meetings. From the organization's website:

 

Quote

The Timberline Award is the highest award a Trailman can achieve in the Woodlands program. It was developed to celebrate a boy's entrance into the new world of Trail Life USA's Navigators program.

Just as the tall timbers stop at the Timberline's edge, so must a Mountain Lion's time stop in the Woodlands Trail program. As the Trailman proceeds on his individual path, he leaves the Woodlands Trail and embarks on a new trail of exploration and experiences. The Trailman leaves with many good wishes and prayers that he will continue to Walk Worthy with the God that created him, loves him, and guides him.

 

Manhood Principles

There are four Manhood Principles and requirements for the Timberline Award:

• To live boldly and avoid being passive
• To live responsibly
• To lead courageously
• To live for the greater rewards of God

The requirements for this award are as follows:

• To show that you are living boldly and are avoiding being passive, the Trailman will have earned his Mountain Lion Forest Badge and invited a friend that is not currently a registered member to a Woodlands Trail meeting, outing or activity. In addition, the Trailman will have attended an overnight campout with the Troop during his Mountain Lion year(s).
• To show that you are living responsibly, you have kept a written record of chores that are completed at home that has been signed off by a parent or guardian. You are also completing assignments at school on time and doing your best to achieve the A/B honor roll.
• To show that you are leading courageously, you have planned a service project in your community and enlisting help from your fellow Trailmen to complete it. Your service project helped to make your community cleaner, better, safer or fulfilled a need. The total combined hours spent by all who helped with the service project should total no less than twenty (20) hours.

To show that you live for the greater rewards of God, you have done one or both of the following:

• You are known as someone who always speaks the truth. Your Trail Guide, parent or mentor may ask you a question that is difficult for you to tell the truth because you may have been worried about getting into trouble. You, however, told the truth and showed that you are honest and trustworthy.
• You have shown Christ-like behavior. You have sacrificed your wants and needs for someone else without wanting to be recognized for it. You have shown that you love others as yourself by your actions.

 

 

So I am really proud of all that he accomplished this year. Unfortuantely I don't have any good pictures from the ceremony that don't have a bunch of other people's kids in them as well, and I don't want to post their faces since I don't have permission. I just have this one of his back when he accepted his Timberline patch:

 

[ebinmaine 71,722]

Quite an accomplishment. 

Nicely done! 

[953 nut 59,093]

The greatest accomplishment any parent can achieve is having a great kid,  well done Dad.