Pre-Ordeal and Brotherhood Ceremonial Evaluations

When participating in the Pre-Ordeal or Brotherhood evaluations, your team will perform in front of a NOAC staff evaluator and an adult from your lodge who will serve as a memory judge. Evaluation sessions will last fifty (50) minutes for the pre-ordeal and one (1) hour for the brotherhood. The team and their adult memory judge will receive notification about the location of their evaluation venue. They will report to their assigned venue and check-in with their evaluator. The team will perform the ceremony for the evaluator and the memory judge whom they will supply. The evaluator will then make comments and suggestions about the team's performance.

All teams participating have the option to have their costumes evaluated by representatives of the American Indian activities staff. Participation in costume evaluation is strongly encouraged but is not required to participate in the ceremony evaluations or to receive recognition as an honor team.

All teams that fully participate in this process will leave the conference prepared to inspire candidates with their new knowledge and deepened commitment to the ceremonies. Audio and video equipment will be permitted in the venue. We encourage you to bring your own audio and video equipment to the conference so that you can record your team's performance for future review back home. Please safeguard any tapes of your performance as if they were ceremony publications.

Procedures

1. A staff evaluator will oversee each venue and coordinate the entire process from start to finish.
2. The evaluator will view the team's performance and deliver the comments and suggestions afterwards.
3. One adult from the lodge of each team participating will be required to serve as a memory judge. A copy of the script will be provided to the memory judge so that he can make notations and give it to the team.
4. Teams whose performances are exceptional will be recognized as honor teams.
5. Only Brotherhood and Vigil members will be allowed to view the brotherhood evaluations.
6. Pre-Ordeal ceremony only: Your team will be expected to perform the entire Pre-Ordeal ceremony, including the investiture (pages 3-10), in the 2000 printing of the Ceremony for the Ordeal, BSA Number 34993A. Please note that 1999 and earlier printings have incorrect movement diagrams. The most current version of the ceremony is available from the BSA National Supply Division through your council.
7. Brotherhood ceremony only: Your team will be expected to perform the Brotherhood Ceremony (Pages 3-14), in the June 2014 printing of the Ceremony for the Brotherhood. Please note that the lodge closing ceremony will be performed. The most current version of the ceremony is available exclusively online at www.oa-bsa.org in the publications section.

Last revised on March 6, 2015