Russell Scout Attends National Conference
Joey Hurla of Russell recently attended the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) July 29 to August 2.
The conference was held on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder and attracted more than 6,000 youth and adult members of the Order of the Arrow (OA) from across the country and overseas.
Order of the Arrow is the National Honor Society of Scouting America. Only six percent of all scouts are selected and join OA. OA members, known as Arrowmen, are organized in local lodges. Hurla is a member of the Kiddi Kidish Lodge, which covers all north central and northwest Kansas. He currently serves as an elected lodge officer, Vice Chief of the West. He was one of six youth on the Kiddi Kidish Lodge's delegation to attend the conference.
NOAC is a youth led event that is held every two to three years on a major college campus across the country. The conference theme was seeking new heights. Arrowmen attended a variety of programs and events though the weeklong conference. Training sessions were offered on a wide variety of topics, including STEM, leadership, personal development and lodge operation best practices. Scouts were also given the opportunity to have fun with on-campus games and activities or explore the outdoor recreational opportunities Boulder provides. Each evening was capped with shows held in the CU event center that included motivational speakers, musical performances and youth organized productions.
Hurla attended sessions covering lodge finance, lodge ceremonial, leadership development and personal development. As a lodge officer, he was invited to attend a roundtable discussion with the National Chiefs, the youth leadership of the National Order of the Arrow. There he had the opportunity to talk about and provide input on the future direction of the OA, including restructuring the organization's mission statement.
Upon returning to Kansas, Hurla plans to apply many of the lessons learned from the conference to the lodge, his local troop, as well as his school and community.
Hurla will be a sophomore at Russell Junior-Senior High School this fall and is a Life Scout in Scouting America Troop 133 based in Hays. He is the son of Andy and Sarah Hurla of Russell.
(Information and photos courtesy Andy Hurla.)
