KMU Course Selection: Ritual and Performance

The following is a blog post highlighting a specific department that will be offered at KeyMan University this summer. Today's post is written by PA DeMolay Executive Officer, "Dad" Gregory Schaeffer, who will be the Department Chairman for the Ritual and Performance Department. 

The Ritual and Performance Department wants YOU to join us at KeyMan University!  On staff are 3 Senior DeMolays, who are all veterans of DeMolay Ritual, and will guide you through a week-long journey of learning, teamwork, and brotherhood.

Are you a new DeMolay who doesn't have much ritual experience?  No problem!  We start off by covering the basics of DeMolay ritual and public speaking.  We'll help you find the most effective way to memorize speeches (each person is different); we'll show you how to navigate the floor work and understand how a Chapter room should be set up.  We'll help you learn your Obligations.  And you'll get to work in a fun environment with other DeMolays, working together to learn and perform new ceremonies.

Are you a DeMolay who is nervous about public speaking?  We were too... we will give you individual attention throughout the week, to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and help you exit KeyMan as a more confident speaker.  This will help you not only in DeMolay, but at school, and for your future career!  You'll also get to work with Jurisdictional Officers throughout the week who will be like older Brothers, helping you 1-on-1.

Are you a DeMolay who is an experienced ritualist, and is looking for more knowledge?  We'll help you learn how to coach DeMolays in your home Chapter, to improve the quality of their ritual.  We'll teach you about ritual competitions, and how to maximize your scores.  You'll get to see the original 1st Edition of the DeMolay Ritual, read through some of those passages that the DeMolays had in 1919, and participate and discussions and debates about the history of the ritual, and what its role is in a modern DeMolay setting.

No matter your current skill level, we can promise a fun week, where you will come away excited about the ritual, and a more experienced public speaker.  We look forward to seeing you at KeyMan 2017!

To sign up for KeyMan University, visit the website at keyman.pademolay.org.

Films Every DeMolay Should See: Apollo 13

"Houston, we have a problem." This phrase is one of the most famous movie lines in history, and is still used in everyday life today. The film that made it popular; Apollo 13. I chose today to write about this film because on April 11th, 1970, the Apollo 13 mission to space launched, which was intended to be the third to land on the moon. Unfortunately, the mission had to be aborted due to an oxygen tank exploding. 

The film, based on true events, stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise, and was released in 1995. Apollo 13 shows the mission at hand, lead by Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) who had been part of a previous mission to the moon, but wanted to walk on its surface. Jim and his team launched Apollo 13 on April 11th, and 3 days into the mission an oxygen tank explodes, creating panic in being able to continue their mission and make it home safe. 

So what makes this a movie that every DeMolay should watch? The film demonstrates the teamwork that it took in order to get the members of the mission home safe. Failure truly wasn't an option, which the control team at NASA took seriously in devising a plan to save the three men on the mission. As much as the three men on board wanted to point blame and give up, they knew that they needed to stay strong and find a way to get through it in order to see their families again. 

This film is a classic, and truly is one of my favorite Tom Hanks movies of all time. If you haven't seen it, I hope that you will. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

 

Films Every DeMolay Should See: Rudy

As I mentioned last week, I am a big sports fan. This weekend being Super Bowl Weekend, it seems fitting to highlight another football movie in our must see section of the blog. This time, the movie we will discuss is Rudy.

The film stars Sean Astin (yes the guy from Lord of the Rings) as a High School student named Daniel Ruettiger, whose dream is to attend the University of Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish. Although Rudy does not possess the grades, skill, or money that it would take to get into Notre Dame, he still has the passion and decides to try his hardest to achieve this dream. 

As predicted, he does not get accepted to Notre Dame, so he decides to attend a Community College nearby with the hope that his grades will be good enough to transfer to Notre Dame. To further pursue his dream, he meets a groundskeeper at Notre Dame and offers to work for free. Instead the groundskeeper hired him at minimum wage. Rudy also went through tutoring to help make his dream possible. 

So what makes this a movie that every DeMolay should watch? The overall theme of the movie is that Rudy was able to overcome the odds. Everyone in Rudy's life was telling him that this dream was impossible, and Rudy was able to prove them all wrong. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but ultimately his goal was met. The support of his coworkers and teammates showed throughout the movie as well. One of the best scenes in the movie is when the team convinces the coach to give Rudy a chance by laying their jerseys on the coaches desk.

Another reason DeMolay's in Pennsylvania will appreciate this movie is the discovery that Rudy had Dyslexia. PA DeMolay raises money for the Children's Dyslexia Centers in hope that we can help make a difference in the learning of at least one child. This gives a real life spin on what it takes for a person with Dyslexia to overcome and achieve success. 

Hopefully this review encourages you to check out this film, as this is a classic movie that never gets old. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Films Every DeMolay Should See: Remember the Titans

This year, State Master Councilor Eric Dye has been promoting the theme "Lights Camera Action: PA DeMolay Goes Hollywood." All of the weekends and activities have been planned around a movie or genre to help enhance the quality of the program. It seemed fitting to post a blog about movies that members of DeMolay should see. Over the remaining months you will see a few of these posts highlighting a specific move that you may want to check out.  

For anyone that knows me, I am an avid sports fan. This goes beyond the game itself for me, as some of my favorite movies of all time include sports films. One of my all time favorite sports movies has always been Remember the Titans. The movie stars Denzel Washington as Daniel Boone, the Head Coach of the T.C. Williams High School football team. The film takes place in Alexandria, Virginia in the year 1971, a time in which racial discrimination was still a concern in Virginia. Members of the T.C. Williams football team were not welcoming of the new members of the team or the new Head Coach, as they expressed their displeasure and got into fights constantly. Community members expressed there dissatisfaction of the changes made as well, causing disturbances for Coach Boone and his family. Coach Boone decided that the team needed to find away to get past their problems and work together. He took the team to training camp in Gettysburg, in which they worked harder than they ever have before. Although the process may have taken a while, the players became a unified team at the end of training camp. The team became a powerhouse team in pursuit of a state championship. The entire film highlights the adversity that took place in order to accomplish a common goal. 

So what makes this a movie that every DeMolay should watch? Some of the important lessons that are taught in this movie, are the same lessons we teach in DeMolay. Some of those lessons include comradeship, tolerance, teamwork, and overcoming the odds to meet the goals at hand. Facing adversity is a big lesson in this movie, and in DeMolay we can come in contact with that same problem, realizing that it comes with the territory of being a leader. One of my favorite quotes in this movie is when Bertier tells Julius he doesn't play hard enough, he tells Bertier "Attitude reflects leadership, Captain." I always felt this lesson was important. As a leader, our attitude and reactions are most important for others to follow our lead. Lead by example, others will work hard if you do as well. This movie is also based on a true story, which makes the lessons taught mean so much more. Another reason you may want to check this movie out is because of the up and coming stars that appeared in this movie before they became big names in the industry. Those stars include Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison, Kate Bosworth, Ryan Gosling, and a very young Hayden Panettiere.

To this day, I still enjoy this movie like it is the first time I ever saw it. Hopefully this review inspired you to check out the film, as it is an all time classic.   

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin 

Make Yourself Feel Distinguished!

Have you done a lot of work for your local community or taken an active role within your church? Do you continue to get good grades in school and help out with responsibilities at home or in DeMolay? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some type of recognition for all of this hard work? Well there is, and it has always been available for any DeMolay who wants to earn it.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes outstanding overall service performed by a DeMolay member. The areas of service include religion, community, DeMolay, education and home, among others. A jurisdiction can award two recipients per year, one for each half of the DeMolay year. The award is typically awarded at the annual convention; however it has been awarded at other events at the Executive Officer’s discretion. For example, since I couldn’t make convention, my DSA was awarded to me at the 2008 Basketball Tournament.

This sounds great, but how do I apply? There is no formal application for this award. Rather, the applicant, working with the Advisory Council, will need to assemble a package of materials demonstrating his service in various areas. The Advisory Council generally assists in soliciting recommendations from individuals who have worked with the applicant in various areas of service. The nomination for the Award officially comes from the Advisory Council, though a member may apply for his own nomination through his Advisory Council.

The Distinguished Service Award has not been awarded in Pennsylvania since 2013, meaning for two years no one has applied for this award. If you know someone that is eligible for this award, click here for the list of materials needed to apply.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

State Officer Installation Review

After every Installation of Officers performed by the State Officers, Dad Lou Grow, Director of the S. O. Program, has been asking Chapter Advisors to take just a few minutes and fill out an on-line form to honestly review the performance of the installing teams. This review process started in October. This has been a tremendous help to the State Officers in understanding how their work is perceived. The review asks for an evaluation of their communication efforts, their organization, their rehearsal and leadership skills, their ritual performance and their appearance.

They aren't getting perfect 10's on everything, which is good-- it means that the Chapter Advisors are giving thoughtful, relevant feedback to help them make an effort to improve the service they are offering. But they ARE getting high marks as a team, and their conscientious effort, courtesy, abililty to make last-minute adjustments and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty IS BEING NOTICED.

In addition to some yes/no answers and a numerical rating of performance, there is also space for a narrative review, and each one has included significant comments to help the officers learn from the experience and improve their work.

Kudos to all for working together to make the program better!

Sincerely and fraternally,

"Dad" Thomas R. Labagh