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Introduction The purpose of this Guide is to help you, the Scout's parents/guardians, understand the process of your son's earning the rank of Eagle, since the process will now include you more than his other ranks did. If you have questions, do not hesitate to talk with the Scoutmaster. I need to start this Guide somewhere so I will begin with your son earning the rank of Life Scout. Having earned his Life rank, your son will need to complete the requirements for tenure, Scout spirit, merit badges, leadership, and his eagle project. All of these are listed in his Handbook. Before his Scoutmaster Conference, your son will need to complete an Eagle Scout Application. A special Eagle Board of Review will then be arranged. A few weeks (5 to 8 normally) after his Board of Review there is an Eagle Court of Honor. You will most likely become heavily involved in the Eagle project and the Court of Honor. I'll get to the process part in a second (it starts at the Eagle Project), but first a little about the requirements. It is imperative that your son complete all the requirements for Eagle, except the Board of Review, including his Scoutmaster Conference, and have his paperwork to his District Representative before his 18th birthday. At 18 your son is considered an adult and will not be eligible to complete the requirements (unless he has a pre-approved exemption due to disabilities from BSA, National.) If your son is 16 or older, now is a good time to start strongly nudging him on the home front to work on his Eagle requirements. Starting this process at 17+ is doable but it will put unnecessary stress on you and your son. The requirement is: "To be active in your troop and patrol for at least 6 months as a Life Scout". Just being on the Troop roster is not enough, your son needs to participate in Troop activities. Remaining active is important for several reasons, the most important is that your son continues to interact with others while leading by his example. Some absences may be 'excused' if the Scoutmaster and Patrol Leader are notified. Your son can meet this tenure requirement while being part of a patrol or while serving in one of the listed leadership positions (requirement number 4). If your son is in a non-patrol leadership position (e.g.: Senior Patrol Leader), he is not required to be active in a patrol also for an additional 6 months. Your son is expected to live by his Scout Oath and the Scout Law in everything he does. Hopefully your son has already made his Scout Oath an integral part of his personality. This is one of the reasons why people say: "Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout." The phrase, "On my honor," contained in the Scout Oath is a good blueprint for everyone to follow not just our Scouts. Scout Spirit goes beyond showing up for meetings in uniform. Your son is expected to do his best whenever and wherever he can. This is what is meant by Scout Spirit in our everyday lives. If your son is like most scouts, he has earned more then the required 11 merit badges (7 from the list of required merit badges for Eagle and 4 'others') needed to have obtained his Life rank. He has probably also used more then one of merit badges from categories 'g' and 'j' of the required merit badges for his required and/or non-required badges. The list of 'required' merit badges is listed in the Boy Scout Handbook. The categories (items) are listed as 'a' through 'l'. Only one merit badge from items 'g' and 'j' may be counted towards your son's required list of merit badges for his Eagle rank. Your son will need to have earned a minimum of 21 merit badges (9 non-required, 12 required) for his Eagle Rank. Your son should meet with the Advancement Chairman as soon as he can in order for your son to confirm his completed merit badges and the dates of the merit badges. Although it is not 'required' it is strongly suggested that your son complete his merit badge requirement prior to beginning his Eagle project. Scouting is designed, among other things, to help your son grow in knowledge and self-confidence, his ability to interact with others, and help prepare him for his future through various leadership skills he has been learning. The rank of Eagle requires the scouts to "serve actively for a period of 6 months in one or more ... positions of responsibility." A scout that 'wears the patch' for 6 months, will not have met the intentions of this requirement. Your son will be required to demonstrate many of the leadership skills he has learned while serving in one or more leadership positions. OK . . . Now The Process ! ! Requirement 5 states: "While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project ..." Although written for the Scouts, please take some time and read "A Few Thoughts About Your Eagle Project". Reading this should explain some of aspects of the project that I will not be covering in this guide. By now your son should have attended a Troop or District Life to Eagle Conference and received his "Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook". Many Troops now have a Life to Eagle Coordinator/Advisor to assist the Scouts by answering questions and sometimes even prodding them to complete the project. Your son may elect to proceed on his own without availing himself of the Life to Eagle Advisor however the Advisor can help your son avoid delays and heartaches. Now is a good time for your son to begin a journal about his Eagle project efforts. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS YOUR SON'S PROJECT, HE SHOULD BE DOING THE WORK 1) On the first page of the workbook the Unit Leader listed will be the Scoutmaster not the Advisor or the Committee Chairperson. (See how easy this is?) 2) Getting a project: Very few of scouts will wake up one morning an have an excellent idea for their Eagle project and who would benefit from their project. Therefore your son will need to seek out a project. The Troop Eagle Advisor usually has several contacts or suggestions and sometimes even a list of projects needing Scouts to accomplish them. Having found a possible project, Page 5 (of the workbook) should be copied and a rough draft of the project filled in or use the electronic file provided. This draft is to get the concept of the project across, the details will come later. Your son will then meet with the Troop Advisor who will look over the draft and give some input as to its meeting the requirements or not (i.e.: is the project to big, to small, not allow by the BSA, flat out does not make sense, etc.) This step helps the scout "see the big picture" regarding his project. When your son's project is "in the ballpark", he will complete a 'clean' description of his proposed project along with the name of the groups benefiting from his project and how they will benefit. At this point there will only be a few project details provided (see # 4). Your son will then meet with his Scoutmaster to discuss the concept of his proposed project. Near the bottom of the page your son will enter the date the concept is approved by the Scoutmaster. 3) If your son 'did' wake up with a project, he will then need to meet with a representative from the group that he will do the project for and present his concept to them to see if they want the project. If your son has already met with the group's representative, in order to get a project, then a meeting here is not needed but your son will need to contact the representative and let them know that the concept was approved and that he is now starting to work on the details of the project. The Representative's name etc. are then entered at the bottom of page 5. There are no signatures required so far. Please note that at this point the project is still in the concept phase. It has not been approved. 4) Project Details: On the next page, of the workbook, your son will be describing the project details. This part of the workbook could be compared to a job proposal at work because your son will be presenting these details for approval by the organization who will benefit from the project. The organization should have a very clear idea of what they can expect from your son. His details should include:
Your son's Eagle Advisor will be able to give your son pointers if they think the details do not address enough about his project. 5) Project Approvals: First your son will meet with the organization benefiting from his project, at this point they should approve the project or tell him what they think needs to be changed. The organization's representative is the first to sign their approval of the proposal. Your son's Scoutmaster (if in a Troop) will be the second to approve the proposal. The Committee Chair is the third to approve the proposal (this is usually after the scout verbally presents his proposal to the committee members present.) The last to approve the project proposal is the District Eagle Advancement Committee member. Your son will need to contact the District Eagle Advancement Representative for his Troop/area (the Troop Eagle advisor, the Scoutmaster, or the Advancement Coordinator will be able to give your son the District Eagle Advancement Representative's name) and arrange a meeting. At this meeting the District Rep. will review the proposal, record some information, and verify that your son has a good idea of what needs to happen next. The District Rep will also serve as a member of your son's Eagle Board of Review. Having received all the necessary approvals, your son may now start working on his project. The approved project proposal should be kept in a safe place since it is one of the documents required in the Eagle Application package. 6) In carrying out his project, your son's effort should be in leading others, not doing the project himself. There should be a Troop leader present during the project to help your son stay focused, if needed (and to remind your son's parents whose project it really is. - Sorry about that, I know this is hard for parents to do but your son needs to run the project.) Your son should be taking pictures and keeping a journal/record of who is helping, the hours put in by each helper, a list of the actual materials required, and problems he must overcome during his project. 7) If your son has kept a good journal then the write up of his project will be very easy. The write up begins on page 7 of the workbook and includes a tabulation of the hours spent on the project, a list of materials and their cost, changes from the proposal required during the execution of the project, "after" photographs, and how he demonstrated leadership during the execution of his project (i.e.: safety issues he addressed; transportation; refreshments; etc.). If your son raised funds in order to purchase materials, then he needs to address the amount raised and what he did with the surplus, if any. 8) Approvals of the completed project: The start date listed is the date any work began after the project was approved by the District Rep. The completion date is the date is when the workers walked off the completed project. Your son will then sign the project workbook. The Scoutmaster will then sign the workbook followed by the benefiting organization. The Eagle project is over, the project paperwork is finished, now on to the Eagle Application. Your son may want to make copies of the application to use as a worksheet. The filled in worksheet should be reviewed by the Troop Advancement Coordinator for accuracy before inputting information onto the official application. The application should be filled out and taken to the District rep. promptly. The official red, white and blue Eagle Scout Rank Application must be used when submitting for approval. The application may be typed (except requirement 3) or printed neatly in ink. The first line to be filled in is where your son enters his full legal name (first, middle, last). His Eagle certificate and registration will be taken from this entry. Standard abbreviations may be used for the State (VA for Virginia) but no abbreviations are to be used for items such as: street; place; apartment; etc. All date entries use the two digit format as Month, Day, and Year (for example 07/01/96 for July 1, 1996.). Your son should answer all questions that apply. Requirement 2: The references your son lists here should have a good personal knowledge of your son. If you have recently moved, references from his old residence may be used. If your son is Home Schooled your son should enter "Home Schooled" on the line for Education and you should include comments regarding his educational experiences in your Parents/Guardians letter of recommendation. Your son should contact all the references he wishes to use to verify that they are willing to comment on his behalf. Letters of Recommendation, for your son to receive the rank of Eagle, will be requested from the persons listed in requirement 2. Your son may give the listed people a pre-approved "Request For Character Reference" form asking for their Letter of Recommendation (this will speed up the process) or have the Troop Committee Chair request the letters. In either case the returning letters must be sent directly to the Scoutmaster or the Committee Chair. (These letters are confidential correspondence regarding your son and therefore will not be reviewable by anyone not directly involved with your son's Eagle Board of Review. Your son may be questioned regarding events contained in the letters, however no derogatory information within the letters will be reveled to your son. The letters will be destroyed upon the conclusion of your son's Board of Review.) A letter of appreciation regarding his Eagle project from the organization's representative is a nice touch but not a requirement. Requirement 3: For merit badge numbers 6 and 9, only the merit badge that will be counted as a required merit badge should be showing, the others should have a single line through them. These crossed out badges may be used as the optional badges numbers 13 through 21. Most typewriters will not space the date entries correctly so this section will need to be entered neatly by hand. Dates are to be entered as Month, Day, and Year as stated above. The unit no. is the number of the Scouting unit your son was in when the merit badge was earned (Temporary Jamboree Troop numbers are not used since the merit badges are registered through the Troop advancement reports.) The accuracy of the merit badge dates is critical. Since the date the merit badge counselor signed off on the blue card is the date the merit badge was actually earned, this is the date of record. Having all his Merit Badge blue cards included in his Eagle package is the easiest way to verify the dates earned. The records used for this review , in order of preference (most authoritative to the least authoritative), are the following: The blue merit badge cards signed off by the merit badge counselor; Advancement Reports [#34403A]; Troop advancement records or a transfer record; your son's Boy Scout Handbook with the requirements signed off by the Advancement Chair; and advancement or merit badge recognition cards (usually handed out at Troop Courts of Honor.) Requirements 4 & 5: If your son has held several leadership positions since becoming a Life Scout, he should list the two where he thinks he demonstrated the most leadership. The time in position must be equal to or greater then 6 months. If he is still in the position, he should enter "Present" in the 'TO' blanks. On a separate sheet (see requirement 6) he may list his additional positions and dates, if he so desires. Requirement 6: The requirement for them to write about their life ambitions and accomplishments is a stumbling block for some Scouts as it requires them to 'brag' about themselves on paper (many have heard through their lives statements such as: "self praise is no praise".) Also many younger Life Scouts have not held 'leadership' positions in activities outside of scouts, since these positions tend to go to the older boys and girls. And life ambitions (?), younger scouts seldom have given this any thought, or worse, have changed 'what they want to be when they grow up' several times (even weekly.) Not to worry, most of the younger Scouts find it easier to list organizations they belonged to in their community and school if they are reminded that they do not have to be the designated leader for them to have demonstrated leadership through 'leading by example' or by 'contributing to the group rather then bossing the group'. Your son's life ambitions do not have to be a listing of the jobs he wants to hold, although it is nice to see that a 17 year old Life Scout has given this matter some thought. Many Scout list ideas such as: have a family; become more involved in my community maybe even hold a public office; become an adult Scout leaders so they can give something back to other Scouts; etc. The BSA is not going to rescind his Eagle if he does not become the architect that he listed on he application. With his entire Eagle package (project workbook, Eagle Application, merit badge and rank verification, and his Scout Handbook) with him, your son will then meet with his Scoutmaster for his Scoutmaster conference. This conference is normally a little longer then the ones he has had so far and usually held where disturbances are a little better controlled (the two deep rule is still in affect here.) Your son will normally sign and date his application following his Scoutmaster Conference. If all your son's merit badges and advancements have been verified at this point, the Scoutmaster will sign and date the application. If the Scoutmaster can not verify everything or there is some confusion, the Scoutmaster will normally hold the entire package until verification can be made. The Committee Chair will sign the application following your son's Eagle Board of Review, or upon assurance that the advancement verification has been made if the Board of Review will be held at the district level. At this point your son should be ready for his Eagle Board of Review. The Eagle Board of Review's first responsibility is to make certain that the Scout understands what he has achieved with his pending rank advancement and the additional responsibilities that the Scout will assume as he grows within the Troop and his community. Your son should walk away from the Board knowing what he has achieved is something very worth while. The Eagle Board of Review will be arranged by the Committee Chair upon assurance that your son's advancement verification has been made. The Board will be made up of the Committee Chair, who will be the Board of Review Chairman, your son's District Eagle Advancement Committee representative, and three or four additional adult members selected by the Committee Chair. The additional members are to have a general understanding of the goals of Scouting and an appreciation for the rank your son is trying to achieve. The following persons may not sit in on the Board of Review: the scout's parents/guardian or other relatives, those under the age of 18, and unit leaders. The Scoutmaster may remain in the room but may not participate as a Board member (the Scoutmaster may be asked questions by the Board for clarification but the Scoutmaster may not answer questions for or from the scout.) The Board does not re-test the candidate. The questions range from general information about the scout (ice breakers to relax your son) to philosophical questions to make certain that the candidate recognizes and understands the value of Scouting in his home, unit, school, and community. Eagle Boards of Review range in time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending on the questions asked and your son's answers. The Board will normally not "cut off" the scout during his responses unless he begins to ramble. It is best if the scout does not overload himself the on the day of his Board (i.e.: school + sport practice + Eagle Board of Review) Your son is to be in complete uniform including his merit badge sash. His scout hat is optional as he will need to remove it inside the building anyway. He should be wearing dress shoes with clean nails and have his hair combed. The Board will need time (15 to 30 minutes) prior to interviewing your son to review his handbook, Eagle Application, Letters of Recommendation and his Eagle Project write up. This way they can become a little familiar with your son's achievements and formulate their own questions. Additional copies of the completed Project workbook will assist the Board in their review. Therefore your son will need to be at the Board meeting place 30 minutes prior to the actual starting time for his Board of Review. During this review time, the Scoutmaster will be talking to your son and checking with the Board. At the beginning of the Board of Review, the Scoutmaster will enter the room with your son. Both parties will stand before the Board. After introducing your son to the Board members, the Scoutmaster will take his seat (usually behind the candidate) and the candidate will remain standing until the Board invites him to be seated. In most cases the candidate will be asked to say his Scout Oath prior to being seated. Scouts should answer in complete sentences and look at the persons asking the questions. Other pluses your son should remember are: try not to fidget; sit up straight; avoid using slang; and smile once in a while. After the main interview is over, the Scoutmaster and the candidate will leave the room. The Board members must come to a unanimous decision. If there is not a unanimous decision, your son may be required to answer some additional questions. If the Scout is not actively participating in his review, or appears to have little or no interest in the questions being asked, the Board is obligated to inform the Scout that he will need to come back at a later date when he is truly prepared. If the Scout does not pass the Board of Review for any reason, the Board is required to specify to the Scout exactly why he did not pass. The Board must list explicit reasonably obtainable goals for the Scout to pass. A written copy of these goals should be given to the Scout and the Committee Chairman at the conclusion of the Board. (a little bureaucracy here) He passed, but passing the Board is not all there is to it . Upon reaching a unanimous decision that the candidate meets all the requirements for the rank of Eagle, your son will have completed his Board of Review. The Committee Chair and District Rep. will sign your son's application and Advancement Report. {Character reference letters will be maintained and destroyed by the Committee Chair} Some of your son's paperwork will be forwarded up to Council for review and logging in. The Application will be forwarded from Council to Irving Texas (BSA, National) for final approval. Once BSA, National, approval is obtained ( 3 to 5 weeks), then your son can start scheduling his Eagle Court of Honor. The date the Board of Review recommends your son for advancement is the date he is considered an Eagle Scout (pending National's approval). At an Eagle Court Of Honor, the Eagle rank is bestowed upon a Scout in reorganization for his achievements. Because it is the highest rank your son will achieve, it is normally not combined with another event (sibling's birthday, another Scout's rank advancement, or anything else that will lessen the 'highlight' for your son.) An Eagle Court Of Honor is usually a somewhat solemn event that follows a script prepared by the Scout and his family. WHAT, A SCRIPT PREPARED BY THE FAMILY? Oops, did that come as a surprise? Not to worry. The Scoutmaster and other Troop leaders can help you 'cut and paste' a script that will help you personalize the Court Of Honor for your son. At this time there are numerous Eagle Court Of Honor scripts on the internet (most are good, others not so good but it depends on one's tastes), search on BSA Eagle Court Of Honor. {Since we have no control over other's sites, we are not listing their URLs at this time.} The unit leaders can assist you in locating good scripts or proofreading the script. A general flow for most scripts will contain the following:
It is customary to have a reception following an Eagle Court Of Honor so family members, guest, and others in attendance can congratulate and talk with your son. Refreshments, provided by the family, are nice touch. Most refreshment are in the range of a cake and drinks (punch etc.). The Scoutmaster or Committee Chair can help suggest ideas, remember though that you want your guests to remember your son's achievements not the party afterwards. Things to remember in preparation for the Eagle Court Of Honor:
On the day of the Eagle Court Of Honor:
Now wasn't that easy! |