Life to Eagle
Congratulations!
You are on your Way to Becoming an Eagle Scout!
Below you will find a lot of helpful information, please review it and become familiar with it, this includes some information for parents and guardians as well.
I've achieved rank of Life Scout, now what do I do?
It's time to start planning for how you will accomplish everything that is required to complete the Eagle Scout rank requirements.
We have provided you a timeline to help you to determine how much time you have to complete the Eagle Scout rank requirements, take some time to complete it and review it so you can develop a plan. Take into consideration any extracurricular activities that may take up some of your time, family trips or school related activities like exams, projects or competitions.
As a reminder all of the requirements must be completed before the scout turns 18, the Board of Review may be conducted shortly after a scout turns 18.
It is recommended that you focus on any Eagle Scout rank required merit badges if those are not complete, be mindful of the other rank requirements and simultaneously begin the process for planning your project.
While winter break, spring break or the summer may sound like a great time for you to work on your Eagle Scout service project, when it comes to meetings and approvals, it can be the worst time. The best plan is to prepare to have everything wrapped up by early April or you may experience delays when requesting meetings with adult volunteers over the summer.
Adult volunteers are required for many facets of the review and approval process including your Eagle Board of Review however, adult volunteers have family obligations, they may travel and/or take time off to spend time with their family over the summer and holiday months. Scouting is a volunteer led organization so they are not required to be available at all times.
Use the timeline provided and prepare for adult volunteers to be unavailable around holidays and holiday breaks, spring break and the summer months. Doing so can help you avoid delays and frustration.
Collecting references is an essential milestone towards becoming an Eagle Scout.
For your Eagle Scout application to be considered complete, you are expected to obtain and submit references from 6 people (5 if you are not employed) who know you personally and can attest that you abide by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law.
The Eagle Scout applicant must supply the name, address, and contact information such as an email address or a phone number of the parent/guardian, a religious official, a principal/teacher/principal/counselor, if applicable, an employer, and two more references.
If the prospective Eagle Scout is not affiliated with organized religion, the parent/guardian can supply this reference. For the other two references, there are no restrictions on who the applicant may list. The scout should identify someone who can speak to their character and how they see the scout living their life according to the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.
We recommend completing this step prior to working on your Eagle Service Project, failing to submit the information for your references can delay your Eagle Scout Board of Review.
In addition to providing ample time for the reference requests to be prepared and sent out, we want to provide the individuals you chose with plenty of time to respond, should a scout wait until the end of the process to submit the contact information, they may not make a request to schedule their Board of Review until at least 2 weeks after submitting the contact information for their potential references.
The process will not be expedited should a scout fail to submit this information in the early stages of working on his Eagle Scout rank.
Once you submit the contact information for your references, you may not reach out to your potential references to remind them or ask for an update. You have completed your part once you submit the contact information, the Advancement Chair will handle the process. Please note that the reference letters are confidential so neither the scout nor his family will be allowed to view the reference letters.
Service to other people is what Scouting is all about.
In many ways, your service project reflects who you are as a youth leader. Your result should be of significant impact in your community to be special, and should represent your very best effort.
Take some time to review our troop guide to the Eagle Scout Service Project.
Your Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, much like a compass, will help you successfully navigate your Eagle Scout service project.
“Fundraising must be approved by the local council except for contributions from the beneficiary, the candidate, the chartered organization, and the candidate’s parents, guardians, or relatives, as well as the unit or individuals in the unit.”
Scouting’s Guide to Advancement: Section 9.0.2.10 Fundraising Issues
Remember, a council application is only needed if you are receiving funds from a source that is not one of the sources listed above. It will be much easier for you to fundraise from the above sources than to submit a fundraiser application.
However, if you’re trying to raise a lot of money in a short period of time, a council application maybe your best option.
Where do I find the Eagle Scout Rank Application?
An Eagle Application is available in Scoutbook. It is available on the Scout Reports menu to anyone with a Full Access connection to the Scout, or to the Scout their self. The report is the official BSA Eagle Application. It is an editable PDF, filled in with information contained in Scoutbook, including merit badges, leadership positions, and various dates. It must be downloaded to your computer before editing.
The Scout should make sure that all the required information on the application is complete. If you have made any mistakes, complete a new form, scratch outs or a messy application could delay the approval process.
Now that I've completed my Eagle Scout project, what's next?
Take time to plan and put your Eagle Scout binder together.
An Eagle Scout binder is a common way of compiling and organizing all of the required documents needed for your Eagle Scout Application. It often includes your merit badge blue cards, Eagle project info, and documentation of your Scouting journey.
Your binder represents you to others before you meet them at the Eagle Board of Review, take your time and be intentional about how you put it together, it should be easy to follow and understand.
Before you can do anything else, your binder will need to go to the Council for review and approval.
Remember that it needs to tell the story of your project since you won’t be there in person to explain it or answer questions. It is highly recommended that you request a meeting with the Troop Advancement Chair to review your binder before it’s submitted to the Council for review and approval.
When you’re ready, a parent or a guardian will take the binder to the Council service center and submit it for review. We recommend calling first to confirm that someone is there before heading over, it's best to make plans to wait on the binder to be reviewed and returned.
Don't have time to drive to the Council Service Center, submit it electronically by following the steps in this link:
Once approved, it's time to submit your binder to the Troop Advancement Chair so that the Eagle Board of Review may be scheduled.
The scout must meet with the Troop Advancement Chair to submit the Eagle Scout binder before we will begin the process of scheduling the Eagle Board of Review.
Please keep in mind that this Board of Review requires multiple volunteers, as well as individuals outside the troop so it may take time to coordinate a date and time when considering the multiple schedules involved as well as the time of year, since volunteers may travel and spend time with their family, the summer months and December may have limited to no availability for a Board of Review so plan wisely.
The Eagle Board of Review
The Eagle Board of Review consists of 3 to 5 volunteers from the district and the troop.
The scout should arrive at least 5 minutes before the scheduled time, in full uniform. Full uniform is defined as having all of the required uniform patches sewn on the uniform shirt, olive green pants or shorts, tucked in with a belt. Closed toe shoes should be worn, no sandals or slides. The merit badge sash should have at a minimum all of the Eagle required merit badges sewn on. If a scout has other awards or an OA sash, he should wear those as well.
The Eagle Board of Review lasts about 60 minutes, the scout should be fully prepared to answer questions for the duration of the board of review.
If a board of review approves a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout, the scout will be told immediately following the board of review, the signed application, reference letters, and any information that might be considered confidential are retained and submitted to the council service center for processing.
The Scout Executive signs the application, certifying proper procedures were followed. The National Advancement Team validates all applications that are received. Then the National Distribution Center generates the credentials and prints, packages, and mails the certificate, pocket card, and congratulatory letter to the council. Upon receipt of the Eagle credentials, council service center personnel will alert unit leadership that the credentials are available for pickup. The process takes 4 to 6 weeks.
For the Parents of the New Eagle Scout - The Eagle Court of Honor
The ECoH can be whatever you’d like it to be, as long as it upholds the values of Scouting.
As a troop we will recognize our Eagle Scouts and their accomplishment during our regular Court of Honor just like we do any other scout earning a rank however, due to time constraints it is just recognition and we do no award the rank pin nor do we recognize the parents or the mentors during this time.
The scout's family is responsible for planning and organizing the Eagle Court of Honor, you may do so individually or you may work with other parents if more than one scout has earned his Eagle Scout rank at the same time. The troop does not organize the Eagle Court of Honor however, you may request leaders and scouts to voluntarily participate.
The Scout’s Eagle Court of Honor should not be scheduled until after the unit is notified that the scout’s credentials have been received.
Things to think about when planning your scout's Eagle Court of Honor:
1) Choose a Venue, Date, and Time: A crucial first step is to decide on a venue, date, and time to hold your Eagle Court of Honor. If you are expecting troop leaders and scouts to volunteer to participate in the ceremony, the date should be at least 2 months out and communicated as early as possible.
2) Send Invitations to the Eagle Scout’s Friends and Family: Since an Eagle Court of Honor is such a significant moment in one’s Scouting career, it's recommended that you send an invitation to everyone who’s supported your scout over the years. These invites should contain the date, time, and location of your ceremony, they can be physical invitations that are mailed out or e-vites that are sent via email. Send them out at least 1 month in advance so your invited guests can attend.
3) Develop Your Eagle COH Script: You should always follow some sort of pre-planned script when running an Eagle Court of Honor, there are plenty available online that you can modify to meet your needs. Keep in mind that an Eagle Court of Honor is usually a long ceremony, so both the speakers and the master of ceremonies (MC) will need to have a detailed outline of what’s going to be said, when. Prepare this and share it at least 3 weeks in advance so they can review it and become comfortable with the script, DON'T ASK THEM TO WRITE IT.
4) Plan the Reception: After almost every Eagle Court of Honor, there’s a reception held which includes light refreshments. Your Eagle COH reception is a great chance to chat, reminisce, and celebrate with your guests, friends, and troop. Think of your guests and the time of the day you've chosen to hold your event. Receptions held between 11-1 or 5-7 typically provide heavy appetizers or a light meal since your guests may cut their visit short because they will be thinking about lunch or dinner. Events held between 1 and 5 typically don't require a meal but desserts and/or snacks are a great way to go. Share with your guests what your plans are in the invitation; "join us for cake after the ceremony", "light meal to follow the ceremony" or "cake and snacks will be available in the foyer after the ceremony."
5) Make sure you have your decorations and supplies for both the ceremony and the reception: Plan to have everything you need at least 2 weeks prior, things can get lost in shipping, broken or maybe the item just won't work so give yourself time to replace anything that's lost or broken, purchase more or find something else.
6) Rehearse the Ceremony: Most families ask that everyone arrive an hour before the ceremony to rehearse, be respectful of leaders and scouts who have volunteered to help, asking them to give up time on the weekend or in the evening to rehearse may backfire by them backing out.
7) Enjoy your ECoH and celebrate your scout's achievement!