Soaring Like an Eagle--The Eagle Rank Application--Part Two

(more helpful hints from me to you about the Eagle Rank application. you are welcome.)

 ~Eagle project must be completed between the Life Rank and prior to 18th birthday
(you cannot begin your Eagle project before you are a Life Scout. you can think about it--in fact, that is an excellent idea--but no work is to be done on the project)
(I realize this whole 18th birthday thing may not be an issue for most of you but it is for some turkeys--I mean scouts--out there)

~You will need to write an essay outlining your Goals and Ambitions. This should also include a listing of leadership positions you have held in school, camp, community, church, etc. (not Scouts) (so if that means you need to get some leadership experience, please don't procrastinate--get started NOW) Also keep track of honors and awards in earned in areas besides scouting.

Note:  the above mentioned requirement is listed on the Eagle Scout Rank Application, one of the last things you will fill out when finishing up your Eagle requirements. I am just giving you a heads-up. Because I am friendly and thoughtful. In fact, I am so thoughtful I am going to quote for you what the requirement actually says:

     "Take part in a unit leader {Scoutmaster} conference. {make sure you take note of the date of this conference}  Attach to this application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service."

(now really that doesn't sound so hard, does it?) (as I sit here laughing quietly to myself)

~Besides the reams of paperwork involved in this whole thing, there are alot of signatures required.  Double- and triple-check that you have gotten every autograph that you need so you don't end up going back two and three times to the same person to get him to sign something. I'm sure your scoutmaster felt flattered the first couple of times you asked for his autograph but after that, it was probably beginning to get a bit annoying. Besides several signatures from your scoutmaster (also know as your "unit leader" on the application form--why don't they just say "scoutmaster?") and your unit committee chair (you are on your own in figuring out who THAT is)  You will also need to get the Eagle project beneficiary representative to sign before AND after the project is completed,

~Eagle reference letters. Yeah. You have to ask 5 people (6, if you have a job) to write a letter of recommendation for you. Sometimes this is not the easiest thing in the world to do.  Well, except for asking your parents to write a letter for you. They will be glad to do so, especially when you promise to clean your room and take the trash out without being asked for the next 25 years. So you need to find 4 people who know you well enough and like you well enough to write a letter stating that you do indeed live by the principles of the Scout Law and Oath. Request these letters WELL in advance of the date of your final Eagle Board of Review.  Sometimes letters get lost in the mail or you give them the wrong address. (please do not ask me how I know this)



All of the information above pertains to the Eagle Scout Rank Application which you can obtain at:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-728_web.pdf

or I think you can get a copy at your friendly Scout Office. (possibly. don't quote me on this one)


DO NOT wait until the last minute to print and/or fill out the application form in the hopes that you can fill it out in one afternoon. You can't.

Soar on, Eagle candidate!!!

Soaring Like an Eagle--The Eagle Rank Application--Part One

...more hints on how to attain your Eagle Rank in a timely fashion and not make your mom (or anyone else) think you're a turkey









Little known secret:  there is a checklist utilized by the Eagle-Powers-That-Be in ascertaining whether or not you have crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's.

Here for the first time is a short version of that list:
(you didn't think I was going to give you the whole list did you?  you did?? Now you're acting like a turkey...and just so you know, I am not going to hand everything to you on a *turkey* platter)

~Make sure you keep records of the dates when you received various ranks in Boy Scouts.
Dates of the following ranks are especially important:
Scout
First Class                                        
Star
Life


~There must be at least four months between the time you earned your First Class rank and your Star rank.***

~There must be at least six months between the time you earned your Star rank and your Life rank.***

~There must be at least six months between the time you earned your Life rank and your Eagle rank Board of Review which MUST BE prior to your 18th birthday.***

(note: your Eagle Rank Final Board of Review--the conference at the District office when you will have handed in all your paper work and have your final BOR to report on how everything went, answer the questions the committee will have for you and then it will be decided whether or not to grant you the rank of Eagle--can be scheduled for sometime in the three months following your 18th birthday but I highly DO NOT recommend this) (everything else--the Eagle project, the scoutmaster conference, the leadership roles and all required merit badges MUST BE COMPLETED before your 18th birthday)

***You don't have to personally worry about these details--at least in our council/district--I don't know if this is true for other councils--but our council will NOT let your advancement chairperson award your ranks if the time limits are not honored.

~We all know that you must have earned at least 21 Merit badges and you must have records of when each one was earned--month, day, year.  There are 12 required badges and the remaining 9 are badges of your choice.

But did you know:
~Four of those badges must have been earned prior to Star rank and Three prior to Eagle (I assume this means during the time between Star and Eagle)
~No merit badges can be earned prior to joining the troop (for those who have moved from one troop to another, I suppose) (because how can you earn merit badges if you are not a Boy Scout?)

~You must have served at least six months in a leadership position in the troop between getting your Life rank and your final Eagle rank Board of Review (or your 18th birthday--you cannot hold any leadership positions in the troop after your birthday. Or even on the day of your birth. They mean this)

Some of the eligible leadership roles:
Patrol Leader
Assistant Senior Patrol Leader
Senior Patrol Leader
Troop Guide
Order of the Arrow Troop Representative
Den Chief
Scribe
Librarian
Historian
Quartermaster
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Chaplain Aide
Webmaster
Leave No Trace Trainer

                                                           ...to be continued...

Soaring Like an Eagle...Part 3

Choosing an Eagle project...

Keep your eyes open for a likely prospects
Look around for needs in your neighborhood or church
Notice the projects other guys are doing
Ask your church or charter organization
Keep your own talents, interests and skills in mind
Come up with some ideas for fund raising, possibly related to the project but it doesn't have to be
Think outside the box...be creative, be thoughtful, be you!

Soaring Like an Eagle...Part 2

Think "Eagle" when:
 

~choosing which merit badges to work on at a merit badge fair--try to choose at least one "Eagle required" merit badge at each fair
~moving up the ranks--don't dawdle
~deciding whether to help a fellow scout on his Eagle project or to stay home and play video games
~taking on leadership roles








Make a spread sheet or a poster or even an old fashioned "to do" list of the Eagle required Merit Badges as well as a plan for earning them. Ask your scoutmaster if the troop can work together on some of the more involved ones that take a lot of time and require accountability such as "Personal Management" or "Physical Fitness." Begin work on those two as soon as you can. Don't wait until you are a Life Scout; you will be busy enough then!

Speaking of earning merit badges, from now on and forever more, save all the little slips you get when you earn a merit badge. Organize them in your scouting notebook (you do have a scouting notebook, don't you?) in a plastic baseball card organizer. You can organize them alphabetically, chronologically, according to whether or not they are Eagle required...just whatever makes sense to you.

Soaring Like an Eagle or Waddling Like a Duck--Part 1

...some hints on how to attain your Eagle Rank in a timely fashion and not make your mom (or anyone else) think you're a turkey...

Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout is not merely a process of going through the steps to complete a project, checking off tasks on the "to do" list,  finishing the paperwork and then enjoying a ceremony and party. It is a character building, life-altering, significant series of events. Attaining this rank has the potential to affect your entire future! (college entrance committees look favorably on Eagle Scouts,  attaining your Eagle rank looks great on scholarship applications, employers will often choose to hire an Eagle vs. a non-Eagle, networking opportunities abound, skills can be sharpened and sometimes an Eagle project leads to the discovery of talents you never even knew you possessed!)

Your Eagle journey doesn't begin when you are a Life Scout; it begins the minute you cross over to Boy Scouts! Eagle Scouts and leaders agree that it is a good idea to keep your "Eagle" goal of  always in the back of your mind.