Getting Ready for Eagle!

Congratulations on reaching the rank of
Life Scout!

Now the real work begins!

By; Trey Smith Webmaster/Asst. Scoutmaster Troop 413

Like many prospective Eagle Scouts many scouts become frustrated at not knowing what their next step is towards reaching the coveted Eagle rank.

This page will hopefully provide you with some guidance and some helpful tips for parents preparing the Eagle Scout project, and Court of Honor.

Before you get started... The entire process of going from Life to Eagle can take as little as 1 year to complete, but sadly, many scouts run out of time before their 18th birthday. The entire process of projects and paperwork is what separates the men from the boys...

Plan on at least 4 months just to complete the paperwork and have it approved, the project can take upwards of 2-3 months to complete, as well. Leave yourself a buffer of at least 6 months in case things go wrong or unexpected situations arise. (In our case, the holidays delayed our project approval by the project committee by 3 weeks!)

• Get your required merit badges completed first, some eagle required merit badges take 3 months or longer to complete. So, plan accordingly!

• Attain a leadership position throughout your Life rank.

• Stay Active within the troop by attending a minimum of 75% of all meetings, and outings.

• Start working on your project early! Have the Scoutmaster review your project as to the scope and size to ensure the project will not be refused or need modification. Dedicate 1 hr. per week towards your project.

• Eagle projects are very time-consuming and require tremendous amounts of planning. (As you get closer to your project plan on dedicating 1 hr. per day.)

• Have several back-up projects in case the one you choose doesn't workout.

• Communicate with your Eagle Scout Advisor or Scoutmaster as to your status regularly.

• Set a deadline date when you want to make Eagle and periodic benchmark dates to track your progress.

Visit the Mecklenburg County's Eagle Website: http://www.mccscouting.org/Resources/EagleForms.aspx

• Eagle Packet pdf 

• The Eagle Scout Community Service Project:

  • Eagle Scout Project Checklist

  • Eagle Scout Project Requirements BSA

  • Tips & Expectations of the Project Review Committee

  • Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook
    Determine a several possible Eagle Scout Service Projects through discussions with your Scoutmaster, Committee Chairman, or the like.

  • Fill out Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook, pages 1–6.

  • Submit your Project Workbook to the Scout Service Center.

    • Prior to submission, be sure that the Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook is signed on page 6 by a representative of the beneficiary group for your project, your Scoutmaster, and a member of the Troop Committee.

    • Have a scoutmaster or someone familiar with Eagle projects review the project for the scope, size, clarity to ensure it will not be refused or need modification.

    • If your project is refused or needs modification, you must re-submit the packet. This may take another month to receive approval.
       

  • Written approval MUST be obtained from the Eagle Project Review Committee before any work on the project begins.
     

  • The Eagle Project Review Committee will sign the Workbook as the Council Advancement Committee member on page 6.
     

  • This committee meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month so anticipate a month or two before receiving approval.
     

  • The Project Workbook will be returned to you by mail with a written response from the Eagle Project Review Committee. (This will take up to one month in some cases)
     

  • Upon completion of the project, be sure that the Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook is signed by you, by the representative of the beneficiary group, and by the Scoutmaster on page 5.
    Make sure that it is completely filled out and all requested information is given.
     

  • Have your Scoutmaster and Troop Committee Chair review the write-up before submitting for accuracy and errors.
     

  • When it is time to raise funds, make a donation letter with the beneficiary organization's tax ID number. Include an itemized list of the materials, costs of each, quantity, and a brief description of your project and what you hope to accomplish by completing the project. Wear your uniform! Take an adult, and think about including funds for refreshments food, for workers. Grocery Stores give out food gift cards. The TAX ID number is crucial! Businesses will tend to give more donations with the TX ID number because they can write the donation off and have documentation to support the exemption.
     

• Eagle Scout Rank Application (512-728) pdf 

  • 1999 or later printing of the application form is required.

  •  Statement of ambitions and life purpose (Requirement 6, Eagle Scout
    Application)

  • This is your chance to tell us what you plan to do with your life. What interests you, what do you want to study, what profession you may wish to pursue, what hobbies you think you will continue, and so forth. Feel free to submit a page or two for this portion.
     

• The Eagle Write-up:

  • Before beginning your write-up please read all instructions carefully.

  • Print or type information legibly.

  • When entering all dates, be sure to enter month, day, and year.

  • List only 21 merit badges. For numbers 6 and 9, cross off those not earned. If any of those crossed off were earned, they can be entered in numbers 13 through 21, or later on an Eagle Palm application.

  • Enter optional merit badges (numbers 13 to 21) in the order they were earned to satisfy Star, Life, and Eagle. Do not enter merit badges earned later on because they make the application look better. This can cause problems when the Star and Life dates are verified.
     

  References:

  • List the names and addresses of your references on the Eagle Scout application.

  • You may use the Eagle Scout Reference Forms (with your Life to Eagle Package) and give these to your references or request reference letters.

  • You should have a minimum of four (4) letters.

  • All letters of recommendation must be submitted with the completed Eagle package unopened.

  • Eagle Scout Reference Forms

   

  • Service Project Final Report

  • This is a description of your completed Eagle Scout Leadership Project.

  • This should demonstrate beyond any doubt how you planned, developed, and gave leadership to others and what life lessons you have learned that will benefit you in life. (should be 1-2 pages)
    This information is requested on pages 7 and 8 of the Project Workbook.

  • Include before and after photos and drawings, take some of the project in use too! Everything will be returned afterwards.
     

  • Here are some suggestions as to what to include:

    • Why did you choose your project?

    • What was or were the projected budget?

    • What was the final expense of the project?
      (Try to show a cost savings that shows a scout is thrifty, explain how you raised funds, saved money, cut expenses, itemized costs.. )

    • Provide a donations list

    • Whom or what did it help or serve?

    • What was the process you used in planning and developing the project?

    • What was accomplished?

    • How were things done & when? (Create a timeline of when and what took place, document everything!)

    • What problems did you encounter? Explain Why? How did you adjust your plan?

    • Who worked on what, in what capacity, and how many hours did each person spend? (Provide names of all workers, including family, volunteers, no matter what their level of contribution)

    • Provide a spreadsheet of your materials, including cost, quantity,

    • What did you do for safety?

    • Explain how you demonstrate leadership?

    • What Leadership aspects or qualities did you learn?

    • What did you learn from the entire Eagle Scout experience? (1-2 pages)

    • What recommendations do you have for other Eagle candidates?

    • What are your total hours from the planning stages through your final written
      Eagle Scout Service Project report?
       

• Submission of Final Eagle Package
   

  • After the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee Chairman sign the completed application for the Eagle Award, a troop representative or you can submit the application package to the Scout Service Center.
     

  • The Eagle Application Package must include the completed:

  • Eagle Rank Application form

  • Completed Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook

  • 4-Sealed letters of recommendation.

  • The name and telephone number of the troop contact who will be called for arranging the date and time of the Eagle Board of Review.
    (Troop 413 Rank Advancement Coordinator or Scoutmaster)

  • The District Advancement Chairman or District Reviewer will phone the troop contact at the phone number provided with the package to schedule the date and time for the Eagle Board of Review.
    (Plan on 3 weeks before a Board of Review can take place)

  Eagle Board of Review:
   

• Board of Review Procedures

• The Eagle Board of Review is comprised of 3-4 Troop Committee members and 1 District representative.

• This review lasts approximately 1-hour

• The BOR will ask several questions pertaining to the scout's experience, religion, any laws broken, or other informal questions about the troop.

• The scout will be informed after the BOR meets as to he was successful or not.

CONGRATS... You are now an Eagle Scout!

Not so fast... You need to plan your Court of Honor!

Visit our Planning the Eagle Court of Honor Webpage