WRITTEN BY: ADAM RIEDEL, SCOUTMASTER TROOP 899
Life rank is not a small accomplishment, but the real challenge has just begun. The final ascent to Eagle is the longest and hardest portion of the advancement trail in Scouts BSA. However, it is important to me as your Scoutmaster that I help you find a way to achieve that goal. As a Scoutmaster who has guided several Scouts along that journey and someone who has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, I feel a personal calling to provide a roadmap to success.
But first, a reminder and a warning. While the road is challenging the biggest worry you must overcome is the looming deadline of your 18th birthday. All requirements must be completed and your application must be submitted to the Council office for verification before your 18th birthday. When you turn 18, you will no longer be able to be registered as a youth Scout and will not be eligible to earn the Rank of Eagle Scout. While it is possible to push the limits down to the last few days before your birthday, but I strongly recommend against this approach. It is better to leave yourself some margin for error, or things that pop up unexpectedly.
With that out of the way, lets talk about how to get there.
Schedule a meeting: set up a meeting with either the Scoutmaster or the Advancement Chair shortly after completing your Life Scout Board of Review. Use this time to discuss what merit badges you still need to complete, as well as the other steps towards that you need to complete on your road to Eagle Scout.
Make a plan: take what you learned from your meeting and make a plan to finish the required merit badges. Don’t forget that some of them require 90 days of tracking and effort. Do we have a counselor in the Troop that you can work with? Do you need to attend a Merit Badge College? What about taking some of them at Summer Camp?
Stay involved: you have completed all the advancement items that require you to serve others in your unit, but you need those same Scouts to help you through your next steps of the journey. You will not be successful with out them.
Get organized: pull all of your Scouting materials together and get them more organized than just a pile or a “box of stuff”. Get a notebook and make sure you are taking notes during meetings with your Scoutmaster and Advancement Chair. Troop 899 provides a binder to its Life Scouts to help with this process. Use it to help you be successful in every step going forward.
Ambition Statement: something that can be easily overlooked since it is a one line item on your Eagle Scout Rank Application. But this statement should be a one page essay about what you would like to pursue in life with information about how your Scouting journey helped to influence that decision. This is a document that will need to be edited several times and should be looked over by several of your leaders SEVERAL times.
Recommendation letters: Every potential Eagle Scout needs to request letters of recommendation from individuals that have helped them grow and mature on their path to Eagle Scout. These letters can be written by members of the Troop Leadership Team, teachers, community members, members of the Scout’s church, coaches, etc. Anyone who has had a positive impact on the Scout’s life is able to submit a letter. These letters are to be sent directly in a sealed envelope to the Scoutmaster and will be handed over to the Board of Review Committee.
Eagle Scout Project: this step will take you the longest and will test your Scout knowledge and leadership abilities. Not only is is a challenging task but there are several necessary checkpoints along the way. It is critical that you work closely with your Scoutmaster and Advancement Chair through every step of this process. They have gone through it more than once and will be able to coach, guide and counsel you through the process. Listen to their recommendations. They are working hard to make sure you are successful.
Scoutmaster Conference: The final step before your Eagle Scout Board of Review. As a Scoutmaster, I use this time to ensure that the Eagle Scout Candidate is properly prepared and that all aspects of the rank have been successfully completed. I also take this time to encourage and prepare the Candidate for the next step. As a Scoutmaster, I view this step as a responsibility to set up the Scout for success. If, while working with the Scout through this conference, we uncover something that needs to be completed, corrected, updated, etc, we will not proceed to the next step. Once everything is completed and in order, I encourage the Scout to complete a final review and preparation for the Eagle Scout Board of Review.
Board of Review: exactly as it sounds. This is the final step in the process. Not very different than the other BORs that a Scout has experienced, but this time there may be some new faces on the other side of the table, it will take a little longer, and the celebration after completion is a little sweeter. This BOR is set up by our Troop Committee Chair and the Board Members are hand selected. While this portion of the process can cause the most anxiety, it is important for the Eagle Scout Candidate to remember they have worked hard and earned the right to be there.
Celebrate!
If the Scout is willing to work with their Scoutmaster and Advancement Chair, listen to their advice and demonstrate the things they have learned along their journey to this point, the Eagle Scout Rank is attainable. This final ascent on the Eagle trail may be full of difficult steps and pitfalls, but your fellow Scouts and your Troop Leadership Team are here to support you on your way to success. You have earned the rank of Life Scout on the merits of your efforts and knowledge. Trust in the things you have learned, heed the guidance and direction provided to you, allow your passion for Scouting to shine through and you will successfully complete your Eagle Scout Rank!
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