<p>After a couple of threads about sons driving parents crazy, I have positive news to report from our homefront. My rising senior son got his Eagle advancement for Boy Scouts last night! Just over a year ago and about 8 badges short of the requirement, he told us he would like to go for Eagle. My husband and I both thought it was a long shot because he’s never been particularly motivated or passionate about anything except World of Warcraft. (This is a wretched computer game that is addictive and can suck up hours of time.) </p>
<p>However, he went to summer camp, got four merit badges there, advanced a rank, became a patrol leader and then earned the remaining 4 merit badges. His Eagle project was to clean streams in the township and he got lots of participation for that and we cleared 2 pick up loads of rusted farm machinery and litter. On the day before his 18th birthday we hurried with our paperwork to the council office and suprisingly, everything was in order. I had suggested that he put everything into a binder with pocket protectors which did look official and impressive. The last step was the Board of Review which took place last night. It took about an hour for the committee to interview him, but he said it was pretty smooth. Yay!</p>
<p>The timing was perfect since yesterday was the last day of finals and he’ll start a 40 hour a week summer job on Monday. I am so relieved to have this school year and the Eagle hoping done with. NOW, he’s got a hook for college. Anyone have sugestions for the Eagle ceremony and party?</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son. My son just had his troop review and won’t have his district review for a couple of months, so I don’t have any suggestions, but I seem to recall seeing a book or pamphlet on the internet with suggestions.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son! I will have to show this posting to my son who is currently contemplating trying to complete two badges and go for his Eagle. He turns 18 in Nov. and H and I were not very encouraging, I’m afraid, feeling that it is too late. I guess this proves that if you really want something, you can do it! </p>
<p>A question: Your son turned in his paperwork on the day before he turned 18, so as long as the project is completed and paperwork gets in, one can still get the Eagle even if he has already turned 18? I thought the whole process including ceremony had to be done by 18th birthday? </p>
<p>Most of the Eagle events S attended were restaurant deals. A particularly nice one was a Sunday brunch at a golf club in the spring, which I know was very expensive but it was the only EC the child had done, so the parents went for it. This child, too, was a big videogame player. My S particularly enjoyed one Eagle that was a barbeque and pool party on a hot summer day. </p>
<p>Again, congratulations to your son on a great achievement!</p>
<p>Blizzard,
as long as your son is a Life scout right now he shouldn’t have any trouble getting his Eagle if he starts work right NOW on everything. The timeline is something like this: Life scout and must have leadership position for 6 months after turning Life. This does not seem that important because usually the Eagle candidates are the active older scouts but in some cases they may not be serving in a leadership position after Life but they HAVE to be for the Eagle requirement.</p>
<p>Project has to be figured out - use Life to Eagle workbook and get it approved by sponsoring agency and troop committee or scoutmaster then local council Eagle committee. Do project - have lots of documentation including sign up sheets and then sign-in, sign-out sheets at project site. Write up what happened again using the Life to Eagle workbook, get three letters of reference, get scoutmaster to sign everything from workbook and bring the workbook to the council office. When we did this the day before his birthday, we waited and made sure that everything paperwork-wise was in order including making sure that all his advancements and badges were accounted for. The board of review and party can take place after the 18th b-day. From what I heard, there are many, many boys at the council office the day before their 18th birthday. You just want to make sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed by then because they can’t go back for a do-over. Good luck! BTW, lots of info on the 'net about Eagle projects including the Life to Eagle workbook. Like the barbeque and pool party idea…</p>
<p>Kathie, congratulations to you and your son! As a mom of four D’s and no S’s, I’ve always wondered what’s involved in becoming an Eagle scout. If you could explain, I’d love to hear!</p>
<p>Congratulations Kathie! My daughter’s boyfriend also turned in all of his Eagle stuff right before his 18th birthday! It seems they must all do that. Then he couldn’t find his uniform shirt for his Board of Review and had to run around at the very last second to borrow one from a friend. But everything was approved, so all’s well that ends well! You must be very proud of your son and it sounds like his project was a very big help to your community.</p>
<p>Although you must tell him that now he can never commit a crime or otherwise get his name in the papers in a unfavorable way. Because from now on all news stories telling of of misdeeds will begin with:</p>
<p>“A former Eagle Scout was arrested today and charged with…”</p>
<p>i made eagle exactly 15 days ago, but i am still 16 (turn 17 tomorrow)…it is a great feeling knowing that it is done and i wont have to worry about in the fall of 2005 with college applications and other stuff like that…also like u said, i will have a hook (sort of) for college with this eagle rank.</p>
<p>coureur,
good one! One of the questions from the board of review was, “What do you think the general public thinks of an Eagle Scout?” Son said that they are thought to have above average moral standards and I think that’s about right. This will keep him on the right path, eh?</p>
<p>Alwaysamom, I’ll give you the abbreviated version of what it takes to be an Eagle… Have to do a minimum of 21 merit badges. Some of the merit badges are easy and some take quite a bit of work. For instance, the citizenship in the community asks for information about community government and they have to attend a local meeting (son went to school board one), learn about a local volunteer organization and then volunteer for 8 hours. Every merit badge has to be documented for each step and only trained merit badge counselors can sign off on them. Must have advanced to “Life” scout before they can begin the Eagle project. Life is the 6th step on the advancement stage and not many scouts make it that far. At every advancement (tenderfoot, 1st class, 2nd class, etc) there are certain things that had to have been done like service requirements, so many badges, troop participation, etc.</p>
<p>Once the scout becomes Life and decides he really wants to be an Eagle Scout he will probably have a few more merit badges to earn and then decide on the big project. Each council has it’s own rules on certain aspects of the projects and the paperwork needed. But there are national rules too. Ours expect a minimum of fifty hours spent on the entire project, including the paperwork and research. My son ended up getting close to 70 manhours for the work aspect of the project due to the large amount of participation. He’s worked on two other Eagle projects where there were 6 - 10 scouts and family members but for his, over 20 scouts and 5 parents/leaders turned out for one of the two outings. We had good weather and gave the kids lots of notice. </p>
<p>Anyway, there’s a lot of paperwork and working with different adults, which can be particularly challenging for boys I think. I’ve read that only 1% of boy scouts make it to Eagle. </p>
<p>Grad '06 - Congrats to you! Unlike a lot of EC’s that kids are involved in, being an Eagle Scout doesn’t take a lot of explanation for a college application. It’s immediately recognized and respected. good timing!</p>
<p>Thanks, Kathie, for explaining that. It sounds like a wonderful accomplishment and it must bring with it a great sense of accomplishment. Bravo to your son!</p>
<p>Wow, what a great accomplishment. My sons have not been big into the scouts, but DH was an Eagle, so we get to go to the ceremonies of our son’s friends as part of the program . . .I know what a massive undertaking it is!</p>
<p>And FWIW, I think it HAS formed the character of my H, and he is one of the dearest people I have ever met. And so far, he has stayed away from a life of crime :)</p>
<p>Kathiep - Thanks for the info. S has Life scout and was a patrol leader. He has partials on two remaining badges which should be fairly easy to finish. However, he hasn’t been active at all this year due to a heavy school schedule. Regardless of whether he completes Eagle, scouting has been a very rewarding experience for my Son. He has loved the outdoor activities and taken it beyond scouts through involvement with the AMC and SCA. </p>
<p>I meant to add before that I admired your son’s project - very mature and hard working and one to be proud of. Enjoy the ceremony and party, and let us know how it went :)</p>
<p>Grad 06 - Congratulations and Happy Birthday!</p>
<p>Kathiep, Congratulations to you and your Eagle Scout. It’s wonderful to have it as a life accomplishment, but also wonderful that he can include it on his college applications. There’s been several discussions on this board about the value of Eagle rank to the applicant. I, for one, think it is a big plus. In fact at one information sessions that we attended (at UMich) the adrep used Eagle Scout as an example of the “perfect EC.” She said it combined community service with character and most importantly showed a clear progression of responsibility. My son has been delighted to discover so many fellow Eagles among his friends at college. It will be lifetime bond.</p>
<p>One point though, unfortunately Boy Scouts in general has generated quite a lot of negative press because of their position on gay scout and leaders. At one predominantly liberal college, the interviewer (who was a student) aggressively challenged my son on this point. In response he was able to describe the extreme diversity of his troop (we live in Asia, so it’s a special case.) As the Scouts say, Be Prepared.</p>
<p>Momrath has made some valid points about the negative connotation among the general public due to the gay issue. In addition, it is often seen, at least in our area, as “nerdy”. Scouts who progress beyond the Weblos stage often keep quiet about it around school, even when they attain Eagle (though I’m sure they’re glad to put it on their college application). As mentioned in another thread, many go for their Eagle by 9th grade and then disappear. It’s too bad that something that fosters physical fitness, an appreciation for our land, service to others, and many other positive qualities as Momrath mentioned has acquired negative drawbacks.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly. My son has received so much positive encouragement from Boy Scouts. He is very quiet, excellent student, but is totally ignored in school. Boy Scouts has provided him so much positive reinforcement. I cannot say enough about the wonderful men who mentor these kids. Now as a Senior Scout, my son is helping mold the young kids. He really does not care what others think about Scouts. Unfortunately so many of the Seniors do “disappear” because of the negative press. I am constantly amazed at what my son has learned as he has progressed through the ranks.</p>
<p>Another one of the questions from my son’s board of review was to sum up what scouting meant to him in one word and he said, “learning”. I think that’s very accurate. My younger son is 12 and has been in BS for just a year and after the very nuturing world of cub scouts has asked to quit BS a few times. </p>
<p>The last time he asked we had a talk about what his older brother has gotten out of scouts and I talked about all the things he had learned - not only how to camp and swim and take care of himself outside but also how to contact his senator, how to perform CPR or save someone from drowning, how to get along with kids different then himself, how to lead, etc. At school my older son tends to hang out with people just like himself and mostly his own age. Our Boy Scout troop has boys ranging in age from 11 - 18 and as an older scout he has learned how to help the younger scouts. After our last talk, younger son hasn’t talked about quitting and has decided to go to camp again this summer and is also about to move up another rank. </p>
<p>My husband and my father were both boy scouts and I really do think it helped make them the kind men they are today.</p>
<p>I want to add my congratulations; I know what a tremendous accomplishment the Eagle award is. My DS1 stalled out at Life; DS2 is 16 and doesn’t have the motivation to pursue it. That could still change and at this point we’re just happy his is still active in the troop. At the moment his is packing for a training campout for next month’s National Jamboree.</p>
As a mom of four D’s and no S’s, I’ve always wondered what’s involved in becoming an Eagle scout. If you could explain, I’d love to hear!</p>
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