Eagle Scout – After Your Board of Review

Congratulations on your Eagle Scout Rank!

EagleCOH

Resources & Associations

Now you have been awarded the distinguished rank of Eagle, here are some helpful resources to help you celebrate your accomplishment and keep you involved.

Sample Eagle court of Honor Ceremonies –  Eagle Scout Award suggested ceremonies, as compiled by the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA)

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   National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) – 
   As an Eagle Scout, you will be eligible for membership in the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA). This organization of Eagle Scouts serves and supports those who have attained Scouting’s highest rank. One of the things they do is publish a newsletter that keeps Eagle Scouts informed about special opportunities for Eagle Scouts such as scholarships, special recognitions, special events, staff opportunities, and participation as the Eagle Scout representative in the National Science Foundation programs in Antarctica. Memberships are for five years, and many troops present a NESA membership to youth at their court of honor.

 

Annual Northeast Georgia Eagle Banquet

Each year the Northeast Georgia Council puts on an Eagle Banquet inviting all of the members of the Eagle Class, who earned their Eagle Rank in the prior year, to a banquet to be formally recognized.

This year’s banquet has come and gone.  Be sure to check back here for details on next year’s banquet, which normally is scheduled in the month of May.

Planning Your Eagle Scout Court of Honor

Once you have passed your board of review, then you can start planning your court of honor.  You will probably want to work closely with your Scoutmaster, parents, and other troop leaders.  Some troops have an adult leader specifically designated to help plan courts of honor.  This will be your special day.  Good planning can make it very special.  If you have friends who will be receiving their Eagle awards soon, you may want to do a joint court of honor.

Scheduling

You should plan your court of honor at least 6 weeks after your board of review.  The official national policy states that “The Eagle Scout court of honor should not be scheduled until the local council receives the Eagle Scout rank credentials.”   This review and credential process normally takes two to three weeks, but could take longer.  Your troop also has a lot of work to do to request and receive the recognitions that will be presented at the court of honor.

Invitations

You should send invitations to the people who have made it possible for you to reach this prestigious achievement.  You may want to invite important people in the community such as government officials.  There is a printed invitation cover available from Scouts BSA, or you may want to design your own.  There are also many sources for Invitation, Congratulation, and Thank You cards available on the web.  Try searching eagle scout greeting cards invitations (or congratulations or thank you) for various sources.  Be sure to send out invitations at least 4 weeks in advance.

Mentor

The new Eagle Presentation Kit that includes your Eagle Scout medal, patch, Mom pin and Dad pin also includes a Mentor pin.  You should discuss with your Scoutmaster and other leaders working with you in planning your Court of Honor who you might recognize by presenting this recognition.  It might be a leader in your troop who worked with you through the Eagle Scout process, or it might be someone from the organization you were doing the project for who was very helpful to you in the planning and preparation.  There is no requirement that it has to be presented to anyone.

Ideas for planning

Many resources are available to help you plan your court of honor.  Talk to other youth from your troop or other troops who have been through the process.  Your Scoutmaster, and other adult leaders in your troop, can be very valuable.

Sample Eagle court of Honor Ceremonies –  Eagle Scout Award suggested ceremonies, as compiled by the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA)

http://www.eaglescout.org/finale/coh/coh.html   contains a collection of information for planning your court of honor,     including invitations, physical arrangements, recognitions, and themes.

http://www.eaglescout.org/scouter/EagleBook.pdf   is an excellent resource for ideas on planning a Eagle Scout court of honor.

http://www.eaglescout.org/scouter/scouter.html is a collection of resources primarily directed towards adult Scouters who are supporting youth working towards, or finishing up, the Eagle process.

http://www.eaglebook.com/book.htm is a site that offers a book for sale called The Eagle Court of Honor Book.

http://www.macscouter.com/Eagle/index.html  has references to several good sources for information.

Recognitions

Often one of the highlights of an Eagle ceremony is the presentation of letters of recognition from dignitaries and famous people who are Eagle Scouts.  This is usually handled by your Scoutmaster, or another adult leader in the troop.  You can pass this information along.  There are many sources of recognition names on the web.  Be aware that all such lists get out of date quickly.  Check that for elected officials you are still writing to the current office holder, and for the correct district.  Some sources for information are:

http://usscouts.org/eagle/eaglecongrats.asp

http://usscouts.org/eagle/specialrecs.asp

http://www.eaglescout.org/finale/coh/invite.html

Don’t forget local officials.  Township supervisors and Managers,  County Commissioners, and State Representatives and State Senators often will attend Eagle courts of Honor if asked, or get certificates from the State legislature.

One very special opportunity is to present an American flag flown over the United States Capital building in honor of the Eagle Scout.  This can be arranged through your congressmen.  There may be a cost for this flag or there may not.  Call your congressmen’s office to get the details of costs and how the check should be made out.  As an idea, if it can be scheduled at least three weeks in advance, ask to have the flag flown on the day of the board of review, so the date on the flag certificate matches the date on the Eagle credentials.