When a Candidate is eagle material

[ckleisch]

A young man in our troop is a Life scout and is seeking to finish the merit badges to qualify for eagle. party is 16. Within last 4 months there has been sporadic meeting attendance. Boy indicates he is working at Grocery Store. However, when ever there is a ROTC function or school function he is right there. No problem. Same, applies to any camping trips, fund raisers or community service. Always, seems to have something else to do. To me this seems a lack of scout spirit and leadership. he holds posistion of Jr Asst scoutmaster. He is former Sr Patrol Leader. I know for fact employer is very leniant on scheduling hours. Boy could perform scout posistion if he really wanted too. My question to forum is this sufficient to hold him back from getting his eagle?

[k9gold-scout]

If the scout wants to become Eagle he needs to do his job. The Scoutmaster should meet with this scout and his parents and explaine what will be required of him to finish his Eagle Rank. (most troops save JAS for Eagle Scouts)

[dan]

I beleive that BSA policy says as long as the dues are paid, you are a active member.

The only reason you could hold the scout back is if he not doing his job. sounds like he has already done the leadership roll.

[k9gold-scout]

If this scout has compleated 6 months of leadership since he was a life scout, he has finished that requirement for Eagle Scout. Scout spirt refers how he lives the Scout Oath and Law. You can not either add to or change the requirements. You can only take away his JAS.

[KoreaScouter]

Scout spirit is indeed defined as living the Scout Oath and Scout Law in everyday life. That includes troop activities. Most troops depend on the older Scouts with more rank to help get new Scouts squared away, and to teach them the Scout skills they need to know on outings, campouts, etc. If your Life Scout is a continual no-show at troop meetings/outings, I'd say you have a legitimate issue with his Scout Spirit as it pertains to the Scout Oath "...to help other people at all times...", and the Scout Law "A Scout is helpful". The potential problem is, since there's some interpretation involved here, it may be very difficult to enforce this if it wasn't a part of Scoutmaster conferences in the past.

[yarrow]

I have noticed, and I don't mean to be discouraging, that if a scout has met the requirements, and note that doesn't mean well met, that you can not prevent any boy from becoming an Eagle. Am I right?

[Eman]

Yarrow,

From experience I have to agree with you. I have seen a boy that didn't go camping with the troop for 3yrs. get his Eagle. He did go to summer camp for 1 reason, that's right , he needed an Eagle required merit badge! He's also an OA brotherhood member.

[FScouter]

There may be no need to try to hold him back. The Eagle project requirment may do that for you. If he is too busy with work, play, or whatever, he won't have time, or won't make the time, required to put his project together and make it happen.

[shemgren]

As pointed out by the esteemed Bob White, a local troop cannot add or subtract from the requirements of a rank.

 

According The Boy Scout Handbook, the requirements for Eagle Scout are:

 

1)Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 6 mouth as a Life Scout.

2) Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law in everyday life.

3) Earn a total of 21 merit badges.(followed by a listing)

4) While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of 6 monthsin one or more postions of responsibility (followed by a listing).

5) While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religous organzation, any school, or your community. (This project should benefit an organzation other than Boy Scouting.) The project idea must be approved by the organzation benefiting and the council or district before you start. You must use the Life to Eagle Packet, BSA publication No. 18-927, meeting this requirement.

6) Take part in a Scoutmaster Conference,

7) Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.

 

If a Scout has met all that is required, his is an Eagle Scout. Nowhere does it state that the Scout must exceed these standards, by remaining active beyond the six months as required.

 

It is a loophole that exist, that recognizes, IMHO, that the average age of an Eagle Scout is 17.2 years, and that there a lot of distrctions at that age.

 

In my dealing with Life Scouts, they either are going full tilt for Eagle or are resting on their laurels and wait until almost the last minute to finish everything required. After age 15, they run into girls, jobs and cars; not to mention sports and acamdemics.

 

Scott Hemgren

ADC

Central Minnesota Council

 

[andrews]

1)Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 6 mouth as a Life Scout.

 

It says to be active in the troop, not listed on a piece of paper.

 

Require activity in the troop is completely consistent with the requirement. I would stand for that even if I would later be overruled by the Council or National.

 

Brad

[k9gold-scout]

Many scouts usually finish their leadership requirement and their project before they finish all the merit badges needed for Eagle Scout, this scout has been to most meeting and outings for a 6 month period, now he decides to take it easy sometimes for 2 months or even 2 years.

 

Should the Scoutmaster sign this scouts Eagle application or should he require him to do some additional activities with the troop for the scout spirt requirement?

[slontwovvy]

Or, as a leader I know once said, it's the three W's....work, wheels, women.

[evmori]

I have to agree with andrews. Being active in the Troop is as important as completing merit badges. If the Life Scout shows up when he wants to, then I would question the reason he wants to be an Eagle. Sure it looks good on a college application, but if that is the primary reason the Scout wants his Eagle then he wants it for the wrong reason.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1