Re: Last Minute Eagles
Joseph Alessi (JosephAlessi@COMPUSERVE.COM)
Fri, 29 May 1998 10:10:49 -0400
Troop 251 wrote:
>> The general consensus among the boys was:
The reason the Eagle Scout rank hold such prestige and
honor is that it takes a lot of dedication on the part
of the boy to stay active and participate in scouting
throughout the time they are Eagle Scouts and
hopefully beyond" <<
=
This may be the "consensus" of the boys, but it's not what
the requirements say.
I think that your unit was correct in giving the scout in
question the chance to complete their leadership time: it's
the method that was used that might be suspect.
IMHO, THE SM SHOULD NEVER APPOINT THE SPL. This should
***ALWAYS*** be an elected position.
There are plenty of positions that can be used to fulfill
the leadership requirement for Eagle. Let's look at the list
(for a boy scout troop):
assistant senior patrol leader, =
chaplain aide, =
den chief, =
instructor, =
junior assistant Scoutmaster, =
librarian, =
patrol leader, =
quartermaster, =
scribe, =
senior patrol leader, =
troop guide, =
historian, =
Venture crew chief.
(I don't remember if Bugler was added to the Eagle
list - for this discussion, I've left it off).
Note that you can have more than one instructor, for
example, and several are multiple by their nature (
patrol leaders and den chiefs).
If you have only 10 boys in your troop, each one
can hold a leadership position. A "perfect sized"
troop of 34 (4 patrols of 8 plus SPL and ASPL) can have
12 positions without using any instructors, den chiefs,
JASM's, or a venture crew chief. Just one person in
each of these positions gives a total of 16, or 47% of
the troop. Add three more instructors (one for knots
and lashings, one for first aid, one for compass/map
work, and one for use of wood tools/firebuilding), and
three more den chiefs, and you are up to 22, or 65%
of the troop. For Star and Life, there is also the
option for a "SM assigned position", which could be
used to free up an "eagle qualified" position for
someone who needs it.
In summary, there should never be a problem in making
sure that each and every scout who wants/needs one
can have a leadership position.
YIS
Joseph A. Alessi in Ozwin 2.20
JosephAlessi@Compuserve.com
Vice Chair - Program, Lafayette District
ASM Troop 313
Adviser to the Treasurer, Unami Lodge
I used to be an Owl
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
