What kind of Eagle ceremony?

[scoutmom2]

My son has finally finished up his last required merit badge! His project was done in Sept and his final BOR is coming up. We are planning his ceremony for July when most of the family will be around. He is adamant that he does not want a ceremony filled with poems, songs, and candle lighting. This has been the pattern in our troop. He wants something fun and light and a celebration of his scouting career. We are desperately searching for new ideas to make this work. I still will incorporate an Eagle charge and some of the other traditional aspects of the ceremony. Right now we are considering something similar to a roast, where his patrol members talk about the fun and silly things that have happened along the trail (like being to lazy to stake the tent and having it blow over, the dutch oven oops, etc.) Anybody ever see anything along this line? How did it work and did it go over okay? If anyone has ideas or knows of resources we could check out, we'd appreciate it! Thanks for your help!!

[Eagle1973]

Way back in 1973, my ceremony was a combo of serious and fun. My brother, ASM at the time, lead the roast. No matter how carefully I chose a place to pitch my tent, if it rained, I had a stream running thru my tent... Others were invited to add tidbits.

 

Letters from the President, Senators, FBI Director, etc etc were also read.

 

It's a big deal, but I agree w/ your son, no poems!!!

[mtm25653]

We always have a section where leaders/other scouts tell stories/memories of the Eagle scout. Also, how about a slide show of pictures from his scouting career?

[Trevorum]

Congratulations to your son (and to his parents!). And extra kudos for him wanting to exercise control over HIS ceremony! His ceremony can be as simple or as elaborate as he (and you) wish. It is 100% up to the Eagle's family. Many scouts seem to take the easy way and simply recycle the last Eagle COH (I've actually seen speaker's programs with the name of the last fellow scratched out and the new guy's name written in). In my opinion, the most meaningful (and memorable) Eagle ceremonies are those that are custom designed to fit the personality of the Scout.

 

I guess my own son must have heard me pontificate this way to other candidates. He chose to have a mountaintop ceremony. Short, sweet, and the way scouting should be - outdoors! One of the best parts was the unscripted reminiscences by his old Webelos DL and by his Eagle mentor. Not quite a "roast", but they sure recalled some funny stories! Yes, an Eagle CoH has some solemn moments, but it should also be a celebration. What better way than to remember all those crazy moments along his long journey from little boy to the fine young man he is now. Good luck with your cermeony!

 

[Eagle92]

Reviving an old post since the topic of Eagle by HS came up, and it led me down memory lane.

 

I guess you could say that my troop recycled the ECOH program as it was one created by the troop leadership when the first Eagle came about, but I consider it a troop tradition and wen with it. it especially had memories for me as my introduction to the troop as a CS came when I attended two cousins' ECOH. THAT was the ceremony I wanted, and got 99.999% of.

 

The ceremony was a mix of seriousness and roast. Ceremonial entrance of the Colors and troop, minus the Eagle candidate, me. Opening consisted of lighting candles of the Scout and Law on the log from the troop's first summer camp, reminding us of the virtues that scouting is meant to instill in us. Then I was escorted by the honor guard and present to the troop and audience. One minor change from the program was that my Rep. presented me with a certificate as soon as I entered the room. Then back on cue, the voice of the Eagle spoke, talking about the trail to Eagle.

 

Then the roasting began. My first SPL with the troop happened to be back from Iraq and gave me the roast: talking about my first summer camp, and my first POR as PL under him. It was a great roast, but then it came time to get serious again, and my troop had a part where present Eagles could "challenge" the Eagle candidate. My old SPL was the first one Eagle, and as soon as stood up and "challenged" me, everyone laughs because although he roasted me, he also mentioned the stuff he had seen me do and have heard I've done.

 

Once the challenges were completed, I was given my Eagle Charge by my old SPL and my mother was escorted up by the honor guard. She pined the Eagle and presented me with the certificate. And I gave her the mother's pin. After she was escorted back, I was then presented several other certificates, the most memorable coming from the Marine Corps League, as my religious BOR chairman was the one presenting me with it and at the time I was planning to join the USMC, my old SPL, representing the USN, presented a Navy certificate, and the head of the CCS for the council, who also headed up the CSDC I worked at years before, presented me with the Catholici Committee on Scouting's certificate.

 

I then gave a thank you speech and presented gifts to those who had made an impact on me.

 

Only three things differed between my cousins' cermony and mine 1) the location as we changed COs, 2) the rep had to leave early so presneted a congressional certificate prior to me receiving the Eagle badge, and 3) there was no cool lightening storm serving as a backdrop like at my cousins' ECOH

 

Every troop and Eagle is different. Some troops do have traditions like my old one that, for whatever reason, the Eagles don't want to break. Yes I and other eagles were given the option to do it our own way. Then there are troops that Eagles have complete control over what they want done. Neither one is bad, but when a troop TELLS the Eagle what will be done, there is a problem IMHO. Seen that happen with 1 troop.

[OldGreyEagle]

Scoutmom2, my son had one of the more memorable Eagle ceremonies in the histroy of the troop I serve. People who were there still talk about it as the best ever.

 

It was based on what is known as the Challenge Ceremony and it has participation from the "audience"

 

PM me your EMail and I can send you the script, its guaranteed to make a memory

[CNYScouter]

Check out "Eagle Court of Honor Book" by Mark Ray.

 

This book has lots of ideas for Eagle ceremonies.

 

You should be able to get this through your scout shop as it is available on www.Scoutstuff.org

 

www.Amazon.com has it also

[Scoutmaster Ron]

simple gathering with pictures, items he made in cub scouts, old uniforms and then present him with the rank

[Buffalo Skipper]

I attended some years ago an Eagle CoH which was done with several scouts at a campout/campfire. They did not want a big deal, but patrols made deserts and parents were invited. It was really well done and very tasteful, elegant and an excellent way to receive one's Eagle.

[dg98adams]

My son has seen the last 3 Eagle ceremonies in our Troop done in the CO, but pretty much run the same way. As a full tenure Life Scout and had completed his POR he knows the 2 Eagle MB & Eagle Project is likley to be completed by end of summer 2010.

 

We both have made the observation an Eagle ceremony held outside at our local camp around a bon fire would be different & cool.

 

We'll see what he wants come summer/fall if his Eagle Project is done by then.

[OldGreyEagle]

Just a side note on outdoor Eagle Ceremonies, which are very much way cool.

 

A couple Outdoor Eagle ceremonies I have attended were not, shall we say "geriatric populace friendly". Grandparents and older family members can have a difficult time traversing the obstacles commonly found outdoors that the youth and we more spry leaders hardly realize are present. Depending on the guest list, getting people to the ceremonial may or may not be an issue

[eghiglie]

A boy in my troop asked that his CoH next month be part of the Dec CoH.

 

He knows that the other kids helped him and he doesn't want to overshadow the ranks they earned.

 

On his invites he said to bring canned goods for the local food pantry. It will be indoors, the important thing the that the kid knows is that the Eagle stays with him for life. He'll save the party for High School Grad.

[John-in-KC]

Shoot. July? Have it on Independence Day. Let there be fun, and fireworks, and burgers, and brats, and his commitment to all he is, now and forever.

 

I think his thoughts are grand.

 

Best wishes for his BOR being an evening of laughter and reflection, joy and instrospection. I'm an advocate that he should have great sway in the EBOR site, and some sway in who the EBOR members are, particularly if there are special Scouters and other adults in his life. I know that goes against the latest version of ACP&P, but the EBOR should be his night .

[Beavah]

Yah, congrats to your son, scoutmom2!

 

First, be sure yeh talk to your troop and its boy leaders, eh? This is their ceremony. Your son is only da guest of honor. If all the planning and work in your troop has fallen on parents and parents/adults do what they want, give the troop a gift and put the responsibility and ownership back where it belongs. His youth leader friends are goin' to be a lot better than you at doing the fun and light ceremony he is looking for. And yeh can bet that most boys feel the same as your son!

 

I wouldn't bother with Mark's book. All da ceremonies he compiled in that which I remember are way too full of adult pomp and circumstance. And never, ever read those canned politician letters. B - O - R - I - N - G

 

I'll be honest over the years that the best Eagle award ceremonies I've seen were as far away from da typical Wedding Banquet thing as possible. Outdoors, informal, fun. Roasts are good, but yeh need an MC to keep 'em short and sweet. The ones kids seem to appreciate the most are small and intimate - just their good outdoor buddies, perhaps on their own campout. If it doesn't work for great-grandma or all the adults who need pomp, have a second gathering for them at an open house or reception afterward.

 

I've never seen a kid really remember anything from a Wedding Banquet Eagle-Charge-and-Bluster ceremony, except perhaps da few minutes of slides of his scoutin' activities. But they'll talk about the more intimate and personal receivin' the award outdoors with friends for rest of their life.

 

Beavah

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Oddly enough, I find mself and Beavah to be at odds on this.

 

I always thought it was the boy ceremony to be held according to his wishes (following the oath and law of course)