Eagle SM conference

[ejkelehan]

Simple question...I hope. Do all other requirements for a rank, specifically eagle need to be signed off prior to your SM Conference? I have completed them all, and have a semi-hastily SM conference scheduled for tomorrow. (SM is VERY busy, it was just scheduled right now) i am filling out my application now, and will have that. but does everything else need to be already signed off to have you SM conference?

[moosetracker]

Since it sounds like you have everything complete, what is the everything else you are talking about?

 

What is listed in the Scout Handbook Merit Badges, Project, time into position of Responsibility should be done. But if it is finishing the application, or getting signatures or getting the paperwork in to the council, I wouldn't sweat so much about that..

 

Congradulations on being so near completing the Eagle Rank!

[ejkelehan]

 

Thank you, I have everything completed, and just got in touch with one of the committee members, and am picking up my blue cards tomorrow morning so I should be good to go. i was just worried there might be a problem since the requirements are not signed of in my Scout book, but they are completed. I guess my SM would sign off on completing my project and time in rank, etc. at the conference.

[SeattlePioneer]

Personally, if I were rushed I'd be inclined to delegate the SM Conference to a suitable AS, especially if the Scout in question wouldn't be very disappointed by that.

 

It might be a good experience for an AS, too.

[ejkelehan]

I would be the scout in question. but, our unit commissioner and CC seemed to think that the registered SM must have done/sign off for completing your SM conference. Since I have it scheduled, and should have all my paperwork in order, and the Current SM can do it, i can't see a reason not to do it tomorrow at this point...

[prof]

EJ,

Welcome to the forum!!!

Congrats on being so close to Eagle!

I hope the rest goes well!

Prof

[ejkelehan]

Thanks, I'm hoping the rest goes well too. I must admit, I've been lurking for quite a while, there's a whole wealth of boy scout knowledge here, lots of great information.

[moosetracker]

Interesting to find how lots of other troops operate. You get some of that at roundtable, but more here. Also it is still confined to how your district and council operate, and you find that other districts and councils operate differently, here.

 

Any plans on sticking around in scouting after your Eagle is earned?.. Are you soon to be 18 where if you stay you would be a young adult leader, or do you still have time as a youth?

 

Did you find your unit is operating well compared to other units, a little tweaking, or in need of a total overhaul?

[Eagle732]

"Do all other requirements for a rank, specifically eagle need to be signed off prior to your SM Conference?"

 

The short answer is no, you don't have to have all the requirements signed before a SMC. In fact I (the SM) usually sign all the requirements (except the EBOR) during the SMC. I do the same for Star and Life ranks. The Scouts keep track of their PORs, service hours and merit badges. We discuss all of this during the SMC and then I sign off the requirements. Hope this helps and congratulations!

[Twocubdad]

732 is correct, a SMC can occur any time in the process. However most folks will agree the natural place for the SMC is when the other requirements are met. I think many troops use the SMC as the final check before a Board of Review. We do. Although I'll frequently conduct SMCs for upper ranks with NO requirements physically signed off -- completed, but not signed off. Service, leadership, and spirit are usually discussed and signed-off during the conference (and completed merit badges are self-evident).

 

It is also worth noting that I confer with my Scouts all the time. I have conferences with my SPL three or four times a week. I had any number of conferences sitting around the campfire last weekend. There is nothing wrong with counting those for the official SMC, many troops do. Personally, when I am conducting a conference specifically for a rank requirement, I want it to be more formal, with a bit more effort and preparation by the Scout and covering specific topics.

 

While we usually do the conference last, from time to time I'll have a Scout who hasn't completed another requirement or maybe is totally unprepared to advance. Since we have, in fact, conferred, I'll go ahead and sign-off the SMC before the other requirement is met, but remind him to complete the other requirement(s) before requesting a BOR. (Only once have I had a Scout in this situation request a BOR anyway. The BOR chairman caught the fact that the other requirements weren't complete and called me in to the board. Of course the rest of the Board was spent discussing "Trustworthy".) We now have a form I sign and give Scouts when they are ready for a BOR. It wasn't specifically in response to that Scout, rather a former advancement chair who wanted a note from the Scouts to help him remember to schedule the BOR. It now includeds a line for my authorization and contact info for the new AC.

 

Back to Eagle, it seems to me the Eagle app process is detailed enough that I end up meeting a couple times with candidates -- finalizing project reports, getting the Scouts started on the application process, tracking down references (contrary to policy, our council requires the Scout/troop to do that), getting final signatures. Somewhere during all that we sit down over a cup of coffee for an more philosophical chat. But as with the other ranks, the topic of that conversation tends to be service, leadership and the Ideals. The Scout needs to have completed those requirements prior to the conference in order to discuss them.

[qwazse]

Ej,

 

I think you're set for the SMC in spirit.

Different troops have different levels of paperwork anxiety. But generally we work with whatever the boys bring to the table and identify any steps that must be done. If there's something simple like signatures or letters of recommendations to nail down, we won't ask for a do-over on the SMC. If it turns out you didn't complete your Eagle project, for example, we'd probably have you schedule a conference after after you got that done!

 

Our troop invites several ASMs on the conference so that we make sure we've covered everything. Sometimes one of us will make a phone call to someone do double-check a fact that we're not sure about.

 

Anyway, congratulations. You and your folks should be proud of your hard work.

[ejkelehan]

Just finished my SM conference, all went well. hopefully board of review in the next few weeks. Yes, I plan to stick around as an instructor, I am 18 next September. March on 2013 I hopefully will begin thru-hiking the AT.

My troop has been thru quite a lot in the past 7.5 years. we have been thru 4 scoutmasters, who either could not commit the time, or had other things come up. Our current SM is an eagle scout, and one of my good friends, he is 26 and between me, him, and the other ASM's, the 3 of which are also eagle, and good friends of mine, we are starting really moving towards a boy-led troop, since the youth consists of me and Middle Schoolers, and I just finished a year of being SPL in sept., I am sorta filling in wherever I am needed, as a sort of instructor/JASM. I've seen quite a few different leadership styles, and we seem to be headed in the right direction.(This message has been edited by ejkelehan)

[Eagle732]

Congratulations on a successful EBOR!

I thru-hiked the AT this year. I'd be glad to discuss it with you.

[ejkelehan]

Not quite EBOR yet, my SM conference was today. Hopefully EBOR in a few weeks. I'd love to discuss the trail with you, might we worth a new thread, I imagine there are probably quite a few folks interested in it. I am starting with about ten friends who work at horseshoe scout reservation with me, we'll see if we can stick together the whole way.

[Eagle732]

Where's Horseshoe? We have a camp near me by that name.