Eagle COH Ideas and Scripts

[Krampus]

My son is completing his Eagle...hopefully soon. I was interested in any special ceremonies or ideas you may have seen or have done in your unit that made the ceremony unique and special. If you have scripts you'd share even better. Thanks.

[Stosh]

The impressive ceremonies I have seen in our neck of the woods are those that are designed and run by the adults.

 

The most memorable ceremonies I have seen in our neck of the woods are those that are designed and run by the Scouts.

 

You're asking the wrong people.  

 

The memorable parts I remember is the PL doing the MC of the event.  He may not be an Eagle himself, but the PL is the one responsible for helping that Eagle scout get to that place in his life.  If the scout has had multiple PL's over the years, they are all invited to have a part of the ceremony....  His patrol members do the flags....  I like the comments part where the Eagle points out the special things he remembers about his scouting experience AND where he plans on going now that he's an Eagle.

 

I don't think the boys have ever used a script, but did more of an outline and left it more open to comments that were appropriate at the time rather than trying to read a script.

 

Other scouts were given the opportunity to say things about the Eagle if they wanted to.  That was usually their buddies sharing experiences they had with him on different activities, etc.

 

All the scouters including the SM sat in the audience with the family and friends.   The only time I have ever participated in a ECOH was when I was asked to come up and receive a mentor pin.

 

I guess I just enjoy the more relaxed semi-formal approach the boys come up with rather than the more formalized approach of the adults.  Kinda like the feeling between sitting around the campfire vs. doing a flag ceremony.

[qwazse]

On tradition that I had from my scouting years, was that the boy selected three or four speakers to discuss the meaning of Eagle or the boys scouting career. (3 to five minutes each.) They were seated up front.

 

Once the court was convened, the MC would take the Eagle award and ask each person to hold it as they spoke. Then hand it to the next person. Finally the MC would get the award and hand it to the boy's mom so that she may pin it on him.

 

Needless to say scripts were kept to a minimum with this format.

[Krampus]

Stosh, it is tradition where I live for the parents to run the Eagle COH. The usual format is to have the committee chair and SM say a few words. Usually there is a scout who needs the communications merit badge acting as emcee. If no one wants that role it may fall to an invited guest of the Eagle. They do the Eagle charge, the presentation of the award, mother's/father's pin and usually a plaque. Then the scout speaks. Sometimes it is like a roast format. Other times it may be more solemn. Besides the usual flag ceremony and candle lighting, and the gratuitous slide show, that's it.

 

Was looking to see if any troops had any other such traditions or things they worked in to their ceremonies. 

[desertrat77]

Krampus, I subscribe to what Stosh said:   the adults will put on a dynamite ceremony, but a scout-run one will be more memorable and meaningful.   Especially to the Eagle.   And the adults will be wowed at the intellectual capabilities of their scouts.

 

The adults are well-meaning and want to show their respect for the Eagle, and make it a top-notch event.   But then it turns into a major production, over which the Eagle has little/no input.

 

Which is ironic, given that self-sufficiency, organizing, etc., are all attributes of an Eagle.   We are about to present him an award that recognizes his ability to forge his own path, but yet at the ceremony commemorating that very quality, he is like the groom at a wedding--a mere functionary.  Show up at this time, this uniform, stand here, then here, try to smile, and don't screw up and drop the mother's pin

 

We talk about "boy-led" scouting.   An Eagle ceremony should be a reflection of that principle.

 

I like the format for your troop...sounds like the Eagle could really work some of his own personal preferences into the proceedings.   Please let us know how it goes, and congratulations to the Eagle and Mr./Mrs. Krampus!

Edited September 21, 2015 by desertrat77

[Krampus]

You lucked out if Mrs. Desertrat only told you where to show up and how to dress. Mrs. Krampus had me fully involved for the whole thing.

 

I hear what you and Stosh are saying. I would agree. However, in my area (north of Dallas) the Eagles and the family do the whole ceremony. It is pretty much tradition down here, much like prom-posals and giving out these 30" mums for homecoming (don't get me started).

 

We have our son working to develop what he wants in the ceremony. It is, after all, his event. He has his friends and a few adults coming up to say things about his scouting career. He's given his mom and I a few portions to fill in. I am not very artistic or creative so I was looking to leverage what others may have seen that were memorable.

 

To be honest, my daughter is exceptionally gifted in the design and arts area. I may just subcontract this section to her. I just won't tell her brother.

[desertrat77]

You lucked out if Mrs. Desertrat only told you where to show up and how to dress. Mrs. Krampus had me fully involved for the whole thing.

 

I hear what you and Stosh are saying. I would agree. However, in my area (north of Dallas) the Eagles and the family do the whole ceremony. It is pretty much tradition down here, much like prom-posals and giving out these 30" mums for homecoming (don't get me started).

 

We have our son working to develop what he wants in the ceremony. It is, after all, his event. He has his friends and a few adults coming up to say things about his scouting career. He's given his mom and I a few portions to fill in. I am not very artistic or creative so I was looking to leverage what others may have seen that were memorable.

 

To be honest, my daughter is exceptionally gifted in the design and arts area. I may just subcontract this section to her. I just won't tell her brother.

Mrs. Rat and I eloped, thus circumventing the whole wedding process/industry!  

 

As I read your post, I really like the whole-family approach...very cool!   

[Stosh]

Tradition is tradition and that's what you need to go with.

 

However, with that being said, I would take my cues from others with the same traditions.  Here, in my neck of the woods, ECOH's are still a scouting activity.  Yes, the setting, the reception, dates, and such are all set up by the family, but the ceremony is a scout activity.  If the troop is strongly adult-led, the adult leaders pretty much design and run the show, if it's a boy-led program, the boys run the show.  When in Rome do as the Romans....

 

If families are running the show, I would find out what other troops are having a ECOH and have the families check out what others are doing for suggestions rather than ask the rest of us operating under different traditions.

 

Your situation is a bit different when the family includes scouters.  I have seen in our area where the adult leader will wear civilian clothing and come to their son's ECOH as a parent and not as an adult leader.  Others wear the uniform and participate as an adult leader but step out of that role briefly to accept the parent pin.  One leader told me he wore civilian clothing so as to not detract from his son's achievement.  He didn't even want any of the pictures of the family on that day to have their son in uniform as the center of attention.  With a smile one parent said he wanted his son to know it was his dad there that day, not just another scout leader.  

[SSScout]

There has to be a consensus here. From the taciturn teen that wants NO ceremony to the grandparents that want to rent out the local Hyatt and cater a sit down dinner with Bill Gates for a guest speaker...

 

My favorite was the Scout whose grandparents farm was a favorite place to camp. So they organized the CoH at a campout there. Folks had to hike in several hundred yards, bringing their own camp chairs. The Scouts set up a table and there were candles and some speeches about "what Scouting means to me" and the Eagle's history with the Troop. It was very moving and appropriate. Potluck dinner, campfire fare. After the old folks went home, the Scouts stayed up with the other ASMs and SM and smooshed thru the night....

 

Have a BBQ on the church back lawn. Do a nice CoH , let the Scouts do their usual thing, include the Eagle Charge (some version, there are several nice versions out there, no "official" version that I know of) Invite earlier Eagles from your Troop to attend. Invite some famous people that you admire, they might come! At the very least, you might receive a nice congratulatory letter.

[5yearscouter]

Most of our troop does a basic sit down in a rented church hall court of honor,

with something like the eagle mountain script or the light a candle for each point of the scout law,

sometimes with a scout of each rank doing the meaning of the scout ranks court of honor scripts. 

 

Followed by a full sit down catered dinner with dessert. 

Sort of like a wedding reception.  A really huge deal and very costly.

 

The most memorable was my oldest son's Eagle CofH. 

My son broke with that tradition above completely.

He is a Vigil member of the OA and most of his scouting has been strongly OA

dong lots of ceremonies and service.

So he wanted his OA ceremony team to do the Eagle ceremony with firelighting and regalia.   

Like this one

http://www.eaglescout.org/finale/coh/template06.html

with a few changes to meet the needs of the troop/community/people who wanted to give or say certain things.

 

It was held outside and only included cake and punch.

 

After my oldest broke with tradition with his outdoor court of honor and having minimal refreshments,

a lot of parents seemed to let out a deep sigh.  It had become like a contest of who could outdo the last  person.

A couple scouts had kinda skipped ECofH cause their parents couldn't afford to do it "right"

and that is very sad.

 

So now once tradition has been rewritten,

we've had Eagle cofh at the park with ice cream after,

at a swimming pool with swimming afterwards,

on a basketball court with a family style BBQ potluck afterwards,

and a breakfast CofH the morning before the scout left to work at summer camp for the summer. 

 

My younger son, if he finishes his eagle, which I certainly hope he will,

was talking about having a Campout and Campfire for his Eagle CofH. 

So we shall see....

[Stosh]

@@5yearscouter I like those "non-traditional" kinds of things for the ECOH especially if the boys do the ceremony.  It's supposed to be for the boys anyway.

 

My first wife and I split many years ago and when it came time for my youngest to graduate from high school the Ex did the big hoopala graduation, invite the world, have a big feed, etc. thingy in June right after the graduation.  I told my daughter I would host a party for her too.  So we sat down and she invited all of her closest friends from high school to come over on a Sunday afternoon, they had all the fixin's for kabobs laid out on a table, chairs set out on the lawn and they made kabobs, drank sodas and talked for over 5 hours.  My daughter had missed out on the other parties because there were too many all at the same time and had only 5-10 minutes to make an appearance before having to leave.

 

She said the party I had for her meant the world to her because she finally had the opportunity to sit and talk with her friends as they got ready to move on with life.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Stosh

[andysmom]

In our troop the Eagle Scout and his family write the script for the ceremony and ask whoever they want to play the various rolls.  Thye only imput the troop has is providing links for ideas and proffreading the script.  They generally have someone read a poem or the ranks to Eagle, the Scoutmaster usually presents the rank, (honor guard escorts the parents to the front and presents and puts the new necker or bolo on the scout, Mom pins rank on, Dad presents certificate, parents pins presented, hugs and pictures all around and parents are escorted back to seats),  One of oyur scouts had his Eagle Scout grandfather in uniform pin his rank badge on, that was cool.  Eagle  Charge and Oath are generally done by a leader, but our tradition for this part is that before giving the oath, the presenter calls to the front all the Eagles from the audience and they state their name, the year and troop they earned their Eagle in.  They stand at the front and repeat the Eagle Oath as the new Eagle does and are the first to Congratulate the new Eagle Scout as they exit the stage.  That is my favorite part of the ceremony for some reason, maybe its because you may not know that someone is an Eagle Scout or maybe it is knowing that the Eagles on stage, from the newest to the oldest, have something in common that they earned, I am not sure.  The CC gnereally reads letter of congratulations .  The Scout usually has someone say a few words about the project and someone say a few words about the scout, benediction, colorguard and food.

 

Food has been as simple as cheese and crackers, mast families just do finger foods or salads, we had one scout do giant submarine sandwiches.  One family did make your own sundaes, that was fun.

 

Our Courts of Honor are usually held in the church with the food being set up in the church basement, but the church (our CO) doesn't want us to use the sanctuary during the months of November to March now so it will be interesting to see where ceremonies will be held.  My own son has said that if he makes Eagle he would like his ceremony to be in the dining hall at our local camp.  It is a huge A frame building with a wall of windows, it is beautiful, but the significance to him is that is where he was awarded his Bobcat badge as a cub and he thinks it would be a great place to earn his last rank badge.  I tend to agree.

Edited September 23, 2015 by andysmom

[Krampus]

All good ideas. Keep 'em coming.

[Southpaw]

We have two organizations near by that will bring a live Eagle and do a presentation as part of a Court of Honor.

[Stosh]

We have two organizations near by that will bring a live Eagle and do a presentation as part of a Court of Honor.

Oooooh, @@Krampus that one's gonna be hard to top!