Issue 607 – July 9, 2019

Hi Andy,

I’ve been a committee member for my son’s troop for several years, mostly handling campsite and summer camp reservations. I’ve just been asked to be the troop’s advancement coordinator, and I agreed to handle this. But I need some advice about courts of honor for our Eagle Scouts.

We’re a solid and successful troop, and have anywhere from three to six new Eagles every year. In addition to our regular courts of honor, which are always very well attended by our Scouts and their parents, we also have courts of honor for our new Eagles. Mostly these are one Eagle at a time, and in some cases the Scouts want to share the ceremonies, so we may have two to four Eagles all at one time at the same Eagle court of honor. The problem, which I’ve been watching for the past several years, is that these Eagle ceremonies are—and I hate to say this but it’s just true—very poorly attended. We’re lucky if a half-dozen or so Scouts show up, which is pretty awful for a troop with well over four dozen Scouts! And parents? Just about the only ones who come are the Eagles’ parents (and sometimes grandparents if they live reasonably nearby).

Our regular courts are on Tuesday nights four times a year; they replace regular troop meetings. Our Eagle courts are usually on Sunday afternoons, and email invitations are sent to all Scouts’ parents well in advance. Even though Tuesdays are nearly one hundred percent “school nights,” and Sunday afternoons are usually wide open, we struggle every time to have folks show up for our Eagles! (We even offer cookies and soft drinks following Eagle ceremonies, but this has almost no impact at all on attendance!)

So what do we need to do so that we get more Scouts and their parents to show up for our Eagle courts of honor? Help! (Glen Watkins, MC, Hudson Valley Council, NY)

I’ve attended literally hundreds of courts of honor—a combination of troop-wide and Eagle only—over the past several decades and four different councils from coast-to-coast; I can safely say I’ve “seen it all.” The most successful I’ve seen have invariably been those courts that include Eagle Scouts as well as all other announcements of ranks achieved and merit badges earned, on “school nights” replacing regular troop meetings—in short, full-troop courts. I’ve also seen lots of Eagle-only courts, and I’ve very often seen exactly what your troop is experiencing. So let’s analyze why this happens…

Scouting is, of course, a volunteer movement. And the very first volunteers are the Scouts themselves! They don’t come to meetings out of a sense of “duty.” They show up because they get something out of these meetings! For regular troop meetings, fun and (intra-patrol) competition and patrol team-building are just a few of the things that bring them out. For courts of honor, the opportunity to be recognized for their accomplishments brings them out. Same with their parents: When you know your kid’s going to be recognized for his accomplishments (and the troop is wise enough to provide “Kodak moments” for each Scout) you’re going to show up!

Besides, if you’re the parent of a brand-new Scout, wouldn’t you want to see what the “top of the mountain” looks like? That’s the Eagle Scout who’s being recognized at the same time your own son or daughter is called up and congratulated for earning the Scout badge.

All of this means the answer to your dilemma has been right there all along! Take a few moments to share this with your Committee Chair, Scoutmaster, and –especially—your Senior Patrol Leader. You four can change the game overnight! (And don’t bother “announcing” it—just Do It!)
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Hi Andy,

Our troop takes some pride in keeping our older Scouts active up until they turn 18. We may lose a Scout somewhere in the high school years, but that’s pretty rare. I’ve enjoyed being their Scoutmaster for the past six years, with lots of successes. But, right now, we have a Scout—I’ll call him “Sean”—who was active with the troop and his patrol up to about three years ago—a year after his older brother earned Eagle rank and then turned 18.

Sean earned Life rank three years ago. Following this he served as Historian but in his six months of tenure didn’t do the job. Next, he was elected Patrol Leader, but never held a single independent patrol meeting in the six months he held that position. And for the past year-and-a-half Sean hasn’t shown up at a single troop meeting or outdoor activity, and hasn’t attended Scout summer camp for the past two summers. Then, last week (now just four months away from his own 18th birthday), Sean showed up and asked me to sign off on his Eagle Scout Service Project proposal.

Do you have suggestions on how to address this long-lost Scout as he attempts to finish up his Eagle Scout requirements after having been gone from the troop for so long? (Greg Sanderson, SM, North Star Council, MN)

Yup, I definitely have some suggestions for you; they’re all based on the Scoutmaster’s responsibility to be not a “gatekeeper” but a gate opener.

Let’s start with the requirements (1 and 4) to be active and to hold a position of responsibility for, to quote these requirements, “six months as a Life Scout.” We already know that Sean may well have fulfilled both of these within 12 months.

Regarding “active”: Unless expectations were specifically set at the beginning, and Sean was subsequently counseled when he failed to show up, and he still fell short of expectations and was informed of this at the time, Eagle req. 1 can’t be withheld retroactively.

As for req. 4, unless expectations for the Historian and Patrol Leader positions were specifically described to Sean when he took on these roles, and he was counseled along the way, and he was specifically informed that he didn’t meet expectations (although he only needs one of them for rank advancement), neither of these can be denied at this late date.

Req. 3 is about the merit badges required. As Scoutmaster, you’ll want to review where he is right now in both “required” and “optional” merit badges, and, if he still needs any of the 3-monthers (Family Life, Personal Fitness, and Personal Management), give him his “blue cards,” and counselors’ names and contact information right away.

(By the way, this conversation can easily count as his req. 6 Scoutmaster conference—it may be the most important conversation you two have ever had!).

This leaves the service project. If, in addition to yourself, your troop has an “Eagle project coach” or the equivalent of this, then the three of you can review and talk over Sean’s proposal, and you can guide him toward getting approval from the district or council volunteer who also signs off on these.

Like the “prodigal son,” Sean has returned to the fold and, it seems to me, is prepared to rise above. You have two responsibilities – Welcome his return and mentor his success.

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

[No. 607 – 7/9/2019 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2019]