Completing the Eagle Scout Rank Application

1. Completing the Eagle Scout Rank Application - Eagle Education Experience - EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

2. This presentation is designed to assist Scouts, parents and Scout leaders with the Eagle Scout advancement process and leadership-capability enhancement. The Washington, D.C. District of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America offers the Eagle Education Experience to empower Eagle Scout candidates with knowledge, skills and abilities that they can use to achieve the Eagle Scout rank, become stronger leaders and more effectively accomplish noble goals. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

3. Eagle Scout Rank Application - Filing • The Eagle Scout Rank Application (BSA Pub. No. 512-728) is the official form that an Eagle Scout candidate uses to certify that he has completed all Eagle Scout rank requirements except the Eagle Scout Board of Review. • The form should be submitted only after the Eagle candidate has completed all requirements for the Eagle rank except the Eagle Board. The form is used to request ability to schedule an Eagle Board of Review. • In the National Capital Area Council, the Eagle candidate’s unit submits the rank application for data verification purposes. For the D.C. District, a unit representative must bring to the candidate’s Eagle Board of Review the candidate’s rank application as processed by the council office, and the candidate must bring the candidate’s COMPLETED Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook to the Eagle Board. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

4. Elements of the Application The Eagle Scout Rank Application asks an Eagle Scout candidate to provide data regarding his: • registration with the Boy Scouts of America • eligibility to become an Eagle Scout • references who can attest to his ethics and leadership • completed merit badges • unit-level leadership • Eagle Scout Service Project • unit leader conference for the Eagle Scout rank • life goals, ideals, and leadership outside the BSA • unit’s approval of his ascension to the Eagle Scout rank Each of seven sections on the rank application identifies one of the seven requirements for the Eagle Scout rank, for which completion information is to be provided for that requirement. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

5. BSA Registration Data • Full legal name: • Insert your full legal name. Your name should be as it appears in the BSA’s official database of member records and advancement, known as BSA Internet Advancement, or ScoutNET. Consult with a unit leader or your unit committee to determine how your name appears in ScoutNET. • The name on your Eagle Scout Rank Application is as it will appear on your Eagle Scout rank certificate. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

6. BSA Registration Data • Address and unit information: • Provide your street address with no abbreviations • Your phone number must include your area code • Provide the e-mail address that you most frequently check; the e-mail address should be one that sounds sufficiently professional; • Indicate unit type and number, and home town or city, state and zip code of where your unit regularly meets EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

7. Rank Advancement Data • Key Dates: • Complete only the sections that apply to you. • I.e., if you were not a Venture Scout, Sea Scout, or Varsity Scout, leave the corresponding lines blank. • To verify these dates: • check your Scout handbook, blue cards, other advancement records maintained by your unit; and • ask the council office to send you its copy of your Scouting records; you need to provide your Boy Scouts of America ID (BSA ID) to acquire the records. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

8. Rank Advancement Data • Timeliness questions: • All requirements except the Eagle Scout Board of Review must be completed by your 18th birthday. • Provide the date of your Life Scout Board of Review, and not the date that your Eagle Scout Board of Review is to occur. • The date on which you submit the Eagle Scout Rank Application needs to be at least six months from the date of your Life Scout Board of Review. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

9. References to Recommend You The Eagle Scout candidate must provide the full names, street addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of the following individuals: • a parent or legal guardian • a religious leader, advisor or teacher • an educational leader, advisor or teacher • his employer (reference not needed if Scout has not been employed) • and two other individuals These references must know the Scout personally and must be able to attest to his adherence to the ideals of Scouting (the Scout Oath or Promise, the Scout Law and his daily adherence to those principles over time) and his personal character. • It is courteous to ask each reference in advance if he or she would be willing to attest to your personal character. • For D.C., in addition to listing references’ contact data on the application, the Eagle candidate must provide this information to his unit leader so the unit can ask each reference to send a letter of recommendation. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

10. References to Recommend You • For D.C., the Eagle candidate’s troop contacts these references and asks each of them to write a letter of recommendation regarding the candidate (in general, at least three recommendation letters must be received for a candidate in advance of his Eagle Board of Review). • Instead of sending letters of recommendation to the Eagle candidate or one of the candidate’s parents or guardians, the letters, for D.C., are sent to one of the candidate’s unit leaders or unit committee members. • Unit leaders and unit committee members generally are not permitted to be references because the unit leadership and unit committee separately attest to the Scout’s qualifications through the signatures on the Project Workbook and Rank Application. • The Eagle Scout Rank Application does not ask for a representative of the Eagle Project beneficiary to be listed as a reference. It is recommended, but not required, that in addition to providing the contact information for the six references listed on the application, the Eagle candidate also provide contact information for a representative of the beneficiary who could attest to the candidate’s work on his Eagle Project. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

11. References to Recommend You • A religious leader, adviser or teacher can be anyone who has led, advised or taught you religious teachings in a significant capacity or who can significantly attest to your adherence to benevolent morals. • For the educational reference line, a current or former teacher of the Eagle candidate can qualify as a reference. If the Eagle candidate is home schooled by a parent or guardian, it is preferred that a parent or guardian other than the parent or guardian listed on the parents/guardians reference line be listed on this line. • For the employer reference line, a former employer or internship organizer can count as an employer. If the candidate has not been employed and has not had an internship, this line can be left blank on the rank application. • People under 21 years of age can be references. • Received letters of recommendation or other recommendation statements written in attestation of the worthiness of an Eagle Scout candidate for the Eagle Scout rank can be read only by members of the candidate’s Eagle Scout Board of Review. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

12. The Request for Character References EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

13. Merit Badge Data • At least 21 merit badges must have been earned by the Eagle Scout candidate, including the set of 13 silver-bordered merit badges the Scout was required to earn for the Eagle Scout rank. • As the council and the BSA’s Eagle Scout Service verify the merit badge information and other advancement information on the application, it is extremely important to ensure that the completion dates you indicate on the application are accurate. • It is highly recommended that you check quite in advance of your 18th birthday that the records of the council office regarding your advancement include your achievement of the merit badges you need for the Eagle rank. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

14. Merit Badge Data Merit badges earned at any time since becoming a Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Venturer, or Sea Scout may be used to fulfill the Eagle Scout requirement to earn at least 21 merit badges. • Only one of the merit badges within each of three option categories - either Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving; either Environmental Science or Sustainability; and one among Cycling, Hiking, or Swimming - may count for the Eagle-required series. • Place a solid line through the names of the badges in the three option categories that were not used for the Eagle-required slots on the application, so that only the names of the Eagle-required badges used for those slots are definitively indicated in the Eagle-required badge slots. • If a Scout earned multiple badges within one of the three option categories, the Scout may count those beyond the first in the option category as elective merit badges. • For example, if a Scout earned both Emergency Preparedness and Lifesaving, he can use Lifesaving for the Eagle-required badge slot on the application, place a solid line through Emergency Preparedness in that slot and place Emergency Preparedness into one of the eight slots for elective merit badges. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

15. Merit Badge Data Additional requirements for the merit badges listed on the application: • For the eight slots for elective merit badges indicated on an Eagle candidate’s rank application, he must include two elective badges he earned before his Star rank board of review (badges for Star requirement No. 3) and two other elective badges he earned before his Life rank board of review (badges for Life requirement No. 3). • Any other four elective merit badges the Eagle candidate earned can be used for the other four slots for elective badges. • All eight of the elective badges must be listed in chronological order of when they were earned. • Merit badges that formerly were Eagle-required, such as Safety and Sports, can count as elective merit badges. • Dates when the merit badges were earned must be indicated in the month-day-year format of XXYYZZ, such that XX is the two-digit number of the month within a year, YY is the two-digit form of the day number within the month and ZZ is the last two numbers of the year when earned. For each badge, the number of the unit with which the Scout earned the badge must be indicated. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

16. Unit-Level Leadership • An Eagle Scout candidate must serve in a unit leadership position for at least six months while a Life Scout. • It is recommended that while a Life Scout, he serves in one unit leadership position for at least six months, instead of two different positions that only together have total combined service of at least six months. • It is recommended for the Life Scout to have a unit leadership position at the time of the Eagle Board of Review so that he can accurately say that he currently is providing service to the troop in an official leadership position. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

17. Unit-Level Leadership Applicable leadership positions for this requirement: • Boy Scout troop: Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, Webmaster, or Leave No Trace Trainer. (Note: assistant patrol leader and bugler are not among these). • Venturing crew/ship: President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, boatswain, boatswain's mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper, Webmaster, or Leave No Trace Trainer. • Varsity Scout team: Captain, co-captain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow team representative, librarian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief, Webmaster, or Leave No Trace Trainer. • Order of the Arrow leadership positions at the chapter or lodge levels cannot be used for this requirement because the requirement is for unit-level leadership, not district-level or council-level leadership. (Note: the OA unit representative positions identified above are unit-level positions that involve unit representation at chapter or lodge functions and are not district-level or council-level positions.) EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

18. Eagle Scout Service Project Data • Indicate the date of the completion of your Eagle Scout Service Project (the date it was completed, not the date the workbook was submitted). • Indicate the total number of man-hours/volunteer-hours worked on the project. • Do not write extensive information regarding your Eagle Scout Service Project on the application. • All the provided information must be in accordance with the data provided in your Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

19. The Unit Leader Conference for Eagle • After completion of the first five Eagle Scout rank requirements, including the Eagle Scout Service Project, but before the Eagle Scout Board of Review, which is requirement No. 7 for the Eagle Scout rank, an Eagle Scout candidate must complete a unit leader conference (a Scoutmaster conference, for those with a troop) for the Eagle Scout rank. The unit leader conference is requirement No. 6 for the rank. • As with all other Eagle Scout rank requirements except the Eagle Scout Board of Review, an Eagle Scout candidate’s unit leader conference for the Eagle Scout rank must occur before the candidate’s 18th birthday. • It is recommended to bring your Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook to the conference as per its relevance. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

20. The Unit Leader Conference for Eagle • During his unit leader conference for the Eagle Scout rank, an Eagle Scout candidate has the opportunity to talk with his unit leader about important aspects of his Scouting career and how he has developed as a leader through his Scouting experiences. • It is recommended for an Eagle candidate to bring his Eagle Scout Rank Application to his unit leader conference for the Eagle Scout rank, with data on the application provided through the section for requirement No. 5, so that his unit leader can review these details as part of the conference. At the conclusion of the conference, the date of the conference must be listed in the section for requirement No. 6 and the unit leader can sign the application in the Unit Approval section. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

21. Life-Goals Statement As part of his Eagle Scout Rank Application, an Eagle candidate must complete a Life-Goals Statement, detailed in the box on the application after requirement No. 6. This document also is known as the “Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose, and Leadership Positions and Responsibilities.” This statement must be attached to the Eagle Scout Rank Application.It will be read by the members of your Eagle Scout Board of Review and can be read by members of your local BSA council and the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA National). The content of the statement is assessed as part of the overall review of your candidacy for the Eagle Scout rank. The statement should be typed, not hand-written. The Life-Goals Statement should detail your ambitions, what you want to accomplish in life, leadership positions you have held outside of Scouting, significant accomplishments you achieved and awards you earned in those positions, and duration of service in those positions. Also identify how your Scouting experiences can help you accomplish goals you want to achieve in the future. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

22. Life-Goals Statement There is no minimum required length for the Life-Goals Statement, but it is recommended that it be at least 500 words in length. Your Life-Goals Statement should clearly identify your name, your unit number, a phone number and an e-mail address at which you can be reached, and your street address or other mailing address. It also should indicate that it is your Life-Goals Statement for the Eagle Scout Rank Application. It is recommended, but not required, to also attach to your rank application a résumé of your applicable educational, volunteer, extracurricular and/or professional experiences. If a résumé is included, it should indicate the contact information identified above for the Life-Goals Statement, plus: • For each position of responsibility or other experience listed, details about that position of responsibility or other experience, and the start and end dates of your service in that position of responsibility or participation in that experience. • Indicated positions of responsibility and other experiences should include those within Scouting and those outside Scouting. • A quantitative highlight of your educational performance, such as your overall grade-point average or your grade-point average for a class or subject in which you particularly excel. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

23. Signatures Section • Your signature, as well as the signatures of your unit leader and your unit committee chair, need to be on the application before it is submitted. • Unlike signatures for the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, all signatures on the Eagle Scout Rank Application must be written onto the application and cannot be written on photocopies of the application or electronic signatures. • The signature for the BSA Local Council Verification section is to be completed by district and/or council personnel after the application is submitted but in advance of the Eagle Scout Board of Review. • Information about the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) is included at the bottom of the form. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

24. Application Review Before Submission Before submitting the Eagle Scout Rank Application: • DOUBLE-CHECK EVERYTHING. • Ensure that a photocopy of the application with signatures, as completed through the Unit Approval section, is made. Also, scan the signed application into your computer, then save the scanned copy in a folder that is readily accessible. • If you have not already acquired a copy of your official electronic BSA advancement records, you must acquire a copy. • While you might personally have access to electronic data on your BSA advancement records, such as through Scoutbook, the advancement records you need to acquire are within your Member Summary Report within the official BSA Internet Advancement system, also known as ScoutNET. • You must ask your unit leader or the advancement chair of your unit committee for a copy of your Member Summary Report stored in ScoutNET. Ask for an electronic copy of your Member Summary Report to be sent to you so you can save it on your computer. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

25. Submitting the Application • The Eagle Scout Rank Application can be submitted for requesting authorization for an Eagle Scout Board of Review only after all the sections through the Unit Approval section have been completed. • The rank application must be delivered in-person (or electronically if authorized) with the Life-Goals Statement, the completed Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook and a copy of the candidate’s Member Summary Report from the BSA Internet Advancement system (ScoutNET). • For the Washington, D.C. District, these documents are delivered to the Eagle Scout candidate’s district Eagle Scout advancement representative. After the representative reviews the documents and verifies accuracy, if they appear sufficient, the representative writes his or her initials and indicates the date of approval next to the BSA Local Council Verification line. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

26. Submitting the Application • For the Washington, D.C. District, after the district Eagle advancement representative initials the application, the application, Life-Goals Statement, project workbook and Member Summary Report are sent back to the Eagle candidate. • For D.C., the Eagle candidate’s unit then sends a copy of the rank application with the district Eagle advancement representative’s dated initials to the National Capital Area Council office for further verification and Eagle Scout Board of Review authorization. • The application should be e-mailed to NCAC_EagleCert@scouting.org or to Margee Egan, program specialist, at margee.egan@scouting.org. • The Eagle candidate should include his full name and “Eagle Verification” in the subject line of the e-mail. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

27. Submitting the Application • Within the e-mail to the NCAC office, the Eagle Scout candidate’s unit specifies: • that a copy of the Eagle Scout Rank Application is attached to the e-mail (and the unit should check it is attached before sending the e-mail); • that the unit would like the NCAC to review the rank application and, if the application is sufficient, to reply with an e-mail authorizing the candidate to have an Eagle Scout Board of Review; • that the message of confirmation that the application is sufficient and an Eagle Board of Review is authorized should be e-mailed to the candidate, his unit leader, his unit committee chair and his district representative for Eagle advancement; and • the names of the aforementioned individuals and e-mail addresses and phone numbers for himself and them. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

28. Eagle Board of Review Authorization • If the council office determines the data on the Eagle Scout Rank Application to be accurate and that all items that needed to be present on the application when it was submitted for council review were present, a council representative will provide a hand-written signature on the line for the BSA Local Council Verification section on the copy of the application that was sent to the council. • For D.C., a scanned copy of the side of the application with the BSA Local Council Verification section signed by the council representative then is sent to those who the Eagle candidate requested should receive it. Receipt of this document, which functions as an approved verification notice, indicates that the council office has authorized the Eagle candidate to have an Eagle Board. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

29. Eagle Board of Review Authorization • After the Eagle Scout candidate’s Eagle Scout Board of Review is authorized, he will communicate with his unit and his district Eagle advancement representative to schedule the Eagle Board. • For D.C., the Eagle candidate must bring the following to his Eagle Board: • His Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, with all sections completed (and any fundraising application for the project); • The original Eagle Scout Rank Application that he, his unit leader and his unit committee signed and district Eagle advancement representative initialed, including his Life-Goals Statement (and optionally, a résumé); • The rank application copy signed by the council office (the approved verification notice), with a copy of the e-mail to which it was attached. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

30. Discussion and Questions EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA