If you are the proud parent of a Scout who has finished his Eagle project, had his Eagle Board of Review, and submitted his paperwork to the council, the next step is to celebrate this great achievement. I want to share some tips on things I had to do that I wasn’t aware of, and some things that were just nice to do.
1. Look for possible dates for the Eagle Court of Honor and contact the Scoutmaster to see which dates work best. You’ll need to consider the troop calendar, any family members and friends who would like to attend, and any guest speakers, especially if they’re involved in Scouting.
2. We were lucky that we didn’t have to look for a place for the ceremony and reception, since the charter organization graciously let us use their facility. Some other places I’ve seen people use are the Cedar Park Recreation Center and the Frank Fickett Center.
3. Once the date and place are set, create an invitation and invite your guests. We used Evite because it makes things easy to organize, but after setting it up, the website was not working correctly, so I ended up relying on emails and texts instead. Send reminders of the event and ask for RSVPs so you have an idea of the headcount.
4. We ordered the cake from the nearest HEB with the Eagle Scout logo. Another Scout mom (thank you, Carrie!) gave me the logo design as a PDF and advised me to submit a request to use the licensed Scouting America trademarks at https://licensingbsa.org/trademarks/cake-request/.
5. If more than one Scout is celebrating this achievement, contact the other parents and divide up the tasks. Examples of tasks include:
– Taking care of decorations
– Ordering, paying for, and picking up the cake
– Taking care of snacks
– Taking care of drinks
– Organizing a group to set up and take down decorations
– Organizing a group to help with cleanup
6. For decorations, you can find a few at the Scout Store. Any store that sells Independence Day decorations can give you more options, and if it’s not that time of year, you can simply buy red, white, and blue decorations.
7. Other things I’ve seen at Eagle Courts of Honor that are nice for honoring your Scout include:
– A picture slideshow or video: Start collecting pictures a few months in advance. We used a projector, but a large, lightweight monitor you can bring to the reception venue might work even better.
– A memorabilia table: Dust off any Scouting-related items your child has collected over the years and display them with pride. After all, they worked hard for them.
– A printed photo album with pictures from the many adventures your Scout went on.
Remember to take a moment during the celebration to really soak it in. Your Scout has spent years earning this rank, and the Court of Honor is a tribute to his hard work.
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