The Eagle Notebook, Part 2

Part 2 - The Eagle Notebook

As discussed in the preamble, the Service Project Notebook is only half of the Eagle Notebook - the rest are all addendums under Requirement #6, as follows:

V) Ambitions and Life Purpose Statement

Pretty much self-explanatory, but often a painful writing experience for many Scouts - and yes, it's to be composed by the Scout alone, not by or with his parents! The essence is simple - what do you plan to do with your future? What career choices interest you, and why? What colleges and majors are you considering, and why? What (non-professional, lifetime) hobbies or activities particularly interest you? What goals would you like to achieve in your lifetime? Without being overly pretentious, what role would you like to fill in America's (and the world's) future?

These are questions most Eagle candidates haven't put a lot of thought into, yet, which often makes the entire exercise quite difficult. [This is especially true of overly young Eagle Scouts.] This is also, of course, why this requirement is so valuable - done thoughtfully and well, it helps focus a Scout on his future, and gives him at least the beginnings of a roadmap towards achieving his goals.

[Aside: A note of warning - some Scouts will fill up their statement with false objectives and goals which they think will impress their Eagle Boards - "I want to join the Peace Corps" (or Green-Peace, or VISTA, or a Seminary, or the Home for Wayward Poodles, etc.) It you really want to do something like this, great!, but don't try to bamboozle people - you will rapidly appear a fool under questioning by the members of the Board. And an Eagle Scout who lies about his own future is no Eagle Scout at all.]

Many Scouts (and unfortunately, their Parents) want to know how long the statement "has" to be. The answer is: there is no answer. It can be as short as one simple paragraph, or many pages long. Obviously, the more thought the Scout has put into it, the more useful it will be - both to the Scout and to the members of his Eagle Board.

VI) Achievements

This section is a comprehensive listing of your activities and achievements both inside and outside of Scouting. Again, the intent is to present yourself "in total" to the Board of Review. The easiest way to do this is with systematic lists; the actual arrangement is up to the Scout, but anything will do so long as it's well organized and neatly presented.

• In Scouting

If you were involved in multiple Troops, you should start off with a list of those Troops, their locations, and the dates of your tenure with each. If everything was done with one Troop, a simple statement to that effect should be used as the lead-in.

Your data should include lists (including exact dates) of: (A) Rank Advancements (Scout Rank through Life) in chronological order; (B) Merit Badges (in chronological - not alphabetical - order); (C) Other Scout Awards and Honors (Totin' Chip, Mile Swim, 50 Miler, Order of the Arrow, World Conservation, Most Active Scout, etc.); (D) Leadership Positions Held (with dates of service); and (E) Long-term Campouts completed (Summer Camp, High Adventure treks, National or World Jamborees, etc.) Some Scouts will also add (F) Service Projects; this is optional.

Finally, note that some Scouts like to also include details of their Cub Scouting and Webelos careers. This is not required, but is a nice touch (and is certainly acceptable.)

• Outside of Scouting

Again, if you've moved around, you should start off with a list of where you lived and when. Next, list all the schools you attended, and when.

Your data should include lists of (A) Scholastic Activities and Achievements; (B) Athletic Activities and Achievements; (C) Extracurricular Activities and Achievements (including Church and Community); and (D) Work Experience (both volunteer and paid.) Again, arrange everything in each category chronologically. However, note that you can sum multiple-year activities; for example: Altar Server, St. Agnes Church, 1990 - 1996, or Yorktown High School Band, 1995 - Present.

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away - a brand new Scout and his Parents were told to save all their Scout records - rank cards, merit badge cards, all Scout awards (Totin' Chip, 50 Miler, Mile Swim, etc.) and all Religious Awards. These signed and dated cards are your proof that you in fact earned all your awards, and on the dates you listed. Again, merit badges and rank patches are no proof of anything - this is because anyone can walk into any Scout Shop in the country and buy any merit badge or rank patch they want; their purchase is not restricted. Therefore, you have to provide proof of your advancement in order to advance to Eagle.

The easiest way to present your rank and merit badge cards are in the commonly available baseball card transparencies (which have 9 card slots.) Buy as many as you need to display all your cards. All your other awards should be similarly displayed, either in the same baseball card type transparencies (for other cards) or full page transparencies (for certificates.)

Next up are your so-called "Advancement Reports," which you may or not be familiar with. These are official forms which the Troop fills out at regular intervals (usually at Boards of Review) which list all recent advancement (i.e., since the last report), and which are sent to Council Headquarters for inputting into their records database. The Troop (i.e., the Advancement Chairman) also keeps copies of these reports on file. Again, in order to "prove" that all your advancement was properly forwarded to Council, you'll need to show photocopies of all Advancement Reports that list you. You'll have to contact the Advancement Chairman in order to get these photocopies. Once you've got them, arrange them in chronological order and check all your ranks and merit badges against the collective Advancement Reports; if something's missing either way, let the Advancement Chairman and Scoutmaster know immediately.

Last up are your so-called "Individual Scout Records" - a computerized 4 page listing of all your advancements and camping/activities record, that is, your personal history with the Troop. This is also available upon request from the Advancement Chairman, and again should be carefully checked for accuracy, and discrepancies noted for followup and correction. When you get a "final" version that has everything correct, have the Advancement Chairman sign it for inclusion in your notebook. This completes your Official Scout Records.