Eagle Scouting

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by alum
Is your daughter a Daisy?

Not yet. Around here, girls seem to start with Girl Scouts when they start kindergarten, which will be in the Fall for her.

I never liked pack meetings. Too chaotic. Den meetings were okay.

You need to come to our pack meetings. We never have a plain old meeting, and usually the only times we meet at the sponsoring church for the pack meeting is for the Pinewood Derby (this month), Blue and Gold (February), and Graduation (May or June). Otherwise, we go do something -- go bowling or swimming as a Pack (and earn the beltloops), go on a nature hike, do a service project, go to a museum or planetarium, go on a hayride, or the like. The actual meeting part is short and usually held in the parking lot of wherever we have gone (we pull flags out in the parking lot and everything), followed by the activity. We try to keep it fun and, as one of our leaders says, "keep the 'outing' in 'Scouting.'" As a result the boys (and their families) look forward to Pack Meetings, and it's never the same thing over and over.

[alum]

Congrats to Carnation and her son! My OA/Brotherhood Life Scout finished the actual ES project 2 days before his 14th birthday. A month and a half later, he has STILL not scheduled his Eagle BOR. He really needs to get cracking on this so he can can finish it before 8th grade is over in a couple of weeks.

[Senusret I]

A Scout chose my job (an HIV/AIDS nonprofit) for his Eagle Scout project. I was honored.

[Thetagirl218]

One of the students at one of the schools I taught at created some awesome, handcrafted, wooden benches! It made it a great place to move the class outside to teach and learn!

[AOIIalum]

My son is working on First Class right now, and we'll see where he stands after summer camp this year. I don't think he's even thinking about his ES project yet, but I have a feeling over the next year that topic will come up on a regular basis.

Senusret, can you tell us anything about his ES project? I think that's wonderful.

[Senusret I]

^^ Sure!

From what I recall, he will be doing some cosmetic work on our grounds, including cleaning our siding, fixing up our small front yard, making a "Please Don't Litter" sign for it, painting our back porch, and staining and finishing our wooden wheelchair ramp.

I didn't want him to have to do all that grunt work, but he had to choose activities that the organization didn't already have the capacity to do on our own.

[aopirose]

I am so glad that this thread was bumped. Congrats to all the Scouts (and their parents) on their achievements. Our friends’ son received his Eagle Award earlier this year and his project was creating fitness zones along a walking trail. Also, an Eagle Scout from our church’s Troop received an appointment to Annapolis.

Last year was our first as Tigers and we had a blast. I felt like I was herding cats on many occasions but it was all worth it. They enjoyed the Renaissance Festival but I think that they enjoyed playing with the TV cameras more.

My son placed first in his division for Raingutter Regatta and second overall. He also placed first in his division for Pinewood Derby and first place overall. To say that his dad was proud would be an understatement. I was so busy helping with the other divisions’ heats that I didn’t even realize that he had done so well.

We had a combined Blue and Gold/Crossover Banquet a few weeks ago. It came as a great surprise that my den received the National Den Award (including a ribbon for our den flag) and that I received the Tiger Cub Den Leader Award (including a TCDLA Knot). (It was a surprise because I had not heard from the District office if our applications had been approved or not. They also usually only award these at District Banquets.) My boys also received their Religious Knot for completing our Archdiocese’s Guardian Angel Award. They had already received their medals at a special Scout Mass from the Auxiliary Bishop. Two sisters and a brother earned Cub Scout Buddy certificates. Lots of fun and great memories.

We are looking forward to our Wolf year. I was very touched when the boys asked me to be their leader again.

[carnation]

I had never seen an Arrow of Light ceremony until our 3rd son's this year. It was a lot like various honor society initiations I've been through...it was at sunset, and adults dressed as Native Americans came through the woods shaking instruments, then they told an NA story and gave "words of admonition" (I don't know how else to describe them) to the boys. (Unfortunately, one of the "Indians" was the French boy's dad so he was easily identifiable and also hard to understand, lol. We told him later that he must be an Algonquin or some other French-speaking Indian!)

Then the boys had to cross a bridge that had a log in it--the log symbolized obstacles that the boys would have to deal with and conquer someday. At the end of the bridge were older boys who put the new insignia on them. I warned our older sons not to mess with our younger one at this point...i.e., you're in big trouble if you toss him off the bridge or pants him.

But then you look at several aspects of Scouting and they're very similar to Greek life.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by carnation

I had never seen an Arrow of Light ceremony until our 3rd son's this year. It was a lot like various honor society initiations I've been through...it was at sunset, and adults dressed as Native Americans came through the woods shaking instruments, then they told an NA story and gave "words of admonition" (I don't know how else to describe them) to the boys. (Unfortunately, one of the "Indians" was the French boy's dad so he was easily identifiable and also hard to understand, lol. We told him later that he must be an Algonquin or some other French-speaking Indian!)

Then the boys had to cross a bridge that had a log in it--the log symbolized obstacles that the boys would have to deal with and conquer someday. At the end of the bridge were older boys who put the new insignia on them. I warned our older sons not to mess with our younger one at this point...i.e., you're in big trouble if you toss him off the bridge or pants him.

But then you look at several aspects of Scouting and they're very similar to Greek life.

That sounds more like the Order of the Arrow than the Arrow of Light?

[carnation]

I'll ask my husband what he remembers about Order of the Arrow--our oldest was inducted into it at camp several years ago. He got this huge arrow sash.This was 3 5th graders being inducted into the Arrow of Light and they got arrow plaques!

(Big cheer here for all the arrows that the Boy Scouts use! Haha! )

[AOIIalum]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

^^ Sure!

From what I recall, he will be doing some cosmetic work on our grounds, including cleaning our siding, fixing up our small front yard, making a "Please Don't Litter" sign for it, painting our back porch, and staining and finishing our wooden wheelchair ramp.

I didn't want him to have to do all that grunt work, but he had to choose activities that the organization didn't already have the capacity to do on our own.

Wow! I'm sure that will make a big difference to your non-profit and be greatly appreciated.

Yes, a scout has to choose a service project that fills a need the benefiting organization can't fill. It also has to be performed locally and can't benefit BSA or his troop's chartering organization. I also think there has to be at least 100 service hours to qualify. If it involves building something or painting something, etc, the Scout also has to come up with the funds and/or donations himself and not just pay for his supplies out of his (or his parents') pocket.

[alum]

Boy Scouts of America in conjunction with Robert Kaufman Fabrics (a good quality fabric manufacturer) is releasing a new line of quilting cottons this week. As seen by the link below, the motifs are all Scout-themed. The line is officially licensed through BSA so I would assume that BSA gets some money back on each purchase. http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics...ts_of_america/

I'll be curious to see if the official Scout Shops carry some of this or if it will only be sold in quilt stores.

This is my favorite.

[carnation]

Ooo! Another reason to learn to quilt!

3rd son just got back from Scout camp and he did the Spike Buck Program, meaning he went up a couple of ranks. Our Cub is so jealous...

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by carnation

Ooo! Another reason to learn to quilt!

My thoughts exactly. I will have to learn how to quilt before he earns his Eagle. I probably have two or three years...

My daughter's GS troop completed their Silver Award project yesterday. They spent all day Friday and Saturday completely remodeling a room at the Ronald McDonald house. Their leader sent us before and after pictures and I am going to put them up on a website. When I do, I'll post the link. It's quite impressive that 9 fourteen year olds planned the room, raised the money, shopped for the furniture, carpet and decorative items and put it all together, including painting furniture and walls, in two days. A real "Trading Spaces" kind of project. Their leader sent us an email when she got home last night and said the room turned out much better than she ever dreamed, that the girls worked very hard all weekend and she was on the verge of tears when they finished and it was so beautiful. I'm very proud of them.

http://photobucket.com/RonaldMcDonaldhouse

ETA: I hope every one of these girls goes to a college with an Alpha Gam chapter so I can write them glowing recommendations! They would all make great sorority women!

[ForeverRoses]

Originally Posted by AGDee

My thoughts exactly. I will have to learn how to quilt before he earns his Eagle. I probably have two or three years...

My daughter's GS troop completed their Silver Award project yesterday. They spent all day Friday and Saturday completely remodeling a room at the Ronald McDonald house. Their leader sent us before and after pictures and I am going to put them up on a website. When I do, I'll post the link. It's quite impressive that 9 fourteen year olds planned the room, raised the money, shopped for the furniture, carpet and decorative items and put it all together, including painting furniture and walls, in two days. A real "Trading Spaces" kind of project. Their leader sent us an email when she got home last night and said the room turned out much better than she ever dreamed, that the girls worked very hard all weekend and she was on the verge of tears when they finished and it was so beautiful. I'm very proud of them.

http://photobucket.com/RonaldMcDonaldhouse

ETA: I hope every one of these girls goes to a college with an Alpha Gam chapter so I can write them glowing recommendations! They would all make great sorority women!

That room looks amazing! I especially love the word "HOPE" above the bed. How perfect for a Ronald McDonald house bedroom.