Eagle Scout Fact Sheet

Twelve Steps of Eagle  

Step 1: In order to advance to the rank of Eagle, a candidate must complete all requirements:  

    Age Requirement: Merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms may be earned by a registered Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or
    Venturer. He may earn these awards until his 18th birthday. Any Venturer who achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout in a
    troop or Varsity Scout in a team may continue working for the Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks and Eagle Palms while registered
    as a Venturer up to his 18th birthday. Scouts and Venturers who have completed all requirements prior to their 18th birthday may
    be reviewed within three months after that date with no explanation. Boards of review conducted between three and six months
    after the candidate’s 18th birthday must be preapproved by the local council. A statement by an adult explaining the reason for the
    delay must be attached to the Eagle Scout Rank Application when it is submitted to the Eagle Scout Service. The Boy Scout
    Division at the national office must be contacted for procedures to follow if a board of review is to be conducted more than six
    months after a candidate’s 18th birthday.

    1. Be active in your troop, team, crew, or ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of
    Life Scout. A Scout will be considered "active" in his unit if he is:
  1. Registered in his unit (registration fees are current)
  2. Not dismissed from his unit for disciplinary reasons.
  3. Engaged by his unit leadership on a regular basis (informed of unit activities through Scoutmaster conference or personal
    contact, etc.).

    2. Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life. List the names of
    individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf. You will list
    these names on the Eagle Scout Rank Application. An Eagle Letter of Recommendation Request has been developed that Troop
    70 Eagle Candidates may present to their references requesting that letters of recommendation be sent to the Scoutmaster. It is
    suggested that this form letter be distributed to references early on, as early as the start of the project phase.

    3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than you already have), including the following: a. First Aid, b. Citizenship
    in the Community, c. Citizenship in the Nation, d. Citizenship in the World, e. Communications, f. Personal Fitness, g.
    Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, h. Environmental Science, i. Personal Management, j. Swimming OR Hiking
    OR Cycling, k. Camping, and l. Family Life.

    4. While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of six months in one or more of the following positions of
    responsibility: Patrol leader, Venture patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide,
    Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant
    Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor. List only those positions served after Life board of review date. The unit leaders are
    responsible for maintaining contact with the Scout on a regular basis. The Scout is not required to attend any certain percentage of
    activities or outings. However, unit leaders must ensure that he is fulfilling the obligations of his assigned leadership position. If he
    is not, then they should remove the Scout from that position.

    5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious
    institution, any school, or your community. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) The
    project plan must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and troop committee
    and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, BSA
    publication No. 18-927E, in meeting this requirement. See Step 2 for additional information concerning leadership service
    projects.

    6. Take part in a Scoutmaster conference (with Scoutmaster, Coach, or Advisor). Attach to this application a statement
    of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp,
    community, or other organizations during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards
    received during this service. This should be neatly typed and placed in a plastic sheet protector to be turned in with your
    application, project workbook and letters of recommendation.

    7. Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review. See Steps 8 and 9.

Step 2: Using the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, the candidate must select his Eagle service project
and have the project concept approved by his unit leader, his unit committee, and the benefactor of the project, and
reviewed and approved by the council or district advancement committee. Scouts may begin planning their Leadership Service
Projects as soon as they complete their Life rank board of review. You do not have to have completed any other Eagle requirements
before planning your project.










Step 3: It is imperative that all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank except the board of review be completed prior to the
candidate's 18th birthday. When all the requirements except the board of review for the rank of Eagle, including the service project,
have been completed, an Eagle Scout Rank Application must be filled out and sent to the council service center promptly. (See special
requirements for Youth Members with disabilities, and the section titled Time Extensions.)

Step 4: The Eagle Scout Rank Application is to be completed after you have completed all requirements for the Eagle Scout
rank. The application should be signed by the unit leader at the proper place. The unit committee reviews and approves the record of the
Eagle candidate before the application is submitted to the local council. If a unit leader or unit committee fails to sign or otherwise approve
an application, the Eagle candidate may still be granted a board of review. The failure of the unit leader or unit committee to sign an
application may be considered by the board of review in determining the qualifications of the Eagle candidate. You must include your
middle name when completing the application. Find advancement dates entered in your Scout Hanbook or from past badge certificates,
approved merit badge cards, or a report provided by your troop leadership to complete the application. Enter only those badges that
counted toward Eagle and earlier ranks. List only positions of responsibility served since your Life board of review, starting with the most
recent. Once the application is completely filled out you may schedule a Scoutmaster conference.

Step 5: The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, properly filled out, must be submitted with the application. Make sure
you've gotten all completed signatures, that you've included all hours and helpers and have added the totals correctly. as well as all
materials required to complete the project and their costs, and list any changes to your original plans. Insert "after" photographs or some
other representation of your completed project.

Step 6: When the completed application is received at the council service center, its contents will be verified and the
references contacted. The Scout shall have listed six references (five if no employer, and parent if no organized religious association).
In the De-Mar-Va Council, letters of reference are to be turned in with the completed application and workbook. The candidate should
have contacted those individuals listed as references before including their names on the application. In Troop 70, the candidate is asked
to deliver a blank Eagle Letter of Recommendation Request to the listed references and letters are sent to the Scoutmaster

The candidates should not be involved personally in transmitting any correspondence between persons listed as references and the
Scoutmaster. If the initial reference letter is not returned to the Scoutmaster in a timely manner, the Scoutmaster must make direct contact
with the reference(s) listed on the Eagle Scout Rank Application on his own, by follow-up letter, phone contact, or other methods as he
chooses. The candidate shall not be required to make a follow-up contact with the reference or submit other reference names. A Scout
cannot have a board of review denied or postponed because the Scoutmaster does not receive the reference letter form he delivered.

Step 7: After the contents of an application have been verified and appropriately signed, the application, Eagle Scout
Service Project Workbook, and references will be returned from the council service center to the chairman of the Eagle
board of review so that a board of review may be scheduled. Under no circumstances should a board of review be scheduled until
the application is returned to the chairman of the Eagle board of review. Reference checks that are forwarded with the application are
confidential, and their contents are not to be disclosed to any person who is not a member of the board of review.

Step 8: The board of review for an Eagle candidate is composed of at least three but not more than six members. One
member serves as chairman. Unit leaders, assistant unit leaders, relatives or guardians may not serve as members of a Scout's board of
review. The board of review members should convene at least 30 minutes before the candidate appears in order to review the
application, reference checks, and service project report. At least one district or council advancement representative must be a member
of the Eagle board of review if the board of review is conducted on a unit level. A council or district may designate more than one person
to serve as a member of Eagle boards of review when requested to do so by the unit. It is not required that these persons be members of
the advancement committee; however, they must have an understanding of the importance of the Eagle board of review.

Step 9: The candidate's unit leader introduces him to members of the board of review. The unit leader may remain in the room,
but he does not participate in the board of review. The unit leader may be called upon to clarify a point in question. In no case should a
relative or guardian of the candidate attend the review, even as a unit leader. There is no set of questions that an Eagle candidate should
be asked. However, the board should be assured of the candidate's participation in the program. This is the highest award that a boy may
achieve and, consequently, a thorough discussion of his successes and experiences in Scouting should be considered. After the review,
the candidate and his unit leader leave the room while the board members discuss the acceptability of the candidate as an Eagle Scout.
The decision must be unanimous. If the candidate meets the requirements, he is asked to return and is informed that he will receive the
board's recommendation for the Eagle Scout rank. If the candidate does not meet the requirements, he is asked to return and told the
reasons for his failure to qualify. A discussion should be held with him as to how he may meet the requirements within a given period.
Should the applicant disagree with the decision, the appeal procedures should be explained to him. A follow-up letter must be sent to the
Scout confirming the agreements reached on the action(s) necessary for the advancement. If the Scout chooses to appeal, provide the
name and address of the person he needs to contact.

Step 10. Immediately after the board of review and after the application has been appropriately signed, the application, the
service project report, references, and a properly completed Advancement Report are returned to the council service
center.

Step 11. When the application arrives at the council service center, the Scout executive signs it to certify that the proper
procedure has been followed and that the board of review has recommended the candidate for the Eagle Scout rank. The
Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook and references are retained by the council. Only the Eagle Scout Rank Application is forwarded to
the national Eagle Scout Service. The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook may be returned to the Scout after council approval.

Step 12. The Eagle Scout Service screens the application to ascertain information such as proper signatures, positions of
responsibility, tenure between ranks, and age of the candidate. Any item not meeting national standards will cause the application
to be returned for more information. If the application is in order, the Scout is then certified as an Eagle Scout by the Eagle Scout Service
on behalf of the National Council. Notice of approval is given by sending the Eagle Scout certificate to the local council. The date used on
the certificate will be the date of the board of review. The Eagle Award must not be sold or given to any unit until after the certificate is
received by the council service center. The Eagle Scout court of honor should not be scheduled until the local council receives the Eagle
Scout rank credentials.

Once the local council receives the Eagle credentials from National, the troop is notified. The troop retrieves the approved application and
project workbook and awards and then works with the new Eagle Scout to schedule and plan his Eagle Court of Honor.

Eagle Scholarships

NOTE: The Twelve Steps of Eagle have been adapted from BSA Advancement Policies #33088.
  • Ashland Nature Center
  • Brandywine Creek State Park
  • Carpenter State Park
  • Claymont Community Center
  • Delaware Department of Natural
    Resources & Environmental Control
  • Delaware Department of Parks &
    Recreation
  • Emmanuel Dining Room
  • Hanover Food Closet
  • Jewish Community Center
  • Lums Pond State Park
  • Mary Campbell Center
  • Local Nursing Homes
  • Delaware Department of
    Transportation
  • Ommelanden Range Complex
  • Ronald MacDonald House
  • Tri-State Bird Sanctuary
  • Wilmington Department of Parks &
    Recreation
  • YMCA of Delaware
  • Local Churches and Synagogues