Troop 849
Manhattan Beach, CA
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Eagle Court of Honor Checklist
for the Eagle's Family

Introduction

Once the Eagle Character Board has been passed, planning for the Court of Honor can begin. This is a checklist of what the new Eagle Scout and his parents need to do before and during the Court.

The information contain herein is presented in the hope that it will helpful in planning the Eagle Court of Honor. The majority of the work will be done by the Troop, thereby freeing the new Eagle Scout and his family to enjoy the occasion. (The Troop's responsibility is detailed in the Eagle Court of Honor Checklist for the Troop.) This checklist is fairly detailed so you'll not overlook something and so there will not be any last minute surprises. Please feel free to modify this process to suit your needs.

In recent years nearly all Eagle Courts have been held in O'Donnell Center at American Martyrs Church. This checklist assumes O'Donnell Center will be used. A map to O'Donnell Center is given at the end of this document.

As Soon as the Scout Has an Eagle Character Board

__ Attend the next Troop Committee meeting to pick a date.

• Allow time for the paperwork to come back from National Headquarters (typically 4 to 10 weeks).
• Pick a date compatible with the Troop calendar.

A Month Before or Earlier

__ Make up an invitee list (family, friends, teachers, previous Cub and Boy Scout leaders, current Scoutmaster, Troop Committee Chairman, Eagle character board, District people, OA, and Scoutmaster of Troop 850).

__ Buy, print and send out invitations.

• They are available at the San Pedro Scout Shop or Gardena Dept. Store.
• Ask for an RSVP to get a rough head count.
• Include directions on how to get there (see Attachment I).
• Since the majority of the invitations go to friends and family, the Eagle Scout's family normally pays for the invitations and their distribution.

__ The Scout should determine who will give the Eagle Promise, Charge and Oath.

• Use people in the troop that were instrumental in the Scout's career along with appropriate district people.
• Contact each person and verify their willingness to be in the ceremony.

__ The Scout should make a list of prospective Eagle Honor Guards.

• First choice should be Troop 849 Eagle Scouts.
• Ask other Eagle Scouts if needed.

At the Troop Committee Meeting Before or Earlier

__ The Scout should prepare his personal information to be included in the program and get it to the person in charge of printing the programs.

At the Regular Troop Meeting Before

__ The Scout should check the preliminary Court of Honor program.

During the Weeks Before

__ Wash uniform. Make sure it still fits.

__ Estimate the number of people expected.

• Check with the Scoutmaster for the approximate number of Scouts & Scout families so you can order the appropriate amount of cake.

__ Buy a guest book (optional).

__ Buy Decorations and/or flowers (if desired).

__ Order the Eagle cake.

• 1 full sheet cake, serves 92 (2" x 2" pieces)
• Beckers Bakery (1025 Manhattan Ave., 372-3214) does great cakes.
• Give a description of how you want the cake to look.
• Typically, the Eagle insignia is on the cake. (Supply a sample program cover.)
• Beckers will deliver for extra cost. (Not necessary if you have a large enough vehicle to transport the cake.)
• Traditionally, the Eagle Scout's parents pay for the cake(s).

__ Order a second (backup) cake if over 92 people are expected.

• Get a second 1/2 sheet cake.
• Order a plain (undecorated) cake from Costco as they are much cheaper than Beckers'.
• Keep it in the kitchen until needed.

Couple of Days Before

__ Confirm the persons for Eagle Charge, Promise, and Oath.

__ Confirm the Eagle Honor Guards.

Day of the Court of Honor

__ Pick up the cake(s).

__ Bring:

__ Cake(s)

__ Eagle project notebook

__ Guest book (optional)

__ Brag rag

__ Anything else Scout related

__ Decorations (optional)

__ Camera!!

Day of the Court of Honor - 6pm-7pm

__ Practice the ceremony.

Before or After

__ Write letter to Beach Reporter. Include info on:

1. the Eagle Scout (what his project was, major accomplishments, etc.)
2. the ceremony (when, where, who came)
3. a brief history of the Troop
4. a picture of the Scout in uniform in front of the Eagle banner

Map to O'Donnell Center

Credits

These notes were compiled from previous Troop 849 notes and from the experiences gained during Jon Maynard's (1995) and Ryan Thorpe's (1996) Eagle Courts.