Troop 120 Life to Eagle Process
What you need to know to earn your Eagle rank.
Troop 120 Scout, Congratulations on achieving your Life Rank!
The purpose of this document is to lay out the process for achieving your Eagle Rank. The timing of your plan will be based on either your 18th birthday or the date on which you hope to achieve Eagle. We recommend talking to our troop Life to Eagle Advisor about your goals as soon as possible. Currently, that person is our Advancement Coordinator, Mary Beth Roth.
Scoutbook Requirements:
You must remain active in the troop for 6 months. Make sure that you are attending 50 percent of meetings, 50 percent of outings, and 50 percent of service projects. If you have other responsibilities which prevent this, please discuss with the Scoutmaster as soon as possible.
There are 13 merit badges required of every Eagle Scout, plus 8 electives of your choice. If you are a Life Scout, you have already completed 7 Eagle badges and 4 electives. Make plans to complete those you are missing. The Troop 120 Merit Badge Counselors can be found here. Please note that Personal Fitness, Personal Management, and Family Life take up to 13 weeks to complete. You should begin those as soon as possible.
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communication
Swimming or Hiking or Cycling
First Aid
Cooking
Camping
Environmental Science or Sustainability
Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
Personal Fitness
Personal Management
Family Life
You must serve the troop in a leadership position for 6 months. The only two positions which do not count for Eagle are Assistant Patrol Leader and Bugler. If you do not have a position, please talk to the Scoutmaster immediately.
You must complete and document a substantial service project in the community which includes a strong leadership component. The steps to completing the Eagle project are explained below.
These items can be completed in any order. Some boys prefer to finish their merit badges before starting their project, but this is not required. Others work on all the steps simultaneously. Timing will be an important part of your Life to Eagle plan.
After you have completed these steps and your Eagle Scout Service Project, you must schedule a final Scoutmaster Conference with the Scoutmaster.
Project Steps:
Identify a Project Beneficiary to partner with. This can be a religious organization, a school, or a community nonprofit. Your project cannot benefit Scouting America. Work with a representative of this organization to develop a beneficial project.
If you plan to use AI, discuss it with your Scoutmaster or advisor at the beginning. Disclose any AI or other internet-tool use as requested in the workbook. AI may be a resource, but your final ideas and project work must be your own.
Complete the Eagle Scout Service Project Proposal including Project Contacts, which are the first sections of the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook. Pay special attention to the sections on leadership and safety. Refer to the guidelines for Safe Project Tool Use. Include photos of the project site and any plans or renderings of the planned project. Share your Project Proposal with the Life to Eagle Coordinator for comments and suggestions.
Make arrangements to have your approved Project Proposal signed by the Scoutmaster, the Committee Chair, and the Project Beneficiary Representative. Scoutmaster and Committee Chair signatures should take place during the regular Monday meeting.
Email the signed proposal to Richard Shields, the District Eagle Coordinator. Do NOT begin your project until you have heard from Mr. Shields that it has been approved. CC a parent or another leader for two-deep.
If your project expenses total more than $2000, complete the Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising Application, which is in your Eagle Project Workbook. It must also be signed by the Project Beneficiary and the Scoutmaster. Once complete, email to Tammie Hudson at Council. CC a parent or another leader for two-deep.
Move forward with execution only after you hear from Mr. Shields. After your proposal receives district approval, complete the NOW REQUIRED Project Plan before starting project work. The plan is in your Eagle Project Workbook. Review it with both the beneficiary, the Scoutmaster, and the Life to Eagle Coordinator and obtain their approval to proceed. Record their input and any resulting changes in the workbook, then sign and date the Project Plan’s Candidate’s Promise. Obtain all necessary permits and permissions before work begins.
Schedule your project workdays with the Troop and make sure at least two registered adult leaders can be present on the project days. To avoid schedule conflicts, Scouts are required to present proposed workdays to the PLC for approval. Identify the first-aid specialist, first-aid kit, safety briefing, emergency access, protective equipment, and age-appropriate tool use in your plan. Adults are accountable for safety; you are responsible for planning a safe project and leading the work.
After the project is finished, complete the Eagle Scout Service Project Report, also in the Eagle Project Workbook. The report must be signed by the Project Beneficiary Representative and the Scoutmaster. You must finish, sign, and date your report before your 18th birthday. Enter your report completion/signature date—not merely the last workday—as the project completion date on your Eagle Scout Rank Application. Obtain the beneficiary’s and Scoutmaster’s signatures; those adult signatures may follow your 18th birthday if necessary.
Eagle Scout Application:
Once you have completed your Service Project and other Scoutbook requirements, you will complete the Eagle Scout Application. Please note that this version was released in January 2026. Make sure that you are not using an older version of the application and confirm that a more recent version has not been published (check here). The application form includes:
The completion dates for the 13 required Eagle merit badges and 8 electives. These dates are available on Scoutbook.
The names and contact information for four character references.
The date that you became a Scout, the date of your Star Board of Review (BOR), the date of your Life BOR, the completion date of your Eagle Scout Service project, and the date of your Eagle Scoutmaster Conference.
Information about your leadership positions as a Life Scout.
The application must be signed by the Scout, the Scoutmaster, and the Troop Committee Chair. These signatures should take place during a regular Monday meeting.
Once the application is complete, you must create a binder which includes:
Your signed Eagle Scout Service Project Proposal
Your signed Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising Application (if required)
Your required Eagle Scout Service Project Plan with your signed Candidate's Promise.
Your signed Eagle Scout Service Project Report
Any photos documenting your project
Your signed Eagle Scout Application
A 1-2 page 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.
Contact Richard Shields and arrange a time to deliver this binder to him in person. He will examine the contents for completion and then schedule your Eagle Board of Review.
Eagle Scout Board of Review:
District Boards of Review take place at the Indian Trail VFW on the second Monday of each month.
All Eagle materials must be received by Mr. Shields at least 3 weeks before the scheduled date.
You must bring at least two leaders or parents to assist in other Eagle Boards. If you wish to bring a particular ASM, please contact him as soon as possible to confirm. Parents are also acceptable.
Wear your full Class A uniform including merit badge sash. Your sash should include all required merit badges. If your book is complete, you may bring it to be signed at the Board of Review. If your book is not complete for any reason, it is better not to bring it to avoid questions.
Eagle Scout Court of Honor:
Council recommends scheduling the Eagle Court of Honor no sooner than 90 days after the Board of Review to allow plenty of time for the Eagle Scout certificate and badge to arrive.
Please work with the Scoutmaster to schedule the church sanctuary if desired.
Past examples of Eagle Scout COH scripts are in our Troop 120 Google Drive. But the court can be customized by the Scout however he would like!
