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 DATE : 2019.04.04
 TIME : 20:19
AUTHOR : [email protected]
 MOOD : TIRED
TITLE : AN EAGLE STARTS TO FLY

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Yesterday my son's Boy Scout Eagle project was approved to move
forward by his scouting Eagle review board. I thought I would
write a little about the effort that brought him to this point. Of
boy scouts, a very small percentage ever make it to the rank of
Eagle scout, I believe the number hovers around three percent. A
youth achievements go, its probably one of a handful of things a
person can put on their resume from their childhood as adults.

The Eagle project is the final achievement that stands on the
shoulders of earlier accomplishments, it's a project that must
help the community in some way and is expected to be run like
a real project the scout might expect to see in the working
world. There is an emphasis on planning, delegation, documentation
and time management. It starts as a plan that must be approved,
and is then moves into the project execution phase, and finally
the documentation and presentation of the results. After which a
board decides if the scout has achieved the rank of Eagle.

For my son's project he has been working to get the project plan
put together since last October. His idea was to do a conservation
project at five local public schools (outdoor bat houses). He
wants to study forestry and did something similar in a club he
is in. His first step was to present his project idea to the
school district administrator. This person would be the official
beneficiary.

In most Eagle projects getting a beneficiary is a one and
done process. In my son's case, the administrator provided
board approval, but my son would need to get individual school
principals to agree to participate.

For his initial foray he contact five schools that had the best
geographic factors for bats. He offered them two options --
An Outdoor install (preferred) and an Indoor Teaching aide.
The thought was that schools not interested in doing an outdoor
install might be open to receiving a free teaching aide and a
PowerPoint presentation about bats to show to the kids.

Initial results: 4 NO, 1 Indoor teaching aid.

Ooof.  That was a bit of a disappointment. So we talked and
he decided to expand the offer to all the remaining school
districts. As the end he had 4 outdoor, 1 indoor an bunch
more NO's and surprisingly over ten schools that flat out never
responded at all after multiple email tries. After a bunch of time
planning out supplies, getting estimated costs, meeting with the
principals he was ready to present to a three person board last
night. And he was feeling nervous.  You see he did this once
before about a year ago for a potential project with a forest
preserve and was denied.  I wasn't there, and his Scoutmaster
didn't attend.

At the time he was very dejected. It wasn't until I attended
a Eagle Board of Review (the after project presentation) that I
realized how intense these reviews are. I am still pissed that his
Scoutmaster wasn't with him. Fast forward to before last night,
I was there, his new troop eagle coach was there and the board
was there.

The meeting was 1.5 hours. It started with him telling them about
his project, I could tell he was nervous. And then they started
asking details questions.  He wavered between having good answers
and trying to think of an answer for some things he didn't know.
Did you consider this type of treated wood for X?  What direction
were you planning on have these facing?

All the time the coach and I had to remain absolutely silent. We
could not help him remember details or offer assistance. As a
Father it was rough. What I started to realize after about the
first hour is that he was over the hump, he didn't realize it, but
I could tell that there was a switch in their questions, they were
starting to ask questions to help him think about items he had no
experience in that would help him.

I know it didn't feel that was to him at the time. But in the end
they approved his project. He has a number of updates to make,
and a lot of work to do over the next two months but if he does,
and we will be nudging him all the way he should reach his goal
and make Eagle. In the end I think it will be a good experience.
Well that's it.



-Snowcrash

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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