Baltimore Area Council > River Hawk District > Program > Advancement > Road to Eagle

Road to Eagle

riverhawk-road-to-eagle

Key Steps in the Life to Eagle Process

  • Complete Required Merit Badges: As a Life Scout, you need to earn a total of 21 merit badges, including 14 required badges for Eagle. This includes badges in areas such as First Aid, Citizenship, and Environmental Science.
  • Service Project Proposal: Identify a service project that benefits your community or a non-profit organization. Ask your unit leadership if they have an Eagle Scout Service Project Coach that can assist you with the process. Complete the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook Proposal Section and gain initial approval and signatures from your unit leader, unit committee, and the benefiting organization.  Forward a digital copy of your book along with the signed signature pages and pictures to assist with visualizing your project to proposals@riverhawkbac.org. If you do not receive a message that the proposal was received, contact the Advancement Committee Chair.   If a scout submits the proposal, the message must include a “cc:” (Unit Leader or Parent) for two-deep leadership purposes.  It may take a few weeks for your proposal to be reviewed.

Proposal Registrar: Andrew Huppert 1017 Tudor Dr Crownsville, MD 21032 410-923-1534

  • Project Execution: When you receive approval, the Approval Representative will include council representative signature on your workbook as well as an Eagle Project Tracking Sheet.  Now its time to plan and execute your service project. Document the process and gather signatures from your unit leader and the benefiting organization once completed. You must keep the Eagle Project Tracking Sheet with your Workbook as it will be needed during your Eagle Scout Board of Review.
  • Eagle Scout Rank Application: Once all rank requirements are completed, fill out the Eagle Scout Rank Application. A pre-filled application can be generated within ScoutBook or a copy can be found on the BSA Forms Page. This application must be signed by your unit leader and unit committee before submission to the council.  This can be emailed to Denise Shoemaker once completed.
  • Board of Review: Once the application has been verified by the Advancement Committee Schedule it will be time to prepare for your Eagle Scout Board of Review. On your application you listed four people as references.  You will need to work with your unit to contact these individuals to gather reference letters from them.  Once the letters are received, your unit will work with the advancement committee to schedule a Board of Review date. This is the final step in the process where you will present your accomplishments and project to a panel of leaders.
  • Application Processing: Following a successful Board of Review your application is taken back to the Baltimore Area Council where it is signed by the Council Executive certifying the proper procedures were followed.  This application will then be entered into my.scouting.org and validated by the National Advancement Team.  The National Advancement Team will generate credentials and forward them back to the Baltimore Area Council where personnel will alert your local unit that they’re ready to be picked up.

CHANGES EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 27, 2026

NEW EAGLE APPLICATION now is use (identified as version February 2026) is available to be downloaded from: https://www.scouting.org/resources/forms/

NOTE: The new form shows space for contact information for four (4) references. Parents/relatives/family members of the Eagle candidate should not provide references. Scoutmaster and Committee Chair of the Eagle candidate’s unit may not be references, if either also signs the application. The application will not be processed with less than 4 references.  The Eagle candidate is expected to request references which should be returned to an adult leader of the candidate’s unit and not the candidate. 

Feb ’26: Removed Citizenship in Society Merit Badge.

ONLY FEBRUARY 2026 APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED AT COUNCIL FOR VERIFICATION.

Eagle Scout Recognition Certificates

Are you planning an Eagle Scout Court of Honor? One highlight of these ceremonies are recognition letters and certificates. If you would like an Eagle Scout recognition certificate from either the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) or the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) please contact Bruce McPherson at bmcpherson73@verizon.net or 410-456-2500 with the full name of the scout, his troop, and the time & place of the Court of Honor.

Please allow enough time for certificates to be prepared, and potential presenters to be arranged. If presenters are not available, we can arrange to deliver the certificates to the ceremony coordinator.