An Eagle court of honor should be cause for joy, an inspiring mix of ceremony and celebration. While there should be moments of solemnity, there should also be plenty of room for laughter.
But not all laughs are created equal. Consider this note I received recently from a mom who had purchased The Eagle Court of Honor Book:
Your book and supporting materials have proven to be a terrific resource. Members of our troop have used the same basic script for as long as I can remember. (Sometimes the Eagle Scout has even forgotten to change the names, and the audience gets a chuckle at the expense of the honoree.) Our son had noticed that the Scouts in attendance had seen it so many times that they had begun to tune it out and talk during the ceremonies. He wanted something different and memorable, and he wanted it to hold the audience’s attention. Your book has given him countless options!
“A chuckle at the expense of the honoree”–what a terrible memory for a Scout to take away from his big moment. And all because his troop didn’t put much effort into planning his Eagle court of honor. (It’s ironic that we demand originality from Eagle projects but don’t expect it from Eagle courts of honor.)
One of the reasons I wrote The Eagle Court of Honor Book was to help troop leaders avoid cookie-cutter ceremonies. Whether you buy my book or not, I hope you’ll make sure your next court of honor is not a duplicate of your last one. After all, your next Eagle Scout won’t be a clone; he’ll be a young man worthy of celebration.
For more ideas, check out my new ebook, Showtime: 45 Top Tips from EagleBook.com and The Eagle Court of Honor Book; it costs just $2.99 and is available for immediate download.