Topic
Courts of honor, boards of review and service projects that took months of planning. Scouters wrote about the journey to Eagle from every angle, from the first rank advancement to the speech at the ceremony.
917 posts · 2008–2020
Showing 1–50 of 69 posts
Note: This is the 30th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe.
After crossing over from Pack 82 to Troop 99 in Benton, Ark., Nicholas Burrell was looking forward to many campouts, fishing trips and summer camp adventures. But before he could complete his first year in the older youth program, the 11-year-old went to see a doctor about the intense headaches he began having — and another…
Ten years, more than 40 million page views. Thanks to you, the loyal Bryan on Scouting reader, the 2010s were the best decade yet for the official blog of Scouting magazine. And because the blog launched in March 2009, the 2010s were also the only decade yet for the official blog of Scouting magazine.
An Eagle Scout project is an extreme act of service. It requires meticulous planning, servant leadership and a professional juggler’s ability to multitask. Most young people wouldn’t embark on such a difficult endeavor. Nicolas Salazar isn’t most young people. The 15-year-old Eagle Scout from Troop 400 of Pace, Fla., part of the Gulf Coast Council…
Note: This is the 29th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe.
Adam Pieroni, Marc Zamora, William Marcinkowski, Sanjit Shelukar, Evan Meiers, William Bishop, Joel Bjordammen, Keegan McLaughlin, Jeff Cutcher, and Ryan Cleary. Troop 98 of Whitpain Township, Pa., has a strong membership of more than 80 Scouts with several achieving the Eagle Scout rank every year.
Somewhere in Colorado, there’s a merit badge counselor who can smile with pride. When he was a Scout in Colorado, Derrick Goold earned the Emergency Preparedness merit badge while attending summer camp at Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in the BSA’s Longs Peak Council.
Military service especially strikes a chord for four Scouts from Kendall, N.Y. Ryan Barrett, Noah Rath, Jayden Pieniaszek and Brian Shaw all have family members who served or who are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces. So, it seemed natural when the four were thinking of Eagle Scout project ideas, they all settled on…
Jonathan Andersen never let a little fame get to his head. But he did let it serve as extra motivation along his Scouting trail. Jonathan and his dad, Bruce, were photographed together in 2008 for a Boy Scouts of America recruiting campaign.
David Taylor pauses during his 2012 Philmont trek. Nathan Flowers and David Taylor began their Scouting careers together more than a quarter-century ago. They were in the same Cub Scout pack and then moved together into Troop 475 of Florence, S.C.
A challenging journey peppered with obstacles. A road you ultimately travel alone, even though others will be there to cheer you on. Adrenaline-packed adventures in unpredictable weather. Take a look at cyclocross, and you’ll see this fascinating sport has a whole lot in common with the journey to becoming an Eagle Scout.
Benjamin Alva, left, and Cody Clements In the unsullied areas of the Yellowstone National Park wilderness, away from the tourist spots, Eagle Scouts Benjamin Alva and Cody Clements looked for clues that could lead to other-worldly discoveries. They collected samples from 200-plus-degree hot springs, preparing them for analysis of their nitrogen compounds, which are critical…
It started, as great ideas sometimes do, as a joke. Back in March, Chris Mahn was sitting at a troop committee meeting with fellow volunteers from Troop 26 of Wilmington, N.C., part of the BSA’s Cape Fear Council. The leaders started to discuss the troop’s epic summer calendar, where two separate groups of Troop 26…
So what if dogs can’t say the Scout slogan? That hasn’t stopped Ranger from doing his Good Turn daily. For the past few years, Ranger has been helping his best friend, Ethan Warren, cope with the sometimes-violent “triggers” Ethan experiences as part of his Asperger’s syndrome.
Note: This is the 28th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe.
Zack Moore (third from right) and the group prepare to enter the Desolation Wilderness. The statement was equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. And at just five words long, it encapsulated the profound need for and transformative power of Zack Moore’s Eagle Scout project.
Consider it one small step toward confirming something we’ve known all along — and one giant leap toward proving something that hadn’t been reported previously. A newly uncovered troop recharter form substantiates Neil Armstrong’s status as an Eagle Scout and proves that the first person on the moon subscribed to Boys’ Life magazine.
When it rains in cities and towns across the U.S., it pours. And in this case, “it” refers to oil, salt, gasoline and other debris that gets washed down the road and into rivers, lakes and streams. Bioswales are nature’s filter for this repugnant runoff.
As a member of his school’s Public Safety Academy , Luke Gwartney knew his Eagle Scout project would benefit local law enforcement heroes. The 17-year-old has a beyond-his-years appreciation for the brave individuals who protect our communities. But Luke hadn’t settled on a specific project until some deputies from the sheriff’s office in Johnston County, Kan.…
Sometimes the simplest things provide the greatest comfort. Recruiting friends, family and strangers to his cause, an Eagle Scout hopeful from Utah launched a nationwide effort to collect blankets for parents whose babies are stillborn. Benjamin Crane of the Great Salt Lake Council set his goal at 50 sets of blankets.
When Henry Ross Perot passed away Tuesday, media coverage primarily highlighted his business endeavors that made him a billionaire and his two campaigns for the presidency in the 1990s. But Perot’s legacy to the general public was shaped during his childhood, specifically in Scouting.
There are still only 24 hours in a day, but Sunjay Chawla seemed to defy that fundamental fact about time. He captured five state tennis titles in Mississippi, holds his high school’s record for most goals in a soccer game (eight) and won several golf tournaments.
The tradition of the Stations of the Cross reminds Christians of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Garrett Johnson of Troop 81 in Tulsa, Okla., was inspired by that concept for his Eagle Scout project. He created the “Stations of the Flag” display for the Folds of Honor Foundation, an Oklahoma-based nonprofit that provides scholarships to…
Eagle Scout Jeff Rand stands atop Mount Hood in Oregon. At 11,249 feet, it's the 13th tallest state high point. You can trace Jeff Rand’s quest to become a “highpointer” all the way back to grade school. In fifth grade, Rand had to prepare a report on the state of his choice.
Fox needed a hero, and so the TV network took the most logical action. It called on an Eagle Scout. For the premiere of the new game show Spin the Wheel , Fox selected a contestant they knew home viewers would root for.
Fourteen of Troop 501's 15 Eagle Scout graduates gathered for a photo. The Scouts in maroon neckerchiefs were still completing their final requirements when the photo was taken. A remarkable 15 Eagle Scouts from a single troop graduated high school together last month, carrying Scouting’s proven mix of hands-on leadership training and character development with…
Sam Snyder of Troop 175 from Peachtree City, Ga., works on his Eagle project with his helpers. They built a 24-by-20-foot pavilion with four 10-by-10 dog runs for the county animal shelter. Five words — that’s all that fundamentally separates an Eagle Scout service project from a standard Scouting service project.
Timmy working with a speech language pathologist at the Lerner School. Photo courtesy of the Cleveland Clinic. Timmy Hargate was diagnosed at an early age with autism and an extreme speech delay. Thanks to years of hard work and the help of dedicated professionals, he is now an Eagle Scout.
Jennifer Gibbs remembers her family’s camping trips, orchestrated by her father Melbourne “Kenny” Richards, Jr. “My dad had a profound love of nature,” Gibbs says. “His training as an Eagle Scout made my dad the best person to go camping with; my favorite trips with him were to the Southwest or in Colorado.
They’ve led giant corporations and highly ranked universities. They’ve skied at the North and South poles and chased eclipses around the world. They’ve volunteered with music education programs and at their places of worship. Impressive stuff, but there’s something even more remarkable on the résumés of the 13 men and women receiving the Silver Buffalo…
The seventh point of the Scout Law — obedient — is about discipline. An obedient Scout shows discipline by following rules and taking direction from others. That applies whether in the classroom, on a backpacking trip — or on the court during an NBA game.
If someone presented an award for “earning the most awards,” Benji Rawald would probably earn that one, too. He’s an Eagle Scout. He has earned every available merit badge and several BSA STEM Nova awards . He received the William T.
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Chapman and his helicopter crew flew low across the sands of Saudi Arabia, attempting to evade enemy artillery after rescuing an injured soldier. Before they could get back to a medical facility, a sandstorm engulfed the helicopter.
This proud Scouting mom was not throwing away her shot. Jennifer Smyke knows how much her son, Carter, loves the musical Hamilton . So when Carter finished the requirements for the Eagle Scout award, Scouting’s highest honor, Jennifer took a chance and contacted Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the wildly popular show.
Logan Hine loves playing tennis and is on his high school’s varsity team. But the Eagle Scout with Troop 64 in Maugansville, Md., soon realized something about the sport. “Tennis is an extremely wasteful sport,” Logan says. “Some balls are used for less than an hour and then thrown away.
A young person doesn’t have to become an Eagle Scout to have a life-changing experience in Scouting. But you can bet some Scouts in your troop will set their sights on that shiny Eagle medal. And chances are some of those Eagle hopefuls will join your Scouts BSA troop this year as 16- or 17-year-olds…
As a liver surgeon at one of the nation’s top hospitals, Dr. Nicholas Nissen spends his day fixing problems. But 37 years ago, when Nissen was a Life Scout, he had his own problem in need of fixing. Nissen hadn’t yet completed his Eagle Scout requirements when his northern Minnesota troop folded just a few…
David Montgomery credits what he learned in Scouting with leading him to this year’s NFL draft. Last week, he was drafted by the Chicago Bears . “To become an Eagle Scout was an experience I needed for me in my life that brought me here to this point and also influenced my mindset and the way…
There’s a reason only about 10% of applicants get accepted into West Point each year. The U.S. Military Academy takes only the best of the best: men and women who are physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. That explains why Michael Norris, an Eagle Scout from Red Bank, S.C., will join the academy’s Class…
Note: This is the 27th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe.
Front row, from left: Christopher Talbot, Cooper Newsom, William Greening, Reece Breaux, Will Beck and Miles Cavitt. Back row, from left: Scott Neuhoff, Luke Logan, Trey Brooks, Luke Stanford, John Carrie and Jackson Mechem. The mascot for the Episcopal School of Dallas, a well-regarded private school in Texas, is the Eagles.
For many hikers, the 2,189-mile journey along the Appalachian Trail takes almost six months. Not for Eagle Scout Michael Fibich. Last summer, he made the trek across 14 states in 94 days, 7 hours and 15 minutes — yes, he timed it down to the minute.
Note: This is the 26th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here and submit your own here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe.
Photo by Bill Torpy Lamar Ernest Wallace, a World War II veteran who was believed to be the oldest living Eagle Scout , died on March 31, 2019. He was 107. Wallace earned Scouting’s highest honor on Sept. 17, 1927, in Gotebo, Okla., meaning he could wear his Eagle medal proudly for nearly 92 years.
Duck factories, fowl poles or giant Twinkies on a stick. Call these mallard duck nesting tubes whatever you’d like; I’ll call them “one Eagle Scout candidate’s big idea for conservation.” For his Eagle Scout service project, Tapp Rhoads of Troop 997 in Ashburn, Va., part of the National Capital Area Council, led a group of…
Eagle Scout Eric Meek creates incredible glass artwork as part of his job at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y. His time with Troop 77 in Defiance, Ohio, instilled the leadership and interpersonal skills he uses for work every day, but it also equipped him with the survival skills he needed to stay…
Where can Scouting take young people? The sky’s the limit. Samuel Ferguson, an Eagle Scout from West Windsor, N.J., received an $80,000 prize for finishing in sixth place in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. He says he’ll put every penny of the money toward paying for college; the 18-year-old plans to attend MIT.
Tyler Henry wanted to help Memorial United Methodist Church in Summit Point, W.Va., where his grandmother had attended and where Troop 421 met. As a tribute to his grandmother and a thank-you on behalf of his troop, Tyler decided to take on multiple challenging tasks for his Eagle Scout project: replacing the church’s speakers, upgrading…
Story contributed by Mark Griffin, Great Salt Lake Council Scout Executive Last fall the Great Salt Lake Council enthusiastically participated in the ‘Scout Me In’ Influencer Campaign. We were very fortunate to have the leadership of Bruce Hough, the immediate past president of our council and the father of Julianne and Derek Hough , in our…
James Havey discovered his passion for helping the downtrodden and underprivileged after a trip to Mexico in middle school. He went on a trip with a Christian ministry to volunteer in orphanages around Monterrey, Mexico. “It was on this first trip down to Monterrey that I saw what poverty can do to a family, and…
