EVERETT – Only about 4 percent of those who join the Boy Scouts of America will ever reach the rank of Eagle.
Michael O’Leary / The Herald
At a Tuesday night Eagle Court of Honor, 10 young Everett residents from Troop 55 beat the odds by achieving scouting’s highest rank.
“To have 10 in one evening from one unit – it’s heartwarming,” said Dave Crosby, one of the troop’s leaders. “And it’s not just what they do. It’s who they are.”
At the ceremony, each Scout’s mother pinned his Eagle award to his uniform. The Scouts’ fathers fastened a new blue bandanna around their necks. The scout, in turn, placed a pin on each of his parents to symbolize the system of support needed to achieve such goals.
Troop 55 is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which sponsors some 40 percent of scouting troops nationwide, said Bishop Lance Lamprecht.
“It’s a great and important part of our church,” Lamprecht said.
Mayor Ray Stephanson said the Scouts represent the best parts of the Everett community.
“People will expect more from you and turn to you for wisdom and advice,” the mayor told the Eagles. “Your duty is to pass along that knowledge.”
Each Scout’s Eagle project took 100 to 150 hours. Troop members helped each other and pushed each other toward their goal of achieving scouting’s highest rank.
It’s remarkable, because devoting such time to serving others is not always the first instinct for many people, especially teenage boys, said David Duce, an LDS stake president.
The boys chose their service projects over video games, sports or hanging out with friends.
“The path is difficult. Not many make it,” Duce said. “You have to make time in your life to give to others.”
The boys and their projects:
Jordan Telford, 19, designed, built and placed three large nature information signs at Lively Property, an Everett School District nature learning facility. Telford graduated from Cascade High School in 2004.
Zachary Baggett, 18, designed a new map for Wenberg State Park at Lake Goodwin, then mounted the map on a large wooden information kiosk for park visitors. He also replicated several of his maps for distribution within the park. Baggett is a senior at Cascade High School.
James Park, 18, coordinated the construction of eight large refuse containers for Kayak Point County Park near Stanwood. Each can hold two 50-gallon trash cans, which assist in keeping the park clean and attractive. Park is a senior at Snohomish High School.
Brian Jackson, 18, designed, built and delivered two large picnic tables to the Everett School District’s Camp Silverton east of Granite Falls, a camp for fourth and fifth graders. He is a senior at Cascade High School.
Brian Larsen, 16, created a new nature trail at Gateway Middle School southeast of Everett, setting trail markers at intervals along the way. He is a sophomore at Cascade High School.
Jordan Lamprecht, 16, had two projects at Wenberg State Park. He resealed a large picnic pavilion and reconstructed a park trail that was out of code compliance. He is a sophomore at Cascade High School.
Scott Jackson, 15, designed and built two large firewood storage and distribution containers for park rangers at Wenberg State Park. He is a freshman at Cascade High School.
Christopher Larsen, 15, designed and built 15 new tabletop easels for the library of his Everett church center. He is a Cascade High School freshman.
John Bushman, 15, disassembled six large picnic tables at Wenberg State Park. He then reconditioned and reassembled each table, returning them to their original spots. He is a freshman at Cascade High School.
Austin Woodward, 14, collected used baseball equipment, including 130 bats, 25 dozen new hats, 50 batting helmets and 25 mitts. Half the equipment was donated to the Boys &Girls Club; the other half was sent to children in Costa Rica. He is an eighth-grader at Eisenhower Middle School in Everett.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
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