Eagle Scout soars over his personal challenges

  • Jenny Lynn Zappala<br>Lynnwood / Mountlake Terrace Enterprise editor
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 6:44am

For the tenacious minority of young men in Boy Scouting who work hard enough to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the feat is admirable.

For Mark Scullywest, who has Down Syndrome, it’s extraordinary.

On Saturday, Scullywest, a Boy Scout with Lynnwood Troop 64, achieved his goal of attaining the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank a Boy Scout under the age of 18 can achieve.

True to his character, Scullywest did it the hard way. He completed requirements for 28 merit badges, seven more than the 21 he needed. The 16-year-old Bothell boy also earned his badge two years before many of his fellow Eagle Scouts.

When asked if he ever felt like giving up on the rigorous climb to Eagle Scout, he said, “Nope. I just kept going.”

Some people credit Scullywest for being so persistent because he deals with limitations others don’t. People born with Down Syndrome have a combination of mental or physical disabilities, such as heart defects or trouble with hearing or vision. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, there are about 350,000 individuals with Down Syndrome nationwide.

Scullywest’s achievement stands on its own, said Ed Scullywest, his father and troop leader. You don’t label people as “the kid with peanut allergies” or the “guy with a heart condition,” he explained.

“That is not how we identify him,” troop leader Scullywest said. “He is energetic and persistent and hard working.”

The way Ed Scullywest sees it, Mark is a boy who set a lofty goal for himself and achieved it.

“It is pretty rare for any 11-year-old boy,” the troop leader said in reference to when his son decided to become an Eagle Scout. “That’s a long time down the road when you are 11. He has had to work, I’d say, twice as hard as other kids to get it.”

About 2 percent of all Boy Scouts achieve Eagle Scout nationwide and in this community, according to Eagle Scout coordinator Adnan Bakkar of Lynnwood. About 30 boys earn the rank of Eagle Scout in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and nearby cities each year.

To become an Eagle Scout, a Boy Scout has to earn at least 21 merit badges and lead a group of volunteers in a public service project. Then the Scout is interviewed by an Eagle Scout Review Board.

“Would I recommend him for a job? Yes, I would,” Bakkar said. “He did the task and was determined to finish it. He is pleasant to talk to. He communicates really well with older and younger people. When he does not understand something, he will ask you to repeat it.”

For his Eagle project, Mark Scullywest decided to build a path to a wetland behind Skyview Junior High in Bothell, which teachers and students visit for education projects. He directed volunteers to install a sloped pipe to drain water and then form a path from about 14 cubic yards of gravel.

“It was great having people help out,” Mark Scullywest said. “We made some changes. We were going to move the gravel by wheel barrow. But our neighbor came up with a tractor and volunteered. That went faster.”

To earn his badges, Mark Scullywest pushed himself physically and mentally. He finished several bicycle trips, some as far as 50 miles, to earn his cycling badge. He carefully studied his trees and plants for the forestry badge and studied finances for his personal management badge. If he didn’t understand something, he would keep asking or practicing until he got it right.

“It was fun,” he said.

Now he is a sophomore at Bothell High School and his favorite subjects are math and English. His next goal is to become an honors student and go to college.

“But I have to work hard,” he said.

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