Founded in 1910, by Lord Robert Bayden-Powell as an organization in which boys could learn leadership, patriotism, and valuable skills, the Boy Scouts of America has grown to be one of the largest youth organizations in the world. In Boy Scouts, members complete merit badges and advance through ranks to finally achieve the prestigious rank of an Eagle Scout. Once a scout has completed all other necessary requirements, they must lead the completion of a community service project that takes many, many hours to complete. Because of the amount of time and dedication it takes to achieve the rank of Eagle, the rank is acknowledged by colleges, businesses, and even the U.S. military and can be put on applications and resumes as long as the scout is alive.

To acknowledge the greatness of this achievement, I talked to members of the Panther Creek student body who have been awarded their Eagle. There are five young men, in addition to myself, who have earned this award. Sam Bogges, Chris Wagner, Alec Wagner, Vaughn Burgess, and John Foulkes, all have earned the coveted title.

Senior Sam Bogges received is Eagle in April 2012. For his project, Sam made a fishing deck at Harris Lake. When interviewed, Sam said his favorite thing about earning his Eagle was “being done, but I also liked camping, canoening, and rock climbing.”

Fellow senior Chris Wagner completed his Eagle in October 2012 when he built a custom misting station for his church to use for special events. Chris said that the most difficult thing about earning this award was “getting people to help and getting the right building permits,” but in addition to this, he said it was rewarding to be able to help his church.

Sophomore Alec Wagner was awarded his Eagle in October 2013 after he led the construction of a raised flower bed. Alec agreed with his older brother that the hardest part was leading the project and he shared Sam’s love of camping.

Junior Vaughn Burgess got his Eagle in September 2013 after he built special ergonomic park benches. He said he liked the camping with friends, but he especially liked having it done so he could have it and not have to worry about the stress of it.

As for myself, I earned my Eagle in November 2013 by painting fifty fire hydrants in a neighborhood. Because of my experience in getting to this rank of scouting, I can attest to the difficulty and the amount of time required in achieving this honor. Along with my fellow classmates and Eagle Scouts, I also enjoyed the camping and earning the merit badges need to advance as well as finally earning the award itself.

All of these young men have worked for many years to be able to receive this rank as well as all of the benefits that come from holding the rank of Eagle Scout. They deserve all the praise and respect that will come to them now and for the rest of their lives.