Becoming an Eagle Scout is an achievement that will stay with you for the rest of your life. It takes years of commitment and hard work to attain this status. The three tiers of scouts are Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and–finally–Eagle Scouts. Only 4 to 5% of boys who enroll in scouts end up obtaining this special rank. Eagle Scouts have special characteristics that include leadership, courage, physical  fitness, and determination. Four new Eagles Scouts at HB are seniors Kyle Bentall,Ethan Hemenway, and Trevor Cardin, plus junior Tyler St.Pierre.

To reach the status of an Eagle Scout, one must create a service project that benefits the community. This is a requirement and must be completed with strenuous effort and leadership. Trevor Cardin, who achieved his Eagle Scout badge as a junior, created garden beds for the greenhouse at the middle school. Cardin always wanted to become an Eagle Scout: “The trip to Alaska that I would be rewarded with by making it to Eagle Scout was enticing. However, I wanted to become an Eagle Scout because it’s a great honor to achieve. I also wanted to help out the community with my Eagle project.”

For some, being an Eagle Scout runs in the family. Kyle Bentall ‘18 has three older brothers who reached this rank. Bentall, the youngest of the four, wanted to follow in his older brother’s footsteps. “I decided that I wanted to become an Eagle Scout when I saw my three older brothers get their Eagle Scout awards. When I was about 13, I really started to work hard to achieve my goal,” he explained. Bentall has loved the outdoors his whole life and scouting has helped him developed skills in hiking, fishing, camping, and more activities.

There are many challenges and obstacles one must overcome to be an Eagle Scout. Tyler St. Pierre has faced many, but has used each one to grow as a person. “My Eagle Scout rank is not just a badge. It is the hundreds of miles I’ve hiked, the hundreds of hours I’ve served, and the hundreds of lessons I’ve learned. Boy Scouts is about developing a leader in the community, developing boys into men, as well as developing leadership and skills usable for the rest of your life. It’s said that out of a hundred boys who join scouts, thirty will drop their first year. Of the hundred, four will reach the Eagle rank.” The path to becoming an Eagle Scout isn’t easy, but it’s surely obtainable as long as you’re fully committed.

With an Eagle Scout honor comes many benefits. Ethan Hemenway said, “Becoming an Eagle Scout looks really good on my resume. It shows that I have a great work ethic and have what it takes to succeed in life.”

All agree: reaching Eagles rank will help a lot later on in life and will create memories that will be forever cherished.