From left, standing in the front are Eric Peppin, 14; Curtis Floyd, 16; Corey Blanchet, 16; and AJ Blanchet, 16. From left in the back row, Micai Nethercott, 15; Blake Lewis, 17; and Stephen Milhone, 18.
Posted on 12/28/2005 1:32:06 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
At this time last year, only one of the 11 members of Boy Scout Troop 90 in Sun Prairie, WI had attained the rank of Eagle Scout.
Now, eight have earned the organization's highest honor- at a time when nationally, only about 4 percent of boys who join Boy Scouts make Eagle Scout.
"I'm excited for their future - they're good leaders," said Art Blanchet, a troop adviser and father of two members who became Eagle Scouts. "It's an accomplishment that can't be taken away. It's something they probably won't appreciate until they get a little older."
To become an Eagle Scout, a troop member must devise a project, write a proposal, complete it with the help of family and friends and ultimately be approved by the Eagle Board of Review.
So throughout 2005, the seven troop members completed seven unrelated community service projects (from planning a blood drive to painting softball dugouts) to fulfill requirements of the rank. The Scouts - AJ and Corey Blanchet, Curtis Floyd, Blake Lewis, Stephen Milhone, Micai Nethercott and Eric Peppin - will be honored tonight in a ceremony at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sun Prairie.
The projects are supposed to instill the importance of time management, leadership, adaptability and project completion in the participants.
Becoming Eagle Scouts has been a goal for AJ and Corey Blanchet, both 16, since they started in the Scouts when they were 8 years old.
More recently, though, they had another major motivator.
"We couldn't get our (driver's) license until we got our Eagle," AJ said.
They are scheduled to take their driving tests next month.
Art Blanchet said he imposed the condition to help keep the boys focused and learn how to juggle work, school and other activities in their lives.
"I know driving is a huge distraction for kids," he said. "The idea is to teach them that the juggling act continues and it's always something we have to participate in."
AJ Blanchet's community service project was inspired by Hurricane Katrina. He made school kits filled with supplies for children and sent 45 of them to a general distribution center where they'll be distributed to aid those recovering from such disasters.
"I had to get a lot of donated material," Blanchet said.
This was a challenge because many companies wanted him to go through corporate headquarters for approval.
Asking for donations was definitely a humbling experience, he said, but he is thankful for the many people who donated materials for the kits he assembled.
Corey's project was to paint the softball dugouts at DeForest High School, where he and his brother go to school.
"I wanted to do a local project that I could see the results of," he said, but as with many projects, things didn't quite go as planned. "I underestimated it when I first started. The time needed to be spent on the project was almost double what I thought it would be."
Micai Nethercott, a freshman at DeForest High School, did a landscaping project at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sun Prairie.
He said the project was an exercise in problem-solving and it helped him become a leader. "It helps you realize the importance of community service," he said.
Eric Peppin, who participates in an online high school, worked with the American Legion to put flags on veterans' graves for Memorial Day and to ensure unrecognized veterans are recognized in the future. Peppin said he picked that project because his grandfather, who died recently, was a veteran of World War II.
"I wanted to do this for him," he said.
Blake Lewis, who attends DeForest High School, coordinated a blood drive in Sun Prairie; Stephen Milhone, who attends Cornell University, installed park benches at American Legion Post 333; and Curtis Floyd, who attends Sun Prairie High School, built a bulletin board for Devils Lake State Park.
Now, AJ Blanchet said, "It's time for all of us seven guys to turn around and put some back in" to help those who helped them with their projects.
From left, standing in the front are Eric Peppin, 14; Curtis Floyd, 16; Corey Blanchet, 16; and AJ Blanchet, 16. From left in the back row, Micai Nethercott, 15; Blake Lewis, 17; and Stephen Milhone, 18.
that is awesome.....I became an Eagle Scout at 16 along with my twin brother and 4 other members of my Troop 421 in Oakland Calif....back in 1973......it is a wonderful achievement that one can brag about for life...and yes....a very small percentage make it....so congrats......
Fantastic ,and they are all quite handsome too.
Thanks for post. Always nice to read a success story. Seven more potential leaders of the future, who have some moral value system to guide them.
Good Lads!
I guess Madison, WI isn't completely lost, eh? You'd never know it from some of the posts on FR.
Diana, if perhaps you are related to or know any of these young men, please extend my personal congratulations. I was able to wear my own eagle pin last year and had the honor of placing the new Eagle neckerchief on my nephew. With such honor and achievement comes a special duty: nobliesse oblige.
They are the best.
"You'd never know it from some of the posts on FR."
LOL! Most of those posts are mine for my 'Wisconsin Conservative Politics Ping List.' We keep a close eye on the liberals in our state. ;)
I don't know any of these boys, but one of my Brother-in-Laws is an Eagle Scout, as is one of my husband's best friends.
Both of them are outstanding adults. Glad you could do that for your Nephew. Wish our kids (I have 13 nephews and one son of my own) were motivated in that area; many of them went through Scouting as kids, though. Lots of good memories from those years. The two oldest are in college (mine) and running their own business (my nephew, at age 20!), respectively. :)
Good for these guys, proud to see it.
Too bad the Left is trying to paint Scouting as if it were similar to being a member of the Hitler Youth.
Hope they can stand up to the firehose of leftist indoctrination that will be turned on them in the public school/collegate systems as they transit through.
I hope for the sake of the state that there are more people like Diana in Wisconsin who keep tabs on the liberals out there, because they are of the particularly potent variety.
From one Eagle Scout to the others...congratulations!!
Look closely at the photo. Some of us will be working for these guys some day.
Congrats from another Scout Master, Troop 233, Alamo Area Council!
(now if I can just get my son's to get working on their eagle projects.....)
Even more of a good thing that you held these fellows up. Actually, now that I count time, it has been a few years for my nephew, last year he was in charge of the sailing program at the council camp at the lake, a real responsibility and an honor. His cousin is starting in scouting, got to spend a week extra with him and the counselors (the BIG guys)and thinks he hung the moon. He is severly dyslectic, but this proved that he can overrun any obstacle. My own son just graduated early from college, and had chosen the YMCA instead of scouts, and refereed and coached all through high school, so no complaints at all there
Actually, let us hope that they do get challenged by those leftist indoctrinators. You will be able to hear some of your guilty one's outraged shrieking from them. Remember, these guys are prepared. Come to think of it, how much of the Scout Oath and the Laws is in direct opposition to leftist tenets.
http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/02-503a.html
True. My guess is that Eagle Scouts are better prepared to think for themselves than accept a spoonfed viewpoint.
I do have more faith in them than my comments appear to reflect...
You have that right. It seems the older the boys are the harder it is for them to concentrate on the Eagle goal.
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