When most people think of boy scouts they think of a younger generation, however, there are plenty of high school boy scout participants. Even a few high schoolers hold the Eagle Scout title. Eagle Scouts are the highest ranked boy scouts in America, several students at the high school hold the title of Eagle Scouts, meaning that they are at the top of the list out of the seven other categories included in the boy scouts. 

Senior Creed Ekerberg who is an Eagle Scout has been in boy scouts since 2014 and has been a part of cub scouts since kindergarten. Similarly to Ekerberg, junior Chris Mick who is also an Eagle Scout has been in boy scouts since the fourth grade. Three other students at the high school have earned the rank of Eagle Scout including; seniors Tjayden Symmons and Tryston Michell and junior Caleb Garber. Being an Eagle Scout is not an easy accomplishment. It is estimated that only eight percent of boy scouts in America go on to earn the Eagle Scout rank. Along with earning the title, being an Eagle Scout comes with many responsibilities.

“There are a lot of requirements to becoming an Eagle Scout,” Ekerberg said. “First you have to go through all the ranks before you have to earn certain Eagle required merit badges, you must organize and lead a service project that benefits your community, and go through a board process.”

According to Ekerberg, in 2019, only 61,366 scouts earned the rank of Eagle Scout. There are around 2.2 million boy scouts in America and 5.4 million scouts in the world. Eagle Scouts must obtain certain skills such as leadership and a successful mindset. They have a wide range of knowledge such as First Aide, wilderness survival, financing, communication and more, which is taught by their adult counselor. 

“Eagle Scouts taught me to not give up on anything and to work hard,” Mick said. “I have also learned to stay on task and learn from my mistakes.”

Not only are Eagle Scouts an esteemed group of workers, the simple title of an Eagle Scout is impressive to most college admissions officers and employers.  According to Unigo, academic scholarships provided for the boy scouts of America range from $25,000 to $50,000.

“Eagle Scouts look really good on a resume,” Ekerberg said. “A lot of people look for Eagle Scouts because they know that they are hard workers, so being an Eagle Scout gives me an advantage in colleges and career choices.”

Boy scouts and Eagle Scouts both are important groups in the community for many reasons. One vague example is how they give back to their community in more ways than one. They work with scouting new boys scouts through neighborhoods, volunteering and sometimes work with faith based organizations to make a positive impact in the community.

“Boy Scouts is important to the community because it helps young boys learn to be good people,” Ekerberg said. “They learn to volunteer, get out of their comfort zone, and give back to their community. We are all taught to be leaders, not just the Eagle Scouts, and it makes a difference.”