ML Scouts earn Eagle rank

Five members of Medical Lake Scout Troop 307 stated the Scout oath in front of family, friends, teachers and fellow troop members in Medical Lake City Hall's auditorium.

The boys had recited the pledge on numerous occasions before, but on Oct. 9, they were doing it for the first time as Eagle Scouts.

Connor Gilbert, Alexander Neder, Chase Wolfe, Kaden Lee and Robert Schrock officially earned the rank of Eagle during an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony last Sunday.

All five boys began their tenure in Troop 307 as Cub Scouts when they were younger and progressed through ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life Scout.

"I remember the first Eagle Scout ceremony I attended and I came to every one since then," Lee said. "Now I'm blessed to be here and receive that honor."

To achieve the rank of Eagle, a candidate must be active in their troop for at least six months as a Life Scout and demonstrate their Scout spirit by living out the oath and laws. They also need to earn 21 merit badges, including specific ones such as First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Communication, Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving.

"For me, Scouts has changed a lot in my life," Neder said. "A lot of it (the lessons) can be applied to everyday life, even if it's small."

A Scout must also serve in a leadership position in his troop, participate in a Scoutmaster conference and plan and complete a service project that benefits their religious institution, school or the community.

Most of the service projects the boys completed benefitted Medical Lake in some way.

Gilbert built bat houses and placed them along the west side of Medical Lake. Neder constructed a new sign for the Medical Lake Community Church. Lee painted the food bank's storage shed and built sandwich boards to promote support for the food bank and the Care and Share. Wolfe repaired the Kiwanis Club bingo machine and Schrock built 50 birdhouse kits.

The final step is to complete an Eagle Scout board of review. Scouts must attach an Eagle Scout Rank application that includes a statement of their ambitions, purpose, positions they have held in their community, school, church where they have demonstrated their leadership skills and awards and honors they have received.

"It's been a long, hard road for them to get here," Chuck Lee, Scoutmaster of Troop 307, said. "We pushed them to get here and we've seen them grow from young boys to young men."

Prior to the boys receiving their Eagle badges, incoming Scoutmaster Robb Schrock gave them words of advice, and encouraged them to continue upholding the Scout oath and laws.

"You guys have done a good job living up to those ideals, now you must carry them into practice," Robb Schrock said.

After the Scouts received their pins and blue and red neckerchiefs - to replace their green ones - they presented special pins to their parents.

"I'm very proud, he's put a lot of work into this," Deanna Wolfe, Chase Wolfe's mother, said of her son's accomplishment. "He's a good kid."

The boys were also honored with gifts from the city Kiwanis Club and Greater Spokane Elks for their service and accomplishment. The Kiwanis presented Chuck Lee with a gift for his service as Scoutmaster.

Each of the boys also took time to thank their parents, Scoutmasters and fellow troops for their support, and shared different memories from their years in Troop 307.

"You all have made Scouts the most memorable thing in my life and I wouldn't want to spend this day with anyone else," Kaden Lee said.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].