On June 3, Boy Scout Troop 1548 recognized its 10 graduating high school seniors. These young men have been together in Troop 1548 since fifth grade and were also Cub Scouts since first grade. Each scout has earned, or is in the process of earning the rank of Eagle Scout. This is an amazing achievement for these Scouts as well as for Troop 1548. The fact that a boy is an Eagle Scout carries a special significance, not only in scouting, but also as he enters higher education, business and community service. Only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
Troop 1548 is known as the All-Weather Troop and these scouts have participated in numerous high adventure activities including backpacking, hiking, obstacle courses, whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking and sailing. They went to Alaska in the summers of 2004 and 2006. Last summer, some of them went sailing in the Florida Keys through The Florida National High Adventure Sea Base, owned and operated by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
For the recognition program, the Scouts were asked to give a favorite memory from Boy Scouts; they all mentioned the trips to Alaska or Sea Base. These weren’t vacations, but high adventure trips that required preparation and conditioning. At times they faced difficult challenges, but more importantly they made lasting memories and life-long friendships. As one scout said, "We found out how hard we could push ourselves and we felt like we had achieved more than we ever thought possible." Another scout said, "Both of these experiences were excellent because I got to further friendships I made in scouting and develop new ones."
The Scouts expressed their gratitude to the many adult volunteers from Troop 1548 who helped them achieve their goals, especially Scoutmaster John Hanyok. They were also especially thankful to Donna Bell and Mary Fox, past and present advancement chairpersons. They helped the Scouts ensure their paperwork was in order for their Eagle rank.
Congratulations to the following young men as they enter college in the fall.
* Michael Bealey — Virginia Tech, Eagle Project: Greenbriar East Elementary — Built path that provides handicapped access for students.
* Steven Bell — Virginia Tech, Eagle Project: Chantilly High School — Organized trophies and built display shelves for the band room.
* Ross Coleman — Radford University, Eagle Project: Sully Plantation — Chinking a slave quarter (using a mud-mixture placed in between the logs of the quarters) and improving a trail.
* Michael Dadok — George Mason University, Eagle Project: Chantilly Library — Built a new garden consisting of several trees and shrubs around the book statue located next to the entrance.
* David Forbach — Virginia Tech, Eagle Project: Eleanor C. Lawrence Park — Built and repaired benches. Put water bars in the ground to divert runoff water off the trail and mulched trail.
* Casey Izquierdo — Northern Virginia Community College, Eagle Project: Brookfield Elementary School — Built a pathway to the playground. Planted bushes along the side of the path and planted a pin oak tree.
* Stephen Mason — Christopher Newport University, Eagle Project: Manassas National Battlefield — Construction of a historic split rail fence.
* Brian O’Connell — George Mason University, Eagle Project: Greenbriar West Elementary — Created a Japanese garden and courtyard, built benches, and planted raised-beds and a Japanese maple tree.
* Scott Rayerman — Harvey Mudd College, Eagle Project: Greenbriar Commons — Constructed a small flag stone labyrinth.
* Soham Trivedi — University of Virginia, Eagle Project: Walney Park — Construction of a dam, 2 ponds, a trail and a wood duck box.