| Trio of Eagles honored at Goodland |
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| Monday, 14 May 2012 15:51 | |||
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It’s certainly not every day that a Scout earns the rank of Eagle. It’s even more rare when a Scout can celebrate with two of his friends, also receiving an Eagle rank. This year’s Open House/Alumni Day featured a very special Scout Court of Honor, in which many new boys were added to the Troop and three young men received their special rank. The ceremony began with a cross over ceremony for the Troop’s Webelos. For those unfamiliar with this type of ceremony, the Webelos of the Troop officially advance to the rank of Scout and join the older boys in the Troop. It’s a ceremony steeped in rich symbolism and signifies to the Troop and to the community that they are prepared for their next steps toward manhood. A special wooden bridge was constructed for the ceremony on which each Webelos Scout must cross over to their new Troop waiting to greet them. A special arrow is given to each new Scout as a token of their hard work and a reminder that their path should always be true and straight. Chahta, Lane, Jason, and James, each received a new Scout neckerchief and eagerly shook hands with all the members of their new troop. They are now “one of the big boys.” The ceremony concluded with the highlight of the morning, the Eagle Scout rank awards. Hunter, Christian and Seth each beamed proudly as board members, scouters, alumni and donors all looked on and witnessed another great chapter in Troop 84 history. Perhaps “pride” is not the correct word, at least according to Seth (shown right). When asked if he was proud of his new honor, he humbly replied, “no sir, I wouldn’t say I’m proud. Pride goes before the fall, you know? I’ll just say I’m pleased.” Humility defined. The boys’ Eagle Scout projects made a very positive impact on both the campus and the surrounding community. Hunter directed a group of Scouts and adult leaders in efforts to restore the school’s cafeteria. This cafeteria will be used to feed disadvantaged students at little or no cost. Christian took on the project of handling the mail out for Goodland’s alumni association. Seth raised funds and purchased blankets, hats and footwear for cancer patients to use while receiving chemo treatments at a local clinic in Paris, Texas. Needless to say, we share in the joy of each of these young men. The journey to Eagle is a long one and these teens finished it with honor. • Submitted by Jonathan Garrison, Goodland Academy.
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