YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections

Five Clark County youths become Eagle Scouts

August 29, 2008|Rachel Parsons

In over four decades of leading Boy Scout troops in central Kentucky, Clay Rose has never seen five boys from the same troop become Eagle Scouts in the same year. To say that he's proud of his troop, which accomplished just that feat this month, would be an understatement.

"We've had three (Eagle Scouts) a couple times, but it's very unusual," said Rose, scoutmaster for Troop 56.

On Saturday, Aug. 16, Winchester youths Austin Norton, Cal McGrath, Sam Long, Blake Browning and Reece Glenn all earned Scouting's highest honor at a ceremony at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. It was a long process for the boys, involving hundreds of hours of work to earn merit badges, develop a project and then see it to completion.

Rose thinks of it as a transformative experience for boys, and one that puts them on the path to becoming successful adults.

"These are all good boys... Well, they're no longer boys. They're young men," Rose said of the Scouts. "To become an Eagle Scout, a boy has to grow into a young man. He has to learn about responsibility... It's a grown-up thing."

Rose certainly knows a thing or two about Scouts. His own son and grandson are both Eagle Scouts.

The newly minted Eagle Scouts have been involved in Scouting together for several years, and they credit their friendships with helping them make it through the difficult process.

Reece Glenn, the 17-year-old son of R. Reece Glenn Jr. and Sarah Sledd Glenn, said he has enjoyed Scouts so much over the years because of the time it has allowed him to spend with his friends.

"I've always had all my friends with me. We've been to elementary school and middle school together," said Glenn, who has been in Scouts since 2002.

That friendship and support certainly came in handy as the boys worked on their required community service projects.

"It's a lot of leadership, and a lot of hours," said Norton, the 17-year-old son of Carl and Leslie Norton.

Norton has been involved in Scouts since 1999. For his project, he constructed six primitive log benches that were placed at Lower Howard's Creek Nature Preserve. The project took 237 hours and 13 months to complete.

While working on their projects, Scouts are required to keep a record book of all the time, volunteers and materials that the project required. Before beginning a project, a potential Eagle Scout must must also write a proposal detailing plans for the project.

Cal McGrath, the 18-year-old son of Casey and Betty McGrath, cleared brush at Lower Howard's Creek and provided tables for a picnic area. Sam Long, the 17-year-old son of Steven and Donna Long, replaced the flag pole at College Park and Blake Browning, the 17-year-old son of Jeff and Karen Browning, provided a flag pole for the new Winchester Youth Soccer League soccer complex. Reece provided recycled tire mulch for the new Bluegrass Community and Technical College campus.

Despite all the hard work, the Scouts are definitely proud of what they've accomplished, and happy to be able to give back to their community.

"It was challenging and it was a good experience," said McGrath. "It was worth it in the end."

|

|

|