EAGLE SCOUTS LEARN, DEMONSTRATE LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Last year about 50,000 Boy Scouts in the United States earned the highest rank of Eagle. That may seem like a lot, but it represents only about 4 percent of the boys in Scouting.

The requirements for achieving Eagle Scout rank can be daunting. They include earning 21 merit badges and performing a sizable service project for the community, among other tasks.

Still, most younger Scouts are intent on attaining the status. Y-Press recently interviewed several members of Boy Scout Troop 174 in Indianapolis to see what keeps them going.

Troop 174, which meets at Immaculate Heart of Mary School on the Northside, is one of the top Eagle Scout Achievers in the Crossroads of America Council, which covers the central third of Indiana. While the council doesn't keep track of the number of Eagles in any single troop, there were 314 Eagles councilwide in 2003, and 206 so far this year.

The boys in Troop 174 said they joined Boy Scouts to be with friends and to continue what they started in Cub Scouts.

"Some of my friends were going into Boy Scouts, and I had gone through Cub Scouts, and my dad had told me that he was in Boy Scouts. I just wanted to keep going all the way through," said Ian Barnstead, 13.

What keeps the boys in Scouting is the activities. Boy Scouts focuses on outdoor survival and leadership skills. Many troops have outings every month, involving such experiences as hiking, canoeing and backpacking.

Thomas Jacoby, 13, and Ian credit Scouting with giving them more respect for nature, better camping skills, and a higher grade of marksmanship.

"My troop does a lot of camping, and that's really fun, especially when we do orienteering or go out hiking in the woods," Ian said.

Kevin VonSpreckelsen, 13, also appreciates the leadership skills he's acquired.

"I've definitely learned a lot about what you have to do to really be a good citizen. It's really made me a better person, and I just like what it's done for me."

All three Scouts are intent on reaching Eagle. Some Scouts, though, quit when the going gets tough. They push on past the preliminary ranks, but give up when faced with creating a service project.

"Some people can't handle that very well. You know, they just don't want to go out and work," said Thomas. "They don't want to have to lead anything, and that's what makes a lot of people not want to become Eagle."

By far the largest and most important requirement of the Eagle process is the service project, which has to make an impact on a Scout's community, whether it be his school, church or neighborhood.

"It's a way to become more involved in the community for sure, and I guess a way for me to feel good about myself that I've helped other people," Kevin said.

A service project often requires physical labor and enlisting the support of community businesses and other Scouts.

"For my brother's Eagle Scout project, he had to build a whole fence in Holliday Park," Thomas said.

"He got a group of people to come, and they cut down all this honeysuckle to make sure that it doesn't take over the park. And they piled that up so people wouldn't take one path straight down to the other and, you know, make their own path. And then he built the fence all by hand with the help of some other people."

Some Scouts plan months in advance for a service project they can be remembered by.

"I want to create a service project that really impacts society and does something that'll last for a long time," said Ian.

There are other requirements for the Eagle. Besides earning at least 21 merit badges, a Scout also must serve in a leadership position in the troop.

After all that, the last step is a tough board of review, where a Scout is tested on his knowledge. If he fails, he gets another chance to prepare and try again in two months.

Once a Scout passes all the tests, he earns the position of Eagle, which the Scouts value for the impression it makes on others.

"It goes really far in the world, you know, like it really looks great on a college application or a resume," Kevin explained. "It shows people that you have initiative."

The skills it requires also might come in handy in the future, they said. "I think that might benefit me because I want to be in the military, and in the military I'd know how to survive out in the wild," Ian said.

Although Scouts must do the work required for an Eagle, there is always some figure behind them, guiding them, inspiring them to work hard. These role models can be anyone from a parent to a former Cub Scout master.

Ian said he is inspired by his father. "He was in Scouts, and he always told me about being in Scouts. And also my uncle; they were both in Scouts, and they never made Eagle, and my uncle told me that no one in my family has ever made Eagle. So I kind of want to make Eagle and do it for my dad."

Kevin credits his parents with keeping him involved in Scouts. "If I even thought about quitting, they'd just give me like six speeches on why I shouldn't and why it's good for me."

Eagle Scouts learn a wide range of skills, from surviving in the wild to leading a group to being aware of issues in their communities and the world.

"It promotes leadership. It builds character," Thomas said.

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Andy Goldblatt, 16; David Glass, 14; Lauren Seaman, 14.