Five local young men have collected more than 100 merit badges among them.
They have given up their weekends, their evenings and their physical labor in service to the community. They have shown a longstanding dedication to their Boy Scout troop, and to the public well-being.
For their efforts, Bryce Baker, Justin Bradley, Drake Cole, Jimmy Sabin and Wade Mitchell Sillery have each been awarded the rank of Eagle Scout.
The quintet from Troop 103 in Williamsburg — celebrating its 90th year — received Eagle Scout pins during a Court of Honor on May 18. The ceremony was held at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, the troop’s charter organization.
To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America, each had to lead a project to benefit those living in the area in addition to earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating the Scouting ideals of service and leadership. They rose through the Scout ranks over the years, holding numerous positions of responsibility, to join more than 2 million other Eagle Scouts pinned since the rank’s origin in 1911.
Each chose a different service project to complete this year, helping both humans and animals.
Baker, a Bruton High School graduate, led the restoration of a community picnic area. In addition to the installation of a fire pit and cleanup of the spot, he managed the construction of a new table and two benches, the repair of existing tables and staining to all furniture.
Bradley’s project helped riders at Dream Catchers Therapeutic Riding Center experience an auditory aspect of their therapy on horseback. He extended the sensory trail, which involved clearing the trail and making two wooden platforms to create the sound of hooves to be heard by riders.
Bradley, who was a Patrol Leader at the BSA National Jamboree and Senior Patrol Leader at the BSA’s National Youth Leadership Training program, along with local roles, is going into his senior year at Warhill High School. He is also an Ordeal member – in the induction process – of the Order of the Arrow, a national honor society of the Boy Scouts.
Cole built a bus shelter, bridge, paver path and bench. The shelter now stands at the corner of Levinson Pass and Back Forty Loop in York County, 12-feet tall with plexiglass walls on three sides. Cole is a rising senior at Bruton High School.
Sabin assisted furry members of the community with upgrades to the Heritage Humane Society’s outdoor playpen. The changes included replacing a canopy to protect and shade the pen, building a new bench that also stores toy, and new gravel ground and edging. The Warhill graduate has achieved the Brotherhood rank of the Order of Arrow, and attended BSA’s National Youth Leadership Training Program and 2010 National Jamboree.
Sillery, a Lafayette High School graduate, led a small group of Scouts in the construction of four large and sturdy benches for James City County Park and Recreation. The benches were installed on the Greensprings Interpretive and Powhatan Creek trails.
