'Magnificent Seven' make Eagle

[Aquila calva]

Here is an inspiring story and an idea or two, especially for those "new scout" patrols.

 

Have fun Scouting.

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'Magnificent Seven' make Eagle

By ANDREW WALLMEYER

awallmeyer@acnpapers.com

(Created: Monday, February 12, 2007 12:53 PM CST)

 

AFTON - It is rare enough for any Boy Scout to earn the rank of Eagle Scout - fewer than two out of every 100 scouts do - but a remarkable seven young men in Lake Elmo's Troop 224 received the honor Sunday, largely because of a promise they made to each other when they were in the fifth grade.

 

"All seven of us made a pact when we were 10 or 11 years old to stick in it and go for Eagles," said Ryan Mattson. "If anyone had thoughts of quitting, the rest of us would be on their back and get them back in, helping them out and making sure they wouldn't leave."

 

The newly minted Eagle Scouts - John Andrews, Matthew Drahnak, Daniel Haywood, Zachary Hunter, Mattson, Ian Rothweiler and Peter Widin - said the fact that they reached their goal together made the achievement even sweeter.

 

"Looking back to how we started as Tiger Cubs in kindergarten, it's just amazing to think of how far we've come," Haywood said.

 

Like all scouts, the boys started out building birdhouses and learning their knots in elementary school, but in recent years their scouting trips have included weeks canoeing in the Boundary Waters, hiking in the New Mexico desert and scuba diving off the Florida Keys.

 

Troop 224 Scoutmaster Jim Hunter said it has been a treat for him to watch the boys - who he collectively calls "the Magnificent Seven" - grow and mature over the years.

 

"You see their maturity level and their attitude change to the point where you don't have to guide them anymore; they already know what to do, and they just go ahead and do it," he said. "It's really incredible."

 

The day was an emotional one for Hunter, who choked up at several points in his speech, especially when it was time for his son, Zachary, to receive the award.

 

"He makes me better," Hunter told about 250 people gathered at Shepherd of the Valley Church, fighting back tears. "I'm just so proud of him; I'm so proud of all of you. What you guys accomplished together is just short of a miracle."

 

The scouts themselves were more modest. They said the most difficult parts of their journey were ignoring the peer pressure they felt in junior high to drop out of scouting and finding time to stay involved as their lives got busier in high school.

 

Looking back, they said the experience was sometimes difficult, but the fact that they had so much fun together made it a lot easier.

 

"It's so much work, but at the same time it went like a flash," Widin said.

 

Now seniors in high school, the young men are looking forward to college and beyond. No doubt, the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," will be on their minds in the coming months.

 

Meanwhile, Troop 224 is preparing to welcome 12-14 recent Cub Scout graduates into the fold this spring, which will swell their ranks to almost 40, its largest group in years.

 

So what advice does the "Magnificent Seven" have for those following in their footsteps?

 

"Stick with it. When you're in elementary school and junior high, Boy Scouts are sometimes made fun of and ripped on - people think it's just tying knots and sitting around campfires," Mattson said. "But as you get older you can go scuba diving, backpacking, canoeing... anything.

 

"And later, when people realize what you've achieved to become an Eagle Scout, they don't mock you, they respect you."

 

http://www.stillwatergazette.com/articles/2007/02/12/news/news500.prt

 

 

 

 

 

[C-BOLT]

Thats a good story. Our Troop produces a ton of Eagles, and this year is no exception, but I like how they all made a pact and stuck with it.

[Tami the Mom]

That is amazing. What a great group of boys.

[jr56]

Thanks for sharing. What a remarkable group of young men.

[AntelopeDud]

That's great motivation, and I'm sure they were a pretty tight unit during their journey.

[Narraticong]

I am a Webelos 2 Den Leader in the process of registering my six boy den as a brand new Boy Scout troop.

 

Being an Eagle Scout myself, I sometimes dream of the day when these boys are young men standing together with the Eagle badge pinned on their chests.

 

This posting shows that it just might happen. Big dreams sometimes come true!

 

Thanks for making my day!

[John-in-KC]

In these days where youth are blasted by the numbers, it's really nice to see newspapers and school websites celebrate such victories as earning Eagle