Seniors David Edison and Jonny Kober joined Cub Scouts together in first grade. Holden Parris (who graduated last year from Ben Davis) joined a little later while looking for something he liked to do. They all thought it looked like good fun, and they were right.

There are more than 38 million scouts worldwide, including Girl Scouts. Since 1912, over 2.7 million Boy Scouts have earned the Eagle Scout rank. Ranking begins with Tenderfoot and is followed by Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and finally Eagle.

Becoming an Eagle Scout takes a lot of hard work and dedication. It takes roughly seven years to complete all the requirements. These include earning 21 merit badges, serving six months in a troop leadership position, planning, developing, and giving leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community, taking part in a Scoutmaster Conference, and successfully completing an Eagle Scout board of review.

Edison, Kober, and Parris – as well as senior Jawadane Stewart — all said that their service project was the hardest requirement to complete. Edison was tasked with repairing a creek. He had to fund, plan, and carry out the whole thing.

Kober cleaned up Chapel Hill Park by repairing the swing-sets and doing basic maintenance. Holden cut down trees to clear ¼ of a mile long hiking trail. Stewart mulched and landscaped a middle school in Speedway.

All four helped the community in a great way, and that is what being an Eagle Scout is all about.

“I’ve learned lots of life skills and problem-solving,” Kober said on what he has gained from his Scouting experience.

Scouting isn’t the only thing the boys enjoy. Edison has a love for cooking and is involved in the Culinary Arts program at BD. He will major in Culinary Arts in college.

Kober is a member of Key Club and Stu Crew. His passions involve hunting, traveling, and hiking. He will major in Environmental Agriculture.

Parris enjoys hunting, fishing, and working on his truck and farm. He has a job in Brownsburg with Mowery Heating and Cooling.

If you are considering joining Boy Scouts, Parris says to “give it a try, it’s a good program,” and Edison assures you that “you will have experiences that you’ll never have anywhere else.”

Stewart said the hardest part of earning Eagle scout was time.

“Staying involved in the program for so long while being involved in other things was tough,” said Stewart, who also does yearbook, Brain Game and tech theatre at Ben Davis.

All the boys will continue scouting for as long as they can. Kober even plans to work at Philmont Scout Ranch. With a meeting once a week and a camping trip every month, they will continue to be involved with Boy Scouts for a long while.

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