What do former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, motion picture director Stephen Spielberg, first human on the moon Astronaut Neil Armstrong and 17-year-old Sebastian River High School senior Dylan West have in common?
Give up? Each has achieved the highest rank attainable in Boy Scouting: Eagle.
Friends, family, Scout leaders and fellow Troop 500 Scouts filled the St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall Dec. 12 to share West’s Eagle Court of Honor – the formal ceremony celebrating his accomplishment. The event was all the more special because it was the first Eagle for the young troop at St. Elizabeth’s, which chartered BSA Troop 500 in April 2012.
West is the third member of his family to achieve the rank of Eagle, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Ken Thompson, and uncle, Mike Thompson, both of whom were present to celebrate with West and welcome him into their prestigious ranks.
End-to-end tables lined a long wall, displaying memorabilia from 2005 to the present, accumulated during West’s almost life-long Scouting adventure. Other awards and certificates and rows of Scout patches, T-shirts and ball caps highlighted the young man’s journey, from a 6-year-old Cub Scout, standing proudly in a rather roomy uniform, to a self-confident young man of 17 looking forward to college.
“I am very happy to have accomplished this,” said West as he made his way around the room, engulfed in hugs, handshakes and shared memories.
His parents, Jeff and Michelle West of Sebastian, supported their son every step of the way as he rose through the Scout ranks, including through those often challenging teen years when most boys his age are trying their wings and testing their boundaries.
“We are extremely proud of his achievement,” said Dylan’s dad, adding, “Michelle pushed him, made sure the paperwork and the planning were done, kept him focused.”
St. Elizabeth’s pastor, Dave Newhart, knew that welcoming the fledgling troop three years ago would be a natural fit for both groups. Newhart, who himself was a Boy Scout in his youth, said, “We do whatever we can for them, and we are so proud of our first Eagle.”
Troop 500 Scoutmaster Kevin Hansen, a Scout leader for more than a decade, has watched as West matured into a confident and accomplished young man. “Dylan is exemplary – everything a Scout should be. And ever since he was a Tiger Cub, his attendance has been almost perfect.“
Hansen explained that only about 6 percent of all eligible boys in the U.S. enter into Scouting, and of those who do, only about 4 percent achieve the rank of Eagle. Before a Scout can even attempt to earn the Eagle rank, he must work his way up through each level, which requires many years of unswerving dedication and self-discipline.
As a first-grader, West entered the Cub Scout program as a Bobcat, then Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelo (which originally stood for Wolf, Bear, Lion Scout; Lion was dropped and, today, the BSA uses We’ll Be Loyal Scouts), before becoming a Boy Scout.
Advancing from the earliest stages of scouting, as a novice Boy Scout and then Tenderfoot, up through Second Class, First, Star and Life levels, Scouts have to complete various advancement projects and work on merit badges. Only then can they become Eagle Scout applicants and begin that path. Most boys are in junior high or high school at that point. An Eagle Scout applicant must amass 21 or more badges, create and complete an approved Eagle project, write several essays, obtain five recommendation letters, compile an application binder and undergo an Eagle board of review, before his application is approved at the national level. The process typically takes several years, with the most intense time-consuming aspects coming in the last three to six months.
West’s approved Eagle project was the construction of three 6-foot, wooden picnic tables for his former school, Sebastian Charter Junior High School.
At the Dec. 16 Sebastian City Council meeting, after West and his fellow Troop 500 Scouts led the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Richard Gillmor read a Proclamation recognizing West for his “outstanding accomplishment” and his willingness to serve the people, his community and his country.
Upon graduating high school, West plans to attend Indian River State College and begin working toward a degree in environmental biology with an eye to entering a conservation-related field, conducting research and gathering data.