Soaring to new ranks

Eagle Scouts are a class act

By SANDY LONG

ELDRED, NY — They’ve known each other since the days when they were cub scouts, some 12 years ago. Now seniors at Eldred Junior/Senior High School (ECS), Ryan Burns, Dustin Cook and Matthew Terpening have achieved a new pinnacle in their scouting careers. And according to the Boy Scouts of America, it’s one that only five percent of scouts ever accomplish—the rank of Eagle Scout.

Members of Troop 102, the young men first had to complete a minimum of 21 merit badges. Twelve are mandatory, such as first aid, citizenship in the community, nation and world, communications and environmental science. Scouts also choose between emergency preparedness and life saving, hiking, swimming and cycling. The remaining badges can be selected based upon a scout’s interests.

To earn the full designation of Eagle Scout, each had to select, organize and implement a project of benefit to their community. Scouts must keep complete records of total volunteer hours and activities, provide a detailed list of donated materials and food and draft a lengthy report. Scouts must take safety into account, and show how they reduced risk to participants.

Finally, the scouts undergo a committee review process, during which their parents are also interviewed separately. The committee looks for evidence of leadership and organizational skills that demonstrate competency in the scouting goals of citizenship training, character development, personal fitness, leadership, service and outdoor skills. If all goes well, the scout is awarded the Eagle rank at a special ceremony to commemorate the accomplishment.

These Eagle Scouts are also ECS honor students, and each has earned multiple achievements within scouting and also in high school endeavors related to the arts, education and athletics.

Ryan Burns, Yulan, 58 merit badges

Burns, now 17, completed his project at the Lumberland Town Hall in Glen Spey, where he refurbished the community bulletin board with paint and new cork, installed glass doors, weatherproofed shingles on a decorative planter and restored a stage across the street, replacing and painting spindles and boards, fixing beams, trimming trees and installing a new American flag.

Burns has five siblings. His three brothers are Boy Scouts and his two sisters are Girl Scouts. Both he and a younger brother are living with diabetes. And although Burns must wear an insulin pump, this hasn’t slowed his achievements when it comes to scouting. In fact, the young man plans to attend college to become a registered nurse and a diabetes educator. Burns was recently named an ECS Student of the Week, a faculty-nominated award that recognizes good grades, responsibility and being a role model for younger students.

Dustin Cook, Yulan, 43 merit badges

Cook, now 17, chose a Circle Park beautification project that included various improvements such as the addition of two informational kiosks, a map of the park and its trails, and histories of Glen Spey’s Circle Park and the Town of Lumberland. Cook and his volunteers created and installed tree identification markers and utilized woodworking skills like cutting, nailing, sanding, staining and painting to complete the work.

Cook said that he enjoyed working with other scouts and community members along with the opportunity to put his communication skills into practice during the project. The high school senior plans to study linguistics and theater in college. Cook serves as a student liaison to the ECS school board, which formally recognized the achievements of all three scouts at their most recent board meeting.

Matthew Terpening, Eldred, 33 merit badges

Terpening, now 18, conducted his project at the Sunshine Hall Free Library in Eldred. Terpening and his volunteers cleaned out the basement, repaired bookshelves, hung molding for student artwork, renovated the wheelchair ramp, stabilized benches in the children’s area, replaced a door and added a corner cabinet, cleaned and re-set gutters, removed discarded lumber from the property and repaired damaged windows.

Terpening first met with library personnel to discuss the project and obtain approvals, then sought the skilled volunteers and donations of materials and food to complete the list. The scout sustained the project over several seasons, compiling 180 volunteer hours in the process. With a strong interest in teaching and acting, Terpening plans to seek a college degree in Spanish education with a minor in theatre.