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Six new Eagle Scouts were formally pinned Sunday, December 11, by Clarendon’s Scouts BSA Troop 433 in a Court of Honor at the First United Methodist Church.

Mason Allred, Haughton Bivens, Henry Bivens, Benjamin Estlack, Daniel Estlack, and Koltyn Shields earned scouting’s highest rank after a decade on the trail to Eagle that started for them in the first grade.

Saturday’s ceremony marked the end of one journey but the beginning of another, according to guest speaker Lou Ellerbrook, a Troop 433 Eagle from the Class of 1994.

“You’re not done; there’s always more to do,” Ellerbrook said, who challenged them to live up to the ideals of an Eagle Scout as they go on to serve on church boards, school boards, city councils, and whatever roles they take up in life.

As the ceremony continued, each young man was pinned with his Eagle medal by his parents, and later each spoke about their Eagle Scout projects and who their mentors were throughout scouting. Each boy also received a Congressional commendation from US Rep. Ronny Jackson.

All of the boys were keenly aware of the honor that comes with being an Eagle, a rank that only between two and five percent of scouts ever attain.

“It means now I carry the responsibility of what people think I can do and am capable of doing and that I have to push myself to help other people and always be prepared to help,” Mason told the Enterprise.

Ben said becoming an Eagle was something he always wanted to accomplish.

“It means being an upstanding citizen and a good person, and I feel like it makes you a better person,” he said.

Dan said the idea of being an Eagle Scout means honor and service to him.

“To me it means I have to have honor in my everyday life and to be a part of my community and try to better it,” Dan said.

Koltyn said Eagles are role models.

“It’s a sign that you’re a trustworthy and honest person who can set an example for others,” he said.

Haughton joined scouts a year behind his brother but caught up to the older boys in the last couple of years. He likes the idea of being a part of something bigger that is represented by being an Eagle.

“It’s an honor [being an Eagle] and a privilege,” he said, “and I like being a part of the community of Eagles.”

For Henry becoming an Eagle is a reminder of the path to get there and all that was learned along the way.

“It’s having fun with friends, helping your community, helping friends reach a goal, and learning some ‘adulty’ things along the way to learn some responsibility.”

Each of the six new Eagles look back on their time in scouting and recall several fun activities, but they generally all agreed that camping or some activity at camp stood out for them as their favorite memories. Whether it was fishing, cooking, shotgun, or building their own shelter to survive the night, each boy had a special memory.

No scout can attain the Eagle Rank without a major project that gives back to the community. An individual project is big undertaking, but these boys coordinated their projects and accomplished them all on one day in June 2021. Five of the projects were completed at Citizens Cemetery, and one was at the Lions Hall. Dozens of helpers and volunteers were involved, and private donations helped make the day possible, including a hamburger lunch donated by Robertson Funeral Directors and cooked by the boys themselves.

Mason and Ben installed 70 section markers – 35 each – at the cemetery, which involved marking sections, drilling post holes, and setting signs.

“It made me feel like I was part of the community and like I was needed,” Mason said. “Now, I’m really happy we got it done and to know it’s helping people probably every day.”

The finished product was also very satisfying to Ben.

“Getting to see the signs installed in lines – I loved that part and seeing how all our hard work paid off,” he said.

Tying in with the sign project, Koltyn repaired and repainted the tool shed at the cemetery and then installed a section map to further help people locate loved ones’ graves.

“It made me feel like a productive member of society getting to contribute in that way,” he said. “I like thinking about all the time we spent talking about it and working through it that day.”

At the front of the cemetery, Dan relocated and installed a new light for the flagpole that had been originally installed by his late grandfather, Allen Estlack. The new light now shines without interfering with drivers on Highway 70, and he also installed a steel core rope on the flagpole that will last for many years.

“It made me feel good giving back to my community and continuing what my grandfather had built,” he said. “I felt accomplished and felt like we had helped people.”

Henry’s project focused on scraping and repainting the wrought iron fence around the Saints’ Roost colonists’ graves and the main entrance sign to the cemetery.

“It was important because it’s good for families to see that their loved ones are in a place that is cared for,” he said. “The project makes it look like a nicer place for the community.”

Haughton’s project was the final one of the day and involved moving the flag retirement deposit boxes from the old VFW to the Lions Hall and refurbishing a previous Eagle project to receive flags. It’s a project that has since received hundreds of flags for retirement.

“The project made me feel like I was doing something for the community and something to honor the flags with retirement,” he said. “It makes me happy that it’s being put to a good use.”

All six boys still have other opportunities for adventure and learning in scouting and will be role models for younger scouts coming up behind them.

Sunday’s Court of Honor brings the total number of Eagle Scouts produced by Troop 433 since 1969 to 98. With the first two female Eagles recognized by companion Troop 4433 two weeks ago and the nine known Eagles from other local troops since 1927, Clarendon now has a total of 109 Eagle Scouts.

Two members of Clarendon’s Scouts BSA Troop 4433 were recognized for making history last Saturday by becoming the first local girls to become Eagle Scouts.

Evelyn Mills and Kacie Eugea formally received the BSA’s highest award during a Court of Honor Saturday, December 3, at the Bairfield Activity Center.

Mills was the first girl in the Eastern Panhandle to receive the honor after standing her board of review at Camp MK Brown near Wheeler this summer.

Girls have been active in the Boy Scouts of America since 1969 when they were first allowed to join special-interest Explorer posts. In 1971, BSA girls could become full members of Explorers (now called Venture Scouts), but those organizations do not have a path to the revered Eagle rank.

Following the desires of scouting families, BSA opened Cub Scouting to girls in 2018 followed by the renamed Scouts BSA in 2019 with the nation’s first female earning her Eagle in 2020.

During his welcoming remarks Saturday, Assistant Scoutmaster Jason Eugea said BSA finally figured out what parents and scout leaders had known all along.

“Parents always knew that girls have been there,” Eugea said. “They’ve been camping and done the other things but never received the awards. I hope you all see that what the girls are doing is worthwhile. They build the same trestles, and they learn the same knots. Now, I get to give my daughter the same award I gave my son.”

For Evelyn and Kacie, they grew up in scouting with their older brothers. They were present and sometimes participating, but they could not join the organization. Instead, they were both in Girl Scouts, starting as Daisies. But when the BSA opened up the option for them, they quickly moved their memberships.

“Count me in!” was Kacie’s reaction, she recalls.

“Boy Scouts are just more active and do more things,” she said. “They camp more, and they slept outside in tents where we were sleeping in cabins [in Girl Scouts].”

Evelyn also jumped at the chance to join Scouts BSA and go for the Eagle.

“Now I could actually earn the awards that we had been doing with the boys,” she said.

The girls said they think they did Fingerprinting at least five times before they were able to join and earn the merit badge for themselves.

Assistant Scoutmaster Linda Rowland praised how well the members of the girls Troop 4433 work together with boys Troop 433, both of which are chartered by Clarendon’s First Christian Church.

“In our troops, the boys and girls work together and can be completely trusted,” Rowland said.

New Eagle Scouts often present a mentor pin to someone who has been influential to them in scouting. Usually that is presented to an adult, but Mills also presented a mentor pin to fellow Eagle Scout Jacob Murillo – an example of how the boys and girls have gotten along together.

“For me, it wasn’t difficult joining Boy Scouts,” she said. “I had been coming to meetings since my brother was in Cub Scouts, so they were used to me being there.”

For their projects, Mills repaired and refurbished a baptistry and installed an ADA ramp at Primitive Baptist Church in Canyon, and Eugea built and installed a “take some, leave some” box outside the Helping Hands Food Pantry in Groom.

“It was good to get to help my church community,” Mills said.

For Eugea, it makes her happy to be helping people.

“The food pantry serves about 100 people, but it’s only open twice a month,” she said. “Now they can get food when they need it.”

Mills and Eugea have some simple advice for other girls coming up behind them or who may be thinking about pursuing the goal of Eagle Scout.

“Just do it and don’t give up,” Mills said, and Eugea added, “You can overcome any obstacle.”