Turtle Lake Scouts Honored For Earning Eagle Scout Rank

Turtle Lake Boy Scout Troop 59 held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Sunday, October 16, 2022 at the outdoor chapel at Scoutland, north of Cumberland. Earning the rank of Eagle Scout were Jake Hermann, left, son of Mike and Heidi Hermann, and Matthew Muench, right, son of William and Andrea Muench. A reception honoring Jake and Matthew was held at the Scoutmaster’s Lodge also at Scoutland.

Jake explained, “The journey of reaching Eagle Scout was long, yet educational. I learned many life lessons regarding leadership, community service and organization. Achieving Eagle Scout requires earning 21 merit badges ranging from First Aid to World Politics plus a service project that I had to plan, organize, and oversee. My project was cleaning up the storm damage that was blocking the trails at Skinaway Park and also building a small bridge over the low spot that partially drains the lake.”

Jake has been in scouts since he was 10 years old and believes his most important achievement in Scouting was completing his service project needed to achieve Eagle Scout.

Matthew said, “My favorite Scouting memory was earning membership into the Order of the Arrow.  OA is the honor society of Scouting.  To be eligible, you need to be nominated by fellow Scouts, have earned your 1st Class Rank and had 15 nights of camping within two years. The toughest part of earning the rank of Eagle was the perseverance it took to keep focused on the long-range goal. It takes years to complete, so you need to stay the course. A Scout must earn 21 merit badges for Eagle. 11 of these are required, including Swimming and Emergency Preparedness. Throughout my seven years in Scouts, I earned 35 merit badges total. An Eagle Scout must also serve in various leadership positions throughout the ranks leading up to Eagle. My Eagle Service Project was to plan and build a 16 obstacle, K9 agility course. It included various jumps, catwalks, ramps, tunnels and stairs for the animals to train on.  It also featured six, 4’ x 4’ enclosed boxes to conceal a fugitive for the K9 to locate.”