For anyone involved in Boy Scouts, the pinnacle of achievement is to be awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. It requires sustained and diligent work to earn the many required merit badges and the completion of a major community service project. Less than 2% of the boys who enter Boy Scouts obtain the rank of Eagle.
Lakehill is proud to recognize five Upper School Scouts from Troop 42 who have recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout: Sophomores Connor Alexander, Ben Gillman, Greg Gillman, and Ben Palmer, and senior William Skipworth.
Alexander, Gillman, Gillman, and Palmer spent five years in Lakehill's Cub Scout Pack 46, earning their Arrow of Light before joining Boy Scout Troop 42 in January of 2012. They later became members of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting's Honor Society.
As part of their path to Eagle Scout, each boy planned and executed a community service project. Alexander organized a donation drive, going door-to-door in Lakewood to collect blankets and jeans for downtown Dallas's Austin Street Center, which serves over 400 homeless men and women every day.
Ben Gillman completed a "mud kitchen" and cleaned up the play area for the children of Vogel Alcove, a day school and resource center for homeless children. Greg Gillman cleared a wilderness trail to be enjoyed by the children of Jonathan's Place which provides a home for seriously abused and neglected children. Palmer constructed a new trail for Lower School students at Lakehill's Environmental Science Center. Skipworth built a small indoor herb garden for senior citizens at The Brady Center to provide meaningful activities for them.
The Court of Honor for Alexander was held May 30, while Skipworth received his rank on August 14. The Gillmans and Palmer were honored on September 11.
Congratulations to these five young men on receiving Scouting's highest honor.