en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:41:51 GMT 15 By Lily Morris

The two terms Boy Scout and Eagle Scout should not be confused. Being a Boy Scout is only the beginning of what it takes to be an Eagle Scout, and it takes a lot more than rubbing sticks together in the forest to make fire. Not only is it a big deal, but it is a huge honor to become a leader in the world of boy scouts, known as an Eagle Scout. Becoming an Eagle Scout is not just a year, or two, or even three year process, it takes from day one until sometime before the boy’s 18th birthday to achieve the honor. Junior Nikesh Patel is in the process of becoming an Eagle Scout. Right now, he is ranked at a Life Scout, which is the last scout before becoming an Eagle Scout. “The different ranks are at first you start out as a scout, then a second class, then a first class, then a star, then a life, and then finally an Eagle Scout,” Patel said. With each rank comes a certain amount of responsibility and service work. Junior, Will Conoly is also in the process of becoming an Eagle Scout. “Before becoming an Eagle Scout while you are still a boy scout, you have to get people together to do the work of a service project like building a volleyball court or installing a sprinkler system. You have to be the one in charge of the project to become an Eagle Scout, and after that the project has to be approved by your Eagle Project counselor and by the troop board and then by the council which is all of the boy scout troops, it’s a lot of work,” Conoly said. Because it is so much work, not many young men make it all the way to be an Eagle Scout. “Five percent of all boy scouts become Eagle Scouts, you can even look that up,” Conoly said. Along with the hard work and dedication, come great rewards. “It is a big honor. If you go into the military you start out at a higher rank, better pay and it is a huge deal on college admissions, it helps a lot,” Conoly said. Patel explains that there are different troops through out each city, and each troop holds meetings and trips. “We go camping usually once a month. We go to Enchanted Rock, New Mexico; we’ve been to the Keys and Canada,” Patel said. After all the tasks are achieved and the position is finally accomplished, a great honor is received and with that honor comes a lot of respect to the term “Eagle Scout”. Famous Eagle Scouts through history Neil Armstrong-1st man on the moon Dick Beyer-retired professional wrestler Henry Aaron - Baseball player Gordon Smith- Senator from Oregon Rick Perry-Governor of Texas Steven Spielberg- Director Sam Walton - Founder, Wal-Mart William Sessions - Former FBI director ]]> Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:18:00 GMT