Chinook's J.J. Colby awarded Eagle Scout achievement at June court of honor
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J.J. Colby and Hi-line Boy Scout District Committee Chairman Bill Lanier pose with the tableful of awards and recognitions that were a part of J.J.'s Eagle Scout court of honor held in June. Colby was awarded his Eagle Scout rank, the highest level a Boy Scout can achieve, joining the four percent of young men who reach the pinnacle of scouting.
J.J. Colby was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at a June court of honor in Chinook. Only about four percent of all Boy Scouts achieve this highest rank in Scouting. To complete the Eagle Scout rank a Boy Scout must complete a number of lower ranks, beginning at about 12 years of age, and finish the top echelon's requirements before reaching the age of 18. Since the Eagle Scout program was created in 1917 just over two million young men have earned the rank with many going on to notable careers in both the public and private sectors.
Colby began working on the requirements for his Eagle Scout rank in the summer of 2016. Being able to begin work toward the Eagle rank meant he had completed the work for the five lower ranks and was approved at each level by a council of Boy Scout leaders called a board of review. The Eagle process had to be completed before J.J.'s 18th birthday, looming on the horizon in January, 2018. He completed all the Eagle requirements in the fall of 2017.
Completing requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout
To earn the Eagle Scout rank a boy must earn 21 merit badges, 13 of which are specified, complete an Eagle project that will benefit a local non-profit and receive approval of his Eagle work before a Board of Review. There are about 130 merit badges available for Boy Scouts to earn. These badges are completed by learning certain materials and doing activities related to the topic. For example, the hiking merit badge requires a Scout to explain a number of topics related to preparing for and doing hikes, then complete on different days a 5-mile hike, three 10-mile hikes, one 15-mile and complete a preplanned 20 mile hike. All the learning and hiking activities must be documented.
For his Eagle project, J.J. built a greenhouse out of reusable plastic pop bottles. Per the rules of the Eagle project, the greenhouse was built for the Chinook FFA's local community garden, a local non-profit. In addition to planning the greenhouse and gathering the necessary materials, he had to include two other people, as helpers, to learn managing skills. The greenhouse was completed and dedicated in the summer of 2017. A final court of review to approve the Eagle rank for J.J. was held later.
The Court of Honor
A court of honor is a Scout troop ceremony held regularly. A special court is called to award an Eagle Scout rank. For his court of honor, in addition to fellow troop members, J.J. also invited his family and others in the community who had helped him achieve the Eagle rank. Even speaking of the event a month later caused J.J. to remember how it felt to "realize that all the small bits and pieces I'd done on the Eagle project finally came together. I finally recognized what a big task it had been and felt really good about completing the rank."
J.J. said another special time during the award ceremony was when other members of his troop were allowed time to talk about his achieving the Eagle rank. "My fellow Scouts," he said, "understood the amount of work it takes to earn the Eagle rank. When I heard them say "J.J. really deserves the Eagle rank" I felt moved and very proud to reach the Eagle Scout rank."
Part of the award ceremony also involved presenting J.J. with special additions for his Scout uniform to show his new rank. His parents each received a special pin to show their son is an Eagle Scout. J.J. is the son of John and Dawn Colby of Chinook. The "Journal" congratulates J.J. for reaching this highest echelon of the Boy Scouts.
