On Sunday, April 23, 10 high school students who are members of Scouts BSA Troop 20 in Wilton were recognized as Eagle Scouts during an Eagle Court of Honor Ceremony at Wilton Congregational Church. Four other seniors from Troop 20 have also earned the rank of Eagle and were recognized during previous ceremonies. This class of 14 Eagle Scouts — all of whom started Scouts together and turn 18 this year — is quite phenomenal given that only about 4% of all Scouts BSA members earn the rank of Eagle.
Eagle is the most prestigious rank awarded to Scouts and must be earned by the age of 18. Among the requirements for reaching the Eagle rank, scouts must earn 21 merit badges. (Just a few of the specific badges required by all Eagle Scouts are First Aid, Cooking, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, and Camping.) Before earning the Eagle rank, a candidate must advance through six previous ranks. The Scout must serve in multiple positions of responsibility and leadership. The Scout must also complete an Eagle Scout service project which demonstrates both leadership to others and a commitment to duty.
Troop leaders congratulated all the Eagle Scouts recognized on April 23: Arnav Balaji, Ryan Cooper, Nathan Downs, Matt Ferencz, Brendan Kaduboski, Geir Magnusson, Connor Murphy, Tony Musilli, Sam Perry and Harish Subramanian.
Other members of this class that have previously been recognized or are soon to be recognized as Eagle Scouts from Troop 20 include Dev Madhavani, Robert Wyatt, and RJ Fields (previously recognized) and Michael Colavecchio (soon to be recognized)
Some of the adventures these young adults experienced during their time as part of Troop 20 included camping locally every month; participating in Sea Base sailing and fishing excursions in the Caribbean; hiking and camping at Philmont High Adventure Scout Ranch in New Mexico; hiking and camping in the Adirondacks and on various parts of the Appalachian Trail; visiting historical sites such as Gettysburg; participating in local civic and service projects; and attending Sequassen summer camp in Connecticut.
Eagle projects completed by these honorees included:
- Building an outdoor gathering space at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
- Completing a Schenck’s Island riverbank conifer revetment restoration for Trout Unlimited to protect trout habitat
- Extending a hiking boardwalk on Wilton Land Conservation Trust’s Nick Parisot Trail
- Building benches and field hockey goals at Riverbrook Regional YMCA
- Creating mobile, handicap accessible planter beds at Wilton Commons
- Building a firewood shed for Woodcock Nature Center
- Creating tables and benches for the American Legion Post 86 of Wilton
- Adding boot brush kiosks for Wilton Land Conservation Trust on Schenck’s Island
- Building benches for Wilton Hindu Mandir Temple
- Creating an information board at Hillside Cemetery
- Building “Little Libraries” around town for Wilton Library to share books. In addition, three other Class of 2023 seniors are working to earn their Eagle rank before they turn 18 late this summer. Troop 20 also mourns the loss of Matthew Dooley who earned the rank of Eagle and was part of this tremendous group of young men.
- To learn more about Scouts BSA and Troop 20, please reach out to Scoutmaster, Lars Cherichetti (lars.cherichetti@sbcglobal.net).
- Pictured in Photo
- Front Row (left to right): Arnav, Connor, Ryan, Geiir, Tony
- Back Row: Harish, Sam, Brendan, Nathan, Matthew
Congratulations to all the Eagle Scouts from Troop 20. My son made Eagle Scout from Troop 125 in the late 1990 ‘s. Is Troop 125 still active and if so do they have any Eagle Scouts this year?
Hey Boys, Thank you for everything you have done for the broader Wilton community. You are terrific examples for all of the youngsters in town!