A Court of Honor was held Sunday, Dec. 10 by Boy Scout Troop 64 of Steward for Scout Caleb Johnson, recognizing his achievement of the rank of Eagle Scout in August.
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STEWARD — A Court of Honor was held Sunday, Dec. 10 by Boy Scout Troop 64 of Steward for Scout Caleb Johnson, recognizing his achievement of the rank of Eagle Scout in August.
The receipt of the Eagle Scout rank was a culmination of Johnson’s work since joining the troop back in 2016. Becoming an Eagle Scout requires earning six other ranks and 21 merit badges along the way. Only about five percent of Boy Scouts earn the Eagle Scout rank. The recognition also requires an Eagle Scout service project.
Johnson’s project involved installing a sidewalk to the pavilion at a local park in Steward. He got permission from the Steward Village Board in April and worked with a contractor on the concrete installation and finished it in June, his father and Troop 64 Leader Jason Johnson said.
“He approached the village board in April with the idea and I think for a lot of people it was, ‘Why didn’t we think of this sooner?’” Jason said. “The village was excited about it. Caleb’s grandfather is in a wheelchair due to a stroke and we use that pavilion occasionally as a family and as a Boy Scout troop. Caleb knew it wasn’t easy to push a wheelchair through grass to get to it. It’s 60 feet from the main sidewalk. It was Caleb’s idea. It was something that could help people in the community. The pavilion is used by the church and older people in the community. It’s been neat to see the reactions from so many people that think it’s a great thing. People have thanked Caleb. I don’t think he knew beforehand how many people would appreciate it.”
Required merit badges to become an Eagle Scout range from citizenship to outdoor skills. Caleb earned badges in just about every topic, including metal work, robotics, photography and more.
Jason joined the troop as an assistant scoutmaster when Caleb joined as a youth. He was in boy scouts himself when he was young and earned the Eagle Scout rank, just as his son now has.
“To have him earn it was exciting for me,” Jason said. “Helping him was the biggest part and seeing his growth was fun. It creates motivation for his younger brother, too, who’s also in the troop. I like seeing the commitment of all of the boys to making a difference in their community. Because you don’t see that all the time.”
