Sophomore Ben Newhouse is preparing to reach the level of Eagle Scout in his career in the Boy Scouts. The Eagle Scout rank is the highest achievement in the Boy Scouts of America program, and it is an honor held in high esteem.

Becoming an Eagle Scout is not an easy accomplishment. It takes years to climb through the many ranks of BSA. Only about five percent of all  boys who join the Scouts make it to the Eagle rank.

Along with his many other extracurricular activities, such as ski club, chess club, marching band, and academic team, Newhouse has been a member of the Scouts since elementary school.

“I started Scouts technically when I was in second grade, that was Cub Scouts, which then lasted until fifth grade. After that I went to Boy Scouts in troop five. I’ve been there for about five years now,” said Newhouse.

BSA teaches young men general outdoor skills and wilderness survival tactics. The program also teaches boys to be leaders in their communities and to always help those in need.

“Scouts really functions on outdoor skills, which [I] could go on and on about, leadership skills, and focusing on serving the community. Leadership has been a very big important factor through my scouting career,” said Newhouse.

A Boy Scout can not simply decide to be an Eagle Scout. They have to check off a long list of requirements before they will be accepted into the ranks of the Eagle Scouts.

“For Eagle Scout you have to get all the prior ranks before before Eagle Scout, in order,” said Newhouse. “So that’s the first big hurdle and then after that you have to be able to complete a project which takes lots of hours. You have  to finish, also, the necessary merit badges.”

These steps show that a Scout has the proper training and ambition to go to the next level. Before they can get to the top, they have to show that they have the right character to become an Eagle Scout.

“There’s a lot of recommendations and meetings with different people, such as the Council and the Board. And you have to do all of this before you turn 18,” said Newhouse.

At only 16 years old, Newhouse feels confident that he will have time to complete all the necessary steps to become an Eagle Scout.

As an active member of his church, Newhouse decided to complete a project that would benefit his church community. The project took two days to finish with the help of Newhouse and other church members.

“I helped install a playground for my church. The [old] playground got destroyed back in 2011 by a derecho,” said Newhouse. “I worked with the church, we ordered another playground, we had that installed, then we came in and built a border around the playground and filled that with mulch.”

Newhouse is excited to reach the Eagle Scout rank. He believes that the achievement will serve him well for the rest of his life.

“I think an Eagle Scout is really a symbol of what I have done. The countless hours and things I have done over the past years of my life,” said Newhouse. “The focus is that once you’re an Eagle Scout, you always are an Eagle Scout. Sometimes some people lose that message.”

Newhouse plans to carry the Eagle Scout message with him in everything that he does.

“You don’t stop it. You just can’t. As you progress through life and grow up, the skills you have learned as an Eagle Scout are in you and how you live your life should be according to what you have done according to Scout law and oath,” said Newhouse. “I just think it would be a great achievement for me to get Eagle Scout. Whatever I do, college and jobs, hopefully it prepares me for life and better refines me and my personality as an individual.”