“On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to obey the Scout law to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.”
This is the Scout oath and Scout law said every time a Boy Scout troop meets, and the code that Scouts are expected to live by. Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy senior Nathan Mendel took these words to heart when he worked toward his Eagle Scout award. On Oct. 27, at 8:30 a.m. sharp, Nathan’s Boy Scout troop met at his house for a day of hard physical labor, with an exciting reward. For his Eagle Scout project, Nathan and his troop drove to Three Trail Salvation Army Camp in Independence, Mo., to do renovations for the camp’s playground.
For a Boy Scout to get his Eagle Scout, he must work on a philanthropic project that helps the local community. After completing the task, the results of the project are assessed by the Scout master and three adult leaders of the Scout troop, usually parents of other troop members.
Nathan and his troop members spent a total of 10 hours at Three Trail Salvation Army Camp, doing renovations on the playground. Upon arriving, the Scouts removed the mulch that surrounded the playground and put it in a pile for later. Then, they sanded down the playground and put a border around it. After lunch, they installed the black edging and finished the playground and put the mulch back down and added swings.
“I think [the project] went really smoothly,” said Nathan. “I actually was worried it wouldn’t go well seeing as I set the date for my project before the write-up was done. Even when I finished [the write-up], there were still uncertainties, but it ended up really well.”
Nathan conceived the project about two years ago. Most of the Scouts in his troop also did their Eagle Scout project at Three Trail, so Nathan called the camp and asked if they needed anything to be fixed or rebuilt. They told him that the playground could use some touch-ups. The date of the project was picked before all of the preparations were even made to help Nathan avoid procrastination.
“It was really great to see a group of young people working their tails off [doing] seriously hard physical labor to benefit strangers,” said Nathan’s mother Doris Mendel. “The amount of time, effort, and perseverance that it takes to achieve the rank of Eagle is enormous. I am really proud of Nathan for sticking with it. His Hebrew name is Natan, which means ‘to give.’ It is our hope that he takes that to heart and focuses his life on being a giver.”
Starting as a young Cub Scout and moving his way up the six ranks in order to earn the status of Eagle, Nathan was required to earn many merit badges. He achieved these honorable badges by learning how to tie various types of knots, identifying types of flora and fauna, and completing many community service projects. Nathan worked for seven years to earn the coveted title of Eagle Scout.
Nathan said, “It has been a quick seven years and was definitely worth it [to] become an Eagle.”
This article first appeared in The Ram Page, the student newspaper produced by Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. Rachel Kaseff is a staff writer for the e-newspaper.