On a weekend CJ Heckel works with his fellow troop members to renovate buildings, helping the community evolve. He completes this task as his Eagle project, along with various others to attain badges. After all the time spent obtaining necessary badges and preparing and executing his project, Heckel finally reached the goal he had spent years working towards.

On April 9 Troop 385 held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Heckel, a Revere sophomore, to recognize his success in earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Heckel joined Cub Scouts in the fall of 2006 and continued to Boy Scouts in the spring of 2011. To reach Eagle Scout he needed to complete a project that would benefit the community, so he upgraded facilities at North Lawrence Fish and Game Club, an indoor activities organization. Heckel described the requirements of obtaining Eagle Scout and his personal experience with the project.

“[To earn Eagle] you have to be active in your troop, serve in leadership positions and complete other requirements based off of skill knowledge to reach every rank before Eagle. Then to earn your Eagle you have to earn twenty-one merit badges, thirteen required ones included in that. Then you have to do an Eagle project which needs to be for a nonprofit organization and benefits the community. [My] project was a construction project that involved carpentry and painting,” Heckel said.

Heckel discussed his journey throughout Boy Scouts and his reasoning for his involvement in the program.

“[I like] getting the opportunity to do things that some people may never get to do. Scouts teaches boys how to be self-sufficient. It teaches good leadership skills and teaches valuable life skills,” Heckel said.

Revere junior Nathan Albert serves as Troop 385’s current leader. He joined his troop his sixth grade year. He highlighted the significance of reaching Eagle and explained the character that Boy Scouts display.

“Only five percent of Scouts reach Eagle. This shows a tremendous amount of self-discipline that is not exemplified within most of the younger generation,” Albert said.

Albert also mentioned Heckel’s personal strengths and how he positively influences the troop.

“[Heckel] brings a sense of leadership that the troop has not seen in a while,” Albert said.

Heckel served as the troop’s Senior Patrol Leader for 18 months. He discussed his experience leading the troop and his goals during this time.

“Our troop focuses on scout skills and expanding our membership even more every year. I was the Senior Patrol Leader at the age of 14. There were still a lot of guys older than me in the troop, so I had to prove to them I was a good leader to earn their respect,” Heckel said.

Revere junior Tom Ulinski, a member of Troop 385, discussed the importance of earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

“Being an Eagle Scout allows you to provide an example of how to act properly in society for everyone around you, not just your fellow scouts,” Ulinski said.

Heckel discussed the potential benefits of achieving Eagle Scout, applying the experience to future situations that he will endure in life.

“I will be able to take what I have learned about being independent and being a leader and apply that to my work life when I one day have to start working and take care of myself,” Heckel said.

As Heckel approaches the stage to receive his honor, surrounded by all his fellow troop members, he feels the accomplishment of reaching his goal. With every necessary badge completed and a finished project, Heckel became one of a small percentage of Scouts to persevere and reach the end.