Senior Noah Sigsworth recently finished his Eagle Scout project with Troop 385 and has established himself as an involved member of his community.

To reach Eagle Scout level, a scout has to earn every merit badge, including outdoors skills and contributions to the community and nation. Once the 21 merit badges have all been attained, a scout is required to complete an Eagle Scout project. These projects require a contribution to the community. Sigsworth focused on making a meditation wall made of chalkboards at Heart 4 the City in Akron.

Through his final Eagle Scout project, Sigsworth looks forward to giving back to his community with a project that improves his community perspective. Sigsworth worked towards his Eagle Scout project for nine years; he looked forward to establishing himself as an elite member of a very exclusive group.

“[Attaining Eagle Scout] means that my standards for living have been permanently raised. My dedication to my community, my country, and God are now representative not only of me but to all of my brother Eagle Scouts,” Sigsworth said.

Sigsworth’s motivation for continuing his training all the way to Eagle Scout stemmed from wanting to be an Eagle Scout since his first year of involvement in scouts. Sigsworth wanted to show commitment and persistence to his community, so he continued his training all the way to Eagle Scout.

“The significance of the hard work a Boy Scout put in sticks with him for the rest of his life,” Sigsworth said.

Fellow Boy Scout Jon Dye has been in Sigsworth’s troop for four years and is also looking forward to attaining Eagle rank. Dye has been in scouts for seven years. As a fellow scout, Dye recognizes the hard work needed in attaining the highest level in Scouts.

“It truly is a lot of work and it spans multiple years of your life, but [one’s] hope is that it pays off in the end,” Dye said.

Sigsworth’s troop leader Chris Ulinski has led his Boy Scout troop for the past six years and has been involved in Boy Scouts for 22 years total. Ulinski described the importance of the community project by noting its impact on the scout.

“[The project] requires a service project which tests the boy’s ability to lead others while meeting the need of a local charity or organization,” Ulinski said.

The work required for the Eagle Scout rank includes time-consuming meetings and evaluations with multiple different leaders. Sigsworth was both required to, after years of work toward merit badges, meet with an Eagle Scout advisor to determine if he was prepared to become an Eagle Scout. Once a scout is eighteen years of age, he is expected to become an adult leader and return the leadership he received as a younger scout.