The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

Peru – James Hilchey joined the Boy Scouts at age 12. Tonight, at age 18, he became an Eagle Scout in ceremonies conducted at St. Augustine’s Parish Center. The son of Jennifer Reyell-Cameron and Christopher Hilchey, James will be a senior at Saranac High School this fall. Peru Troop 8049 Scout Master Fred Tuller complimented Hilchey saying, “James has grown a lot. He’s become a good role model for upcoming scouts.”

Eagle Scout candidates must satisfy numerous requirements including planning, developing, and giving leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or their community. Hilchey concentrated on Baker Cemetery in Morrisonville by leading a graveyard cleanup, a cemetery mapping and constructing a cemetery sign-in box.

Tonight he thanked others saying, “I couldn’t have completed the project without the help of others.” He mentioned his grandparents Craig and Lynn Hilchey, Eric Hidook, Richard Mason Jr. and Richard Mason Sr., D.J, and Sam Trombley.

The Boy Scouts have many requirements to achieve their highest rank of Eagle Scout. They include:

1.Be active in your troop for at least six months as a Life Scout.

2. As a Life Scout, demonstrate Scout Spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Tell how you have done your duty to God, how you have lived the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life, and how your understanding of the Scout Oath and Scout Law will guide your life in the future. List on your Eagle Scout Rank Application the names of individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/guardians, religious (if not affiliated with an organized religion, then
the parent or guardian provides this reference), educational, employer (if employed), and two other references.

3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than required for the Life rank), including these 13 merit badges: (a) First Aid, (b) Citizenship in the Community, (c) Citizenship in the Nation, (d) Citizenship in the World, (e) Communication, (f) Cooking, (g) Personal Fitness, (h) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, (i) Environmental Science OR Sustainability, (j) Personal Management, (k) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling, (l) Camping, and (m) Family Life. You must choose only one of the merit badges listed in categories h, i, and k. Any additional merit badge(s) earned in those categories may be counted as one of your eight optional merit badges used to make your total of 21.

4. While a Life Scout, serve actively in your troop for six months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility: Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quarter- master, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, webmaster, or outdoor ethics guide. Varsity Scout team. Captain, co-captain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow team representative, librarian, historian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief, webmaster, or outdoor ethics guide.
Venturing crew/Sea Scout ship. President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, quartermaster, historian, den chief, guide, boatswain, boatswain’s mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper, or webmaster. Lone Scout. Leadership responsibility in your school, religious organization, club, or elsewhere in your community.

5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 512-927, in meeting this requirement. (To learn more about the Eagle Scout service project, see the Guide to Advancement, topics 9.0.2.0 through 9.0.2.16.)
6. While a Life Scout, participate in a Scoutmaster conference. In preparation for your board of review, prepare and attach to your Eagle Scout Rank Application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations, during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service.