When senior Andrew Ward crashed his dirt bike into a tree while riding with his twin brother John Ward, resulting in a puncture wound, neither felt the need to panic. Both students are recently minted Eagle Scouts, with over a decade of experience in emergency situations training.

“One of the biggest lessons I learned in scouting was the motto: Be Prepared,”  John Ward said. “Because of my first-aid knowledge, I knew that [the injury] wasn’t extremely life threatening, so we didn’t have to worry about calling in a helicopter, getting an ambulance. We were able to get him home first and evaluate it. And if we hadn’t done that, then it could have been a bigger, much more expensive deal.”

Seniors Andrew Ward, John Ward, and Forrest Hutchinson achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest possible rank within the Boy Scouts of America organization. Earning the title of Eagle Scout entails years of commitment to the program, including hours and hours of skills training, leadership experience, and the completion of an Eagle Scout service project.

“It’s a big accomplishment,” John Ward said. “After that, really, you’ve made it. You have an Eagle Scout court of honor where you get the badge and thank your Mom and Dad and give a little speech.”

Along with confidence in emergency or survival situations, Boy Scouts participants are encouraged and given ample opportunity to develop leadership skills. When a scout graduates from their skills training, they move on to leadership training. This phase of the program involves guiding younger Boy Scouts, working in groups, and ultimately organizing and executing an Eagle Scout service project.

“You flip over to the leadership, which is arguably harder. You’re not taking notes anymore. You’re helping people get stuff done,” Andrew Ward said. “A lot of people think it’s the skills because that’s what everyone does. That’s what people know the scouts for. But it’s really the leadership. I do remember how to lead people. So I think that’s really important.”

Both Ward brothers chose to work on the Bear Branch Elementary campus, their former school, for their projects. John Ward rebuilt the outdoor classroom and added a lectern for the teacher’s materials. Andrew Ward planned and executed the installation of a pair of benches that he built. The brothers underwent the process of planning, raising money, building and installing the equipment.

“It’s definitely very humbling,” Andrew Ward said. “People see these service projects and [think], they could get some contractors to go build this in two days. But you have to budget, you have to get the money, then you have to do it. And you have to make sure it’s done right. You have to follow the plans that you laid out like a month ago and things change, and then you have to adapt. So it’s just a big learning experience.”

Hutchinson chose to build three cedar wood bookshelves to donate to his local church. The planning and fundraising took three months, and the construction itself cost about 100 labor hours. On top of building the structure, the project required knowledge of wood design and lacquer coating.

“One thing I’ve learned is, I don’t think any big task or any big accomplishment is ever truly done by yourself,” Hutchinson said. “There’s always people around that help you in some way. And it just really opened my eyes to what it takes to achieve something.”

Hutchinson gained interest in Boy Scouts as a first grader. He watched his older brother prepare for a Boy Scouts event, and wondered what kind of uniform his brother was wearing, and why he did not have one.

The Ward brothers were obligated by their parents to participate in Cub Scouts in the beginning, but as they progressed, Andrew and John recognized the value of the program and chose to commit to their journey as scouts. All three Eagle Scouts plan to encourage their children to follow in their footsteps in the Boy Scouts program.

“[Boy Scouts] really creates great young men and great leaders,” Hutchinson said. “I wish there were more of us, because I think it’s a very important thing to learn, not even just being an Eagle Scout, being a Boy Scout in general.”

This story was originally published on Park Times on January 29, 2024.