Sep 20, 201208:00 AMDaily News
Breaking news, practical tips, useless trivia, media reviews and more
Central Dauphin junior completes Eagle project
When he realized many younger scouts in his troop didn’t know basic flag protocol, Andrew Hicklin decided to do something about it.
The Central Dauphin junior and Troop 10 Life Scout needed to complete an Eagle project to earn his Eagle Scout award, and he decided to work on something that would help future generations of scouts.
Andrew built a flag pole with lights and a walkway next to his troop’s headquarters at St Thomas United Church of Christ, 6490 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg.
After completing his project, he’s on the verge of earning that coveted Eagle.
In the cemetery next to the church where Troop 10 meets, Andrew and his troop paved the area into a square and set up a flag pole in the middle. The pole flies the American and Boy Scouts flags, with a solar panel light that shines on it.
At the base of the flag pole is a handicap-accessible ramp and railing, plus lights surrounding the base.
“It took a lot of hard work, a lot of manual labor of putting it up there and spreading out the layers so it’s level,” Andrew said. “There’s a lot of levels of rocks and sand we had to pack real nice so it could lay evenly.”
The hardest part for the scouts was digging out the area because they were digging into different layers of rock in a graveyard.
The pole gives access to the troop so younger boys can learn from the older boys at their headquarters all about raising, lowering and folding flags. Andrew said it’s important so they can do it at various camps when there are many troops present.
The pole was dedicated and the flags were raised for the first time on Sept. 11. Andrew said he has to complete some paperwork and have his ceremony where he’ll be presented with his award. After earning Eagle, Andrew can continue with his troop by being a leader.
“It means a lot because ever since you’re a Cub Scout, you work up through all these stages the whole way up,” Andrew said. “It’s a big experience. You get to meet new people and learn things people may not learn outside of scouting. It shows you how to work as a team with your companions. Teaches you to become a man. Gives you that headstart before you go out into the real world.”
Kurt Bopp is assistant editor/web for Central Penn Parent, and he is also an Eagle Scout. His project was fixing the ceiling, benches, doors and cabinets of a community building.
Email
Print
Feed
