Valley Stream scouts complete their trail to Eagle

Out of every 100 boys who join the scouts, only four will earn the Eagle rank. This honor, received by so few, was bestowed upon two Valley Stream Boy Scouts last Saturday afternoon at a Court of Honor ceremony.

The gymnasium at Grace Methodist School was filled with more than 100 people there to celebrate the accomplishments of Thomas Walsh and Timothy Sarro, or Tommy and Timmy, as they are known to their family, friends and fellow scouts. Walsh and Sarro, both 17, have earned the highest honor in Boy Scouts and can call themselves Eagle Scouts for the rest of their lives.

“It was exciting,” Sarro said of the ceremony. “I was very happy and glad to see everyone there. It makes me feel that what I did was important.”

Walsh and Sarro became the 50th and 51st Eagle Scouts in the history of Boy Scout Troop 109.

Sarro, a junior at Valley Stream North High School and a Malverne resident, first got involved with scouting with the now-defunct Cub Scout Pack 74 based out of the James A. Dever School. He earned his Arrow of Light award in 2007 and became a Life Scout two years ago.

Along his journey to Eagle Scout, Sarro earned 28 merit badges — a minimum of 21 are required. He is a senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster, and plans to continue his involvement with Troop 109 by guiding the younger scouts.

Walsh, a junior at South High School, has earned 25 merit badges. He joined the Cub Scouts when he was in fourth grade with Pack 109 and earned his Arrow of Light Award in 2007. In 2010, he became a Life Scout. Walsh is an assistant senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster with Troop 109.

He said he still plans to attend the troop’s meetings and events, especially camping trips, which Walsh said has been his favorite part of scouting. Both will be attending Boys’ State this summer, a government instruction program for high school students sponsored by the American Legion.

Staying committed

The support of others, Walsh said, is what made him so successful in scouting. “I couldn’t do it without my parents and my sister and my grandparents and basically my whole family,” he said.