Thomas Stavola, 15, of Franklin Square, celebrated his journey becoming an Eagle Scout during his Court of Honor on Dec. 15 at VFW Post 2718 in Franklin Square. In attendance were Thomas’ friends, family and fellow scouts, who helped him commemorate his accomplishment.
During the service, Thomas and his parents, Nic Stavola and Bridget Stavola, and his brother, Nick Stavola, who is also an Eagle Scout, performed a candle ceremony to honor the Boy Scout oath, scout law and the spirit of scouting.
Thomas also presented Nick with a mentor pin, which recognizes individuals who were instrumental in a scout’s journey to achieving Eagle Scout rank. According to Bridget, Nick has guided Thomas since the beginning of his scouting endeavors, often taking him along to earn badges together.
Nick delivered an Eagle Scout Charge, which is a speech that details the responsibilities of an Eagle Scout. These responsibilities include honor, loyalty, service, courage, common good, clean living, reverence for God, preserving the Earth and physical, mental and intellectual health.
In order to become an Eagle Scout, a scout must earn at least 21 merit badges, 13 of which are required. The required badges involve essential skills such as emergency preparedness, first aid, cooking, camping, swimming and citizenship. On top of these 13 badges, Thomas earned an additional 25 badges, bringing his total to 38.
According to a 2012 nationwide study, conducted by Baylor University, only about 4 percent of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts. Prospective Eagle Scouts must apply for the rank before the age of 18, after earning the required amount of badges and completing an Eagle Scout project. Thomas and Nick achieved the rank at the age of 15 and 16, respectively.
Thomas said he learned to become a leader as a result of his experience with the Boy Scouts. “It feels like it was all worth it now,” Thomas said of his journey. “This is everything I worked for.” He added that he’d like to continue mentoring scouts from his troop in the future.
Nic said both of his sons have grown and matured since they joined the Cub Scouts when they each turned seven years old. Now that the two are looking back on their journey, he said, they can see how far they’ve come, too. “When they leave here and they’re in the real world, then we see how impressive they are,” he said. “They’re great representatives of the family.”