Recently Simsbury High school graduated 395 students in the Class of 2014. What made this an extra special day is that 19 members of this class have earned their Eagle rank in the Boy Scouts of America. An additional two scouts began with the class and are graduating from other schools this year.
According to the SHS office, there are 395 students in the Class of 2014 of which 209 are male. That would mean approximately 9% of the guys in the class have earned this honor. We believe this is by far the largest number of Eagle scouts ever to graduate together, certainly from Simsbury High, but most likely also in New England and perhaps the country.
If you consider that only about 20 percent of boys in Simsbury participated in scouting, that means that approximately 42 members of the Class of 2014 were in scouts, of which half made it all the way to Eagle! Nationally, only 4% of the boys that begin scouting make it all the way to Eagle. This is a stunning achievement for this graduating class and shows the level of character they possess.
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To be an Eagle Scout, a boy must advance through five lower ranks by learning and displaying outdoors and life skills, he must demonstrate leadership and show a commitment to his community through community service. All around town you can witness improvements made through the efforts of boy scouts working on Eagle projects. A scout must live the scout oath: A scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. These are all high ideals that all students at Simsbury High should aspire to.
These young men have made a commitment, not only to scouting, but also to Simsbury High. Many are active student athletes on various teams and many have been selected as team captains (soccer, football, track, cross country, crew) for their skills and leadership. Still others are members of the National Honor Society, including the outgoing president. One was selected to represent Simsbury and Boy Scouts on national TV.
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Simsbury is lucky to have not one, but three great Boy Scout troops currently comprising over 225 active scouts that represent the future of scouting in Simsbury. Troop’s 76, 174 and 175 have all contributed Eagle scouts to this graduating class.
Please join us and congratulating the Eagles in the Simsbury High Class of 2014!
