Eagle Rank Celebrates Three Scouts' Journeys

Compiled by Katy Baetz-Matthews

Steven Spielberg.  Sam Walton.  J. W. Marriott, Jr.  Neil Armstrong.  All are Eagle Scouts.  Add Forrest Ickes, Scott Matthews and Andrew Slatin to the elite list of those who’ve achieved the highest rank awarded by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), a goal reached by less than two percent of BSA’s total membership, putting these three Northville High School seniors in impressive company.  Additionally, all three were voted into The Order of the Arrow.  In this BSA national honor society, scouts are selected by their peers for living the ideals of Scouting. 

Forrest, Scott and Andrew’s Scouting journeys will be celebrated at a Court of Honor, hosted by Northville’s BSA Troop 755, at 2 p.m. on Sunday March 18, at the First Presbyterian Church.  Family, friends, mentors and fellow scouts will reflect on the paths taken by each young man to reach the pinnacle of scouting.  Eagle Scouts must, among other requirements, earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, hold a position of responsibility within the troop, and develop, coordinate and provide leadership on a service project. 

Forrest Ickes worked through the Novi Parks and Recreation Department for his service project.  Novi Township’s Lakeshore Park, on the south end of Walled Lake, was the benefactor.  He presented a plan, which was approved, to Novi Parks and Rec to build and install bluebird houses.  A member of the Michigan Bluebird Society taught Forrest how to fabricate the components.  Forrest cut all of the wooden birdhouse components, drilled, sanded and assembled the first bird house under the guidance of a Bluebird Society veteran.  Then Forrest co-taught the woodworking merit badge to younger scouts at two troop meetings in May, which included instruction on the safe handling and proper use of tools.  The younger scouts were enthusiastic to learn how to construct the birdhouses by attaching them to installation posts protected with PVC pipe to ward off predators. 

On an eventually sunny June 11, Forrest supervised 24 younger scouts and adults as they installed nine birdhouses on the common grounds near the park’s back pavilion.  After clearing overgrowth from trails in a wooded section of the park, Forrest and his volunteers discovered three unused benches, shrouded by plant overgrowth.  Utilizing their woodworking skills, these volunteers sanded and stained the benches located along those trails.  

Scott Matthews joined forces with NHS Baseball’s 2011 Armed Forces Day celebration to bring America’s troops a taste of home.  Throughout the week prior to the May 21 event, Northville schools collected toiletries, snacks, books, DVDs and games.  Matthews, a middle infielder, played in the varsity double-header where donations were accepted as well. 

After two baseball victories, the festivities ended.  That’s when Scott’s service project began.  A caravan of vehicles brought all donations to his home.  Following the guidelines of Operation Support Our Troops, Inc., Scott and his teams of volunteers spent several evenings and weekends sorting over 1800 pounds of donations.  They sorted by category, checked for expiration dates and separated what could not be used overseas.  On June 5, 50 boxes were packed.  Each contained a 35-pound variety of all donations.  Hundreds of pounds of items unsuitable for use overseas were eagerly accepted by local charities. 

One soldier’s e-mail to Scott enthused, “I cannot describe what it is like to receive boxes, such as the ones you helped send.  When we open them, it is like Christmas...People will yell, ‘I need that!’ or ‘Oh, look, toothpaste!’  Yes, we even get excited about toothpaste here!”  

Andrew Slatin committed to upgrade the visitors’ bullpen at NHS’ varsity baseball field.  While work at the field was done in late August, planning began last spring.  This included a partnership with Home Depot.  As a donation to the community, the nearby hardware store donated necessary materials and rental equipment.  

Work at the bullpen got underway as a post-hole auger drilled through nearly four feet of stubborn dirt, rock and clay.  Steel re-rod was then sunk to anchor the newly constructed wooden containment system around the pitcher’s mound.  For the home plate backstop, 12-foot posts were put four feet into the ground, and then secured with concrete.  Andrew and his volunteers hit a snag or, more precisely, an enormous block of concrete, when drilling deep beneath the bullpen.  On-the-spot design modifications followed by another trip to Home Depot got the project back on track. Andrew also incorporated plans to minimize erosion around the mound and home plate.   

For Andrew, campouts made Scouting great.  During those campouts, his favorite Scouting memories were indelibly created.   He attended most of the troop’s annual events, but vividly recalled some of Troop 755’s ambitious one-time-only campouts, including Bluespring Caverns in Indiana, the flight museums at Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.  He highlighted dog sledding in Ontario, where he and Scott Matthews battled problems which included “carefully wading through a ‘Slurpee ocean,’ – an amazing experience I will never forget.”  Andrew earned 23 merit badges and served as the troop’s assistant swimming instructor. 

Scott, who started as a Tiger Cub in 2000, also ranked December 2008’s dog sled trip high on his list of favorites.  Celebrating 100 years of Scouting at the 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia with scouts from across the country produced experiences Scott “would love to relive”.  28 merit badges defined his Scouting journey, as well as being Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader. 

Forrest, an active member of Troop 755 and also a scout since 2000, earned 26 merit badges and served in the leadership roles of Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Senior Patrol Leader (SPL).  Two leadership highlights were being voted into The Order of the Arrow in 2008 and leading Troop 755 as SPL in 2010.  He was privileged to go on five High Adventure trips which covered the United States and Canada from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle.  These trips took him to Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington, Virginia, British Columbia and the Florida Keys where he hiked, snorkeled, sailed, kayaked and show shoed.  Forrest's adventure highlight was when he watched the sun set behind Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park on a rare clear day. 

These young men enhance the proud tradition of BSA Troop 755, which was founded in 1947. With 158 scouts, it is America’s 34th largest troop.  Guided by the enthusiastic leadership and vision of Scoutmaster Mike Kowalczyk, Assistant Scout Master/Eagle Advisor Bill Phillips and over 90 registered adult leaders, young men share a unique camaraderie and develop important life skills as they challenge themselves on rigorous camp-outs, outreach projects and rank advancement.