By Maya MacGregor
Online Sports Editor
Demonstrating leadership and commitment, seniors Scott Miketa, Ryan Cosner, and brothers Matthew and Jake Faugsten have all flown above and beyond requirements, reaching the Boy Scout ranking of an Eagle Scout. The designation of Eagle Scout is the highest possible rank in the Boy Scouts.
To receive this prestigious award, a Boy Scout must earn 21 merit badges and complete a service project to better his community, on top of being an active member of his troop. In addition, he must abide by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in his daily life.
“The Eagle Scout badge marks a Boy Scout as someone who people can trust and rely on, and I will be glad to be that person in the future,” Matt Faugsten said. “It is not really the part of having the reward but of what it meant to get there. It symbolizes the end of a long, arduous, yet fulfilling journey that has finally come to its conclusion.”
Miketa has been a member of Boy Scout Troop 849 since 2004. Since then, he has earned 32 different merit badges, including Citizenship in the World, Environmental Science and Wilderness Survival. For his Eagle Scout service project, Miketa oversaw the construction of three benches that would be donated to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles.
“I felt as though the project would be giving back, in a significant way, since the first dog that my family adopted was from the SPCALA,” Miketa said.
Also a member of Boy Scouts since 2004, Matt Faugsten has demonstrated his leadership ability throughout his years in the organization. He has served in many leadership roles in the troop, such as senior patrol leader and troop guide. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Faustgen worked with Trinity Lutheran Church and Preschool to design and build maneuverable storage containers for the pre-school classrooms.
“I like Boy Scouts because it provides a lot of opportunities that are not available elsewhere, it teaches fundamental moral values and how to be a leader within your community,” Matt Faugsten said. “Boy Scouts has taught me so many lessons that it would be hard to recount them all, but I know that I would not be the same person without them.”
Jake Faugsten started his Boy Scout career in the second grade and has earned 31 merit badges. He also became the troop scribe, and he published the Troop Newsletter. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Jake Faugsgen also worked with Trinity Lutheran Church and Pre-school, where he built backpack and storage carts, because he was aware of the dilapidated state of some of the pre-school’s classrooms.
“Scouting teaches leadership skills and helped shape my character,” Jake Faugsten said. “I also learned many life skills, such as first aid, survival skills, and civic responsibility over the last 11 years and during the 558 hours of service and leadership that I have contributed.”
Ryan Cosner has achieved the highest leadership position in his troop, senior patrol leader, and is in charge of 40 other Boy Scouts. To obtain Eagle Scout status, Cosner constructed a marimba, which is a type of wooden percussion instrument that is essential to learning percussion and music theory. After 200 hours of work dedicated to the service project, Cosner donated the marimba at the HVS annual end-of-the-year band concert.
“I chose to build a marimba because I wanted to enhance the Hermosa Valley band and because of my long-time passion for music,” Cosner said. “I believe that the most valuable benefit of the program is the moral lessons that it conveys. In a world where school is so competitive and society is focused on quantifiable success, scouting has been a moral foundation that always reminds me what is important.”
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