STURBRIDGE - Celtic Thunder lead the procession with bag pipes and drums as dozens of Boy Scouts filed into the auditorium at Tantasqua Regional High School during last Saturday’s Eagle Court of Honor.
Held for Kenneth Bernier, Benjamin Dunbar, Rory McLean, Andrew Rowe, and Sean Zielinski, more than 100 friends, family, and members of the community gathered for the ceremony.
Madeline Dupre sang the National Anthem as the audience stood in allegiance.
The reverence and respect in the room was palpable as the five Scouts receiving the Eagle rank were escorted to the stage by honor guards. Eagle Scouts must earn at least 21 merit badges and demonstrate Scout spirit, service, and leadership. They must commit to live by five obligations: honor, loyalty, courage, service, and vision.
As is customary, the Scout’s parents took that stage with the new Eagles. The mothers pinned the Eagle medal to each of their sons’ uniforms. In recognition of a mother’s devotion, they were presented an Eagle’s Mother’ Pin. In recognition of endless hours of self-sacrifice, their fathers were presented with Eagle Lapel Pins.
The service projects the Scouts undertook were group projects which required hundreds of hours to organize and lead, working with others to complete. Bernier held a supplies drive for the Second Chance Animal Shelter. Dunbar ran a group that hand made 12 oak music stands for the Brimfield Bell Choir. McLean’s project involved clearing the trails behind the Wales elementary school. Zielinski’s Mount Pisgah clean-up resulted in an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency that will hold people responsible for the illegal dumping in the area and will serve to keep it clean of trash, glass, and abandoned vehicles for years to come.
Andrew Rowe helped complete a section of the Titanic Rail with gravel and ramps on Five Bridge Road.
Guest speakers included Brimfield Board of Selectman Thomas Marino, Wales Board of Selectman Michael Valanzola, Superintendent of Schools Daniel Durgin, Unit Commissioner Ellie Matrow, State Representative Todd Smola, Senator Stephen Brewer and others.
Representative Smola congratulated the boys.
“Never forget the path you have traveled down to achieve this recognition. Carry these lessons with you no matter what you do,” he said. Smola also advised the younger Scouts in the audience. “Look at these fine individuals. Look at the example they have set of time, commitment, and character,” he said.
Brewer expressed his affection for Tantasqua Regional and encouraged the Eagle Scouts to make the world a better place.
“We put people on pedestals as heroes. Heroes aren’t giants. They walk among us. They’re boys like these here,” he said.
Brewer also quoted the proverb, “As the bough is bent, so shall the tree grow. This troop was molded by a community and their parents and now these young men become the trees themselves. The Scouting program molds young people with values,” he said.
Chris Ballou, Tyler Palmer, and Nick Shea from Pack 7 took the stage to introduce the song, “America” played by Celtic Thunder as the audience stood at attention. The Scouts from Troop 7 closed the ceremony blowing out three candles: red for bravery and the willingness to die for our country; white for purity of thought, word, and deed; and blue for faith, loyalty, and the blue of the eternal heavens.
After the Color Guards retired the flags, the group gathered for a reception in the school’s foyer to look at the description and photos of the Eagles’ service projects. Ken Bernier, Scoutmaster of Troop 7, remarked, “It’s a great opportunity to work with these young boys. The Troop in general is wonderful.”