The Eagle Scout Award is the highest advancement rank presented by the Boy Scouts of America. Chris Bogle of Troop 33 in DeKalb has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
To achieve Eagle, a Scout must earn 21 merit badges, serve actively in positions of leadership and carry out a special Eagle Scout service project. It also involves enthusiasm, dedication to the ideals of Scouting and a strong determination to accomplish goals. Any Scout will find that attaining Eagle includes all those things, plus an ample amount of fun and adventure, according to a recent news release.
Bogle, who has enjoyed numerous weekend activities and summer camp at Camp Lowden near Oregon, Ill., also was involved in Troop 33’s high adventure program. Bogle enjoyed a high adventure tour of Central America, exploring Costa Rica and Panama. Scouts walked across an iron bridge to enter Panama, followed by a bus ride and then boating through wetlands, river, canals and out into the Caribbean to the Bocas del Toro archipelago. Panama’s great adventures included dolphin watching, snorkeling in coral reefs and the wild surf of a great sand beach on a tropical island. Costa Rica’s activities included hiking atop a volcano, going to a waterfall and a butterfly sanctuary, going on a boat safari, hiking through rain forests, whitewater rafting, riding a jungle zip line and touring the city of San Jose.
Homestays with local families allowed time to experience culture and build friendships, according to the release. The Scouts of Troop 78 of Escazu, Costa Rica, provided a fiesta and awards night for Troop 33 Scouts the final night of the trip.
During the winter following Hurricane Katrina, Bogle traveled south to Mississippi and Louisiana with Troop 33 in response to the disaster. With his fellow Scouts, he helped in projects including cooking meals for victims and volunteers in Pass Christian, Miss., preparing and serving a Christmas banquet to homeless military families at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., and helping assemble a new animal rescue center for New Orleans.
His leadership experience includes serving Troop 33 as assistant senior patrol leader and junior assistant Scoutmaster. He has provided many hours of service in community projects. Bogle earned 41 merit badges.
His Eagle service project involved a food drive to benefit the Sycamore Food Pantry. Through Bogle’s leadership, planning and dedication, his project collected a large amount of food, plus hundreds of dollars in donations. Many disadvantaged families benefited from his efforts, according to the release.
Earning the Eagle Scout Award is accomplished by a small fraction of Scouts – only about 4 percent, according to the release, which said Troop 33 is proud of the Scouts who work hard to attain this honor. Bogle is a 2010 graduate of DeKalb High School.
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