Completed all ranks, check. Earned the merit badges needed, check. Service project done, check. When they were finally given the medal and badge of an Eagle Scout, senior Miles Divis felt happy his hard work paid off and senior Ethan Mann felt proud and glad that his hard work was recognized.
The ranks that those involved in Boy Scouts must progress through are Scouts, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. Only about 6% of participants reach the Eagle rank. To obtain this prestigious rank, one must make their way through all 7th ranks, earn 21 out of 138 merit badges, and complete a service project.
Some of the merit badges include first aid, cooking, lifesaving, hiking, communication, etc.
“We have gone through all the skills and these merit badges and requirements and basically it will help you prepare for life and once again be prepared to help out anyone in numerous ways,” Divis said.
Divis was in Boy Scouts from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2023 and was in Cub Scouts (a program for kids in 5th grade and lower) from 2012 to the end of 2016. Divis took two years to finish his service project. He placed trail markers at Glacier Creek Preserve in Bennington. The marker posts were branded with numbers and each included a QR code that maps back to the Glacier Creek website explaining the significance of that area of the trail.
“What I like about being an Eagle Scout is that I feel like I completed something that I worked so hard on throughout my life and I feel like I could help other people,” Divis said.
Mann started his journey in Boy Scouts in early middle school, where he had the opportunity to go through various campouts and experiences and develop leadership skills that helped him climb the ranks until he became an Eagle Scout. Mann’s service project was building picnic tables. One goal of the project is to prove that one can lead a group of people and effectively complete a project.
“When I earned that rank it felt good because it was many years of work that I put into it and so finally achieving my goal and becoming an Eagle Scout was very special,” Mann said.
His desire to choose picnic tables came from the fact that his church did not have any.
“I felt that in order to promote more outdoor activities, creating more picnic tables that were circular would create more conversations across the table, as well as give them space they can use outside in order to do services or host activities,” Mann said.
As an Eagle Scout, one must help fellow scouts and the community to better themselves and work with others by teaching them skills they might need to gain or guiding them on their leadership style.
“Within the community, I do a positive thing every day. I make sure I live to the ideals that are set within scouting in order to better help the community,” Mann said.
As a mom, Deborah Divis supported Divis’s journey of becoming an Eagle Scout by listening and encouraging him to think creatively about whom to help and solve the beneficiary’s needs.
“No doubt there’s a sense of relief that Miles accomplished such a cool project, but mostly I am happy for him,” Deborah said.
As Divis obtained new skills, he increased his bravery, deepened his faith and determination, learned leadership, celebrated wins, cared for others and the environment, and made friends.
“I am thrilled that he had this positive foundation that he can build upon all his life,” Deborah said.
Divis’s father Anton Divis, his brother, and grandfather were scouts when they were kids; his father was his cub master for most of his Cub Scouts career.
“I was very proud of him. He worked very hard and finally got it done. I was very relieved. You have to get it all done once you turn 18, it was close.” Anton said.
Overall, Mann and Divis accomplished a lot over the years with their hard work and dedication, and the results were worth it to them.