LAKEPORT > > On Thursday, April 20 Clearlake High School student Alexander Beare, 17, was recognized at a Court of Honor for achieving the highest rank in scouting, that of Eagle Scout.
With 27 merit badges and over 35 hours of service to the community, Beare over qualified for the rank and was proclaimed by the City of Lakeport on Tuesday.
“We are very proud of him. All that he has accomplished so far is not something you can do in a short period of time. It takes time and dedication,” his mother Carol Beare said.
And earning the highest possible rank takes just that. According to a year-by-year analysis conducted by the Boy Scout Association, “6.01 percent of eligible Scouts earned the Eagle Scout award.” Eligibility is weighed by many factors including, how active a scout is with their troop, earning a total of 21 merit badges, and executing a service project benefiting anyone outside the Boy Scouting.
By the time Beare had to present his service project proposal for approval, he had his mind set on the project he wanted to take on. It was to replace Nice residents Marlyn and Mike Conroy’s home front steps with ramps to ease their walkway into their home.
“Just getting up the stairs was difficult because I’m getting older,” Marlyn said. “I fell off the stairs and hit some rocks. It really hurt my back. When Alexander told me he wanted to build a ramp, I was so excited.”
With the assistance of his mentor and troops, Beare completed not one, but three ramps with rails. After the completion of the project, he went back to rejuvenate the Conroy’s deck to compliment their new ramps.
“This experience helped me gain respect for the community and learn how effective service is to someone’s life,” Beare said.
Twenty-seven merit badges later, Beare will soon embark on a service mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He then plans to go to college and study criminal behavior, and then joining the police academy in hopes of becoming a police officer.
