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New Troop 237 Eagle Scouts, from left: Jack O'Melveny, Drew Barber, Callan Hoskins, Tim Tague Photo provided
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Boy Scout Troop 237 of Orinda members Drew Barber, Callan Hoskins, Jack O'Melveny, and Tim Tague, all juniors at Miramonte High School, achieved Scouting's highest rank of Eagle Scout and will celebrate their Eagle Court of Honor at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Orinda Community Church. Scoutmaster Eric Jorgensen will present the awards.
Troop 237, chartered by the Orinda Community Church, has served Orinda for 60 years and has seen over 200 of its young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. To become an Eagle, the candidate must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, including 13 Eagle-required badges, demonstrate leadership and scout spirit, and successfully complete an Eagle service project that benefits the community.
Being an avid reader, Barber wanted to make sure all the children at Shelter Inc., a local organization which helps homeless people get back on their feet, have books at their disposal. With the help of many other Troop 237 Scouts, Barber collected over 1,000 books, sorted them by age and gender, and distributed a personalized stack to each of the 26 kids currently living at Shelter Inc.'s Martinez facility.
Hoskins, an active public speaker, built a display case for the award-winning Miramonte High School Public Speaking program. Callan, worked with teacher and head coach, Kristen Plant, to assess her needs to house trophies, plaques and a news bulletin, and with support from his troop, he built the wooden and glass case entirely from scratch and installed it in front of the Public Speaking classroom.
O'Melveny wanted to give back to the school's campus community. Seeking to add to both school spirit and to the beautification of the grounds, O'Melveny supervised and worked along with 15 fellow Scouts to resurrect a long-abandoned garden fronting the Aquatic Center. The troops cleared deep-rooted old plants, constructed a large "M" and applied 15 yards of decorative bark and rock over the course of two days.
Tague wanted to do a project that would benefit an important organization to him, so he chose to do a project for Xenophon, a therapeutic horseback riding center in Orinda. Tim's youngest sister, Nicole, has ridden at Xenophon for five years. Tim built a water feature for their sensory trail that enables the riders to reach into the water while on horseback.
For more information about Troop 237, visit troop237orinda.com.
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