Two local boys earned their Boys Scouts of America Eagle rank and were presented with the designation at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor at Augsburg Lutheran Church in Porter on August 26th.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 929, Jack Ward, 15, and Josh Osborn, 15, are both juniors at Chesterton High School who demonstrated leadership and service to community through their Eagle Scout project.
Ward, son of Caroline and Joe Ward, led scouts to create a pathway through the courtyard of Liberty Intermediate School (LIS) and fill in a pond that was not being maintained. The courtyard was not being used since it was overgrown.
Over the course of Ward’s career, he has also earned the Order of the Arrow, 2015; served as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Senior Patrol Leader; received National Youth Leadership Training; and has been Cub Scout Pack 924 Den Chief.
Osborn, son of Katherine and John Osborn, led scouts to landscape the courtyard at LIS, which included pruning trees and bushes, laying down new mulch and landscape fabric, building new picnic tables and repairing and staining older picnic tables, and replacing seating in the gazebo.
During Osborn tenure in Scouts, he has also earned the Order of the Arrow 2016, and served as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Den Chief for Pack 924.
As a result of these Eagle Scout projects, the leadership of Ward and Osborn and the service of scouts in Troop 929, students at Liberty Intermediate School can now utilize this outdoor area. Previously, students could look through the windows at the courtyard but not enter the space. Now the courtyard can be used by the staff and students for outdoor school learning activities.
Both Ward and Osborn served under the direction of Scoutmaster David Larimer who, over his 20 years in scouting, has led 57 boys to the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 929, an honor that only four percent of Boy Scouts achieve.