Troop 14 boasts seven graduates

Troop 14 will graduate seven Eagle Scouts this year — a number far above the national average for the Boy Scouts of America, but not for the Plant City troop.

Scouts John Baird, Alan Avellar and Ryan Stanton Cook were officially presented at the Plant City Friends of Scouting dinner on Feb. 9. Fellow troop members D.J. Garrett, Ben Carson, Caleb Watson and Anthony Pullara will graduate to the rank of Eagle Scout in May.

Nationally, only 4 percent of boys become Eagle Scouts, according to the Boy Scouts of America. Since Troop 14 started 14 years ago, it has graduated 13.5 percent of its Scouts. The troop has graduated seven or more Eagle Scouts three times in its history.

Becoming an Eagle Scout is no easy task. Before their 18th birthdays, Scouts must earn at least 21 proficiency badges in areas such as citizenship, first aid, emergency preparedness and environmental science.

Completing a service project is the final requirement on the road to becoming an Eagle Scout, and requires the Scouts to plan, develop and finish a service project that will be helpful to a school, religious institution or the local community.

All told, becoming an Eagle Scout typically takes five or six years.

The Plant City troop has been so successful in motivating Scouts to continue on to become Eagle Scouts because of its focus on leadership and responsibility, its latest Eagle Scouts said.

"Scouting has made me focus and learn how to become a leader," said Baird, 18. His service project entailed designing and constructing a baseball field created especially for handicapped players for the MacDonald Training Center James Ranch facility.

Cook, 18, worked his way through the ranks for 11 years on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. He rehabilitated computers that will be used to teach reading at Advantage Academy.

"I learned about leadership and how it starts with yourself and makes you focus on the qualities needed to become a true leader," he said. "Leaders are not born, they are made."

Avellar, also 18, planned and constructed an entire garden for Bay Life Church.

"A strong sense of responsibility and a willingness to work with others is the key to being a role model," he said

"Almost every one of our assistant scoutmasters has passed through the highest and most advanced level of accreditation, and has a strong military background of rank and leadership, including former Eagle Scouts."

Part of what makes Troop 14 successful is being in Plant City, its leaders say.

"Eagles are not a product. They are the end result of a God-inspired program that produces leaders with a passion for excellence," said former scoutmaster Gary Sawyer, who twice led groups with seven Eagle Scouts.

"This uniquely close-knit, family-oriented community of Plant City is nurturing and supportive of its youth and scouting, and that is why this troop and its program are so successful."

Plus, today's kids are different, and that's evident in those who sign up for scouting.

"In the 1970s, kids looked up to rock stars. Today's youth look up to the military and the steadfast values of God and country," said Scoutmaster Brett Clancy. "They are proud to earn the title of 'Eagle Scout,' which is held for life."