Salute to Our Eagles: January 11, 2024 Guide Council Newsletter

Join us in congratulating these recent Bay-Lakes Council Eagle Scouts:

Noah Acord, Troop 12, Appleton, WI, Gathering Waters District
Wyatt Behrndt, Troop 855, Port Washington, WI, Kettle Country District
Evan Buchman, Troop 817, Grafton, WI, Kettle Country District
Eddison Dewitt, Troop 1902, Peshtigo, WI, Northern Lites District
Chase Gromala, Troop 1054, Peshtigo, WI, Northern Lites District
Caleb Janke, Troop 2, Appleton, WI, Gathering Waters District
Thomas Jackson, Troop 1019, Algoma, WI, Voyageur District
Emmett William Liesch, Troop 77, Greenville, WI, Gathering Waters District
Adriana Nicolaus, Troop 6838, Beaver Dam, WI, Kettle Country District
Benjamin Steffes, Troop 734, Rosendale, WI, Ledge to Lakes District
James Thomas-Tilot, Troop 1040, Green Bay, WI, Voyageur District

Noah Acord, a member of Troop 12, chartered by First English Lutheran Church in Appleton, WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 21, 2023. For his project, in Noah’s own words, “With the help of fellow Scouts, I built mobile wooden racks to hold snowshoes for 1000 Islands Environmental Center. 1000 Islands was storing the snowshoes in plastic buckets, which made them hard to move and access. The racks fixed this, because they are able to be accessed at all times and have wheels to make them easily moveable.” His unit leader is Matt Poelzer. Noah’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for January 20, 2024.

Wyatt Behrndt, a member of Troop 855 out of Port Washington, WI, now chartered by the Lions Club as of January 1, 2024, completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 14, 2023, when the unit was chartered by the St. John XXIII Men’s Club. For his project, in Wyatt’s own words, “For my project I built a Veterans Honor Wall. I approached  members of the Van-Ells Schanen American Legion Post 82 on Memorial Day to discuss the idea and we were both excited for it to come to life. The Honor Wall includes a 7.5 x 14 foot flag made out of PVC and a 6 foot PVC silhouette of each of the 6 branches of the military. I installed them on the outside wall of the Van-Ells Schanen American Legion Post 82. My community was very supportive of my project and I was able to also purchase 24 inch medallions of each branch also. I had the help of former and current scout leaders, family, friends and a local business owner. My goal for this project is to bring more honor and recognition to those heroes that served our country. My project was completed in time to be dedicated on Veterans Day with a small ceremony.” His unit leader Aaron Zamecnik. Wyatt’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for this spring 2024.

Evan Buchman, a member of Troop 817, chartered by the Parents of Troop 817 at Pilgrim in Grafton, WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on November 28, 2023. For his project, in Evan’s own words, “For my project, I built an iPad charging cart and wrote a maintenance and upkeep manual. My project benefited Portal Inc. a non-profit adults with disabilities learning center. They use the iPads as part of their learning tools but they did not have a place to store or charge them. They are now able to reimplement the iPads into their program as well as keep them up to date for the years to come. With the leftover funds from my project I was able to make a donation to Portal and their mission.” His unit leader is Mike Rose. Evan’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for March 23, 2024.

Eddison Dewitt, a member of Troop 1902, chartered by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Peshtigo, WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 20, 2023. For his project, in Eddison’s own words, “My project consisted of building new steps for the youth stage for Faith Church in Peshtigo, as well as giving the main room a new coat of paint and decluttering the main room and storage closet. It was a benefit to Faith Church by creating easier access to the water heater if maintenance is ever needed and a much more usable space for the youth group and local veterans group that uses the facility. I received help from my troop and the beneficiary organization’s youth group, congregation, and community members.” His unit leader is Brian McMahon . Eddison’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for March 2024.

Chase Gromala, a member of Troop 1054, chartered by the Peshtigo Lions Club in Peshtigo WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 14, 2023. For his project, in Chase’s own words, “I wanted to give back to my school for my Eagle Project. After talking with the associate principal I decided that a bike rack was needed so students would have a safe place to store their bikes. I go to a small private school.” Chase attends Saint Thomas Aquinas Academy in Marinette WI.  (He also worked on Bear Paw Scout Camp staff the past two summers.) His unit leaders are Keith Schroeder and Hank Johnston  Chase’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for March 2024.

Thomas Jackson, a member of Troop 1019, chartered by the American Legion Ernest Haucke Post in Algoma, WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 12, 2023. For his project, in Thomas’ own words, “With the help of several incredible volunteers, we built a sturgeon spearing shanty for House in the Woods (HITW), a nonprofit organization that takes veterans on healing outdoor experiences. This shanty will be used by HITW to provide protection from the elements for veterans during their annual sturgeon spearing retreat. The shanty cost $2,102.09, and was completely paid for through generous donations.” His unit leader is Denise Magle. Thomas’ intended date for his Eagle Court of Honor is in May 2024.

Caleb Janke, a member of Troop 2 located at First United Methodist Church, chartered by the Kiwanis-Appleton Fox Cities in Appleton WI, completed his Eagle Scout Board of Review on November 16, 2023. For his project, in Caleb’s own words, “For my Eagle Scout project, I improved the rooms and provided enrichment for cats and kittens at Fox Valley Humane Society. I aimed to help these animals find homes. After completing the project, I followed up with the Society and was glad to learn that it was able to save many cats. They informed me they had taken in 160 cats from a terrible situation in November. Although many cats were rescued, many still needed homes. To help these furry creatures find homes, I wanted to showcase their beauty and playful nature by improving the cat gallery in Room 3.” His unit leader is Ron Litsheim. Caleb’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for this spring 2024.

Emmett William Liesch, a member of Troop 77, chartered by Amvets Post 30 of Greenville WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on October 19, 2023. For his project, in Emmett’s own words, “For my Eagle Project, I designed and built six pieces of equipment for a dog agility course for Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church’s new Comfort Dog Ministry in Greenville, Wisconsin. The equipment pieces were an A-frame, a Dog Walk, a Seesaw, a Bar Jump, a Tire Jump and a Pause Table for the golden retriever to practice and maintain its skills.  When designing the pieces, I needed to make each piece portable, light, and simple enough to put together and take apart easily. After designing and making the drawings of the equipment, I had three workdays with 29 Scouts and adult leaders from the Troop and family assisting with the building.” His unit leader is Brian Rose. Emmett’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for February 2024.

Adriana Nicolaus, a member of Troop 6838, chartered by the Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam, completed her Eagle Board of Review August 23, 2023. For her project in Adriana’s own words, “I made shelves and collected books for the Dodge County Humane Society. Crunchy’s Corner was created with these materials. This will be used in a program for people to read to cats to get the cats more used to people. Crunchy’s Corner serves as a sort of memorial for the shelter cat, Captain Crunch, who passed away just two weeks before the project was in the works.” Her unit leader is Tony Kikkert. Adriana’s Eagle Court of Honor was scheduled for mid-November 2023.

Benjamin Steffes, a member of Troop 734, chartered by the Rosendale Lions Club in Rosendale WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on November 21, 2023. For his Eagle project, in Benjamin’s own words, “For my Eagle Project I held a pet food/supply drive that benefitted the Oshkosh Area Humane Society.  In addition to a box truck completely full of donations, myself and volunteers also constructed 15 winter cat shelters that were distributed out into the community.  This project was completed in one day with help from numerous volunteers and generous donations from community members.  After the initial project was completed, I also constructed a set of window treatments for the large front windows of the humane society’s building. Since these windows are quite large, they had a problem with birds flying into them.  These window treatments created just enough movement that birds could see and prevented the birds from flying into the glass.” His unit leader is Fred Mattheis. Benjamin’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for April 2024.

James Thomas-Tilot, a member of Troop 1040, chartered by the charter organization is Wanezek, Jaekels, Daul & Babcock Law Firm in Green Bay WI, completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 12, 2023. For his project, in James’ own words, “For my Eagle Project I repaired two picnic tables  along the East River trail in Bellevue. The wood had rotted, and the benches were unsafe and unsightly. I organized a group of about ten helpers in cutting new boards, staining them, removing the old boards, and installing the new ones. In total, it took about 100 total hours among everyone involved. The picnic tables are now safe to sit on again, and add to the beauty of the trail.” His unit leader is David Daul. His Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for January 13, 2024.