Five scouts from BSA Troop 449 (Fairwood) recently received their Eagle Award, the highest rank in Scouting.

The new Eagle scouts are Eric Foss of Covington, a student at Kentwood; Stephen Thorkildson of Renton, a student at Lindbergh; Ben Harshbarger of Kent, a student at Kentridge; Ed Lynch of Renton, a student at New Horizons; and Chris Piehl of Des Moines, a student of Aviation.

Foss completed an improvement to the Stonefield Community Trail in Covington for his Eagle project. He constructed a stairway over a steep portion of the trail. Foss served on the staff at BSA Camp Parsons for two years, earned the BSA Lifeguard Award, and served as the Troop 449 bugler. Other interests include jazz band, computers, skiing, and science research. At the Washington State Science & Engineering Fair, he placed third in State in 2008, and second in State in 2009. He was awarded a trip to the INTEL International Science & Engineering Fair where he took second place in Physics & Astronomy in 2009. Eric is a senior at Kentwood High School and plans to attend WSU in the fall, majoring in engineering or business.

Thorkildson’s Eagle project was the purchase and installation of two heavy duty flag poles at Royal Arch Park in Maple Valley. With the completed project, the U.S. Flag, the state Flag, and a flag of an attending organization may all be displayed. Steven completed the CERT Community Emergency Response Team program in Renton at age 16. Steven served on the staff at Camp Pigott and received NRA Distinguished Expert in light rifle benchrest. Steven is a senior at Lindbergh High School and participated in the Washington Aerospace Scholars program. He plans to attend South Seattle Community College for two years and then on to the University of Washington for a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Harshbarger’s Eagle project was the construction of a 300-foot split rail fence to protect wetlands in the Kent Green River Natural Resources Area. Ben earned a total of 28 merit badges during his scouting career. He served on the staff at BSA Camp Pigott and earned NRA Distinguished Expert in light rifle benchrest. He is a senior at Kentridge High School and plans to study mechanical engineering at WSU in the fall.

Lynch’s Eagle Scout project was the construction of fish habitat boxes for the Potholes Reservoir near Moses Lake. He served for seven years on the staff at BSA Camp Pigott and Brinkley, earning the NRA Distinguished Expert in light rifle benchrest while at Camp Pigott. During the summer of 2005, he attended the National Scout Jamboree in Virginia. He graduated from New Horizon School in Renton in 2009 and currently works for Menzie’s Aviation Services at Sea-Tac Airport as a ramp agent.

Piehl’s Eagle Scout project was the construction of a memorial wall for Royal Arch Park in Maple Valley. The wall is a place for the park to recognize all of the groups, families, and individuals that have helped improve and maintain the park. Chris’s scouting experience includes membership in the Order of the Arrow, service as a den chief, and staff member at BSA Camp Sheppard. During the summer of 2005 he attended the National Scout Jamboree in Virginia. Chris is a senior at Aviation High School in Des Moines, and plans to attend Montana State University in pursuit of a degree in mechanical engineering.