3 from Spencer earn Eagle Scout rank

Three Spencer youth have advanced through the ranks to earn the highest rank possible in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), demonstrating their commitment to bettering their community and servant leadership.

Kyler Hardrath, Devyn Schmidt and Qwyntyn Schmidt were bestowed the rank of Eagle Scout at a ceremony Sunday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Spencer. All three have been in scouts for about 10 years.

Requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout award include being a Life Scout for at least six months and earning at least 21 merit badges. The Eagle Scout must also demonstrate Scout Spirit, an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service and leadership.

The final requirement for the Eagle Scout rank is for a Life Scout to plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, school or the scout’s community.

Kyler, 15, set a goal of becoming an Eagle Scout shortly after joining BSA.

For his project, he did landscaping behind St. John’s Church. When mowing the lawn at church, he found it hard to mow right behind the church.

“I had to get the push mower out because there was a lot of little stuff to mow around,” Kyler said.

He decided to put in a layer of stones around the back of the church, something the church had wanted to do for a long time. Kyler and a group of family and friends spent four or five hours one day completing the project. They dug up the existing sod, rolled it away and put down a layer of plastic and new rock, mixing it with some of the existing rocks. Some of the stones have Bible verse references or short prayers painted on them.

“It brightens up the back area and makes it look nice. A lot of people have said they like it,” said Kyler.

A key component of the Eagle Scout project is it’s scout-driven. The scout has to budget for the project, collect the necessary materials, draft a project

Shown from l-r are Spencer Boy Scouts Kyler Hardrath, Devyn Schmidt and Qwyntyn Schmidt. Each completed an outdoor service project to better their community as part of becoming an Eagle Scout.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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plan, implement it and recruit and guide volunteers.

“He did very well. He planned, organized and set it up. Did he ask for help? Yes, but all good leaders do that,” said Kyler’s dad, Travis, who is also the troop leader. “While we were working on it, people asked what to do next and he was able to tell them what to do.”

Other community service activities Kyler completed on the way to earning Eagle Scout included helping with the church garage sale, cleaning around the church, setting up lights at the Rotary Winter Wonderland in Wildwood Zoo, working in the cookie shack during the Rotary Winter Wonderland, helping with other Eagle Scout projects and crossover ceremonies, and encouraging younger scouts to continue in scouting.

Qwyntyn is 16 and a sophomore. For his project, he made benches and tables for the Spencer School Forest on Highway V.

“The tables and benches they had were in bad shape, so they needed new ones,” said Qwyntyn.

He worked with his family and other scouts to make three tables and four benches. It took about 10 hours, including the staining process.

“It’s a nice addition because if someone’s taking a walk through the forest, they can sit on the side on one of these benches,” Qwyntyn said.

Qwyntyn had done carpentry work in his shop classes at school; however, leading others in a project like this was a new experience for him.

“I learned it’s more difficult to be a leader than a follower,” said Qwyntyn.

Travis said the project helped Qwyntyn to grow as a leader.

“It helped him come out of his shell — he did a good job. We learned by trial and error. We had to redo some things, but that’s all part of the learning process,” said Travis. “Qwyntyn too is devoted to what he does; when he sets his goals, he goes for it and does a great job with it.”

Qwyntyn and his brother Devyn’s community service hours have included raking leaves for the elderly, highway cleanups, serving at their church’s monthly community meals and the BSA annual door-to-door food drive.

Devyn, 17, joined BSA when he was in second grade. He put together a memorial for Morgan Gorst at the ARC Park in Spencer for his project. Morgan was a close friend of Devyn’s since childhood. He passed away from cancer when the two were in eighth grade.

“I talked to Morgan’s mom, and she had thought of the idea of what to do at the ARC Park for him, so I did that,” said Devyn.

The memorial includes a bench with an in-ground plaque, paved area, and a semicircle of mulch with a tree and flowers.

Several of Devyn’s and Morgan’s family members came to help. Morgan’s family donated the tree.

“It was an easier project in a way but also harder because it was for one of his friends,” said Travis. “It was a great thing to do. The weather didn’t want to cooperate; it was cold and damp so the concrete didn’t want to set. So we learned patience because we wanted to get it done that day but had to wait until the next day.

“Devyn set goals and achieved them. He’s very passionate about what he does when he does it.”

Devyn appreciated what he had learned through being in scouts.

“Leadership is a very big one. Being in a smaller troop, I’ve always had that role. It’s knowing how to lead people and for them to have that respect for you,” he said. “There’s a lot of fun stuff you do in scouts, but you also learn a lot of life experience that helps you as an adult.”

Travis said he was proud of all three boys for how motivated they were to achieve and how they had become more confident in leading others.

The Spencer troop is disbanding now that the three lads have earned Eagle Scout, as there are no younger ones coming up to replace them. However, Kyler plans to continue scouting in a Marshfield troop. He will work toward earning his Eagle Palms. A palm is given for each additional five merit badges beyond what is required for Eagle Scout. There is also a service hours requirement. Kyler is also in the Order of the Arrow, which is best described as the National Honor Society for Scouts BSA.

Outside of scouting, Kyler enjoys trap shooting, hunting and swimming. At this point, after high school he plans to attend technical college to become an over-theroad hydraulic technician.

Qwyntyn enjoys hunting, fishing, camping or anything else outdoors. He is considering becoming a mechanic or engineer after graduating high school.

Devyn also likes outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, four-wheeling and camping. He is looking at pursuing a mathematics-related career after graduating high school.