The Eagle Scout rank is something that only 6 or 7% of Scouts will go on to achieve, and it’s the highest honor in the Scouting America program. Earning such an award requires years of community service, leadership, dedication, and knowledge of important skills, along with going through six other ranks and undergoing an Eagle Scout Service Project. To do this, a Scout has to come up with a plan for a project that will benefit an organization, develop the plan, organize materials and volunteers, and execute the plan, as well as show significant leadership and responsibility. 

Ryker Sheleheda, a Lincoln-Way Central junior, completed his project for the school. He installed two benches in the outdoor classroom area near the back of the science wing and replaced an old sign in the pavilion. 

“I saw that some of the science classes would go out there and do experiments on the prairie and such, and had no outdoor seating of any kind, so I thought that would be an addition that would be used a lot,” Ryker says. 

The hardest part about the project was figuring out how to attach the new sign to the wall, since the bricks were uneven and porous, so Ryker and his volunteers couldn’t just glue it on. Instead, they made a backboard, bolted it into the bricks, and glued the sign onto that.  

After completing and turning in paperwork regarding the Eagle rank, Ryker will undergo an Eagle Scout Board of Review, where he’ll be questioned by a board of adult members from across the local council about his experiences in Scouting. Once these adults review everything and agree, Ryker Sheleheda will be the newest Eagle Scout of LWC. Congratulations to him!