Courtesy photo
Benjamin Schwitters, Nathan Dayton, Alex La, and Brian Ricks have earned their Eagle Scout Awards at a recent Court of Honor.
On Nov. 20, four young men from Boy Scout Troop 585, sponsored by Woodinville Third Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, received their Eagle Scout Awards at a Court of Honor.
Nathan Dayton, an eighth grader at Timbercrest Junior High School; Alex La and Brian Ricks, seniors at Inglemoor High School; and Benjamin Schwitters, who attended Woodinville High School and recently graduated from La Grande High School, La Grande, Ore. all completed Eagle projects that benefit the Northshore community.
Nathan Dayton, with the help of volunteers and members of his troop, constructed an edged, gravel walkway running throughout the Washkuhn Sawmill section of the Woodinville Heritage Gardens located behind Olympic Nursery near the Sammamish River Trail. Dayton was able to secure generous donations for the project, including major donations from Clearview Nursery and Stone, McLendon’s Hardware, Cedarbrook Sauna, Steam & Lumber Co., Olympic Nursery, Sammamish Valley Grange and the Woodinville Heritage Society. Dayton, in addition to his scouting activities, plays on the Timbercrest JV basketball team and an NYBA team. He plays the clarinet in his school’s symphonic band.
Alex La, who also serves as president of the Inglemoor High School Science Olympiad, took on the monumental task of the cleaning and restoring the Woodinville Rotary Park, located next to the Woodinville Skate Park near Woodinville High School. La solicited and organized many community volunteers, and with their help and that of other scouts and leaders from Scout Troop 585, over 9,000 square feet of non-native plants were cleared and the site was replanted with plants provided by Stormlake Growers and Fancy Fronds located in Monroe. His tools were provided by Patrick Tefft.
Benjamin Schwitters’ Eagle project, completed in January 2008, focused on the needs of disabled youth. Schwitters organized and led a sports camp that focused on helping the participants learn the basic skills of a variety of sports. Recognizing that these individuals were often unable to participate in traditional sports teams, his day camp was a successful and gratifying day of instruction and lots of fun for the youth. Since Schwitters’ graduation from high school last June he has served as a firefighter in California and is currently employed at Lakeside Collision in Kirkland.
Brian Ricks’ Eagle project consisted of fabricating and installing informational signs in the sawmill exhibit at the Woodinville Heritage Gardens. He, too, organized and led many volunteers who spent numerous hours on the project. In addition to Brian’s scouting activities, he participated in the Beijing 2008 Olympic orchestra and plays lacrosse and soccer.