Competition among friendly foursome leads to top Scouting honors
Local teens achieve Eagle Scout rank

By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
November 16, 2006

TEMPE — Though they’re still friends, they were fierce opponents trying to outdo each other. Through teamwork, however, all of them won in the end.

Four Catholic teens who grew up together in Cub Scouts, and now Boy Scouts of America Troop 474 recently earned the Scout’s highest rank Nov. 5. They helped one another work their way to the top even though each of them wanted to be the first to earn the Eagle Scout rank.

“Competition kept us earning badges,” Andrew Hollow said.

He’s known Kyle Johnson, Chris Salvatore and Eric Chalmers since first grade when they were classmates at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. They joined the Cub Scouts the following year and became friends.

The boys liked the various outdoor activities explored through Scouting and stuck with it.

They also stuck with their Catholic education, which helped them obey the Scout law of being reverent toward God. Two enrolled this year at Seton Catholic High School and two at Brophy College Preparatory.

“The Scouting program is very compatible with the Catholic faith,” said Seth Chalmers, the troop’s Scoutmaster. He said he has seen tremendous growth in the teens in school, church and community experiences.

Boy Scouts is an educational and character-building program where adult leaders train the boys in developing responsible citizenship and morality. Only 5 percent of all Boy Scouts earn the Eagle Scout rank. Troop 474 has raised 117 Eagles since 1981 and honors at least one every year.

“Getting there really proved something,” Johnson said of his Eagle rank. “And it’s a lot of fun along the way, too.”

Scouts must be a Life Scout — the second highest rank — for at least six months and serve in a specific position of responsibility for six months in order to apply for the Eagle rank. They must also earn 21 merit badges — 10 more than what’s required of a Life Scout — and plan, develop and lead a service project.

“Practicing leadership is probably the biggest thing they’re exposed to,” in Scouting, Chalmers said.

The Eagle Scouts took turns leading and helping with the service projects.

“They made sure everyone was on task and safe in the fact that they were using the tools correctly,” Salvatore said about his friends.

Johnson’s project involved restoring the amphitheater area of the Phoenix Zoo.

Salvatore led 30 volunteers in shifts for his garden project at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Hollow expanded the work of a previous Eagle Scout project at the Elizabeth House, a place for pregnant women who have no place to go. In August, he led 15 people in the construction of a shade structure over a roughly 17-by-10 garden at the Catholic home.

Chalmers may have led the toughest project of the four friends. He organized 45 volunteer repairmen rather than other Boy Scouts.

Chalmers and his crew hiked up the East Webber Creek trail outside of Camp Geronimo repairing and rebuilding as they went. The men worked more than three hours, donating what would otherwise amount to 220 billable hours.