Member of Watertown Scout Troop 30 Earns Rank of Eagle Scout

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Troop 30

Pictured from left are Sons of Liberty District Commissioner John Boll, Troop 30 Assistant Scoutmaster Ian Clark, Eagle Scout Luke Black, and district advancement committee members Jonathan Groves and Sarat Aramandla.

Pictured from left are Sons of Liberty District Commissioner John Boll, Troop 30 Assistant Scoutmaster Ian Clark, Eagle Scout Luke Black, and district advancement committee members Jonathan Groves and Sarat Aramandla.

BSA Troop 30 provided the following information:

Luke Black, a member of the Watertown BSA troop and resident of Allston, has earned the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, a designation only 4 percent of Boy Scouts earn.

Black, a Boy Scout from Allston, is the first Eagle Scout from BSA Troop 30 in a number of years. He achieved the Eagle Scout rank in February, after a board of review held by the BSA Sons of Liberty District.

“I’m very proud and happy for Luke, reaching this highest rank scouting.” said Scoutmaster Chris Derocher. “I’m happy to have been a part of it.”

To become an Eagle Scout, scouts must achieve a number of ranks, earning skills and taking on leadership roles inside and outside the troop. Eagles take their own paths within the scouting framework – all learning how to take care of their selves and others, but many choosing how they demonstrate those abilities, be it by being a bugler or as a troop librarian.

Black has earned 29 merit badges, including Art, American Heritage and Astronomy, which is eight beyond the number he was required to earn for his rank. His public-service projects often involved conservation, participating in river cleanups and building bat houses.

For his final public service project, Black saw the kids living in a new affordable housing unit in Allston had no basements where they could store their bikes – and leaving bikes on the lawn meant their bikes were being stolen. He raised hundreds of dollars for a bike rack by soliciting donations from customers at the Brighton Mills Star Market. Black was then responsible for gathering scouts and a few professionals to help him pour a cement pad and securing the bike rack to the ground. The kids at Charlesview now have a safe place to keep their bikes, and Black’s project was formally accepted during his board of review.

Son of Lee and Mary-Helen Black of Allston, Black joined scouting as a member of Pack 30, the Cub Scout Pack meeting in Watertown. In 2013 he earned his Scout rank as a Boy Scout, and from there Black has taken on leadership roles within the boy-led troop, serving as a Patrol Leader to the Badgers Patrol, and as Troop Historian.

He currently attends The Winchendon School. A formal ceremony awarding Luke the rank of Eagle will be held in June.

“Luke has been an outstanding example of how to persevere and not just meet but surpass the requirements the BSA set out for its leaders,” said Kat Powers, Troop 30 Committee Chairman. “Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts nationwide earn the rank of Eagle, it’s that hard. It’s an honor to have worked with a scout like Luke.”

BSA Troop 30 currently serves the youth of Watertown, Allston and Brighton. Based in the United Methodist Church on Mt. Auburn Street, Troop 30 is open to boys and girls age 11-18 who seek adventure. The troop participates in camping trips, service and conservation projects, and offers outdoor skills training – recently winning second overall in the Spirit of Adventure Klondike Derby winter skills competition. For more information, see Troop30BSA.com.

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