Each day as the school’s PA system buzzes students out of class, some participate in extracurricular activities such as going to a school club or going to a job. For seniors Thomas Okelberry and Grant Baer, however, it’s a different life.

Both students are Eagle Scouts, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America. Only about four percent of Boy Scouts achieve this rank and doing so requires a lengthy review process. Baer and Okelberry have been best friends since the first grade and are in the same Scout Pack together. Baer thinks sharing the experience of being an Eagle Scout with Okelberry has strengthened their friendship and taught them valuable life skills.

“We spend a lot of campouts together and a lot of other stuff, so I think it’s definitely strengthened our relationship, and we’re really good friends now than we ever were before,” Baer said. “We’ve been on Scouts together since we were little kids all the way until now. According to Baer, time and dedication are key components to becoming an Eagle Scout.

“To me, it’s just like every Scout, whether or not they get to Eagle, they’ve probably done a lot of things,” Baer said. “Once you get that Eagle, it’s like that final recognition.”

Okelberry believes being an Eagle Scout has helped shape who he is today.

“I’ve learned through experience what skills I would need when I grow up and developed who I am,” Okelberry said. “I’ve really gotten better at organizing, leading, and seeing the bigger picture in things and staying on task.”

Being an Eagle Scout can be a great achievement, and Okelberry’s father, Kevin Okelberry, claims it’s a big commitment that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“It is not something that is just given. It needs to be earned and it takes several years,” Kevin Okelberry said.“Being an Eagle Scout shows someone can set a goal and achieve it.”

Both Baer and Okelberry’s fathers are Eagle Scouts themselves, and according to Okelberry’s father, being an Eagle Scout is a positive experience.

“Well I think it helps Thomas enjoy different aspects of life,” Kevin said. “He gets an opportunity to camp and to learn more than what I could teach him.”

Senior Sean Granucci has been friends with both Baer and Okelberry since first grade and is proud of their accomplishments; he appreciates his friends working towards their goal throughout the years as Eagle Scouts.

“I think it’s really cool because it’s a tradition for them because their dads were both Eagle Scouts,” Granucci said. “It’s cool to see all their hard work pay off.”

Okelberry and Baer’s Scout leader Steve Aston notes that the two are almost inseparable.

“They are really good friends, to the point that they could be brothers,” Aston. “It means a lot because making friends in this program is important.”

Aston believes that being an Eagle Scout requires hard work and dedication.

“You have worked really hard for what you want and it also shows that they work for what they want because you have to work for the status,” Aston said.