Two Troop 45 Boy Scouts advance to highest rank at Eagle Court of Honor

WARWICK — On Saturday, Jan. 20, Warwick's Boy Scouts of America Troop 45 advanced two more of its members to the rank of Eagle, raising the troop's total of Eagle Scouts to 110 since it was first organized in 1960.
The statistics are remarkable since less than four percent of all scouts attain this rank, the highest one awarded in scouting.
Troop 45 presented the awards at an "Eagle Court of Honor" for Chandler Kent, the son of Steven and Kristine Kent, and Josh Koff, the son of Robert and Cheryl Koff.
The event was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, which sponsors Troop 45.
Steven Kent, chairman of the Advancement Committee, served as emcee in addition to his particular role in this Eagle Court of Honor as a parent.
State, county, town and village officials along with representatives of many local organizations were among those attending the Eagle Court.
Community service projectsTo achieve the Eagle Rank, the scouts were required to complete a minimum of 21 Merit Badges, have leadership roles in and outside of the troop and participate in community service. Each candidate must also complete a major community service project as the last requirement before attaining the Eagle rank.
Chandler Kent's service project entailed designing and building nine wooden team benches as well as restoring two vandalized team benches for the Warwick Soccer Club.
Kent thanked the donors and scouts that helped with the project which, he stated enhanced his leadership abilities by showing him how important efficient management is to the success of a project.
Joshua Koff's project was the renovation and beautification of the concrete stand and podium in Warwick Cemetery, which is used by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Town of Warwick for annual Memorial Day ceremonies.
The project also involved repainting the American Legion emblem in the front of the platform, clearing brush and debris and performing additional landscaping, all before Memorial Day 2017.
- Roger Gavan