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Three Local Boys to Receive Eagle Scout Award at Triple Eagle Court of Honor

By contributor,

Three lifelong friends and Boy Scouts of Troop 4 Hopkinton will receive their official Eagle Scout Awards at a combined ceremony, on Sunday, June 10, 2012. The troop is very excited and proud to announce that Andrew T. Dawson, Nathanial S. Langh, and John R. Barnes, will be awarded this distinction in a Triple Eagle Scout Ceremony, at The Hayes Lodge, Hopkinton YMCA, on the afternoon of June 10, 2012, from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. All scouts in Hopkinton and the public are welcome to attend. We ask that all scouts, including Cub Scouts, please wear their uniform if attending.

These three young men, who go by Drew, Nate, and J.R. respectively, have progressed the 7 years through the ranks in Troop 4 together, gone on many notable trips, and helped each other with their Eagle Scout Leadership Service Projects. In addition to the service project, in which scout and volunteer time can total several hundred hours, they each had to earn 21 merit badges and serve as leaders in their troop.

The three also attended the once-in-a-lifetime trip to the National Scout Jamboree (NSJ), in the summer of 2010, at Fort A.P Hill, an active U.S. Army Base in rural Virginia. This was especially noteworthy, being the final time the NSJ was to be held at this location. The event also commemorated the 100 birthday of Boy Scouting in America.

Prior to their involvement in scouting, all three boys participated in the AASBD, or All-American Soap Box Derby, also called the "Gravity Grand Prix", in which young competitors construct, tune, and compete in downhill human-sized car races, free of any motors, and try to beat other drivers and the clock. All three boys participated in "rallies" all over New England states and further, and all three competed at the national championships, held every summer in Akron, Ohio, at the AASBD Headquarters.

All three boys have Eagle Scouts as fathers, wonderful supportive and multi-tasking mothers, and other Eagle Scouts in the family heritage, such as uncles, grandfathers, etc. The goal of The Eagle Scout Rank and its traditions, values, and character are alive and prospering in these families, and with these three Eagle Scout Award recipients.

More specific information on each of the three Eagles is available below:

Drew Dawson, the oldest of the three, was the first to reach the Eagle Rank in November, 2011. He waited to receive his Eagle Award at ceremony, until his scouting buddies were also completed with the requirements. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Drew designed, staged, and constructed two heavy-duty wooden footbridges over a muddy and swampy section of the main loop trail around Lake Whitehall, in Parker Point Cove, Woodville, MA. This village of Hopkinton is also home to The Friends of Whitehall, as his sponsoring organization. The two bridges total almost 50' in length, required State Park (DCR), and Conservation Commission approval, and can handle equestrian traffic and everything else lighter crossing them. They will last for decades. Drew also just graduated from Hopkinton High School with honors, looks forward to his 18th birthday which he celebrates on 6/14/12, and will be attending Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan in the Fall, to pursue a career as a car designer. This "MIT of car design", accepts about 15 new students per year, and there is 100% job placement in the automobile industry for graduates.

Nate Langh is the youngest of the three scouts. He passed his Eagle Board of Review and became an Eagle Scout in late February, 2012. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Nate considered several ideas near trails in town and decided to do some much needed work for The Hopkinton Conservation Commission (HCC). Nate led fellow scouts and community members to document the existing conditions, historical features, topography and vegetation for numerous Hopkinton town-owned properties. This proved to be a valuable service for the HCC and according to Don MacAdam, Hopkinton’s conservation administrator, the commission has already made good use of the data that was collected during Nate’s project. Nate led teams of scouts and helpers to perform this long overdue task for the town, using a special form for recording information, which will aid the HCC with future control of these properties. Nate turned 16 in April and looks forward to driving soon. He has a passion for backpacking, high adventure and the outdoors in general. Nate will be joining the troop in an 8 day backcountry expedition to the Upper Yosemite Area later this June. He also hopes to hike the Appalachian Trail. Nate just finished his sophomore year of high school and will continue his studies as a junior in a private college prep-school. Nate enjoys Ultimate Frisbee and mountain biking. He looks forward to college and hopes to major in engineering.

J.R Barnes has just recently finished all the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout. JR served Troop 4 as its SPL - Senior Patrol Leader for a period of one year, a very demanding position of leadership and responsibility. He is a born leader, and very good with younger scouts. JR's Eagle Scout Service Project was unique, in that it occurred out-of-state. JR, his dad, and his family have a history and passion for the Mt. Washington area and namely Tuckerman's Ravine, so JR planned and carried-out a project to hike to the camping area at The Hermit Lake Shelter, and construct a replacement tent platform for the AMC, or Appalachian Mountain Club. JR's project also included minor repair work at the campsite, and included a 5-mile roundtrip hike to do the work. JR grew up in the ravine, knows it well, and often "skis the bowl" with his dad. Other than being a "rock star" on skis, as JR races competitively at Wildcat Mountain every winter, he is an avid lacrosse player and road bike cyclist. JR will be a junior at Hopkinton High School next year, as he's about to finish his sophomore year there.