SHAWNEE, Kan. —Gavin Elliott of Scouting America Troop 351, based in Shawnee, Kan., has earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Elliott, 16, is the son of Ginger Elliott and the grandson of Larry Barnett of Humboldt. He is a junior at Mill Valley High School and currently serves as assistant senior patrol leader in Troop 351.
Elliott successfully completed his Eagle Scout Board of Review on July 12 while attending camp at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation.
Elliott is also a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting America’s National Honor Society, which recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Scout Law in their daily lives and are elected by their peers.
FOR HIS Eagle Scout service project, Elliott led a landscaping improvement project at Monticello United Methodist Church in Lenexa, where Troop 351 holds its meetings.
The church property includes both the current worship facility and the original church building, which was constructed in 1894.
The landscaping surrounding the historic building needed significant improvement.
Elliott organized volunteers to remove the existing landscaping and landscape timbers, expand the planting area along the west side of the building, and construct a block retaining wall to provide a durable, long-term solution.
The project conlcuded with the addition of fresh topsoil, new landscaping plants, and mulch.
ESTABLISHED in 1969, Troop 351 of Shawnee is sponsored by the Lions Club of Shawnee.
Known as the Purple Chickens, the troop is part of the Heart of America Council and has produced more than 100 Eagle Scouts.
About 4-6% of eligible Scouts reach the rank of Eagle Scout each year. Since the award’s inception in 1912, approximately 2% of all youth who have ever joined Scouting have earned this highest honor.
