An Eagle Scout Court of Honor was held on Monday, January 9th at the United Methodist Church recognizing the achievements of Karl Eason, Nicholas Grandin and Zachary Loweth from New Canaan’s Boy Scout Troop 31.
Acknowledging the scout spirit, service and leadership requirements needed to achieve scouting’s highest rank, the audience was filled with fellow scouts, proud family members, friends and many dignitaries from Federal, State and Town government including U.S. Representative Jim Himes, CT State Senator Toni Boucher, CT State Representative John Hetherington, New Canaan First Selectman Robert Mallozzi III and Beth Jones of the Board of Selectmen.
In his remarks, Congressman Himes made note that the ceremony was meant “to celebrate the achievement and the potential” of the Eagle Scouts and presented them with a framed recognition of their achievement from the U.S. Congress.
Joining State Senator Boucher to provide a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly, State Assemblyman Hetherington reminded the Eagle Scouts that, “Scouting prepares you for life by becoming strong, ethical and productive men.”
In addition to sharing an accomplishment achieved by less than 5% of all boy scouts, Eason, Grandin and Loweth share another common attribute – they were all inspired by fathers, brothers, uncles and cousins who had previously attained the rank of Eagle.
A freshman accounting major at University of Connecticut and a 2011 graduate of New Canaan High School, Karl Eason, 18, is the son of Ann Treimanis and Robert Eason, Troop 31’s Scoutmaster and an Eagle Scout himself. Eason’s community service-based Eagle project – which took 115 volunteer hours to complete – entailed construction of a walkway at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church around the Gospel Garden.
A scout since joining as a Tiger Cub twelve years ago, Karl said, “Scouting teaches independence and self-reliance which has been helpful at college.”
Following his brothers into scouting ten years ago, Nicholas Grandin, 17, son of Richard and Marianne Grandin, is an honor student and senior at New Canaan High School. His brother, Russell, attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 2008.
Grandin’s Eagle project – which required 94 hours to complete – involved the building and installation of bat boxes and educational signage at the New Canaan Nature Center. His work over two summers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Infectious Diseases lab sensitized him to the dangers of mosquito-borne illnesses. Bats can consume up to 1200 mosquitoes per hour, helping to reduce the risk of West Nile virus in our community.
A senior leader in the Congregational Church youth group, Nicholas said, "I joined scouting to go camping and experience the outdoors. It turned out to be so much more than that.”
Zachary Loweth, 16, son of Nina and Chad Loweth, is a sophomore at New Canaan High School and has been a boy scout since he was 11. Zach's father, uncle and two cousins are Eagle Scouts. Loweth’s Eagle project – requiring 120 volunteer hours – entailed building and refurbishing benches for the outdoor basketball court at the Carver Community Center in Norwalk.
A black belt in Tang Soo Do, Zachary noted that, “Scouting hasn’t always been easy but it has made me who I am today. I would have never learned how to be a leader or how to speak in front of so many people, if not for being a boy scout”.
Reflecting on the accomplishments of Troop 31’s newest Eagle Scouts, First Selectman Robert Mallozzi III said, “It is wonderful to see their commitment to public service and the skills that they learn which prepare them so well for their lifetime.”
Information about Troop 31 is available at http://newcanaan31.mytroop.us/.
