Four earn Eagle Scout rank

Four earn Eagle Scout rank

After years of hard work and dedication, four Boy Scouts became a part of the 4 percent nationally who have earned their Eagle Scout Award.

Bellevue Troop 231 did not just become a family to the Scouts, they said, but a place where the four boys learned valuable skills.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever had four in one year,” Scoutmaster Michelle Foss said. “I’m really excited. I’m really proud of them.”

Foss took over as Scoutmaster last November and she said she was proud to see her Scouts flourish.

“It means a lot. Not a lot of people get their Eagle Scout awards,” said one of the newest Eagle Scouts, Joey Whitmore.

Whitmore is a sophomore at Bellevue West High School and one of the four from Troop 231 who earned the award.

Whitmore joined Scouts just five years ago and for his Eagle Scout project, he refurbished tables at Beaver Lake.

A junior at Gross Catholic High School, Galen Talkington earned his award this year after being in Scouts since the second grade. For his project, Talkington made vegetable and compost boxes for the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home.

“I’ve been from Tiger Scouts to Cub Scouts all the way up to here, and it’s been a long time coming,” Talkington said.

Cole Pasteka and Tyler Henningsen teamed up to complete their Eagle Scout project as the two built perches for birds for the new Holland Meadowlark Amphitheater at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.

“I love the zoo a lot,” Pasteka said.

“I love nature and when I heard about it I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”

Pasteka, a junior at Bellevue West, has been in Scouts for about eight years, he said.

Throughout those years, Pasteka said he knew he wanted to go after the award, even if it did create a lot of stress.

“It felt like I let some weight off,” he said. “It felt so good. I was like ‘hallelujah,’ because I’ve been waiting for this.”

Henningsen, a junior at Papillion-La Vista South High School, said he is proud of his accomplishment.

“It’s kind of surreal. It’s an important accomplishment,” he said. “In nine years of scouting, people don’t realize all the stuff you have to do so I’m really proud.

“I’m getting that feeling like ‘Wow, I’m growing up.’”