The benefits of being a Boy Scout may manifest themselves later in life when leadership skills are called upon, but in Elizabeth and the surrounding community, 10 Scouts already are leaving their mark.
With 10 members of Troop 47 either pursuing or having completed requirements to reach Eagle Scout, the pinnacle of Scouting, evidence of their handiwork is popping up everywhere.
From schools and churches to cemeteries and parks, and through the investment of thousands of work hours and thousands of dollars, the boys, ages 13 through 18, are leaving a footprint in their community that may never get covered up.
"We're very, very proud of them," said Jim Kendall, a former Scoutmaster and principal of South Central Elementary, which many of the 10 scouts once attended. "They are setting some good examples and displaying some real character."
Kendall has seen the benefits of an Eagle Scout project - a volunteer effort organized and carried out by a Scout that can take hundreds of hours to complete - and so has anyone else who visits South Central Elementary. You can't miss the school announcement sign that was constructed by an Eagle Scout in previous years.
In Elizabeth, the focus is on 10 very active scouts. Three, Kenneth Balentine, 18; Jonathan Sellers, 17; and David Baker, 16, have completed their projects. Daniel Newman, 18, said his project, redesigning a green space with benches and landscaping in downtown Elizabeth, will be finished by the end of the month.
The four scouts are expected to be the first in a group of 10 to go through an official Court of Honor, an Eagle Scout pinning event tentatively scheduled for June 1, while six other scouts continue working on their projects.
Kenneth spent nearly 200 hours creating a church prayer garden; Jonathan constructed a needed equipment house for the South Harrison swim team; and David renovated a theatre stage at the South Harrison Community Center, where three other scouts have projects underway.
"It's kind of unreal, if you know much about scouting, to have 10 boys from the same troop who have either earned or are earning their Eagles," said Terry Crosier, whose 14 year old son, James, is beginning work to rehabilitate an unmarked cemetery near Elizabeth.
Fewer than 4 percent of all Boy Scouts attain the rank of Eagle. It's a rigorous process that requires approval from the Scout Council, the troop leaders and the group or organization that is to be affected. With 28 scouts in Troop 47, which is based at Elizabeth United Methodist Church, to have 10 Eagle Scouts produced in a single year is an achievement of note, according to Scoutmaster Doug Sellers, Jonathan's father.
Joining James as scouts still working on projects are Allen Klein, 14, who is building a playground for Bethesda United Methodist Church; Ben Schreck, 13, who is restoring part of a Nativity scene for Elizabeth United Methodist Church; and Nicholas Bishop and Jacob Cunningham, both 14.
While Nicholas is renovating a gym at the community center and Jacob is working on a lighted outdoor basketball court there, 15 year old Christopher Woodbury is at the site preparing to construct a playground.
All of the scouts except Nicholas, who attends St. James Academy in Louisville, are students at South Central Junior-Senior High School.
"We're blessed to have so many kids who have stuck with scouting for so long," said Sellers. "Most of these scouts have put in between 100 and 150 hours. It's just amazing."
Daniel, a senior from Laconia, began scouting as a Cub Scout in New Albany. When his parents moved to the Elizabeth area, he already knew some of the scouts living in that area, and the sense of family has continued to grow since then.
"The older scouts have pretty much grown up together," he said. "So now the older scouts look after the younger ones, and the parents look after everybody."
Some scouts said the experience has shaped them to become leaders but also has identified a possible career.
"It's fun, but it teaches you things along the way," Jonathan said. "There is an engineering merit badge, and electrical merit badge, even a space exploration merit badge. There are all sorts of things in scouting that can really pique someone's interest."