Anthony Denommee

Thoughts on Becoming an Eagle Speech

First I would just like to say its been a long eleven years of hard work, dedication, and
perseverance to get where I needed to be today. Not many Boy Scouts attain the rank of Eagle
Scout, as a matter of fact only around 6% of scouts attain this achievement around the world. Its
a very big honor and I could not have done it without the help of family, scout leaders, advisers,
and my scouting friends.
It all started when I was five years old, which was when my mother enrolled me in the
cub scouting program at St. Kevins Church of pack 256. She and Mrs. Wells both stepped up
and lead me and five other boys throughout the entire program. Every Monday she would drag
me along because I really wasnt too excited about cub scouts at first. As the weeks went on they
turned into months and then years and I started to really enjoy the cub scouting program and
what it had to offer. I would show up to the pinewood derby races, the rain gutter regatta races,
space derby races, summer camp at Camp Champlain, the mom and son weekends at Cub World,
the sleep out at McCoy Stadium, and final lets not forget my favorite the Battleship Cove
sleepover in Massachusetts.
During these years my mom watched me advance through the ranks and saw me grow
older and older start become my one person. Battleship Cove has always been a favorite of mine
because of all the cool rooms in the different boats, the museum nearby, and the history of all of
this. Second best was summer camp which I loved because of the outdoors. I love being in the
outdoors and I love nature and everything about it. I went all the way from tiger scout to webelos
2 and earning my arrow of the light award which is the highest award that can be obtained as a
cub scout.

Next I want to thank both of my grandparents and the influence that they have had upon
me over the past 6 years. Well lets start out with my grandmother who I would like to thank for
baking and bringing food down to me at summer camp and for campouts on the weekends, but
not only that she let her husband go off with me to meetings almost every day of the week so that
I can experience all of these opportunities that scouting has to offer for me. My grandfather has
been by my side since the start of my Boy Scout career. Every Friday night my grandfather and I
would go down to my troop meetings and we still do to this day. He also was there at the
campouts on Friday nights helping us setup and he even went to the extent of showing up almost
every single day when I would go to summer camp every year. Yet I still keep him busy and on
his toes with Order of Arrow meetings and campouts as far out as Camp Cachalot in Carver,
Massachusetts.
At the same time though my grandfather keeps on me about my grades and makes sure
that I am performing well in school because if I dont I know that I am not able to do scouting.
Somehow as busy as up through my junior and senior year I manage to do school work, college
stuff, be the lodge chief of the Order of the Arrow, participate in troop meetings and events, and
even go to chorus during the week. Achieving the rank of my Eagle Scout is something my
grandfather is very proud of such that it brought him to tears when we were both being
interviewed for an article in the paper because he is so happy for me and all the hard work I have
done. So I would just like to give a huge thank you and a round of applause for my family and
everything they have done and the support they have given me throughout the years as I have
now grown into fine young HENDRICKEN man.
Next I want to thank all of the scout leaders that have played a significant role in teaching
everything I know today and how to be a mature young man but still have fun. Mr. Moron ah I

have a lot of good things to say about you. I cant forget about you either Mr. Voit or Mr.
Tetreault. Boy we all had a lot of good and funny memories together. Wait lets not forget
Stephen Lavoie and all the help and guidance you have given to me in these past two or three
years as I had gotten closer and closer to the rank of Eagle Scout. Finally, Mr. Defelice my
Lodge Adviser. Ill come back to some of these memories and special times I shared with all of
you later on in my speech.
Next I want to thank Jody Jencks and all of the nurses I volunteer with at Kent County
Hospital. Around three years ago I was introduced to the Cardiology department which I
volunteer at during the summer on Mondays and Wednesdays from the morning to the
afternoon. It was not until the summer before my junior year of high school that I really opened
up and became more social and learned great teamwork skills as a volunteer at the hospital. I was
really shy earlier on and I didnt really talk with the nurses and I just kept to myself. From that
summer on I have grown to love each and every one of the nurses down in that department which
are here today with us. They all acted as role models and mothers and grandmothers for me from
my junior year up until this year when I will be back to volunteer again for my senior experience
in March.
I worked and ate lunch with these wonderful young ladies all summer long. We had some
good memories and talks together during these past summers and I am so glad that I was able to
have this opportunity of working with them. They would always keep on me and make sure I
read my books for school and that I did well in school and supported me in my dream of
becoming a doctor one day. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of their team and I thank
each and every one of them for everything they have done for me.

Next I want to thank Jody Jencks, Martha Smith, Roberta Woods, Centreville Bank, and
the various organizations and places that helped me get almost 2,000 lbs. of cat and dog food for
the Food Four Paws organization. Jody was the person who got me started out with the whole
idea of collecting dog and cat food for this organization. Last year for almost a year I worked
with her, Roberta Woods, Martha Smith, and Centreville bank creating this mastermind plan,
making poster and flyer materials, and even making bins to collect the dog and cat food. I cant
forget the person who helped me out the most during this time and really helped motivate and
encouraged me to keep my head up my grandfather because at first we werent getting a lot of
dog and cat food and that really disappointed me. Then as the month progressed I collected more
and more and my project ended up being a huge success.
Finally, I would like to thank all of my scouting friends for making incredible memories
with me that will last a lifetime. You guys made my scouting journey that much better and helped
me to share amazing experiences and become more and more involved in scouting and the Order
of the Arrow.

Talk about how the adult leaders like Mr. Moron, Mr. Tetreault, Mr. Voit, Stephen Lavoie,
and my Lodge Adviser Bob Defelice influenced my scouting career and also talk about the

memories in Troop 2 Natick, and Order of the Arrow.

Talk about the memories from volunteering at the Hospital.
Talk about the memories with friends like John OHara, Howe and Wilbur Anderson, and

Zach Teceiro.
Talk about the memories from NOAC.
Finally I would like to end of with a quote that really left a mark on my scouting career
and my view of life in general and it was from a speech given Wednesday night at NOAC by
Dr. Robert Gates the National President of the Boy Scouts of America. One of his most

memorable lines in his speech that will forever echo in my head was, Scouting continues
still to thrust boys and young men into the wilderness to prove themselves to learn
confidence and self-reliance to learn about themselves about nature about powers greater
than themselves to learn about the power of the soul. Nothing has meant more to me in my
lifetime to me than becoming an Eagle Scout. Scouting and the Order the Arrow has helped
me gain self-confidence and leadership skills that will be needed as I face many challenges
ahead of me. My journey throughout scouting has left me with many memories and life
experiences to share with future generations.