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Although over 2 million young men have become Eagle Scouts since the rank’s inception in 1912, it is estimated that only about 6% of Boy Scouts attain scouting’s highest honor.
On July 19, five dedicated young men from Boy Scout Troop 450 celebrated their own achievement of earning Eagle Scout rank with a Court of Honor ceremony. Based in Severna Park and sponsored by St. John the Evangelist Church, Troop 450 has helped boys ages 11-17 “build character, foster citizenship and develop fitness” since 1962.
The five local young men who are now among the prestigious 6% shared about their scouting journeys and the projects they planned and executed to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
The memory of meeting a woman experiencing homelessness at the former Emmaus Center in Glen Burnie made an indelible impression on a young Sean Gaffney. She shared that while sheltering in a tent, heavy snow fell and compromised the structure of the tent so badly that it sagged mere inches above her face.
The culmination of a decade in scouting, Gaffney devoted his Eagle Scout project to helping some of the most vulnerable individuals in the community, remembering the woman’s story. “I knew I wanted my Eagle Scout project to help homeless people in need of a place to sleep,” he previously shared with the Voice.
Gaffney just graduated from Severna Park High School (SPHS), and during his senior year, he devoted many hours to collecting new or gently used tents. He repaired, waterproofed and cleaned the tents, then donated them to the Arundel House of Hope, which serves people experiencing homelessness.
Reflecting on his scouting experience, Gaffney shared a favorite memory: a camping trip to Hershey Park. He plans to attend Anne Arundel Community College.
Another 2025 SPHS graduate, Eisenhower Kondo became a Cub Scout when he was in kindergarten, embarking on a long scouting journey. He will soon depart for the University of Maryland, College Park to pursue a degree in general biology.
A dog owner and animal lover, Kondo approached Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Control (now Anne Arundel County Animal Services) and asked if he could help with anything.
“For my Eagle Scout project, I made a full dog-walking trail behind the shelter,” he shared. “I added one of the little doggy poop bag receptacles, I had a bench, and I basically cleared out a whole section and then laid mulch and logs around the trail.”
Service projects were a highlight of Kondo’s scouting career. “For my scout troop, we try to do a service project at least around once every month. I just like that it’s a way for me to give back to others,” he shared.
Kondo emphasized that being a Boy Scout has helped shape who he is. “(Scouting) helped me grow as a person, not just through basic scouting stuff, but it’s really helped me improve my leadership (and) my ability to speak in front of others, especially in large groups,” he said. He added that he also learned how to teach others while working with younger scouts.
With an aspiration to one day become an exotic animal veterinarian, recent Chesapeake High School graduate Asher Kopf is headed to West Virginia University to study animal science.
He also sought out an Eagle Scout project that would allow him to both give back and work with exotic animals: Kopf helped with light renovations at the Icarus Foundation’s Chesapeake Parrot Sanctuary in Annapolis. Kopf noted he is the first to complete an Eagle Scout project there.
For his project, he modified three screen doors, replacing the screens with stainless steel so that the birds at the sanctuary could see out of their rooms without chewing through the screens. He also created two bird perches in addition to a few other renovations.
The motto of the Boy Scouts, “Be Prepared,” is one Kopf said has been helpful in many ways and will carry on with him throughout life. A memory he won’t soon forget is that of a high-adventure trip he took with about a half-dozen fellow scouts.
“(We) went to SeaBase, and that was in the Bahamas, and we lived on a sailboat for longer than a week and got to explore down there, which was pretty cool,” Kopf recalled.
Broadneck High School class of 2025 graduate Jonathan Schroeder is not the first in his family to attain the rank of Eagle Scout: Both his grandfather and his uncle achieved the honor as well.
Initially, Schroeder wanted to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and create improvements along the B&A Trail for his Eagle project. However, the jobs he was invited to do were small in scale, so he reached out to his grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Schroeder, who works at the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) to see if the state military agency had any needs. For the MDDF, he built two picnic benches, which he knows are getting good use.
“We put the benches in the spot behind (my grandfather’s) building, so he sends me pictures of people using it daily, and it’s actually super cool to see that it’s being used and that they enjoy it,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder shared that the greatest highlight of his scouting experience – which began when he was in first grade – was a backpacking trip at Philmont, a high-adventure camp in New Mexico. He reflected on the challenging but fun hike, sharing that it was the most beautiful place he’s ever been.
Among many life lessons, Schroeder said scouting has taught him to take greater time to enjoy things in life. He is headed to Towson University to study political science.
Jamal Washington loves to spend time in the kitchen with his mom. That’s partly what inspired the recent SPHS graduate, who is headed to Salisbury University to study engineering physics, to serve meals for his Eagle Scout project.
Involved with scouting since he was a Cub Scout, Washington completed his project at Baltimore Station, where he collected, prepared and served meals for veterans.
“Both of my grandfathers … were in the military, and both of them passed while I was at a young age,” Washington shared. “I felt like this was a good way for me to sort of connect with them, and I really wanted to think of a good way to give back to my community.”
With donations from the community and the help of his fellow scouts, Washington served food to nearly 60 people.
Like Schroeder, Washington counts his 12-day, 72-mile hike at Philmont as the highlight of his scouting experience. “I would say that the scouts that I went there with, I have a bigger bond (with) … because it was a lot at Philmont,” he said. “It was out in the wild – bears, trail food for 12 days – it was something. But I really connected with them there and I really appreciated that.”
During the Court of Honor celebration in July, Washington shared some wisdom he gained through scouting. “I remember telling the younger scouts there that in scouts, you really gain a family. Each one of them helps each other out,” he recalled, noting, “When I was struggling, there was always someone there to give me a hand. … I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.”
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