Saratoga's newest Eagle Scouts are Reed Woolsey (back, from left) and Ben Tegarden and Andrew Hollenhorst (front row, from left) and Jeff Beyers.










Four local boys become Eagle Scouts

By Shari Kaplan

Four friends and fellow members of Saratoga's Boy Scout Troop 535 celebrated their achievements of the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America--the Eagle Scout honor--at an April 16 ceremony at Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga.

In order for Jeff Beyers, Andrew Hollenhorst, Ben Tegarden and Reed Woolsey to reach the level at which they could initiate their Eagle community service projects, they first had to earn at least 23 merit badges each. Along with actually carrying out the project, a Scout also must learn how to plan a course of action, obtain materials, raise funds, if necessary, and recruit Scouts and other volunteers for assistance. Fewer than two percent of all Boy Scouts in the United States choose to earn the rank of Eagle.

Beyers designed and planted a garden adjacent to the Saratoga Senior Center that includes a walking path, flower beds, planter boxes and a bench. Also in Scouting, Beyers serves as a Senior Patrol leader and in the Polaris District Bristlecone Junior Leadership Training Program. At Saratoga High School, where he is finishing his senior year, Beyers is the captain of the track and cross-country teams. He plans to attend UCLA this fall.

For his Eagle project, Hollenhorst constructed a set of shelves for the band room at Saratoga's Redwood Middle School. The Redwood Marching Band now has some much-needed additional storage space for its instruments. Hollenhorst has served in several leadership roles in Scouting, including that of Senior Patrol leader and Troop Scribe. He is also a senior at SHS, where he is a drum major in the SHS Marching Band. He will attend college this fall.

Tegarden's project involved renovating the children's play area at the Saratoga Senior Center. For two months last summer, Tegarden and his assistants cleared and leveled the ivy-covered area, added several inches of crushed stone and built gopher-proof raised planter beds around the perimeter. His favorite among his several troop leadership positions was that of Troop Guide. He also has earned more than 30 merit badges. A senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory, he plans to study electrical engineering at Cornell University this fall.

Improving the baseball barbecue area at Saratoga High School was Woolsey's choice for an Eagle project. The work included building a concrete block pillar, installing a water spigot, refurbishing a picnic table and planting a shade tree. Woolsey has held many leadership positions in his troop, including Senior Patrol Leader, and planned and participated in seven summer backpacking trips. A senior at Saratoga High School, Woolsey plans to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, this fall and major in mechanical engineering.

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