Student named Michigan Eagle Scout of the Year
Eagle Scout is the highest rank a boy can earn in Boy Scouting, but earning it wasn’t enough for Troy Korns. He additionally earned two Supernova awards in Scouting, and has now been named Michigan’s Eagle Scout of the Year by the American Legion Department of Michigan.
“My initial goal was to get Eagle, I know what it means outside of Scouts,” Korns said.
Korns, age 17, is a Chesterfield Township resident going into his senior year at Lutheran High School North in Macomb Township. He began Boy Scouts as an elementary school student and is part of Troop 211 out of New Baltimore. Korns initially joined Scouts just to see what it was all about, as some of his friends participated.
“It just grew,” Korns said. One of the aspects of scouting Korns said made him stick with it was the campouts, as they offered an occasional getaway, but he soon found he enjoyed earning merit badges as it allowed him to acquire new skills, from archery to cooking.
“Overall it was time,” Korns said. a fun
Eagle Scout Troy Korns was recently named Michigan’s Eagle Scout of the Year by the American Legion. He will be recognized on Mackinac Island on Aug. 17.
Korns earned the rank of Eagle Scout around 2019, with 100 total logged hours of work.
“Knowing the skills I could learn through the program, I saw the benefit of achieving it,” Korns said.
To become an Eagle Scout, a scout must earn a total of 21 merit badges, demonstrate scout spirit, service and leadership. It also requires a scout to complete an extensive service project involving planning, organizing, leading and managing.
“The biggest is the Eagle project, you have to use your skills and plan and fundraise to carry it out,” Korns said.
Korns selected to create a wheelchair accessible campfire pit and benches at Camp Cavell, located in Lexington, north of Port Huron. After reaching out to the camp’s director, he planned how he could raise money and install the pit and benches. He began the project on Oct. 18, 2018 and completed it on Nov. 11, 2019.
“It has to kind of fill a need for someone,” Korns said of requirements for the project.
Fundraising came from can drives, and donations helped to furnish materials for things such as benches around the pit, Korns said. Benches required a special design.
“I did research and looked up bench designs to see what I could use, I had to look it up and see the cost and how much I had to fundraise,” Korns said.
Korns raised and spent $600 on the project, with any overflow donated to the camp.
In 2018, Korns earned the Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Award. He earned the Thomas Edison Supernova Award in 2019. Korns said he was motivated by the STEM aspects of these awards, and that one of his projects to earn the Thomas Edison award involved research on how the internet was developed.
“I want to go into something in the STEM field, computer science or engineering,” Korns said.
Among the myriad requirements to be eligible to earn a Supernova award, a Boy Scout must be of the First Class rank or higher, and have already earned any three of the four Nova awards. The Boy Scout must then choose a council-approved mentor who is a registered Scouter, with the help of a parent and unit leader. The Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Award has the additional requirements that the Boy Scout must earn the Scholarship merit badge, earn four of the Supernova approved merit badges from a specified list, and complete two Supernova activity topics, one each in two separate STEM areas.
Korns will be recognized on Aug. 17 on Mackinac Island by the American Legion Department of Michigan as Michigan’s Eagle Scout of the Year. He will receive a plaque and $1,000 in scholarship funds, as well as advance to an American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year national competition.