Aaron Bodenham achieves Eagle Scout rank

BY BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

Aaron Bodenham might only be a sophomore in high school, but his age certainly hasn?t stopped him from achieving the highest honor in the Boy Scouts of America.

On Saturday, Bodenham was honored at the Swedesburg Lutheran Church, in Swedesburg, for achieving the Eagle Scout award. A member of Boy Scout Troop 24, Bodenham is now a part of only approximately four percent of all Boy Scouts who attain the Eagle rank, according to Scoutmaster Jason Loving.

?Life can get pretty busy at times for sure, and there were times when I wondered if it was worth it,? Bodenham admits, reflecting back on his journey to becoming an Eagle Scout. ?But, when I look at the end goal and the things that I have learned in the Scouts, I realize it was worth it.?

Bodenham certainly had reason to doubt if the time and effort he has put into the Scouts was worth the work. Besides devoting his attention to his school studies, Bodenham is an active member of the Mt. Pleasant High School Trap Shooting program, band program, jazz band and show choir band. He is also an active member of Swedesburg Lutheran Church.

To achieve the honor of Eagle Scout, each Scout must earn 21 merit badges and successfully complete a community or church-related service project. For his project, Bodenham looked no further than his school?s trap shooting team. After seeing an opportunity for bettering his team, Bodenham designed and built shelving and storage on the inside of the Mt. Pleasant Trap Shooting team trailer for his team?s firearms and ammunition. He also wired the trailer for electricity.

He credits several of his fellow Scouts and his parents, John and Dawn Bodenham, of Mt. Pleasant, for helping him with his project along the way. It took Bodenham roughly two months to finish the work, but the end result, he says, was something he was proud to place his name to.

?I ended up using a lot of engineering and CAD skills that I?ve been learning about in school to get everything done,? he said, saying his education in those areas proved to be vital in the completion of the project. ?My dad and some of my friends were a big help to me, too.?

Now that he has reached his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, a goal, which he says he was evermore anxious to get after his older brother received his Eagle Scout award, Bodenham says his work in Troop 24 is not yet complete. Eagle Scouts may continue in their troop as scouts until the age of 18. Eagle Scouts may also earn their Eagle Palms, which can be added to their Eagle ranking. Bodenham currently has enough merit points to earn two Eagle Palms.

In addition, Bodenham currently acts as a youth leader in his troop, encouraging younger boys within Troop 24 to live up to the standards and responsibilities all Boy Scouts follow ? developing strong character and citizenship, promoting healthy personal fitness and being good stewards of the environment ? among other things.

In addition, Bodenham will continue to be an active participant in troop activities, including their annual outdoor excursion trips to Minnesota, and soon to New Mexico, where his group will be doing some outdoor hiking excursions and learning more about conservation.

?I love camping and being outside,? he says of some of the perks of being in the Boy Scouts. ?I?ve been on the Minnesota canoe trip three times already, and I hope to go again. The outdoor things we have done I don?t know if I would have ever gotten to do if it weren?t for the Scouts.?

Now an Eagle Scout, Bodenham says he certainly understands the pressure of being a member of such an active and involved organization like the Boy Scouts, but says he doesn?t regret the time he?s put into it at all.

?If someone was thinking about joining (the Scouts), I would tell them to just do it,? he insists. ?It was a great experience for me and I have learned so much.?

Looking ahead into the future, Bodenham says he is strongly considering a college education at Iowa State University, and says the field of engineering interests him a lot at the moment.

?I guess that could change, but right now, that?s where I am leaning,? he says. ??I would strongly consider becoming a leader of Boy Scouts once I graduate though. I think I could see myself doing that someday and really enjoying it, so I hope I get the opportunity at some point.?