Three Kent boys to earn Eagle Scout rank

Dylan Koopmans and twin brothers Ryan and Sean Jackson will be conferred the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank advancement in Boy Scouts of America offers.

Their Eagle Court of Honor will take place Tuesday, March 21 at St. James Episcopal Church in Kent, the chartering sponsor of the boys’ Troop 474.

Only 2.6 percent of boys in the USA attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Friends since kindergarten, Dylan, Ryan and Sean have been in scouts together since they joined Cub Scout Pack 159 in the first grade at Glenridge Elementary.

To attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the boys must earn at least 21 merit badges and complete a community- or church-benefiting project. The scout must plan all aspects of the project, including fundraising and successfully lead the crew in the completion of the project.

Dylan’s project was a clothing drive for the Kent areas community. He collected clothes for a total of four months, and the main part of the project was to lead fellow scouts and other volunteers to separate the clothes into the proper areas so that they can reach the right people. The project of separating 1,200 pounds of clothes lasted about three hours. It was successful benefiting the Union Gospel Mission, Panther Lake Elementary, and the Kent Clothing Bank at the Phoenix Academy.

For his project, Ryan transformed a room, at the Kent Division of Children and Family Services office, to be used by the volunteer program, Office Moms and Dads, who watch over children entering into the foster care system. He raised money and solicited donations, which led to the room having a big screen TV, gaming systems and movies for the children to enjoy. Additionally, Ryan led the crew in cleaning up an outdoor atrium area where younger children can burn off some energy.

Sean’s project benefited his church, St. Stephen the Martyr in Renton. For his project, Sean planned and directed the development of a gathering area on the church property, which took place over two months, by making wooden benches from trees cut down on the church property, installing a new fire pit and doing general cleanup to make the area conducive for outdoor gatherings, such as the youth group.

Dylan, Ryan, and Sean are seniors at Kentridge High School and will graduate on June 17. All three young men plan to attend college this fall and are making school choices at this time. Dylan plans to attend Washington State University and study environmental science. Ryan will attend Western Washington University and study computer science while his brother also plans to attend Western to study civil engineering.

Please contact Troop 474 if you know of a boy age 11-17 interested in Boy Scouts and who would benefit from the leadership and character development opportunities afforded by this organization. Contact for Troop 474 is scoutmaster@bsatroop474.org.