Photo of Class of 2023 Eagles and priests who achieved their Eagle rank. Photo courtesy of Cistercian Preparatory School
Front row: Paul Sanchez, Vincent Micheli, William Coulter, Rico Chan, Fr. Philip Lastimosa, Fr. Lawrence Brophy
Back row: Father Paul McCormick, Kiefer Soo, Truman Griffith, Noah Folmsbee, Charlie Moore, Carter Soderberg, Colby Mechem, Christopher Lobmeyer
Nearly a quarter of the senior class at Cistercian Preparatory School has earned Eagle Scout. Only about 4% of Scouts have the honor of achieving the Eagle rank.
11 out of 47 seniors at Cistercian have achieved this honor. Senior Vincent Micheli has earned all 139 merit badges. Micheli became an Eagle at the age of 13.
“Every merit badge topic involved learning from someone who cared and had passion for the subject. Because of this, earning all 139 merit badges really has been an enjoyable and inimitable experience,” said Micheli.
Vincent Micheli, completed all 139 merit badges—one of only 500 in the history of Scouts to complete this task. Photo courtesy of Cistercian Preparatory School.
He is one of only 500 in the history of the Scouts to complete this task. 3-4% of all Scouts have achieved the Eagle rank since 1910. 21 badges are required for Eagle rank. Fewer than half of 1% (approximately 500 scouts) have earned all of the available merit badges since 1910.
In order for Scouts to get a merit badge signed off they have to know about a topic, have experience in the topic, career opportunities in that topic, and discussion with a counselor is required.
The Scouts at Cistercian Preparatory School have each completed a significant Eagle project after mastery of skills in first aid, survival skills, civics and physical fitness. These projects range from water conservation, construction, gardening and painting. The Cistercian Scouts completed more than 1,400 hours of volunteer work on their Eagle projects alone.
“These young men have worked hard in their endeavors, and we celebrate the impact they made in their thoughtful Eagle projects. There are similarities in Cistercian’s outlook, preparation and curriculum that mirror the path to Eagle,” said Rev. Paul McCormick, O. Cist., Cistercian headmaster and an Eagle Scout. “Earning the Eagle rank is the culmination of years of preparation from middle school when a scout learns and masters skills independently and in team environments all the way through high school,” said Rev. Paul McCormick, O. Cist., Cistercian headmaster and an Eagle Scout.”.
Both Scouts and Cistercian feature a multiyear program that focuses on independent learning, life skills, project management, leadership, teamwork and service to other
