Andrew Dargis, 17, of Alpena, worked on his project of installing a kiosk and benches at Misery Bay Nature Preserve on Sunday, with the help of other Scouts and Scout leaders.

“The idea behind the Eagle Scout is that it shows that the boy can do a project, that he can lead the project,” said Christopher Harsch, Scoutmaster of Troop 92, based out of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena.

Harsch tells his upcoming Scouts “The first thing you need to know about an Eagle project, is that it’s not about the project,” Harsch noted. “It’s about how you lead the project. That’s the big key. Eagle Scout is about leadership.”

Dargis talked about the project on Sunday.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Andrew Dargis

“We’re putting in two benches, so one’s going to be at the halfway point of the trails, and then, the other one’s going to be a quarter of the way to the end, after that,” Dargis said.

While he and other Scouts, his brother Nicholas Dargis, and Mason Donajkowski, took the assembled benches to their installation locations, other Scouts and leaders worked on digging pole holes to install an information kiosk at the trailhead adjacent to the parking lot on Misery Bay Road, north of Alpena.

“We’re putting in a kiosk — a bulletin board with a built-in roof, and that’s going to have a boot cleaner on it,” Dargis added.

He has been in Scouts for nearly eight years.

“Eagle Scout is the highest rank you can get,” he explained. “First, you need to complete 21 merit badges that are required, and the Eagle Scout project is the final thing.”

Only a small percentage of Scouts achieve the merit of Eagle Scout, but those who do can use that to distinguish them from others in college and career fields.

“Out of 100, between two and four boys will become Eagle Scouts,” Harsch said.

He said scholarships are available for Eagle Scouts to help pay for college.

He noted that achieving the rank of Eagle Scout will look good on your resume, and could help you obtain a job in the future.

Harsch said, “If you had to hire an 18-year-old boy or young man, who had an Eagle Scout (rank), or had nothing but ‘I play video games,’ who are you hiring?”

Dargis said it was important to him to get his Eagle Scout rank, because he’s been working toward it for a long time.

“I’m determined to get it done,” Dargis said.

He said it has taken about two months to complete this project.

“The Eagle Scout project is to show that you can lead other Scouts,” Dargis said. “It teaches the younger kids how to lead and how to work with the group.”