Boy Scouts of America Troop 19 of Hilo, sponsored by the Waiakea Lions Club and supported by the United Community Church of Hilo, recently awarded five Scouts the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. ADVERTISING Boy Scouts of America Troop 19
Boy Scouts of America Troop 19 of Hilo, sponsored by the Waiakea Lions Club and supported by the United Community Church of Hilo, recently awarded five Scouts the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.
This is the highest rank a Boy Scout can achieve. Besides acquiring a number of Scouting skills, Scouts must develop leadership qualities, earn at least 21 merit badges and plan, develop and provide leadership in a service project that benefits the community.
The honored Scouts are Taylor Au, Tom Ikeda, Dylan Ito, Nicholas Ohara and Gavin Sako.
Au’s Eagle Scout Service Project was beautifying the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens cycad and palm garden at the main entrance to the zoo. The project, supported by the Hawaii Palm Society, involved planting 47 new cycads (palm-like plants) as well as pruning the existing plants specimens and weeding the entire area.
Au is a recent graduate of Waiakea High School and is attending Army basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., He has an E-3 rank with the Hawaii Army National Guard. He is the son of Michael Au and Leilani Makishi-Au of Kurtistown.
Ikeda’s project involved the building of shelves into the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s newest sports storage lockers that serve all of the school’s sports teams. The lockers were finished with a completely new coat of paint and a large Vulcans logo was painted on an entry wall adjacent to the gymnasium.
A recent honors graduate of Kamehameha Schools Hawaii, Ikeda is enrolled at Reed College in Oregon majoring in political science. He is the son of Ken and Dr. Cathy Ikeda of Hilo.
Ito’s project involved planting 23 foxtail palms along the Kuawa Street frontage of Hoolulu Park in Hilo and installing precast concrete blocks in the same area.
Ito attends Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., majoring in physical therapy. He is the son of Dr. Bryan and Joan Ito of Hilo.
Ohara’s project benefited the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s Pu‘u wa‘awa‘a Forest Reserve. This project involved preparing and potting seeds of rare and endangered native Hawaiian plants and planting 308 dryland forest species seedlings such as wili wili, uhi uhi, ma‘o hau hele, koki‘a and many others in 2 acres of the reserve.
Ohara is a senior at Waiakea High and plans to pursue a degree in medicine. He is the son of Aaron and Shann Ohara of Hilo.
Sako’s Eagle project addressed potential safety issues at the United Community Church’s sanctuary where handrails were fabricated and installed for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The project also provided for the repainting of the sanctuary’s main entrance and perimeter walkways with a coating that included an anti-slip additive.
Sako is registered as an assistant scoutmaster of Troop 19 and attends the Hawaii Community College majoring in fire science. He is the son of Glenn and Wendy Sako of Hilo.
Troop 19 is led by Scoutmaster Glenn Sako, supported by 10 assistant scoutmasters and a committee of supportive Scout parents.
