FLYING HIGH EAGLE PROJECT IS AT SIMI PARK SITE.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - Douglas Harker may have more incentive than most Boy Scouts to reach the rank of Eagle Scout Ea·gle Scout n. One who has achieved the highest rank in the Boy Scouts. Noun 1. Eagle Scout - a Boy Scout who has earned many merit badges Boy Scout - a boy who is a member of the Boy Scouts . ``My motivation is my mom,'' said Douglas, 15, a sophomore at Simi Valley High School Simi Valley High School is a secondary school located in Simi Valley, California which was established in 1920 as the first high school in the valley. It nestles in the Santa Susana Mountains and is adjacent to the San Fernando Valley, part of the city and county of Ventura. . ``She says I can't get a job or a driver's license Noun 1. driver's license - a license authorizing the bearer to drive a motor vehicle driver's licence, driving licence, driving license license, permit, licence - a legal document giving official permission to do something until I become an Eagle Scout.'' To pass the final hurdle, Douglas, joined by a handful of helpers, spent Saturday morning at Simi SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative Valley's Berylwood Park, covering a patch of bare ground with donated sod. Soon Douglas will complete the second half of the project, planting about 50 plants around the park's recreational building. Aspiring Eagle Scouts must select a project that benefits their community. Many Scouts choose projects at their school, church, synagogue or local park. Douglas is just one of an estimated 150 Eagle Scout candidates over the past 30 years who have chosen to do their projects within the Rancho Simi Rancho San José de Nuestra Senora de Altagarcia y Simi is one of the land grants in California by the Spanish government. The name derives from Shimiji, the name of the Chumash village here before the Spanish. Recreation and Park District, said Rick Johnson Rick Johnson may refer to:
The Scouts chose various projects, including trail enhancement, informational kiosk construction, and erosion control, he said. ``We've been lucky,'' Johnson said. ``It saves us money and it saves us manpower. With revenue down and budgets tight, it frees staff to work on other projects.'' A former Scout leader, Johnson has shepherded an estimated 25 boys into becoming Eagle Scouts, including sons Ryan and Travis, now students at California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an . Ryan, now 23, constructed an informational kiosk at the Gateway Equestrian Center for his Eagle project, and Travis, now 19, installed signs on a nature trail at Corriganville Park, Johnson said. In addition to completing a project, Eagle Scouts must earn 21 of the organization's 120 merit badges and fulfill certain service requirements to achieve their rank. Twelve of the badges - including personal management, first aid, and camping - are required, and the remaining nine are electives on topics ranging from theater to sports to basketry basketry, art of weaving or coiling and sewing flexible materials to form vessels or other commodities. The materials used include twigs, roots, strips of hide, splints, osier willows, bamboo splits, cane or rattan, raffia, grasses, straw, and crepe paper. . Douglas has earned 34 merit badges. Above all, Eagle Scouts must display extraordinary leadership skills and commitment to their community, said Terry Richardson, assistant Scout executive for the Ventura County Council of the Boy Scouts of America Noun 1. Boy Scouts of America - a corporation that operates through a national council that charters local councils all over the United States; the purpose is character building and citizenship training . ``It's someone who knows how to achieve, someone who puts others before themselves,'' Richardson said. ``Someone who's out to change the world.'' Aspiring Eagle Scouts must complete all requirements before they reach the age of 18, but some reach the rank of Eagle as early as 13, Richardson said. Only about 4 percent of the nation's 1 million Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, according to the Boy Scouts. About 140 of Ventura County's 8,100 scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout each year, Richardson said. They are in prestigious company. A former president, Gerald Ford; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; an astronaut, James Lovell Jr.; and a former House speaker, Thomas Foley, all achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7602 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Fifteen-year-old Douglas Harker tills an area of the ground that will be covered with sod as part of his Eagle Scout Project. (2) Douglas Harker takes a break from laying sod at Simi Valley's Berylwood Park. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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