Eight North Bend boy scouts earn Eagle Scout rank

The eight scouts will participate in a special ceremony on June 16.

June 13, 2018 8:30 am
The eight scouts pose with their accumulative badges after earning their Eagle Scout ranks. Photo courtesy of Troop 466 Eight scouts from Boy Scout Troop 466 of North Bend earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout: Ashton Fender, Will Huestis, Joey Lane, Ethan Luxton, Maddox Malcolm, Joseph Nassar, Griffin Nicolino and Zach White. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Malcolm/Snoqualmie School District
The eight scouts pose with their accumulative badges after earning their Eagle Scout ranks. Photo courtesy of Troop 466 Eight scouts from Boy Scout Troop 466 of North Bend earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout: Ashton Fender, Will Huestis, Joey Lane, Ethan Luxton, Maddox Malcolm, Joseph Nassar, Griffin Nicolino and Zach White. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Malcolm/Snoqualmie School District

Eight local scouts from Boy Scout Troop 466 of North Bend have earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout: Ashton Fender, Will Huestis, Joey Lane, Ethan Luxton, Maddox Malcolm, Joseph Nassar, Griffin Nicolino, and Zach White.

A special ceremony is being held in their honor, on June 16, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., at the Meadowbrook Interpretive Center in Snoqualmie, for family and friends to celebrate their accomplishments.

“The Eagle Rank represents years of commitment, service and outdoor adventure. We are very proud of these scouts and it’s been a pleasure to see their growth, as many have been scouting since the age of 6,” said Scout Master Berry Rogers in a press release.

Only about two percent of scouts attain the Eagle Rank of the Boy Scouts of the America. To achieve the final rank of Eagle, a scout advances through several levels of achievement, must complete at least 21 merit badges, pass a Board of Review, and organize a service project that benefits his community, school or church before the age of 18.

Ultimately, these scouts have backpacked hundreds of miles, camped in wilderness areas throughout the West, served in leadership roles, mentored younger scouts, and demonstrated good citizenship through community service.

The Eagle Service Projects from these eight scouts are benefitting our Snoqualmie Valley community in a variety of ways:

Ashton Fender created a community orchard on Park Street in Snoqualmie by the river, to provide others in our community access to healthy food.

Will Huestis designed and installed a sign for Snoqualmie United Methodist Church.

Joey Lane designed and built two large wooden picnic tables with wheelchair access for the Meadowbrook Interpretative Center, to add outdoor seating and places to picnic.

Ethan Luxton made an outdoor food pantry for the North Bend Food Bank, allowing for easy access to books and food for everyone.

Maddox Malcolm built and installed two benches at the Meadowbrook Interpretive Center, providing durable outdoor seating with a scenic view of Mount Si.

Joseph Nassar installed a pathway and observation deck at the Meadowbrook Interpretive Center in Snoqualmie, leading to the honey bee farm.

Griffin Nicolino built a frisbee golf course at E.J. Roberts Park in North Bend.

Zach White installed two animal waste dispensary stations along the Meadowbrook Trail.

More about the scouts

Ashton Fender stated in his first year as a Cub Scout that he wanted to achieve the Eagle Rank and that commitment has not waivered throughout all of these years. He naturally personifies the principles of scouting which is what attracted him to stay with the organization. Ashton strives to establish positive morals with his peers, is never afraid to stand up for something that doesn’t seem right, has a strong spiritual connection, lives with a kind heart, has compassion for others, and a balanced sense of good.

In his time with Troop 466, Ashton has logged more than 20 miles hiking, earned 26 merit badges, donated 27 service hours, and had 28 nights camped. For his Eagle Project, Ashton created a community orchard on Park Street in Snoqualmie by the river, to provide people and visitors of the Snoqualmie Valley with access to healthy food and increase food security for those who may need it. We look forward to seeing him build from this achievement and forge his path in the world.

William (Will) Russell Huestis joined Troop 466 in seventh grade, was promoted from Tender Foot to Life within 19 months, and represented 466 at BSA National Youth Leadership Training. He attended WA Virtual Academy and at Mount Si High School sang Bass II in the Camerata Honors Choir, was a Teacher’s Assistant for the 9th grade choir, and maintained a 3.99 with the National Honor Society. He taught ski lessons through Alpental Leadership Program, is a swim instructor at Si View Pool and Youth Representative on the North Bend Parks Committee. Will’s Eagle Scout project was designing, purchasing, and installing a community announcement sign for Snoqualmie United Methodist Church. His favorite Scout adventures were backpacking at Philmont Scout Ranch and canoeing Bowron Lakes. He is attending Bellevue College for his pre-med prerequisites and singing in BC’s award winning “Celebration” Jazz Ensemble, then plans to transfer to UW for his remaining pre-med requirements and stay for his research-focused MD. Will is thankful for all the fun and friendships through 466 and mentoring from the great leaders, especially Kelly Luna.

Joey Lane grew up in North Bend and started scouting with Cub Scout Pack 452, earning the Arrow of Light award before crossing over to Boy Scouts Troop 466 at age 11. As a Scout, Joey has earned 26 merit badges and served in a number of leadership roles including Patrol Leader and Venture Secretary. He camped over 100 nights, hiked over 250 miles, including three “50-miler” trips, and worked 45 hours on community service projects. One favorite moment was summiting Mount Rainier at sunrise and seeing the mountain’s shadow. For his Eagle Project he designed and built two large wooden tables with wheelchair access for the Meadowbrook Interpretative Center, to add outdoor seating and a place to picnic. Joey graduated this year (2018) from Mount Si High School and earned his AA degree through the Bellevue College Running Start program. He plans to attend WSU in the fall and study civil engineering. His hobbies include skiing, backpacking, and photography.

Ethan Luxton began scouting in Cub Scouts at the age of eight in North Bend. He earned the arrow of light before joining Troop 466 in 2010. Ethan earned 24 merit badges, camped over 75 nights, hiked over 150 miles and completed over 50 hours of community service. One favorite and fun moment was during a Venture Scout canoeing trip to the Bowron Lakes in British Columbia. There was a day when a heavy rain forced everyone to race to shore and set up camp. Ethan’s Eagle project was building an outdoor food pantry and library for the Mt. Si Food Bank. Ethan graduated from Bellevue College Running Start with an AA Degree in 2017. He currently attends Washington State University and is in the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication. Ethan enjoys photography, gaming, and hiking.

Maddox Malcolm began scouting at the age of 6 with Pack 452 in North Bend and earned his Arrow of Light before joining Troop 466 in 2011. Maddox has earned 24 merit badges, camped 95 nights with the troop, and hiked 235+ miles (including a “75-miler” and summiting Mount Rainier). He has served as Venture President and provided 50+ hours of community service. Maddox’s Eagle Project included designing, researching materials, building and installing two sturdy outdoor benches at the Meadowbrook Interpretive Center, so visitors can enjoy the view of Mount Si for years to come. A special scout memory for Maddox was winning the Fire Mountain Scout Ranch relay race with a team of friends and breaking the camp record. Maddox enjoys skiing, golf, backpacking, tennis, ultimate Frisbee and photography. Maddox recently graduated with honors from Mount Si High School (2018) and will attend UW with direct admission to the School of Engineering next fall.

(Adam) Joseph Nassar has lived in North Bend his entire life, graduating from Mount Si High School in June, 2017. Joseph started as a Tiger scout with Pack 452 at the age of 6 and officially earned his Eagle rank last summer with Troop 466. Joseph’s scouting accomplishments include earning 29 merit badges as well as serving in many leadership roles

including Instructor, Senior Patrol Leader and Troop Guide. Joseph camped overnight with the scouts 66 times, has hiked over 100 miles and served 18 hours on community projects. Joseph’s Eagle Project was the installation of a new pathway and observation deck at the Meadowbrook Interpretive Center for the honey bee farm. Included in this project were the planning and organizing of materials and labor to create this community area. Special Scout memories include the many campfires and hiking trips and playing “Capture the Flag” in the Juniper Dunes. Joseph recently completed his freshman year at Washington State University in Pullman, WA. He plans to continue his studies next fall in Applied Mathematics.

Griffin Nicolino joined Pack 466 in 2006 as a Tiger Cub. In March 2011, after completing the Arrow of Light, he joined Boy Scout Troop 466. Griffin has camped with the troop for more than 70 nights, hiked over 200 miles, including 75 miles at Philmont in New Mexico, and spent over 35 hours on community service projects. Griffin earned 26 merit badges, the Order of the Arrow, Bronze Palm, World Conservation and 50 Miler awards. He also earned a scholarship for selling over $12,000 in popcorn and was Alpine District’s top seller in 2011. Griffin’s Eagle project was installing a 4-hole disc golf mini course at E.J. Roberts Park. Griffin says that some special memories include “being Senior Patrol Leader for a week at summer camp” and Xbox Games overnights. He graduates from Mount Si High School in June 2018 and will receive an Associate’s degree from Bellevue College a week later. Griffin will be attending Western Washington University and intends to earn a Bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Zach White started Kindergarten when Cascade View Elementary School first opened and has attended Snoqualmie and Twin Falls Middle Schools, Mt. Si High School, and Bellevue College. He started as a Cub Scout at age 6. En route to earning the Eagle Scout rank, Zach earned 75 merit badges and was the Troop’s Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. He has camped all over Washington State and completed Scouting’s most prominent High Adventure trip, hiking the trails at Philmont in New Mexico. Zach’s Eagle Project entailed installing two animal waste dispensary stations along the Meadowbrook Trail. Outside of the many camping trips in Scouting, Zach has fond memories of numerous family trips to earn merit badges at special events (some of which were out-of-state). Along the way he also enjoyed the comradery and competition that comes with having an older brother in the Troop. He enjoys auto mechanics, driving in auto races, and snowboarding. He plans to attend Washington State University next fall and earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Boy Scout Troop 466 in North Bend was established in 1928 and is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. The Troop has introduced hundreds of youth in the Snoqualmie Valley area to the great outdoors and scouting. Over the years, more than 105 scouts in the troop have reached the rank of Eagle. For more information, visit .