Behold the Eagle Badge: the highest badge for Boy Scouts that only 4% of members earn, achieved through years of dedication, hard work, and passion. Pinewood’s very own sophomore Alexander Watanabe is well on his way to receiving his.

   Boy Scouts is a youth organization that gives its members opportunities to explore nature through hiking, camping, and mountain biking while teaching life skills, character development and, most of all, leadership. Since joining the scouts in fifth grade, Watanabe has gained many new skills to add to his toolbox, from cooking to swimming.

   “I have had a lot of amazing moments and played a lot of games,” Watanabe said. “And it means a lot to me that I am able to see these people and grow with them, and learn skills such as lighting fires using sharp objects.”

   Now, after five years of completing projects, attending scout meetings, and going to campouts, Watanabe is putting all his skills together to obtain the Eagle Scout rank. To achieve this, Watanabe has to earn at least 25 merit badges, take on a leadership position, and, finally, complete his Eagle Project, a service project that helps a school or community. For his project, Watanabe decided to partner with Grassroots Ecology, a non-profit organization based in Palo Alto that helps maintain wildlife.

   “They said they needed help to have restoration to their birdhouses, so I am both rebuilding the bird houses and willow staking the river nearby to help restore the environment,” Watanabe said.

   In conducting this project, Watanabe has learned many valuable leadership skills, which include directing members of his troop and mentoring a number of Pinewood students.

   “I learned it’s very hard to manage a large number of people,” Watanabe said. “And you sometimes have to delegate to other people in order to get a large amount of tasks done.”

   As Watanabe gets closer to reaching his goal, he is able to reflect on his journey and how far he’s come.

   “I admire anyone who reaches such a high position because I know how much effort and dedication it takes to reach such a level,” Watanabe said. “And it’s something way in the sky that I feel is very much in reach with me now, but I did not believe that when I started.”