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Four friends from same scout troop achieve rank of Eagle

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From the left, Kitchell Garey, Nick Gilbank, Tyler Schoff and Daniel Pessoa of Janesville sit on the stage of the United Autoworkers Hall in Janesville during their Eagle Scout ceremony earlier this month. The four are the first scouts to reach Eagle status in Troop 595 since 2002.

JANESVILLE — Becoming an Eagle Scout is no easy feat. It takes time, dedication and character, something Scoutmaster Rodney Katz of Janesville said Kitchell Garey, Nick Gilbank, Tyler Schoff and Daniel Pessoa have in abundance.

“These four young men, they’re exceptional,” said Katz. And he should know – he’s been a scoutmaster for 50 years.

On Jan. 10, the four Janesville scouts were honored with the Boy Scouts’ highest status, the rank of Eagle Scout. Members of Glaciers Edge Council Boy Scout Troop 595 of Janesville, the friends have encouraged one another over the years, making it that much easier to attain their goal.

“We were always pushing each other,” explained Tyler Schoff. “It’s always been our goal to attain Eagle.”

In order to attain Eagle Scout status, a scout must earn 21 merit badges and complete a final project, before the age of 18.

Garey’s final project was trimming and rebuilding part of the disc golf course at Rustic Park.

“Being a senior in high school, I was kind of swamped,” Gilbank said. “The hardest part was probably just getting that last step done.”

His final project was installing informational signs and concrete benches at the Blackhawk Technical College prairie, which fit in nicely with his buddy Daniel Pessoa’s project: Pessoa cleaned out and laid down a wood-chip trail in the same area.

Schoff’s project was building a playhouse for the children at House of Mercy, a homeless shelter.

Read the full story in the Jan. 24, 2010 Janesville Messenger, HERE.