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Kids & Family

Three Eagle Scouts Honored in Scotts Valley

Scotts Valley High School students Ricky Recsoatmodjo, Austin Brockmann, and Brett Perry are named Eagle Scouts.

Austin Brockmann, Brett Perry, and Ricky Reksoatmodjo of Scotts Valley Boy Scout Troop 604 were honored on Saturday in an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony at the Community Church of the Covenant. The Eagle Scout honor is the highest badge of achievement in Boy Scouts, and all three of the boys have been involved in Boy Scouts since an early age.

Mayor Donna Lind attended the ceremony, as well as representatives from the Order of the Arrow. 

The three boys, who will be seniors in at Scotts Valley High in the fall, all gave speeches about scouting and what it means to them. 

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Brockmann gave a humorous speech in which he stated that the most valuable lesson he learned in scouting was to be prepared.

"This is taught through a lot of trial and error, and a lot of error on my part," said Brockmann, who learned the hard way that if he forgets to bring his rain gear on a camping trip it will rain, and to check his sleeping bag for broken zippers before unrolling it on the first night of the camping trip.

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"It's really an ongoing process," Brockmann said. 

Perry gave a riveting account of the highlights of his scouting career, which included trying to build an auto mail alert for the Inventing Badge, and the Nuclear Science project, which involved building a cloud chamber to check radiation. Then there was the backpacking trip the troop took from Alaska to Canada last summer.

“I'll never forget that trip, it was the thrill of my life," Perry said. 

For Reksoatmodjo, scouting is a legacy in his family, and his great grandfather started a troop for Chinese American boys in San Diego.

"It's a frame of mind that I live by," Reksoatmodjo said. "It's taught me how to be a good citizen, and be respectful toward each other."

Lind spoke at the ceremony and commended the boys for their work, saying that the beliefs and skills taught in scouting are invaluable. Lind added that scouting is a way for parents to keep kids out of trouble and on the right track in life as well.

"If they've achieved Eagle Scout, they're a cut above the rest. It really makes me proud, from the law enforcement end, to see these kids achieving. The leadership skills, the first aid, the morals and ethics, all of the things learned in scouting," Lind said. 

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