After the last nail is hammered into the ever-anticipated final product and the closing speech is made at the Court of Honor, a Boy Scout knows that his journey is never actually over; his legacy as a leader is only beginning.  

Senior Nick Tharrington has been an active member of his scouting community since a young age and made the final leap towards Eagle Scout this past year. The project was completed at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church, Troop 5’s headquarters.

“In order to give back to the community quite a few Eagle Scouts like to do their projects where [their troops] meet,” Ed Tharrington, Nick’s father and Troop 5 Assistant Scoutmaster said.

Mandy Duguid, an involved worker at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church, supplied Nick with the idea of a composting bin when she and a volunteer in the kitchen noticed that a large amount of produce scraps were being thrown away.

“I remember Nick and Ed talking about wanting to do a project at the church so he could give back,” Duguid said. “Nick came to me, and we discussed the idea further and where we could put [the composting bin] to be the most accessible for everyone.”

The effect of the composter is already visible within the Wake Forest Presbyterian Church community.

“The composter makes nutritious soil,” Nick Tharrington said. “We have Wednesday night dinner at our church, so the food from there will go in the composter. In a couple of months, the soil will go into the gardens around the church.”

To earn the rank of an Eagle, a Boy Scout must got through an extensive, multi-step process including passing the idea through a board of trustees and mapping out all plans to move through with the project.  

“I got the idea for it in Fall 2015,” Nick Tharrington said. “And started in February of this year. [The construction] took two or three weeks to finish.”

Throughout the time of the project, Tharrington acquired a plethora of skills along with the honor.

“Leadership is a huge thing. You can’t get the whole job done by yourself; you have to delegate jobs to other people,” Nick Tharrington said. “You never know when you’ll need to lead a group of people.”

The completion of an Eagle project demonstrates characteristics learned throughout a Boy’s experience within Scouts. Nick held the honor of senior patrol leader for six months in his troop, the highest ranking and time intensive position within the troop.

“I saw him grow a lot as a leader,” Ed Tharrington said. “Being able to run a meeting, being able to talk to adults on a one to one basis instead of like a kid. He grew up a lot in that experience and also the [Eagle Project] as well. I’m very proud of him.”

The ranking of Eagle Scout is the highest honor a youth can receive. Notable Eagle scouts include Neil Armstrong, Willie Banks and Gerald Ford. The success of each and every prior Eagle Scout continually paves the way for each succeeding.

“I’ve worked so hard for this, but compared to other Eagle Scouts, I’ve only just begun,” Nick Tharrington said. “Now that I’m a part of this very respected group of individuals, I feel as though I need to make a difference in the world.”