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Christopher and Michael Becker
Eagle Scouts
Brothers
Michael
Allen Becker and Christopher
Allen Becker were awarded the Boy Scout
of America’s highest
rank, Eagle Scout, during a Court of
Honor on March 4, 2007.
The
twin brothers are the sons of Allen and
Anita Becker of New Hill, North
Carolina. At 15 years old, the
brothers officially earned the
rank of Eagle Scout on December 13,
2006. They are now the
52nd
and 53rd Eagle Scouts of BSA Troop 216,
which meets at Saint Michael
the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary
and is under the leadership of
Scoutmaster Bob DeContreras.
The
Court
of Honor was held at Saint Mary
Magdalene Church and School in Apex,
North Carolina. Maternal
grandparents Ernie and Mary Ciarniello
of Poland, Ohio and paternal
grandparents George and Liz Becker of
Venice, Florida were present at
the ceremony. Also attending the
ceremony was Rod Ruiz,
Headmaster of Saint Thomas More Academy
in Raleigh where the boys
attend high school. Tom Brawn,
Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop
216, was Master of Ceremony. In
all, more than one hundred
people
including many Boy Scouts, relatives and
family friends were witness to
the boy’s outstanding achievement.
Several
Troop
216 scouts participated in the
ceremony. Life Scout Christopher
Hibbard delivered the
invocation
and the closing prayer. Fellow
Eagle Scout Gary Meyer
described
the rank advancement requirements for
the trail to Eagle. The Honor
Guard was comprised of Life Scout Brian
DeContreras, Life Scout Alex
Brawn, Eagle Scout Kevin Mulder and Star
Scout David Harmon.
Allen Becker, the twin’s father,
presented them with flags
which
Senator Richard Burr had flown for them
over the United States Capitol
Building in Washington, DC in
recognition of their Eagle Scout
award. Mr. Charles Fossett, the
Past Exalted Ruler of the
Cary
Apex Elks Lodge Number 2798, presented
the boys with a certificate and
flag. Also, Mr. Todd Ellis,
Charter Organization
Representative
for Troop 216 and Knights of Columbus
member at St. Michael’s
Church, presented each of the boys with
an engraved pen.
Letters
of commendation were received from many
dignitaries including President
Bush, Vice President Cheney, Senator
Dole, Senator Burr and E. Neville
Isdell, CEO of Coca Cola.
Both
Michael
and Christopher began their scouting
careers in 1999 as Bobcats with Pack 316
at St. Andrew the Apostle
Catholic Church in Apex and successfully
earned all of the Cub Scout
ranks. The Arrow of Light award
was received in February 2003
and
the boys bridged to BSA Troop 216 in
March 2003.
Both
boys
have been very involved in Boy Scout
Troop 216. Michael has held the
leadership positions of Quartermaster,
Troop Guide, Scribe, Patrol Leader, and
Assistant Patrol Leader, while
Christopher has held the leadership
positions of Quartermaster and
Scribe. In April 2005, they
were both inducted into
the
Order of the Arrow. Michael and
Christopher earned the
Catholic
Religious Award, Ad Altare Dei in
February 2006 and in July 2006 they
attended Philmont, the high adventure
Boy Scout camp in Cimarron, New
Mexico where they spent 10 days
backpacking over 65 miles.
Michael, a certified BSA Lifeguard, has
completed 28 merit badges and
Christopher has completed 24. In
order to reach the rank of
Eagle
Scout, 21 merit badges must be earned,
12 of which are Eagle required.
As
required
by the Boy Scouts of America, a
candidate for Eagle Scout must plan,
develop, and give leadership to
others while providing a service to the
community. For his
project, Christopher designed and then
led eight scouts in the
construction of six moveable flower
boxes of varying sizes for use at
the Glenaire Retirement Center in Cary,
NC. Christopher
Meyer, a
Committee Member in Troop 216, was Eagle
Advisor. The flower boxes will
brighten up windows on new wing being
built at the center and are built
at a height which will allow wheelchair
residents an opportunity to
plant flowers themselves.
For
his
Eagle Scout project, Michael led a group
of more than twenty scouts and friends
in a landscaping project at
Saint Mary Magdalene School in Apex,
NC. Tim Kearby,
Quartermaster for Troop 216, was his
Eagle advisor. The end
result of this project was a smooth path
allowing parents pushing
strollers from the street up the hill to
the school to circumvent two
sets of stairs and it provided improved
drainage.
Both
Michael and
Christopher, ninth graders and
honor students at St. Thomas More
Academy in Raleigh, are involved in
tennis and band. In August, they
will be attending Sea Base,
a
high adventure Boy Scout camp in Key
West, Florida.
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