Sean Brennan, Evan Frazier, Aidan Jones and Carter Wijangco joined the Cub Scouts when they were in the first-grade at Naperville’s May Watts Elementary School.
More than a decade later, the four are not only set to graduate high school this year, they each attained the rank of Eagle Scout, something only 8% of all Scouts accomplished in 2019, according to Boy Scouts of America data.
This weekend, the Troop 75 teens are being recognized at an Eagle Court of Honor at Good Shepherd Church in Naperville. Another celebration will be held Feb. 18 by the St. Charles-based Three Fires Council.
“It feels like it’s all coming full circle, from our first meeting as first-graders to now high school seniors,” said Brennan, 18, a senior at Metea Valley High School. “Being able to be proud of ourselves for not only becoming (Eagle Scouts) but all the experiences we had.”
In recognition of what they accomplished, the four returned to May Watts in January to reminisce about their experiences as Scouts.
“It was such a long time ago but there were core memories made (in elementary school) with these kids I grew up with,” said Frazier, 18, a senior at Benet Academy. “For all of us to come back and visit after all this time, it was definitely nostalgic.”
Frazier’s and Jones’ Eagle projects benefited their old school.
Frazier, who attends Metea Valley, built two picnic tables for use outside the school with the help of some volunteer help while Jones, who goes to Benet Academy, built two stands for the school, one that’s outside and allows students to take and return books and the other installed inside the teachers’ lounge.
May Watts Principal Brian LeCrone met with the teens to discuss their ideas and gave them permission to build them for school use. Both additions have popular with students and staff, he said.
The school never expected two Eagle projects in the same year let alone projects being done by two former students who attended the school at the same time years earlier, LeCrone said.
“It’s obviously impressive and I’m kind of proud that we have four kids that went through our school and understood the importance of giving back to their communities,” he said.
For his project, Wijangco built fish cribs that were placed in the DuPage County Forest Preserve’s Rice and Round Meadow lakes, while Brennan built baseball helmet and bat boxes that were installed at the Naperville Park District’s Knoch Park baseball fields.
Brennan’s work earned him a KidsMatter Naperville Youth Service Award.
His mom, Cindy Brennan, said the project was approved in March 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic.
“It was kind of tough for these boys,” she said. “They had to delay their fundraisers and had supply shortages they had to deal with.”
That said, Sean Brennan said what he encountered ended up being a good experience.
“I learned a lot more about communication and perseverance,” he said.
