Rocky Mount Academy is home to many Scouts dedicated to bettering our community, and one way to do that is to work toward the highest honors offered by Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA. An Eagle Scout is the highest rank a Boy Scout can reach, while the Gold Award is the highest achievement for Girl Scouts and is earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Both take hard work, planning, and many leadership hours, so not all Scouts reach this point. 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, while statistically only 2% of Boy Scouts complete their Eagle Scout project. To obtain the recognition of completing an Eagle Project or Gold Award is commendable by any standards, and it is with great pride that we acknowledge Will Tharin, Harrison Vaughn, Cooper Stutts, Parker Sherrod, Nicholas Du Pont, Mary Kimbrell Livermon,Riley Bowles, Anna and Emma Everette, and Carley Outlaw for either having completed or being in the process of completing their projects. Below are brief summaries of their projects. 

Will Tharin, a senior, is a Boy Scout of ten years who raised over $4,000 to help aid in his project, which improved a local nursing home. Tharin removed and replaced all of the old flower beds then purchased two rocking chairs, three umbrellas with stands, and a new hose and reel for the garden. He ended up having about $2,000 left over, which he donated to the home. The additions to the nursing home are sure to provide residents and visitors with a more pleasurable experience.

Cooper Stutts raised over $1,000 to aid in renovating the courtyard of another local nursing home. Stutts displayed his leadership skills by conducting a team that was able to successfully re-landscape the grounds, which has improved the atmosphere of the home and brings residents of the nursing home joy each day. 

Senior Harrison Vaughn, for the completion of his Eagle Project, also landscaped the grounds of Covenant Homes, which is a retirement community. He even installed solar panels to help give the property a source of renewable, cost-efficient energy. Vaughn raised the funds for his project by selling ferns and through generous donations. He has taken on a prominent role in his troop for over ten years and plans on continuing his role in bettering the community for years to come.

Boy Scout Parker Sherrod, a junior, raised $7,000 to create a memorial to honor five law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. Sherrod added the names of fallen officers to the Fraternal Order of Police Memorial on the Nash County Courthouse grounds.

Nicolas Du Pont is a sophomore who is completing his Eagle Scout project right here at Rocky Mount Academy. Du Pont plans to make improvements to the nature walk RMA created in honor of Dr. K., a beloved science teacher who passed away in 2019.

Senior Mary Kimbrell Livermon, an active member of the Girl Scouts for ten years, completed her Gold Award Project by providing those who are not able to enjoy sports for financial reasons with an opportunity to experience her personal favorite, tennis. Livermon raised money by placing four donation bins around town to collect tennis rackets and having a very successful yard sale. Afterward, she hosted a week-long free tennis clinic and supplied each participant with a tennis racket, a can of tennis balls, and a brochure further explaining how to play. Livermon notes, “I also took rackets and cans of balls to the Boys and Girls Club in order for kids to sign out tennis rackets and balls without having to purchase them.” She hopes that she was able to foster the love for tennis in the younger generation of our community. 

Riley Bowles, a senior, has been a fellow member of Mary Kimbrell’s Girl Scout Troop for ten years as well. Together they hosted a yard sale, where Bowles earned about $500 and decided to use her funds to purchase supplies to assemble craft kits for children who are waiting in the emergency room at Nash-UNC hospital. She hopes that the kits will ease anxiety and provide the children some relief as they await treatment. Bowles created tutorials on different crafts and uploaded them to her own website. She states, “Mental health is really important to me. This project targets the mental well-being of young children who are scared and need a way to find peace after being in a situation that caused them to end up in the emergency room.” Bowles plans to become a children’s speech therapist one day so she can carry over the empathy and compassion learned from her project into her career. 

Anna and Emma Everette, both seniors, are gearing up to begin their projects and make their own impact on our community. Anna plans to create a sensory garden for the Exceptional Children’s class at Rocky Mount Academy. Her twin sister Emma hopes to teach underprivileged children dental hygiene and care. 

Lastly, for my own project, I partnered with the Lighthouse Home, a local women’s shelter, to introduce an art program to help residents channel their creativity and tune into their emotions through their artwork. I hosted a fundraiser at First Presbyterian Church with Mari Robin Tharin and sold plates of spaghetti; we were able to raise over $2,000. I asked the women to create pieces based on each step in the Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step Program. Their work has been compiled into a coloring book that can be used worldwide and in the Home for years to come. Along with this, I am painting a mural on one of the walls that reflects the Lighthouse Home’s slogan of “leave a light on for you,” meaning that anyone is welcome and will be received with open arms. My hope for my project is that the women who come in and out of the home will fall in love with art as much as I have. 

Congratulations to all of our Scouts who have impacted our community and shown tremendous displays of leadership and hard work!