MARYSVILLE — Although they’re still in their teen years themselves, Michael Thomas and Jake Hubbert were both recognized for their service on behalf of other youth by being awarded the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America.
Hubbert joined the Boy Scouts at the age of 11, while Thomas joined at the age of 12, but now, the two 15-year-olds are already Eagle Scouts, after having completed their service projects.
Cathe Reid, Thomas’ mother, believes that each boy has grown into a young man in his own way, and that their service projects reflected their divergent paths, with Hubbert taking a more construction-oriented approach to community improvement, while Thomas focused more on interpersonal relationships.
Hubbert coordinated the replacement of a collapsed log bridge at the Deering Wildflower Acres Park, while Thomas created a set of games for Marysville preschoolers and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program students. In both cases, the Scouts were tasked with submitting proposals for their projects before they’d even begun, complete with estimated start and finish dates, hours required to complete their projects and costs that they expected to incur.
“I met with [city of Marysville] Parks and Recreation Manager Mike Robinson for my project, and recruited businesses to sponsor it,” Hubbert said. “We received donations to build it and were able to complete it within 75 hours.”
“When Michael delivered his games to the kids at Sunshine Preschool, the ladies there started crying,” Reid said. “He did find out that little boys don’t like to color as much as they like to cut things out and build them, though.”
Reid has seen her own son come out of his shell from the quiet and reserved boy he used to be, and she praised both him and Hubbert for maturing a great deal within a relatively short span of time in the Boy Scouts.
“The leaders really push the boys to make a difference,” Reid said. “It keeps them involved and motivated.”
Thomas and Hubbert may have joined the Scouts for different reasons, but both agreed that achieving their Eagle rank was far from the end of their time as Scouts. Thomas has enjoyed developing his outdoor survival skills, while Hubbert finds the organization and “American way” of Scouting itself to be appealing, and they were equally thrilled to receive American flags that had flown over Washington, D.C., courtesy of U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen’s office.
“It’s a great experience,” Hubbert said. “It’s nationally recognized as very positive.”
“It’s helped me become more social and make more friends,” Thomas said. “I can communicate more easily now.”
“And their journey’s not over yet,” Reid said.
