By Staff Report
Corey Tappan of Valrico, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout, was recently recognized for his outstanding achievement during a Court of Honor held for him in the fall.
Tappan, a 2013 Honor Graduate of Newsome High School, worked the first part of this year on a design and secured the needed donations to rebuild an outdoor stage for the Masonic Youth Camp in Wimauma. “This project will benefit a lot of local youth, including the scouts from my original Pack,” said Tappan. “I knew it really needed to be fixed and I’m glad I was able to do something that will be around hopefully for a long time.” The stage was constructed in two phases. The build phase took place off site and consisted of building the deck and prepping the stairs for installation. The second phase occurred over a long weekend and began with the demolition of the old, dilapidated structure. The new deck was then put into place and two sets of stairs were added.
Tappan, a current member of Troop 665, has been in scouting 12 years. He started his journey with Pack 604 as a first-grader and has continued his quest for Eagle with a number of close friends. A total of 10 scouts crossed-over from Pack 604 into Troop 665 in the spring of 2006 and to date, six of those 10 have earned the rank of Eagle, with a seventh expected before this summer. “This is an extraordinary accomplishment,” said Scott Tappan, Corey’s father. Scott is the past Cub master of Pack 604 and a current Assistant Scout Master with Boy Scout Troop 665. “Nationally, only about four percent of Boy Scouts earn the rank of Eagle. To have 70 percent of a group earn this honor is truly amazing!”
“Scouting has a profoundly positive effect on our youth, their families, the scout leadership and the community,” continues Corey’s father. “Those leaders and families that become involved soon find themselves fully engaged in the giving that is Scouting-and are surprised at how much they actually receive in return.”
Corey plans on studying Biotechnical Engineering and Business at the University of South Florida or the University of Florida, with academic scholarships in the fall. Troop 665 meets at the Oakwood Baptist Church, 540 S. Oakwood Ave., in Brandon, on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. For more information, please www.troop665.net.
