Cyrus Simmons, 16, Makes Eagle Scout

According to research done in 2015, the average percent of Boy Scouts who actually make Eagle Scout was a surprising 6 percent.

Over the last few months, our small town of Williamsburg has garnered three with Cyrus Simmons becoming the third Eagle Scout since 2008.

Zachariah Richardson became Eagle Scout in 2019 and Joseph Kunsman in 2020.

Simmons is the 16-year-old son of Mike and Peggy Simmons and has an older brother, Dalton. Simmons is active in band and chorus at Williamsburg High School along with National Honor Society, Quiz Bowl, cross-country and track.

Simmons says he started in the Scout program more than 11 years ago – starting as a Tiger. He joked they showed items such as white-water rafting to recruit youngsters back in the day. He also followed in his brother's footsteps, who was also active in the Boy Scouts.

One of the major items of receiving the rank of Eagle Scout is an Eagle Scout project, which Simmons and his father estimate is roughly 20 percent of the requirements. Simmons toured Fort Roberdeau with his father during Revolutionary Days where they first encountered Roberdeau Director Glenn Nelson. During the conversation, it was made mention that Simmons was thinking of ideas for his Eagle Scout project – and Nelson had the idea of interpretive signs for the site's colonial garden, which was being expanded and revamped.

Simmons loved the idea and soon got started. The process in all, Simmons says, "took a little over a year."

First, the idea had to be submitted for approval by a three-person committee; next, was fundraising. Simmons said selling Marianna hoagies and a car wash for garnering most of his funds for the estimated $3,000 project.

Simmons also said that Fort Roberdeau gave money to the project along with area VFWs and Sons of Liberty. The two signs displayed now in the garden show the process of weaving flax into linen and the Three Sisters – the three crops Native Americans grew because of the wealth of resources such as soil which are corn, beans and squash.

"I learned how important it is to talk to different people – everyone thinks differently – and you got to be able to talk to different types of people," Simmons said of the project.

Another part of becoming an Eagle Scout is earning a total of 21 badges – 13 of which are required and the other eight are based on likes and hobbies.

Simmons said badges such as cooking and first aid are required ones whereas his "favorites" – orienteering and archer – are not. Simmons actually became an Eagles Palm because of the number of badges that he has received, an estimated 40-plus.

Other requirements are a biography letter, letters of recommendation, a small conference between a potential Eagle Scout candidate and another Scout Master and then a board of review with five adults.

Advice for younger scouts? Simmons said, "Just keep going, it gets dull, I will admit. In the end, it is worth it. The benefits of being an Eagle Scout are great and it also looks great on a resume."

Although a junior at WHS, Simmons hopes after graduation he can attend Saint Francis University with either a major in criminal justice or IT.

When thinking about his time in the Scouts program, Simmons said that he needed to thank his Scout Master, Andre Merritts, 80 percent of the time in Scouts.

"Without him, I wouldn't have gotten this far – he's such a great motivator," Simmons said.