UNION – Owen Weber, of Union, a member of Troop 200 at the First Congregational Church in Camden, has earned the Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award, the highest rank attainable within the national organization.

Weber, 14, is the son of Ed and Susan Weber of Union and is a freshman at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro.

The path to becoming an Eagle Scout includes earning 21 merit badges based on learning specialized skills, leadership responsibilities, community volunteerism, and culminating with successfully completing a service project for a religious institution, school, or the community.

For his Eagle Scout project, Weber chose to create new and improved composting bins to complement the existing ones at the Medomak Middle School.

He stated in his project proposal that, “the bins are constantly filled so there would not be enough room to continue composting for awhile.” 

He said: “My project will be helpful and beneficial because it will reduce the amount of compostable materials we throw away when composting bins are full. It will also benefit the school’s garden, by allowing the composted materials to be used which feed nutrients to the plants, making them grow faster.”

Weber worked with Colleen Jacques, a teacher at Medomak Middle School, the point person for composting, recycling, and gardening projects.  

“I was pleased to learn of Owen's interest in building compost bins for the school,” she said. “We have always composted, but our bins are forever in disrepair. He spoke to the composting crew to find out how much we compost each day. Owen used this information to make decisions on his designs.”

Achieving the rank of an Eagle Scout is a longstanding family tradition with Weber. His great grandfather, two uncles, father, and several cousins were all Eagle Scouts. Weber’s sister, Anna, is a Girl Scout.

Weber has been involved with the Boy Scouts since he joined the organization as a Tiger Cub in first grade.  

Besides his achievements in scouting, Weber has pursued his musical interests in school. He plays the flute and tenor saxophone in the school’s Jazz Band, was selected for the District III Honors Band and was recently on stage for the school’s production of “Shrek the Musical.”

Weber also balances his community service with keeping academics as a priority. This past May, he traveled to Colorado with the Medomak Valley Science Team and competed in the National Science Olympiad Competition. He was also recently named to the first quarter honor roll with high honors.

Weber said that he has enjoyed several outdoor scouting programs over the years including camping, learning survival skills, summer camps and even dodging bugs. 

A memorable experience was attending the 2017 National Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

“My favorite thing about scouting is the brotherhood and second family that it provides,” he said.

And, in a society where it can sometimes feel like teenagers and technology are inseparable, there are youth that value the enjoyment of the outdoors, often times beyond the reach of a cell phone tower.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com