Grant Ho/Troop 30 Eagle Scout Deion Howe (left) presents a mentor pin to Scoutmaster Doug Syer and Assistant Scoutmaster Ian Clark. The mentor pin is presented to a leader who guided that scout through the journey to Eagle.
During his time as a Scout in Watertown, Deion Howe has accomplished many thing, and now has reached the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
He joined Troop 30 in 2015, became Senior Patrol Leader, worked on multiple food drives that collected more than 5 tons of food for the Watertown Food Pantry, and worked with his school to create the “Beacon Chill Space,” a paved and furnished patio that allows students at his special needs school.
On April 26, the Watertown City Council honored Howe with a proclamation honoring him for reaching Eagle Scout. Click here to see the proclamation.
“Thank you very much for recognizing me,” Howe said at the Council meeting. “Special thanks to Councilor (John) Gannon for bringing this to the Council’s attention, and for doing physical labor on the day of my Eagle project.”
Watertown Scout Troop 30 provided the following information about Howe becoming an Eagle Scout:
Deion Howe was celebrated in an Eagle Scout ceremony held on the lawn of the Walker Beacon High School, with most of the festivities happening on his Eagle Project.
The ceremony was officiated by Ethan Ho, a Star Scout, and kicked off by Noah, a new scout who played Reveille on the trumpet. Howe, a senior at Beacon High School, created the “Beacon Chill Space,” a patio for students to relax outside, as his Eagle Project.
Grant Ho/Troop 30
Deion Howe, front left, was celebrated as Watertown’s newest Eagle. Eagle Scouts behind him are from left, Taylor Boas, Pack 30 cubmaster; Patricio Pino and Luke Black, former Troop 30 scouts; State Rep. Steve Owens; and Doug Syer, Troop 30 scoutmaster. The master of ceremonies for the day was Star Scout Ethan Ho, center.
Howe received his Eagle Rank on April 12, after a board of review with officials from scouting’s Sons of Liberty district. To earn the rank of Eagle, he needed to earn seven ranks and at least 21 merit badges.
Howe’s April 30 ceremony wrapped up a week of events: Tuesday he was honored by Watertown’s councilors who presented him a citation; Thursday was a Troop 30 court of honor, where scouts earning their ranks and merit badges then learned to sew them onto their shirts. Howe presented pins to his parents, and pins to two mentors, Scoutmaster Doug Syer and Assistant Scoutmaster Ian Clark during the ceremony.
Howe, who first joined Troop 30 in 2015, first earned the Swimming merit badge, the first of six water-related merit badges he’s earned. He was the first scout in Troop 30 to earn the National Aquatics Award, and he reports his favorite badge ever was the Scuba merit badge, despite the requirement that he answer 109 pages of questions and get both certified in CPR and scuba diving, merits recognized outside scouting.
Howe works particularly well with kids with special needs, and has served as Den Chief, mentoring Cub Scouts who eventually joined his BSA scouting troop. He has served as Quartermaster, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and now as Senior Patrol Leader, the scout who leads the entire troop.
Through scouting, Howe became a regular volunteer at the Watertown Food Pantry. He’s become a babysitter specializing in a particular kind of kid, and is currently training to be a lifeguard this summer. He will be attending the University of Massachusetts in the fall.
Troop 30 is open to all kids in Watertown, Allston and Brighton who are near the end of fifth grade right up until their 18th birthday. For more information on how we teach outdoor skills, citizenship and conservation, see troop30bsa.com