John Burns Named The

54th Eagle Scout From Troop 270

On March 25, Troop 270 inducted its 54th Eagle Scout, John Burns.

The special Court of Honor was held at Newtown Meeting house. The Sunday afternoon event was attended by many family and friends of John, as well as the members of Troop 270.

The Eagle Scout award is Scouting’s highest honor and is earned only by a few who participate in Scouting. The ceremony was very much a family affair as John’s brothers acted as Masters of Ceremonies for the event. John’s brothers, Michael and Dan, added a humorous touch to the ceremony as they praised their brother’s accomplishment in a light-hearted way.

John also has several cousins who are Eagle Scouts, and they participated in the ceremony as well. A family friend sang “God Bless America” to open the proceedings.

During the ceremony the Eagle Scout has an opportunity to address the audience. John recalled a time when he went to summer camp and did not finish any merit badges while at camp. He used this to illustrate to all the younger scouts in the audience that even though a Scout may falter in the beginning, he should not be disheartened. The ultimate goal of Eagle Scout is still possible, he said.

Perseverance and determination can make up for early failures and we can learn from those missteps. John said. He used the letter he wrote to his parents from his first summer camp six years ago as the prop for his speech.

John’s Eagle Project was maintaining and upgrading a large portion of the trail in Newtown known as Al’s Trail. This project included clearing undesirable brush and creating a stone path with steps on a section near a stream. A stone footbridge was also created in order to help a stream crossing.

John has participated in scouting for ten years. During this time he earned many awards including Cub Scouting’s highest award, The Arrow of Light. He is a graduate of Newtown High School, Class of 2006, and is currently a student at the University of Massachusetts.