Four members of all-girls Boy Scout troop set to earn Eagle Scout status in Hamilton

Mitchell Boatman, The Holland Sentinel
·2 min read

HEATH TWP. — Hamilton's all-girls BSA (Boy Scouts of America) Troop 333 has been busy.

In the past year, four members of the troop have completed Eagle projects, with two reaching Eagle Scout status and two more on the way.

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Troop 333 is an all-girls troop based in Hamilton. The sister troop of all-boys Troop 33 in Hamilton was formed in June 2019, a few months after the Boy Scouts of America allowed for formation of girls’ troops to follow the “Boy Scouts” model.

Troop 333 celebrated its first Eagle Scout this summer and had another earn the rank, the highest advancement in BSA, this month. Two additional scouts have completed their Eagle project and are on their way to Eagle status.

Jocelyn Bruesch was the first scout in the troop to become an Eagle Scout, doing so in June 2022. She created benches and added landscaping to two cemeteries in Ganges Township last October.

Earlier this month, her sister — Julia Bruesch — earned Eagle status as well. Julia added steps to a steep incline on a trail at River Bluff Park in Saugatuck Township. She completed the project in May.

Katie Chalmers and Alyssa Franck are finishing up requirements to become Eagle Scouts — and both have finished their projects.

Chalmers created Mental Wellness Care Kits in August for students at middle and high schools in Zeeland. Franck worked with the Outdoor Discovery Center to install a rain garden at Hamilton’s Blue Star Elementary School in September.

Eagle Scout projects are planned and executed by scouts with the help of other scouts, troop leaders and parents. They must come up with the idea, create a plan, present that plan to local boards as needed, determine resources, fundraise and lead the project.

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In order to earn the prestigious award of Eagle Scout, candidates must earn 21 merit badges, show leadership within their troop and successfully complete their service project benefiting a community, church or synagogue. Chalmers and Franck are expected to be approved as Eagle Scouts by the end of 2022.

For more information on Troop 333, visit hamiltontroop333.wordpress.com.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Four members of all-girls Boy Scout troop set to earn Eagle Scout status in Hamilton