Photos courtesy of Zeb Grant
By Matt de Simone
Lord Botetourt senior Zeb Grant recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Grant began his journey as a Boy Scout at age 11 with Troop 333 in Fincastle. He is the son of Granville and Melissa Grant.
“I had always dreamed of becoming an Eagle Scout,” Grant said in a recent email. “I have many great experiences with scouts such as meeting new people and learning new things, but one in particular is getting to go to the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia which was the largest scout camp I’ve been to.”
The Summit is a training, Scouting, and adventure center for millions of youth and adults involved in the Boy Scouts of America and home of the National Scout Jamboree every summer.
Grant earned his Eagle Scout requirements progressively over the years, noting earning his Life Scout was an important point in his Scouting career. He explained that “earning Life Scout was really where the hard work gets put in.”
Grant has had support along the way noting his parents’ being there along the way to earning his Eagle.
“(My mother and father) have always been very supportive of me and I could not have achieved the rank of Eagle without them, especially all the hard work my dad put in to help me,” Grant shared. “I could not have gained my Eagle Scout without everyone in my Scouting career such as Troop 211 (Daleville) and Troop 333 along with my pastor, Chuck Miller of Wheatland Lutheran Church.”
Grant’s Eagle Scout project was building a prayer labyrinth 41 feet in diameter at Wheatland Lutheran. The labyrinth consists of 117 slate stepping stones, white decorative stones, and brick chips. Grant and his fellow scouts put in a total of 477 hours into the project.
Looking ahead, Grant begins to prepare for life as an Eagle Scout, following his high school career. He plans on going to a college to earn a degree while still staying involved in Boy Scouts and remaining an encouraging voice for anyone who is thinking about joining.
“I apply a lot of what I do from scouts—that’s anything from knowing how to depend on myself while camping to being kind and respectful and helping make our community a better place.”