If you were at the Capitol Rotunda on Monday afternoon, you may had a chance to see many of the future leaders of our state.
About 200 young men, including some from Jefferson City, have reached the pinnacle of one of the nation's premier leadership training organizations - the Boy Scouts of America.
The Scouts, from central and northeastern Missouri, were honored at a Capitol ceremony on Monday for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
Statistically, they are in the upper 4 percent of all Scouts - the cream of the crop.
They've been trained in many specific skills, but they've also gained invaluable experience in something at least as important: leadership.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, an Eagle Scout himself, congratulated the Scouts, telling them their accomplishment was "no easy feat."
Eagle Scout Brian Kirchhoff, a junior at Helias Catholic High School, echoed Ashcroft's sentiments, saying: "It takes a wide variety of talents that you have to acquire," plus qualities like hard work and perseverance.
To qualify for the Eagle rank, Scouts must earn 21 merit badges out of 135 that are available. Unlike the stereotype, those merit badges aren't limited to outdoor activities. One, for instance, was in oceanography. Others range from game design to nuclear science.
Scouts also must plan, develop and lead a service project that helps a religious institution, school or other part of their community.
Ben Scott, another local Eagle Scout who was honored, designed and built understage storage trundles for items like chairs and Christmas decorations at Moreau Heights Elementary School. The "full-on engineering project" took a lot of late nights he said, adding that he was glad to have the opportunity to do it.
Many Scouts have gone on to do great things on this planet, and even beyond our planet. Before Neil Armstrong became an astronaut and the first person to walk on the moon, he was an Eagle Scout. So far, Gerald Ford was the sole U.S. president to have been an Eagle Scout.
To all the new Eagle Scouts in the Great Rivers Council, we commend you for reaching an exceptional milestone in an exceptional organization. You have great futures ahead of you, and we look forward to seeing what you do next.