Good morning: Caesar Rodney senior stretches his wings by earning Eagle Scout ranking

By Mike Finney
Posted 12/8/21

CAMDEN — Carlton Passley, a senior at Caesar Rodney High School, has some high-flying aspirations upon gradation next spring: He is aiming to join the Aviation Program at Delaware State University.

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Good morning: Caesar Rodney senior stretches his wings by earning Eagle Scout ranking

Posted

CAMDEN — Carlton Passley, a senior at Caesar Rodney High School, has some high-flying aspirations upon gradation next spring: He is aiming to join the Aviation Program at Delaware State University.

However, for now, Carlton is concentrating on other life goals, such as becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest attainable ranking in the Boy Scouts of America, which he accomplished in October.

The 17-year-old’s Eagle Scout project consisted of constructing a pair of multi-stream recycling stations for Wyoming United Methodist Church at 216 Wyoming Mill Road.

“Under the current single-stream recycling laws in Delaware, glass, paper, cans and plastic bottles are all transferred into a large recycling dumpster,” Carlton said, “but with these multi-stream stations, the church will be ready for whenever multi-stream recycling may be introduced in Delaware.

“At the church’s events, they just always have a ton of recycling waste that ended up going in the trash because the recycle bins were too small. So I made the recycle centers, so they could accommodate more to recycle.”

Carlton’s Eagle Scout ceremony will take place in February.

At that time, he will officially be joining select company, as only 4% of Boy Scouts of America’s current population of 2.2 million members reach the prestigious status of Eagle Scout.

Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges.

In addition, the prospective Eagle Scout must show “Scout Spirit,” an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service and leadership. This includes an extensive project the scout plans, organizes, leads and manages — just like Carlton’s recycling bins.

Carlton already enjoys the respect he has been receiving from other scouts.

“It feels pretty cool, especially when I’m at meetings. It feels like I’m a good role model for the other scouts,” he said. “I can really show them everything that they can accomplish and (that) being an Eagle Scout can be beneficial to you later, too.”

Carlton’s mother, Renate Purdy, said participating in scout activities for the past 12 years has molded her son into who he is and made a profound impact on his life.

“Carlton has learned so much through his years in scouting,” Ms. Purdy said. “He was shaped into the wonderfully rounded young man he is today by a great number of dedicated leaders who all outfitted him with a set of life skills and moral values that will help him every step of the way in his future endeavors.

“I could not be prouder of my son now that he has attained the rank of Eagle Scout as the culmination of all his efforts, and (I) remain forever grateful to the countless scouts, parents and leaders — ultimately the organization of BSA itself — for providing this priceless opportunity.”

Carlton credited his stepfather, Bill Purdy, as well as some of his fellow scouts at Troop 109 in Magnolia, for helping him with his project.

“The person that really designed (the recycling centers) was my stepfather, ... and it was just really him and I,” he said. “The people that helped build it, I had boys from my Boy Scout troop help out with it. That’s what I’ve done in the past with other Eagle Scouts. I helped them, so I wanted to continue doing that.”

Carlton said he thinks the leaders at Wyoming United Methodist Church are pleased with his contribution.

“I think (church leaders) like it,” he said. “Pretty much every Sunday, I would have like 10 or 12 people ask me, ‘How’s your Eagle Scout going? How’s everything?’ Now, I finally have it (finished), so I don’t have to answer 12 times. I think they like it a lot.”

Believe it or not, Carlton’s career in the Boy Scouts has not always been such a smooth ride. He began in Cub Scouts 12 years ago with a much larger troop, where he had difficulty finding friends.

His parents suggested that he go to Troop 109, which turned out to be the perfect place for him.

“I wanted to quit originally, when I was like 10 or so, right after I just joined, because I was in a really big troop, and I didn’t feel like I had any friends,” said Carlton. “I found some good friends at Troop 109.”

Perhaps becoming an Eagle Scout will be the lead-in to even greater things, as, in preparation for the Aviation Program at DSU, he is taking flight-instruction lessons at Delaware Airpark in Dover.

Carlton said he feels he was born to fly.

His mother grew up in Augsburg, Germany, close to Munich, and the family usually there to visit once a year, typically over Christmas and New Year’s.

“I like to travel,” he said. “We pretty much go to Germany every year because that’s where my mom is from. One time, I was on the airplane, and I thought it would be pretty cool if this is what I did. I could just be flying everywhere. I can’t really think of anything I would rather do.”

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