Community Corner
Eagle Scout Ceremony for Jara, Kiskaddon, Taylor, and Turner
Troop 15 of Piedmont Boy Scout Council is proud to announce that Piedmont High School Seniors Andrew Jara, Wylie Kiskaddon, Henry Taylor, and Braeden Turner have earned the rank of Eagle, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.
Andrew Jara has been involved with scouting since 2005 when he became a cub scout in Den 3. In Troop 15 Andrew has held leadership positions including Den Chief, Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, and Troop Guide.
Highlights of his Scouting experience include participation and leadership in Piedmont Camporees, two 50-mile high Sierra backpacking trips, and completion of National Youth Leadership Training. He has participated in several campouts including snow camping, surfing and white-water rafting. He also participated in the annual Christmas Tree Lot, Piedmont parades, Scouting for Food drives and community service projects for the San Francisco Presidio and Angel Island.
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For his Eagle Project he built and installed nine bird houses and two owl boxes in Oakland’s Morcom Rose Garden, designed to attract the appropriate wildlife that nurture the garden’s ecosystem. He was attracted to the project because it is a beautiful, local park whose maintenance is almost entirely based on volunteer work. In addition to Scouting, Andrew played football for Piedmont High School and was a captain his senior year. He has also worked in food service at the high school which has led to a part-time job at alaMar restaurant in Oakland.
Wylie Kiskaddon was introduced to Scouting as a third grader when he joined Den 3 as a Cub Scout. In Troop 15, he has held leadership positions such as a patrol leader for two years, a Senior Patrol leader, and Troop Guide.
His Scouting highlights include adventuring on two High Sierra hikes, attending the annual Piedmont Camporees, going on the monthly campouts, and being part of the SFBACNYLT, or Brownsea, where he was trained to be a leader in his Troop. He has participated in campouts such as the white-water rafting trip, the Surfing trip, and the Snow Camping trip. His other experiences include participating in the Christmas Tree Lot, once in the Piedmont 4th of July Parade, helping out at Troop 15's Snow Cone booth during the parade, Scouting for Food Drives, and community service projects done at the San Francisco Presidio and Angel Island.
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For Wylie's Eagle Scout Service Project, he built a recess and lunch-time game for the kids at Havens Elementary School, consisting of tubes and ramps which connect to the Playfield's chain link fence to roll balls down at any angle giving different speed choices. The reason why he did this project was because he knew that he wanted to do something for kids. Outside of his Scouting life, Wylie is a long-jumper for Piedmont's Track and Field team, President of his high school's Ukulele Club, and is an enthusiastic musician who plays six instruments, including guitar, piano, bass, ukulele, accordion and the mandolin.
He has been a Troop Representative for Order of the Arrow since 2012.
His Scouting highlights include participation in the annual Piedmont Camporees, participation in monthly campouts, and hiking in the High Sierras. He has participated in the annual Christmas Tree Lot sales, Scouting for Food drives, and service projects on Angel Island and the Presidio.
His Eagle Project consisted of designing and building a cabinet with drawers and sink for the Junior Center for Art and Science in Oakland, California. He is a member of the PHS Honor Society and a PHS Scholar Athlete as a participant in swimming and water polo, and works as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Piedmont Community Pool. He has worked for the past three years as a volunteer with the Piedmont Community Church building houses in Mexico, and is a team leader this coming year.
Braeden Turner has been active in scouting since being a member of Den 3 as a 1st grade cub scout in 2002. In recent years he has held leadership positions in Troop 15 including Den Chief, Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, and Troop Guide. He has been a Troop Representative in the Order of the Arrow since 2013.
His Scouting highlights include participation in the annual Piedmont Camporees, participation in monthly campouts, completion of National Youth Leadership Training Brownsea, Senior Patrol Leader of Cub Scout Summer Day Camp, Staff for Twilight Tiger Cub Camp, and attending the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia in 2010. He has participated in the annual Christmas Tree Lot sales, Scouting for Food drives, and service projects on Angel Island and the Presidio.
His Eagle Project consisted of designing and building five lunch tables for Piedmont Middle School using reclaimed wood from a fallen redwood tree on campus. He is a member of the Piedmont Community Service Venture Crew an organizations falling under the umbrella of Piedmont Scouts. In non-Scouting activities, he is the goalie for PHS Varsity Men’s Water polo, does delivery for Piedmont Post, and enjoys singing with PHS Acappella Chorus and in school musicals.
