Scout installs memorial at Sacred Heart

CLOVIS — Carson Ellis, a senior at Clovis High School, recently combined his two passions of scouting and faith as he completed his eagle scout project at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

For the project, a requirement to reach the rank of eagle scout, Ellis arranged for the installation of a memorial to the unborn located on the lawn just outside the church.

Ellis said the project was suggested to him by Rev. Simon Carion, the former pastor at Sacred Heart, and Ellis "thought that was a really good idea."

"I've been a member there for like all my life and I just thought it would be great for the church community," Ellis said.

He said the headstone and engravings used for the project were donated by a local funeral home while he and his friends in the scouts were tasked with landscaping.

Eagle scout is the highest attainable rank in the Boy Scouts of America, with few scouts nationwide actually making it to that point, according to Troop 226 Assistant Scoutmaster Michael Waggoner.

"The percentage is really pretty low so it's an honor and a prestigious award when they actually do make eagle," Waggoner said.

He described Ellis as "good-natured, easy to get a long with."

Waggoner said Ellis had to demonstrate strong leadership skills in order to earn his eagle-scout honor, which he did as the troop's senior patrol leader, tasked with planning and executing troop meetings and overseeing the other scouts.

Unsurprisingly, Ellis said his favorite part of being a scout was the monthly camping trips.

"He was just like any other boy, loved camping," Waggoner said. "You ask them what they want to do, 'more camping.' "

Ellis said his favorite camping spot was Mills Canyon, located outside Roy, because of the rock structures, caves and an old apple orchard to explore.

"Just the interaction with all my friends and the adventures we would go on at the camp," Ellis said about what he liked most.

Waggoner said it looks like Ellis will be the last Clovis scout to reach the eagle-scout pinnacle for some time.

"Right now with the troops that are here in Clovis we've just got young boys that have come in so it just takes them a while to go through all the ranks to build up to where they can make eagle," Waggoner said.

Ellis said he is proud to have earned his eagle scout, something he had been working toward since joining the scouts when he was 13.

"Being an eagle scout to me is one of the most high accomplishments of my life. It's really boosted my confidence as a leader in school, work and with my friends," Ellis said.