After Atypical Year, Big Eagle Scout Class Honored In Wayland

WAYLAND, MA — In early March 2020, then-Wayland High School senior Gavyn Davies was on the cusp of earning the top Boy Scouts rank, Eagle Scout.

Davies was just three months away from turning 18 — the cutoff age for getting the Eagle Scout rank — and went out on a tour of the woods near Alpine Field with Ryan Brown from the Wayland Conservation Commission. Davies was scouting the location because he was planning to build a series of kiosks for the trail system there to earn the top scouting rank.

Also in March 2020, the world was on the cusp of coming to a complete stop due to the coronavirus pandemic. Davies Alpine Field project came to an abrupt stop too.

But on Saturday, Davies and seven other Wayland scouts finally be recognized for their Eagle Scout rank achievement. It's been an usual year everywhere, but especially for the scouts, who have had to navigate challenges ranging from their own birthdays to social distancing to become Eagle Scouts.

After the coronavirus bomb dropped last March, Davies' 18th birthday came and went, and he had to apply for special permission from Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to continue working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. He got the permission, but not everyone in Wayland's Troop 1 did. The BSA also made several changes during the pandemic, modifying standards for advancing in rank and tracking achievements through the BSA's app.

Davies, who now attends Middlebury College in Vermont, didn't start work on his Eagle Scout project until August, and it took longer due to social distancing guidelines. If you go to the trail system near Alpine Field today, you can see the result of the project in the new kiosks holding trail maps and signs.

He credits troop leader Matt Karpacz and other volunteers involved in Troop 1 with helping him get the project done amid a pandemic. Davies left scouting in middle school to focus on sports, and rejoined in high school. That put him a little behind the other scouts.

"Wayland's troop is awesome with advancement," he said. "Nothing would happen without the volunteers, the dads and moms, and the crazy amount of time they put in to help out."

The number of scouts being recognized is also unusual. Typically, only one or two scouts are present during the Eagle Scout "court of honor" ceremony, Davies said.

Wayland Troop 1 2021 Eagle Scouts

• Dylan Bonanno
• Gavyn Davies
• Sashwat Das
• Zachary Marto
• Ian Patterson
• Walker Whitehouse
• Field Kasrel
• Erik Swanke

Being recognized for the rank is especially poignant for Davies. Not only was Saturday his 19th birthday, but his grandfather was an Eagle Scout, and will got to be there — in person — to watch his grandson become one too.

"I didn't want to have a Zoom meeting," he said. "I'm really excited —but it's weird just because it's been so long coming."