An Eagle Has Landed: Ryan Tunks

On Saturday, October 18, 2025, Ryan Tunks sat for his Final Eagle Board and was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout!  He was escorted by Mr. Poholsky.

Ryan spoke to the Eagle Board in great detail about his project where he worked with the Rockland Community Farm Network at Cropsey Farm. There he led a crew of scouts, friends, and family to build and replace a section of gate, and prepare a section of land for planting. Ryan reflected on how his non-scouting friends were unfamiliar with how to dig holes and other such tasks that he was so familiar with through other eagle projects.When asked how he handled that, he told the board that he simply implemented the EDGE Method for teaching and it worked out well. He talked about how he organized groups to do different tasks, each group with a defined leader. This was key for him in managing the project, as well as setting a plan for each day and sticking to that plan.

Ryan served his troop as Assistant Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader of Spartan Patrol, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader for two terms, where he stepped up to Senior Patrol Leader when the current one aged out, and Outdoor Ethics Guide. He had fun saying the Outdoor Code with the troop at meetings, and learned how to deal with some of the stress of being SPL. His favorite Merit Badge was Small Boat Sailing, and he cites First Aid and Emergency Preparedness as the most useful. Ryan’s most memorable trips were the campouts like Webelos Weekend and New Scout Weekend, where he got to make core memories with his friends around camp. He says you don't really know a group of people until you've spent a weekend in tents with them.

Ryan talked about how his Eagle Project experience taught him how to step up into leadership and management roles. He started a club in his high school, and recognized his strength in getting people involved and keeping them interested. He says he just saw what needed to be done and did it. Ryan says that “scouting will just stick with me…the ideals…”. His advice for new scouts is to talk to each other, make friends and be active at campouts, and be open to seeking advice from others. Ryan will continue to focus on giving back to scouting, and his academics. He hopes to pursue a career in cybersecurity. 

Please join me in congratulating Ryan on achieving this milestone!

Mr. Poholsky

Scoutmaster Troop 97

New City, NY