On May 14, Neil R. Stasilli III of Eldred celebrated an accomplishment that not all Boy Scouts achieve when he was recognized as an Eagle Scout at the Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony.

Scouts are required to have 21 badges, Stasilli currently has 46 badges. At this point, Stasilli is working towards earning palms, which are pins to add to his sash. He already has one palm.

Stasilli had to complete a Leadership Service Project, which he did at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Parish House in Forestburgh. He constructed a 368-foot outdoor mulch pathway for the Stations of the Cross. He did this when he was 13.

Stasilli chose to do the project because he says the priest had commented on the idea. In total, Stasilli figures he spent over 700 hours completing the project.

A Lone Scout, Stasilli strived to accomplish the feat in 2010 because it was the Boy Scouts Centennial year. Stasilli received a special patch commemorating the Scout’s 100 years.

Stasilli is the vice president in a Catholic Youth Organization, volunteers for alter service and is involved in venturing, another branch of boy scouts at St. Thomas Aquinas.

As for his favorite part of scouting, Stasilli says he really enjoys all that he learns by completing the various badges. When working on a badge for archery, Stasilli totaled a 97.6 percentage.

Stasilli says he is partially motivated to do some of the things he does because other people do not do the tasks. Such as shoveling the snow at his church, he says, “just not getting done, it kind of bothers me.”

Scouting is something the entire Stasilli family succeeds in. His parents are the family’s counselors. The oldest child, Ana Lucia Teran-Stasilli, 17, is a Girl Scout Senior, Gold Award recipient. The third child and second daughter, Awinita T. Stasilli is a Girl Scout Caddette.