Two Scouts from Troop 25 in East York have earned the Eagle Scout Award, the highest advancement rank in Scouts BSA. Rowan McWilliams and Henry Thome received their awards from Troop 25 Scoutmaster Perry Bevivino during Troop 25's Court of Honor held on Feb. 11 at Advent Lutheran Church in York.

For his Eagle Scout service project, Rowan, son of Tim and Kristine McWilliams, hosted a blood and food drive called Life Factory at Central York Middle School. The event involved hosting recruitment meetings, recruiting donors, recruiting volunteers, and managing the site on the day of the drive. The drive hosted 73 attempted donations and 67 successful ones, and the project took 147 total hours to complete for Rowan and his friends, family members, and fellow Scouts.

Starting as a Tiger Cub, Rowan has been a Scout for 10 years. He has earned 31 merit badges and is a member of Scouts BSA's national honor society, the Order of the Arrow. Rowan is a rising senior at Central York High School and is active in the music program. He plans to attend college to pursue a degree in music education.

For his Eagle Scout service project, Henry, son of William and Inga Thome, cleared a garden bed of invasive tree species and weeds and planted native flowers at the Central York High School outdoor classroom. He hopes that the flowers will create a pollinator zone to help farms nearby and that the school will use the outdoor area more. The project took more than 100 hours to complete for Henry and his friends, family members, and Scout helpers.

Starting as a Webelo, Henry has been a Scout for six years. He has earned 27 merit badges and is a member of the Order of the Arrow as a Brotherhood level member. Henry graduated from Central York High School, where he was active in volleyball and the math honor society. He is attending the Pennsylvania State University to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering.

Rowan and Henry thanked their parents, fellow Scouts, friends, and family members for their help in completing their projects and their Eagle requirements. Attendees at the Court of Honor included state Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill and state Rep. Joe D'Orsie, who presented the Scouts with citations, and representatives of the Marine Corps League and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, who presented the Scouts with a Good Citizenship Award and a Certificate of Recognition. The new Eagle Scouts also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and an American flag that had flown over the United States Capitol.

Scouts BSA Troop 25 meets at Yorkshire United Methodist Church, 125 Edgewood Road, York, in the fellowship hall from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays from September until May. For more information, visit https://troop25york.com/.