Loomis' Troop 12 promotes 3 to Eagle Scout

Boy Scouts Troop 12, based in Loomis, awarded three scouts with the Eagle Award on March 8, marking the first time in its 100-year history that three scouts were honored on the same day. Achieving the Eagle Scout rank were Jackson Wattson, Owen Lee and Jaxson Morrow. The Loomis Veterans Hall was adorned in American flags and Boy Scouts memorabilia for the ceremony. The event was attended by Loomis Mayor Jan Clark-Crets and Rocklin Mayor David Bass, each of whom gave inspiring addresses, and an overflow of family, friends and several scouts. Rob Gore, representing Placer County Supervisor Bonnie Gore, also attended and presented the Eagle Scouts with certificates. "As Jack, Owen and Jaxson have earned the rank of Eagle Scout, they understand that it is not the end of the trail but the beginning of another exciting path," Troop Scoutmaster Jaymes Sorenson said. "Their hard work and commitment to the ideals of scouting will carry forward into their adult lives. Honor, service, dedication and trustworthiness will mark their futures, and the skills and courage they have developed in their years of scouting will serve their community and themselves well. Congratulations Jack, Owen and Jaxson!" Morrow is a junior at Whitney High School in Rocklin. Jaxson has always been a voracious reader and understands the importance of getting children interested in reading at an early age. Jaxson's Eagle project was to build a Little Library on the Twin Oaks Elementary School campus, which straddles Twin Oaks Park, enabling many in the school and community to enjoy reading books. He enjoys taking AP classes with a focus on math. He takes classes at Sierra College as well, with the goal of graduating high school with an associates degree. Jaxson enjoys hip-hop dance and is a student intern in the hip-hop class at Whitney. He tutors math in his spare time, and he would eventually like to go to a UC to become a math professor. Lee is a junior at Del Oro High School in Loomis. He enjoys classes such as Culinary and Concert Choir, as well as Magic the Gathering, playing D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) with friends and the Del Oro E-Sports. In the future, he plans on pursing a path within the United States Navy, further developing his skills of being an Eagle Scout. For Owen's Eagle project, he collaborated with the staff of Loomis Grammar, especially Mrs. Tverberg and Mrs. McCormick, working with Loomis Unified School District's Al Frangione and the staff at Loomis Ace Hardware managed a project to rehabilitate and repair the student garden at Loomis Grammar just in time to welcome back the students for the fall. In addition to weeding and cleaning up the garden boxes, Owen marshalled the team to repair the pathways between the boxes and stabilize the steps up and down the different levels of the garden. Wattson is a senior at Del Oro and has really enjoyed his time as a Boy Scout in Troop 12 (as well as a Cub Scout in Pack 12). He would like to thank his mentors, especially Nathan Baker, Shawn Pewitt, Bob Kile, Al Frangione and Jaymes Sorenson. For his Eagle project, Jackson wanted to give back to Placer School, where he attended grade school. With the help of Loomis Ace Hardware for his supplies and his friends and family for labor, Jackson constructed a learning garden of several irrigated flowerbeds, enabling the Placer Elementary kindergarten and first-graders an opportunity to grow their own fruits and vegetables right outside their classrooms on campus. Jackson has enjoyed several clubs and groups at Del Oro, with the Game Club among his favorites. Jackson also enjoys working with animals and has been an active SPCA volunteer for five years. In the fall, Jackson will be attending college where he intends to pursue art with an emphasis on applied art and design.