After planting trees, creating fish habitats and building a game ball pit, three brothers from Lackawanna County share the same honor.
Austin, Ethan and Lucas Stankowski became Eagle Scouts this week, joining more than 2 million people who have earned the rank from Boy Scouts of America. But having three brothers earn the honor on the same day is a unique feat.
"There's families with multiple Eagle Scouts, but I don't think there's ever been families with three at the same time like us," Austin said of his troop.
The Newton Township brothers belong to Troop 160 in Clarks Summit.
“I think it was a very surreal experience, because throughout our childhood and even now, we always just do stuff together as brothers, and that was just one more experience that we could all share together,” Ethan said.
Twins Austin and Ethan graduated from Abington Heights High school this month, just a few days before becoming Eagle Scouts at the Court of Honor ceremony held at Hillside Park. Austin plans to attend college for computer science, and Ethan, who participated in dual enrollment with Johnson College while still in high school, will continue at Johnson to receive his associate degree in welding. Lucas will start his junior year at Abington Heights in the fall.
Eagle Scouts must complete extensive service projects to earn the title. With help from family, friends and fellow scouts, the boys completed their projects over the last year.
Austin planted 10 shade trees at Hillside Park in South Abington Township, and Ethan built and deployed fish habitats in the park’s Eston Wilson Lake.
Lucas built a gaga ball pit at the Bishop Hodur Retreat & Recreation Center in Waymart for the popular scout game similar to dodgeball. Lucas is two years younger than his twin brothers.
“For me, as a younger brother, I've always been competing with them,” Lucas said. “In my speech at the Court of Honor, I said, ‘Like now I can finally say, I beat them at something, since I got it two years before them, but still at the same time.’”
Their mother, JoAnn Stankowski, said she and her husband, Leon, are proud of the scouts’ dedication and commitment.
“It was a lot of hard work, and there were some rough times, and there were some times when we thought that they might not make it,” she said. “And, you know, they pulled through.”
