The Olympic Medal of Scouting
(above) Eagle Scouts Baxter Perry-Miller ’24 and Spencer Burke ’22
The Boy Scouts of America’s William T. Hornaday Silver Medal for distinguished
Trail; and incubating, brooding, banding, and releasing quail into the Blackland Prairie. In addition to earning the Hornaday Medal, Spencer is one of
service in natural resources conservation
only a few dozen Scouts in history to earn Eagle Scout
is so rarely earned, it has been called the
with 23 Palms and all 138 possible Merit Badges.
Olympic Medal of Scouting.
R
Baxter’s endeavors consisted of placing custom trash and recycling bins along trails at the Trinity River
ecipients must earn numerous Merit Badges
Audubon Center; helming a city-wide battery disposal
and plan, lead, and carry out four separate
drive; monitoring the survival rate of pen-raised
conservation projects. Only 1,200 of the 100
quail at the Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning
million active Scouts have earned this Medal
Area; and installing native flowers and grasses to
since 1910. In 2021, Hornaday Medals were awarded
support a bee apiary at Bonton Farms.
to not one, but two Marksmen. Eagle Scouts Spencer Burke ’22 and Baxter Perry-Miller ’24 each
The Scouting program stresses the importance of
earned a Medal after dedicating hundreds of
leadership, service, and perseverance — lessons
hours to the study and practice of conservation
that are familiar to any Marksman. As he pursued
around Dallas.
his conservation projects, Baxter relied on much of what he has learned both inside and outside
For his projects, Spencer installed 100 custom
the classroom.
solitary bee nesting boxes across Dallas parks; removed invasive plants and planted native grasses and wildflowers at Twelve Hills Nature Center; established pollinator habitats along the Northaven
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On Campus | THE PRIDE
St. Mark’s School of Texas
