It was a ceremony almost a lifetime in the making, celebrating the end of a long and sometimes arduous journey to become an Eagle Scout.

On August 3 Scout Troop 584 held the Eagle Scout Court of Honor to recognize the rare achievement of three of their members who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout – an honor earned by only four percent of all Scouts, organizers said. The ceremony, attended by family, friends and fellow Scouts, was held at the Katy VFW Hall at 6206 George Bush Drive in Katy.

Honorees were John Paul (JP) Culotta, Jace Nistane and David Bryson.

Each Scout described his journey along the trail to becoming an Eagle Scout and thanked their parents and family members, as well as Scout leaders and other mentors who helped them along the way, presenting special pins to each.

A major part of the process of becoming an Eagle Scout is each Scout’s own unique Eagle Scout project, which is chosen with a great deal of thought and consideration. “Service to other people is what Scouting is all about,” says the Boy Scouts’ organization’s website, scouting.org. “In many ways, your service project reflects who you are as a youth leader. Your result should be of significant impact in your community to be special and should represent your very best effort.”

Tompkins High School student John Paul Culotta, son of Vito and Jen Culotta, became a Scout in 2016. Since then, he has earned 23 merit badges and invested 47 hours in service hours. For his Eagle Project, Culotta built four picnic tables for St. Faustina Catholic Church’s Community and Education Center lawn, creating a pace for classes, groups or employees to gather outdoors. The project took 84 hours and cost $1048.00 and involved 15 volunteers including fellow Scouts, family and friends.

Jace Nistane attends Strake Jesuit College Preparatory and is the son of Ravikant and Shilpa Nistane. For his Eagle Project, Nistane raised supplies for the homeless in Katy, in partnership with nonprofit Hope Impacts, which needed bug spray, men’s underwear, gently used clothes and hygiene products. Nistane managed 13 volunteers who invested 29 hours and raised $150.00 in cash, along with collecting multiple bags of donations and prompting donations via the Amazon wish list. Nistane has been a Scout since 2019, earning 29 merit badges and serving 71 service hours.

Son of Joe and Stephanie Bryson, David Bryson attends Tompkins High School and has been a Scout since first grade in 2019. As previously featured in the Katy Times, Bryson built two custom outdoor benches for Camp Hope, which houses combat veterans who are battling PTSD and substance abuse. Bryson supervised 10 volunteers including family, friends and members of his patrol, spending 102 hours and $633.00 on the project.

“We look forward to watching these young leaders grow and continue to serve the community,” said VFW Post 9182 Commander Ruben Arriaga at the ceremony.