Matt Fries and Luke Gallery of Troop 5 in Bartlesville are the latest scouts in Scouts BSA  to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

An Eagle Scout court of honor was held at the Hillcrest Country Club on Sunday, April 25th, in recognition of their great achievement. Fries and Gallery have been a part of the scouting program for 12 years, and both said they're glad for all the experience they've had. They said they're happy about who they've become through scouting.

Pictured right from left to right is Gallery then Fries.

Fries said being an Eagle Scout is a great honor, but it's more of a calling than an honor to him. Through all the experiences in scouting, Fries said they've learned what it means to be a good citizens and to help other people at all times. He said that is their biggest take away, so they want to keep applying the lessons they've learned into the future with everything that they do.

Gallery echoed what Fries had to say, stating that the Scout Oath and Scout Law have taught them how to be better people. Gallery said they've learned to help others as much as they can.

Fries and Gallery were thankful for the Hillcrest Country Club staff for helping them put on the ceremony better than they could've done on their own. They thanked their parents for helping them put everything together at Hillcrest as well. 

Congressman Kevin Hern's Office participated in the court of honor on Sunday. Congressman Hern said they take great pride in honoring the accomplishments of Eagle Scouts like Luke Gallery and Matt Fries. Adam Jones with Congressman Hern's Office presented Fries and Gallery with Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition during the ceremony (pictured left is Fries shaking hands with Jones, who presents a certification to Fries).

To earn the rank of Eagle, scouts must complete an Eagle Scout Project. Fries worked on the exterior of Father Lynch Hall for his project. This included stripping and re-coating the concrete pad in front, repainting the ceiling of the entrance, and installing a brand new garden to mirror an existing one. Fries also painted the curbs of the circle drive yellow to help establish it as a loading zone, and he painted directional arrows for the circle drive (pictures below).

Gallery created a pollinator plot for monarch butterflies for his project. Gallery gathered signatures at the Dewey fair, which turned into a grant from the Caney Valley Conservation District. The grant was used to buy seeds for the project. Gallery said the project consisted of spraying a 10,000 square foot plot that the city mowed. He said they came through to rake all the grass, cut up roots, and till the soil multiple times. Finally, they spread the seeds and waited for them to grow (pictures below).

"We saw results this past spring, and everything looked great," Gallery said.

Fries and Gallery are juniors at Bartlesville High School that are getting ready to head into their senior year. Both participate in Run the Streets.

Fries is involved in BHS Green, which is an environmental club, and Bartlesville FFA where he is the vice president. Bartlesville FFA recently took home a state title in Agricultural Communications. Fries said they were in Oklahoma City on Tuesday and Wednesday for the State Convention to go through Leadership Workshops. He said they were able to vote for the new state officers and witnessed the retiring address of the previous team.

Gallery participated in a Science Fair a couple of weeks ago. He said he is currently writing a paper that he hopes to have published before the year is out. 

As a part of Troop 5, Fries and Gallery have had the opportunity to visit two High Adventure bases. Fries said they've gone to Northern Tier in Minnesota near Canada to spend nine days canoeing on the backwaters in the area. He said they also got to go to St. Thomas, which is one of the sites for Sea Base, the following summer. At St. Thomas, Fries and Gallery got to be on a boat and go snorkeling.

Looking ahead to this summer, Gallery said they are going to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Gallery said they will hike 65 miles in nine days. Philmont was founded by the Phillips Brothers.

Both Fries and Gallery encouraged all students interested in scouting to join Troop 5. Troop 5 meets every Monday at 7:00 p.m. at the St. John Before the Latin Gate Catholic Church at 715 S. Johnstone Avenue in downtown Bartlesville. Gallery said you only need to park in the east parking lot of the church and they'll come to greet you and welcome you inside. Fries said you can also keep up with Troop 5 on Facebook.

Pictures of Fries' Eagle Scout Project

 

Pictures of Gallery's Eagle Scout Project