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In 2008, 2,076 Boy Scouts in the greater Salt Lake area earned the rank of Eagle. During the same year, just 34 young men earned the Denali Award, an honor Varsity Scouts can obtain by fulfilling leadership duties in their troops.
Add another four young men to the rarefied list of recipients: Trevor Higginson, Tom Buhler, Zach Hansen and Patric Pirillo. Each was presented the Denali Award at a Sunday ceremony.
"It's an extremely rare accomplishment," said West Valley City Scout leader Steven Bryan, who encouraged the boys to pursue the award. "It was a proud moment. It was good to see them happy, the smiles on their faces. Plus, their parents came up and actually pinned the award on their uniforms. They were proud, and it was just a real good moment."
The Denali Award is for boys involved in Varsity Scouting, an alternative to typical scouting that appeals to older youth by adding "high adventure" activities, such as rock-climbing, to the Boy Scouts of American program. In addition to organizing activities for fellow Scouts and demonstrating their ability to lead groups, prospective Denali Award recipients must perform service for others and advance one rank toward earning their Eagle.
Denali -- which is the name Alaskans typically use for Mount McKinley -- means "great one" in Athabascan.
West Valley City ninth-grader Patric Pirillo, a Valley Junior High student, says earning the Denali taught him leadership is about serving
"It actually helped me learn that when you do service, you're supposed to give it willingly," he said. "If there's anybody in need of help, you just give it to them, and you don't expect a reward."
To fulfill his Denali requirements, Higginson organized a group of Scouts and adults who indexed Weber County's Liberty Cemetery, which had never been cataloged. The Granger High student is working toward publishing a book containing the records, which will soon be available to family-history researchers.
As for Buhler, he collected a large cache of first-aid supplies, which are available for use at a local LDS meetinghouse in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
All four Scouts also helped gather "several car-loads of food for the needy," Bryan said, and each participated in High Adventure activities, which draw many teen Scouts to the program.
Hansen's favorite part about seeking the Denali Award was planning a camp out for his fellow Scouts.
"You had to be organized and everything, and I think that helps with being a leader," Hansen said.
It was fulfilling for the Granger High sophomore to "have success in what you planned. It was satisfying to complete a goal you set."
