Fly like an Eagle

For the second time in three years, Minneota will be honoring another Eagle Scout. Nate Ludwikowski, a Minneota High School senior, will officially become an Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor at 11 a.m. on April 6 at St. Edward's School.

Cole Bot is the last individual from Minneota to become an Eagle Scout, having his Court of Honor in May 7, 2017. A scout can earn as many merit badges as they desire, but must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, including the 13 that are required to achieve Eagle Scout status.

And a scout also must have been in Life Scouts for at least six months years in order to become an Eagle Scout. Ludwikowski, the son of Michael and Colleen Ludwikowski, has earned 56 merit badges, and has been a Life Scout for four years.

He will be attending North Dakota State University in the fall.

“I earned my first merit badge in First Aid when I was 11 or 12 years old,” Ludwikowski recalls. Ludwikowski is uncomfortable when it comes to the attention he is getting en route to becoming an Eagle Scout.

“I'm pretty excited about the experience,” he said. “However, I do not like being in front of large groups of people.”

Ludwikowski started in Cub Scouts when he was in first grade and has been involved in Scouts ever since. He currently belongs to Troop 320 where his father is the Scout Master.

Ludwikowski eventually moved up the Boy Scouts ladder one rung at a time to Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life. And now he has reached that final rung. “I have always wanted to be an Eagle Scout,” Ludwikowski said.

“Two of my uncles were Eagle Scouts and I always wanted to be like them.”

The path to becoming an Eagle Scout is time-consuming and requires dedication, drive, cooperation, patience and perseverance. Less than four percent of all Boy Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

“It had its moments where you get buried in work, and it was pushing you to do more than you usually do,” Ludwikowski responded, when asked if there ever was a time when he thought of giving up his pursuit of becoming an Eagle Scout.

“And I did think about quitting for a bit. However, I took a step back and got over it and pushed myself harder.”

One of the required merit badges is the Service Project in which a potential Eagle Scout must plan, develop, and lead a service project that benefits the community, school or any religious institution.

That project, however, may not benefit the Boy Scouts of America. It also can't be of a commercial nature or be solely a fund-raising project. Ludwikowski's Service Project involved the installation of lockers and cubbies at the St. Edward's School where he attended until eighth grade.

“I did this because we only had hooks to put our coats and other things,” he explained.

“So in the winter, the hallways got a little cluttered.”

When Ludwikowski earned the 21 required merit badges in order to become an Eagle Scout, he then had an Eagle Scout Board of Review on Feb. 21 at the Merit Center in Marshall. And in a few more days, he will be attending his Eagle Scout Court of Honor.

“I'm a humble person that does not like to have attention drawn upon me,” he said.

“But I am proud of my accomplishment.”