It was 11:59 p.m. on March 25, and Scout John Hayes was awaiting an email from one of his merit badge counselors.
Once another minute passed, Hayes would turn 18 years old and therefore be past the deadline to have completed all of his Eagle Scout requirements as a member of Troop 21 in the Great Rivers Council of Scouting America.
Before the clock struck 12, the email came in. His instructor, Ke-Yuan Hsin, had waited until the last minute to send Hayes’ final Eagle Scout merit badge, which was for bugling, Hayes’ mother, Amanda Hayes, said.
“He wanted to make sure he was his last merit badge counselor,” she said through a giggle.
That merit badge was not only the last one Hayes earned as an Eagle Scout, but it was also the 140th badge he had ever received. Only 21 are required to advance out of Eagle Scouts, the program’s highest rank. He had more than enough, but the moment marked something even greater.
In true Pokémon style, he had caught them all.
John Hayes had officially achieved every merit badge offered by Scouting America at the time, making him one of only 621 Scouts in the U.S. to ever accomplish the feat since the program began in 1910.
“It’s almost surreal,” Amanda Hayes said. “I was so proud of him. But there was a little part of me that thought, ‘Oh, we’re done with our journeys and adventures.’ I’m very excited to see what he does next.”
Troop 21 is part of the Columbia-based Great Rivers Council of Scouting America, serving youth in 33 counties in central and northeast Missouri. John Hayes started earning merit badges in grade school, and by middle school, he already knew many of the topics being taught in his classes, such as chemistry, his mother said.
Most of his merit badges were earned at the Sinquefield Invention Campus on Camp Hohn at Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation, which provides the equipment and instruction needed to earn STEM-related badges available through Scouting.
“This camp was like a home away from home for me over the past six years as I spent numerous weekends during the school year and weeks during the summers, earning dozens of these badges,” John Hayes said.
Over the years, he has participated in Scouting programs all over the country and beyond — like going to Wisconsin for a cross-country skiing merit badge.
He also helped build and install four new roadway signs that welcome travelers to the city of Lake Ozark earlier this year. It was a part of his Eagle Scout community service project. The City of Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen recognized him for his contributions.
But there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Flying high
John Hayes started flying airplanes at the age of 17 and has a student pilot license from the Federal Aviation Administration. He’s working to obtain a private license and has dreams of becoming a commercial pilot one day. He said that because of his passions, he really enjoyed participating in the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s science, technology, engineering and math programs.
He earned an aviation merit badge when he was 15, thanks to his grandfather, a retired F-15 pilot.
“He’s the one that taught me (about) the aviation merit badge, which is really cool,” John Hayes said.
He spent a significant amount of time in the St. Louis area. He noted that the Greater St. Louis Area Council is known for its STEM programs, and people travel from all over the country to participate in them. He’s earned six Nova awards, which recognize Scouts for exploring STEM projects. Most of them were completed in St. Louis programs.
“We really appreciate the Greater St. Louis Area Council,” Amanda Hayes said. “He couldn't have done this without them. Their STEM program is off the charts.”
John Hayes eventually earned a prestigious SuperNova award in the Great Rivers Council, which requires having Nova awards as prerequisites, as well as additional work.
Apart from the recognition, John Hayes said he really enjoyed camping and playing the chaotic game of Gaga ball with his peers as a Scout.
“It’s basically where 20 or 30 kids get in this pit (and we) toss the ball up in the middle,” he said. “We all run at it, trying to hit the ball at each other’s legs. It’s like a big Scouting game. Camping was crazy, I loved it.”
He said Scouting has helped him grow as a person.
“Leadership and teamwork is a big thing about scouting,” John Hayes said. “You learn how to be a good part of a team and how to operate a team as a younger Scout, and then you build up your leadership skills, so when you become an older Scout, you can lead the younger Scouts.
“I feel like I’ve seen way more than the average person I know, like my mind is way more open to the world,” he added.
John Hayes’ Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony takes place on Jan. 12 in Lake Ozark at the Lodge of Four Seasons Resort. Although his days of earning merit badges are over, he said he plans to continue building on what he’s learned next fall when he starts school at the University of Central Missouri, pursuing a Professional Pilot Bachelor of Science degree.
Amanda Hayes said she’s one proud mother.
“As a parent, that makes me feel good,” she said. “And I think (for) the other parents with youth in Scouting that it becomes ingrained as part of who they are. They’re not just doing it for a badge or a pen or whatever — it becomes second nature.”
