About The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2023)
Slfte Aiiuancg The ADVANCE, March 8, 2023/Page 2A THE EAGLE AMONG THEM - Scout Adam Copeland completed his journey through the Boy Scouts of America pro gram as he officially rose to the rank of Eagle Scout at a ceremony on Saturday, March 4. Here, he is pictured with his fellow scouts and scouting associates. L to R, Front Row: Susie Curtis, Isaiah Gillis, Alex Morgan, Tyson Spell, Adam Copeland, Modesto Quintana, Tanner Holcomb, Vicartis Vaughn, L to R, Back Row: Ryan Barnes, Zachery Douglas, Keegan Spell, Xavier Douglas, Leon Douglas, Brett Copeland, Lee Stephens, Jesse Stephens, Ken Whitson, Russell Schmidt, Steve Tomlin. RARE HONOR - Troop Committee Chairman Ken Whit son emphasized that achieving the Eagle Scout rank is a rare accomplishment, as many leave the Scouting program or reach age 18 before completing the task. Here, Copeland stands as Whitson explains his duties as Eagle Scout, Eagle continued from page 1A it in the shape of a tent,” he explained. “He told us to put it (the flyer tent) in the refrigerator beside the milk, so that’s what I did.” Copeland’s mother found the flyer tent during a visit to the fridge, and the rest is history - he signed up for Cub Scouts that next night, and has been a member of Scouting ever since. “From hiking to cam- pouts all over the place, to summer camps, full of fun and learning; from canoe ing to kayaking, to climb ing and rappelling; from learning to kneeboard and finally grasping the con cept of wakeboarding, to whitewater raffing 5 rivers in just 5 days - adventure is simply an understate ment,” Copeland empha sized. “I have met lifelong friends and have had the privilege of learning from several great role models in my troop and council.” During the ceremony, Copeland not only took the famous Eagle Oath and changed his green neck scarf to the famous royal blue scarf, but also pre sented pins to his parents and a special mentor. His mother, Lori, received a pin for her dedication to ensuring that Copeland Fuel continued from page 1A two years and that are pro jected to occur during the next two years. If approved, the pro posal would add $17 to $23 to the monthly bill of the average Georgia Power customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of power each month. “Just as Georgians paid higher prices at the gas pump in 2022, Georgia Power also paid more for the natural gas (on average three times more) and oth er fuels we used to generate electricity,” Georgia Power spokesman Jacob Hawkins said Tuesday. “These increases are solely a result of rising en- made it to Scouting events and had all that he needed. His father, Brett, also re ceived a pin for his dedica tion to his son’s journey as a Scout. When discussing who would be presented with his Eagle Scout Mentor Pin, Copeland gave thanks to several people who had influenced his life. “This is harder than you would think; I started thinking about all the people who had been great mentors to me. The list was so long, so I want to thank a few peo ple today,” he explained. “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my par ents. I made my Mom a promise when I started Scouting that I would fin ish [the program}. This was a rule my parents had for anything I wanted to ergy prices - and Georgia Power earns zero profit from these fuel costs.” Georgia Power execu tives first announced the company would be seek ing fuel costs recovery this month last year during tes timony before the PSC at hearings on Georgia Pow er’s 2022 rate hike request. The commission ap proved a $1.8 billion rate increase for the utility in December, which raised the average residential cus tomer’s monthly bill by $3.60. The rate hike took effect last month. Georgia Power’s final requested amount and ap proximate bill impacts, which will reflect more recent fuel prices, will be provided in April. participate in, but this one was hard to keep,” Co peland remarked. “They have pushed me to be who I am now. Not only has it been an adventure for me, but my family has grown through Scouting. They have both been very ac tive in Scouting this whole time. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything.” He continued with thanks. “Mr. Todd Corley is audio/video/film class teacher and e-sports coach at Toombs County High School. I have been in one of his classes ever since sophomore year. Mr. Cor ley has led me to become a better person by helping me become a better sport after losing a tough match, and by introducing me to the world of film. I thank you for being a great role model, and for being the best coach that a gamer could ask for.” Copeland then shared his gratitude for his high school science teacher, Dana Manning. “To those of you who don’t already know, I don’t do so well with blood or anything that comes out of your body. Mrs. Manning was my chemistry teacher and my human anatomy and physiology teacher. I was skeptical at first, but af ter dissecting a cow’s eye, I thought I could finally handle anything that came my way — until she told us we had to dissect a piglet. After that day, my fear had been washed away — after I washed my hands. Thank you, Mrs. Manning, for teaching me how to con quer my fears.” He then thanked those who had impacted him most during Scout ing, beginning with former Scoutmaster Lee Stephens. “Mr. Lee was my Scout master when I first joined the troop. I remember sit ting down with him while on my first Scoutmaster conference, and I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous. He asked me this question: ‘What are some things you want to do in Scouting?’ I named some things like kayaking, camping, etc. Right then, he also challenged me to finish my Scouting adven ture, of course, by becom ing an Eagle Scout. Thank you, Mr. Lee, for challeng ing me.” “This [thank you] is not [to] a person, but an organization: the Kiwanis Club ofVidalia,” Coleman said, adding, “This organi zation has been the char ter organization for both Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop 933 for many, many years. In 2019, we all celebrated 100 years of Troop 933, and Kiwanis is the reason this troop is still around. I don’t know how many 100-year-old troops are still around, but I’m sure there’s not many. We have one here in Vi- dalia, Georgia, because of the Kiwanis organization. Thank you to all members for supporting us.” Coleman ended with the formal presentation of the Eagle Scout Mentor Pin to Troop Committee Chairman Ken Whitson. “Mr. Ken has taught me lots of things, like plant identification,” Copeland said. He told about one of their encounters with plant identification, in which Copeland brought a three-leafed plant to Whitson during one of his first camping trips with the troop. Copeland asked Whitson what the plant could be, and Whitson had a simple reply: “That there boy is poison ivy.” Copeland related the memories and lessons which he had shared with Whitson. “Mr. Ken has pushed me to become a leader, and I am not going to he, he intimidated me at first,” he commented. “I thought I knew how to swim, but he taught me to swim better. He got me through the hard merit badges that I struggled to get through myself. Mr. Ken is the most dedicated person I know when it comes to Scouting - he has dedicated his life to the Boy Scouts.” “I was asked at a Na tional Youth Leadership Training that I attended, ‘Who do you think lives the Scout Oath the most?’ My answer exactly was, ‘Hands down, Mr. Ken.’ He’s pushed me hard, es pecially the closer I got to becoming an Eagle. He is the one person, other than my parents, that has men tored me the most,” Cope land added. Eagle Scout Project To become an Eagle Scout, Copeland had to complete an Eagle Scout project, which has to be helpful to the community. For his Eagle Scout proj ect, Copeland chose to renovate the walking track at the Ed Smith Complex in Vidalia. The current Troop 933 Scout Hut is located at the complex; thus, Copeland has witnessed firsthand the wear and tear that has been placed on the park’s pavement. As part of his project, Copeland worked to improve the track - lay ing asphalt in two corners of the path, moving dirt and leveling the track, and seal coating as much of the asphalt as possible. He also pressure washed the pave ment, renovated benches, and overall, improved the area for all who utilize the complex. Now Streaming @ tcbbroadcasting.com 11 A.M. - 3 P.M. &ffa£e p/cuii come Aave c/uuieb uM in/ Friday & Saturday 5 P.M. -10 P.M. Sunday Lunch Buffet 11 A.M. - 3 P.M. 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