Graduating High School as an Eagle Scout

Graduating High School as an Eagle Scout

Lisa Patrick

The Ashland Beacon

Zack Dillon has had a very special senior year. Not only is he graduating with honors, but he has also, after many years of hard work, earned his Boy Scout Eagle Scout Award. This is something that only 6–8% of Boy Scouts can claim.

Zack started Cub Scouts in first grade as a Tiger Scout and then worked his way up through the ranks over the years until he had the opportunity to complete his Eagle Scout project during his senior year of high school. His project consisted of helping the Hillcrest-Bruce Mission clean out and update a “bunch of old computers” that had been donated over the years. He humbly stated that what he and some help from his fellow scouts accomplished was something that could have been done by almost anyone, but he is proud to have played a part in it.

The computers will be going to students who have the opportunity to attend college but are “maybe not in the best financial situation,” and Zack said it felt good to “help give them the resources to escape poverty.”

Some of his favorite memories from scouting include completing the entire Michael Tygart Trail as a fourth grader. He “felt a huge sense of accomplishment” when he was able to finish what some older scouts were not able to complete. He also helped clear a trail at Kanawha County State Forest as an older scout, which earned him the Paul Bunyan Award. In addition, he had the opportunity to spend a night at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and take an extended weekend trip to Mammoth Cave.

Zack’s senior year was not all about scouting, though. He was also president of his D&D Club and a member of the Academic Team, where he placed 10th in science in the state of Kentucky. He was also selected for the Quick Recall All-Stars, one of only four students in the region chosen for the honor. In addition to the Academic Team, Zack was also a member of the Science National Honor Society and served as the chapter historian for the school’s National Honor Society.

His greatest accomplishment during his senior year, other than earning his Eagle Scout Award, was his role as Senior Class President. His classmates even voted him Best Motivational Speaker, which he will get to prove when he gives a speech at graduation. Zack stated that he “tried to represent his classmates in making decisions that had any impact.” As president of the Class of 2026, he will also be responsible for planning all future class reunions.

Zack was also chosen as a member of the Governor’s Scholars Program, which he attended during the summer between his junior and senior years. He spent five weeks on a college campus with other students from across Kentucky. He said they learned to live and work together as a community and that “there was just something special about it.” He described it as “a formative experience” in his life.

When asked what he would miss most about high school, Zack said he would miss the friends he made along the way, the “stability and structure of having the same schedule for so many years,” and the yearly trip to Kings Island as part of the Academic Team. He described his high school experience as “a long journey” because he has spent all of his school years at Ashland, and “it’s surreal that it’s almost over.”

Zack would like to thank his parents and sister for helping him get to where he is in life, as well as his Scoutmaster, Kevin Dillon, and “everyone else who’s ever believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.” He will be attending the University of Louisville this fall to major in Chemical Engineering with the “hope that I can create positive change in the world.”