Rachel Krause, or Rae as she likes to be called, is the first female Eagle Scout in the IVC school district. Rae is a senior at IVC this year, and has been in scouting for five years. She was a founding member of her troop that her mother Gwyn presides over as Scout Leader.

In 2019, the Boy Scouts rebranded themselves as Scouting BSA, and then again in 2024 they settled on the name; “Scouting America” to include everyone. Girl Scouts of America still exists today with their own independent organization and program.

There are presently two troops in Chillicothe and two in Mossville. Rae’s troop meets weekly at the Mossville Methodist Church. The troop does service projects in their community, goes camping, canoeing, hiking, learn cooking skills, personal fitness, first aid, map reading, and safety as well as learn leadership skills. Scouting is about being a leader and learning to work together with others, a bonding experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Ask why she wanted to reach the rank of Eagle Scout, Rae replied, “When I started getting serious about scouting, I thought it was an attainable goal. Both my father and brother are Eagle Scouts.” The program and requirements are now the same for both male and female.

There are specific requirements for an Eagle Scout. You must earn 21 badges and 14 of them are required to reach the Eagle Scout rank.

To earn your Eagle Scout badge you must submit letters of recommendation from leaders in your community of your character. You must then present a project, plan it out, tell how you will execute it, and then complete the project before you reach the age of 18.

Rae’s project was to build two new fire pits at Camp Wokanda in Mossville. Rae with the help of her troop, removed the old fire pits, cleaned the area, and created new cement fire pits for all the camp to use. In addition, the troop also cleaned a lot of brush adjacent to the area.

You must track and present a binder with all your plans, calculations, materials, costs, and work hours. This includes before and after pictures of your project. Rae put in approximately 153 hours in planning and working on her project.

Being an Eagle Scout is a symbol of a Scout’s dedication, leadership skills, and commitment to their community. Rae should be very proud of her accomplishments which will serve her very well personally and professionally for the rest of her life. Congratulations Rae!