On Jan. 5, Scouts BSA Troop 97 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood held a Court of Honor to recognize three members who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
The Homewood-based troop celebrated Jonathan Parris, Aidan Wright and Colin Melville, who join more than 240 other Troop 97 Eagles.
Jonathan Parris
In his scouting career, Parris has served in leadership roles including patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, troop guide and librarian, as well as 2010 president of the Venture Crew. He has earned 52 merit badges and his Arrow of Light, is a member of the Order of the Arrow and attended National Youth Leadership Training.
Additionally, Parris has completed high adventure trips – such as backpacking and Rayado treks at Philmont, living aboard Scuba at Sea Base, canoeing and okpik treks at Northern Tier, the new river trek at The Summit and the 24th World Scout Jamboree in 2019.
For his Eagle project, Parris built an octagonal wooden deck at Red Mountain Park’s Susan Mott Webb team-building area, to be used for a comfort circle activity.
He is a junior at Homewood High School, where he plays the saxophone in the Homewood Patriot Band and jazz band, and leads Homewood’s Robotics Team.
Parris is the son of Steve and Cynthia Parris of Homewood.
Aidan Wright
Wright has earned 44 merit badges during his time as a scout, as well as his Arrow of Light, and has served in such leadership roles as patrol leader and den chief.
He has attended the National Youth Leadership Training course, serving as a staff member for the 2018 Winter NYLT, and has served as a Venture Crew staff member for wood badge courses S9-118 and S9-119.
Wright designed an orienting course at the Homewood Forest Preserve for his Eagle project, which helps new Scouts fulfill requirements for their first class rank.
A junior at Homewood High School, he plays the trumpet in the Homewood Patriot Band and jazz band. He is also a member of Patriot Pride Ambassadors, Peer Helpers and Beta Club.
Wright is the son of Shawn and Leigh Wright of Homewood.
Colin Melville
Melville has earned 35 merit badges in his scouting and served in leadership positions that include assistant senior patrol leader, patrol leader and librarian. His accomplishments include canoeing and okpic treks at Northern Tier, membership in the Order of the Arrow, attending NYLT and earning his Arrow of Light.
For his project, Melville built a blackberry arbor and compost bin for the community garden behind Trinity United Methodist Church’s West Campus.
Melville is a senior at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, focusing on a math/science specialty, where he is a Mu Alpha Theta peer tutor and serves on teams for the Science Olympiad, programming, Capture the Flag Hacking, physics and math. He plans to attend the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Engineering in the fall.
Melville is the son of Hannelore Melville of Birmingham.