By Victoria Martinez

Isaac Beifuss Swolgaard, a 14-year-old member of the Cachuma District’s Boy Scout Troop 46, recently joined his older brother, father, four uncles, six cousins and his grandfather in earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle project, the eighth-grader at Los Olivos Elementary School organized the replacement of the ball wall on his school’s playground.

To receive the Eagle award, scouts must plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project that is helpful to any religious institution, school or community.

To plan his project, Isaac approached Los Olivos Principal Bridget Baublits for a wish list of projects that school officials wanted to have accomplished.

“I chose the ball wall because the old one was falling apart, and a lot of kids use the wall,” Isaac said.

He raised more than $700 to complete the project by approaching local businesses, the Rotary Club of Los Olivos, and other individuals for donations.

With the help of friends, family and fellow Troop 46 scouts, Isaac had to dismantle the wall.

“At first, I thought that all I had to do was replace the plywood on the surface, but then I took the plywood off and discovered that all of the frame was rotted, so I had to replace all of that. After that, I put new plywood on and gave the wall a nice new coat of paint,” he added.

Isaac said his favorite parts of the project were working alongside friends and family to improve his school and the sense of accomplishment he felt after the wall was ready for use.

He joins more than 2.25 million Boy Scouts who have earned the Eagle rank since 1912. For more information about Boy Scouts in the area, visit www.lpcbsa.org.