The Eagle Scout rank is the highest award in Scouting and its achievement is the most distinguished and honorable in a Scout’s career. To attain this coveted rank, a Scout must not only possess a personal willingness to fulfill the many requirements, but also to take upon many obligations and responsibilities. An Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America represents a life of honor, dedication, good citizenship, service to others, leadership and ethical character.

On the evening of May 20, Kevin Tom, Ryan Joseph Januzik and Alexander Tayson Soewers received the Eagle rank in a ceremony held by Troop 317 at Holy Redeemer Healy Hall. Officiating were Scoutmaster Roly Quizon, Assistant Scoutmasters David Januzik, Dan Molina, Vinis Salazar, Eagle Scout Nico Pappas and Committee Chair Julie Molina. Those in attendance were fellow Scouts David Januzik, Aedan Molina, Allister Quizon, Sean Salazar and Curtis Yun, honored guest speakers, families, friends and supporters.

Kevin Tom, son of King and Tess Tom of Glendale, started his Scouting adventure at age 6 as a Tiger Cub Scout with Pack 333 of Mountain Avenue Elementary School. After many years of meetings, merit badges and rank advancements and numerous camping and outdoor trips, his achievements, dedication and service were celebrated at the Eagle Court of Honor.

To achieve the rank of Eagle, a Scout must successfully fulfill the many requirements and live the Scout Oath. Tom’s Eagle Scout project was a stone bench built for the La Crescenta Woman’s Club. The design of the bench was created by Scoutmaster (Emeritus) Rich Toyon and includes a bronze plaque and a pipe sealed with pictures and articles that will serve as a time capsule for the club. The base of the bench was covered with rocks collected from the Crescenta Valley, donated by the members of the La Crescenta Woman’s Club and Troop 317.

Besides the Scouting program, Tom also enjoys playing basketball and has been coaching the youth basketball programs at the Alpine Recreation Center in Los Angeles for the past several years. He graduated from Crescenta Valley High School in 2016, and currently attends Cal State Northridge with a focus in finance.

Ryan Januzik, son of David and Dawn Januzik of La Crescenta, joined the Cub Scouts under Bob Sparks and Andy Turner of Pack 360. He said he loved the friendships he made and the valuable skills he learned. He transferred to Pack 314 when he changed schools and continued his Cub Scouting career under Dan Molina, who continued to make his Scouting experience a lot of fun. Januzik then bridged to Boy Scout Troop 317 under the direction of Scoutmaster Rich Toyon. After a few years under Toyon, Ryan’s father, David Januzik, took over as Scoutmaster and continued the traditions of Troop 317, adding more adventures and learning to the mix. Throughout his years as a Scout, Januzik said he enjoyed hiking, backpacking, camping and helping others. He learned many skills, like lashings, first aid and caring for the environment and valuable survival skills. With the various merit badges he has earned, these knowledge and skills will help him through life.

He said his greatest achievement and personal enjoyment was earning his Eagle Scout rank. His desire to help veterans and give back to the community led him to his Eagle project. Januzik replaced and installed 28 historical plaques at the Montrose Shopping Park. Veteran Steve Pierce oversees the MSP’s historical plaques that line Honolulu Avenue. These plaques represent and highlight the history of Montrose for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Januzik still continues to enjoy Scouting with Troop 317, now under the leadership of Scoutmaster Roly Quizon. He will be joining his brother, David, and several of his friends at the 2017 National Boy Scout Jamboree this month.

Alexander Soewers, son of Randy and Stephanie Soewers of Glendale, was also awarded the rank of Eagle Scout.

Soewers joined the Boy Scouts of Troop 317 in the sixth grade. He said he enjoys Scouting and has always been active in the troop, holding numerous leadership positions like assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, senior patrol leader, webmaster and Order of the Arrow representative. His Eagle Scout project demonstrated an exceptional ability for leadership and service to others. Having a desire to be of service to his church, the St. Anthony Greek Orthodox Church in Pasadena, he created an acolyte (altar boy) instructional video. This video tutorial is an immense benefit to all new altar boys, instructing and explaining in detail the many tasks they have while on the altar at Sunday liturgy. Soewers also recently graduated cum laude from St. Francis High School and will be attending Santa Clara University in the fall, majoring in sociology and computer science.