Troop 2 Eagle Scouts - June 2020
Trent Schroer
For his Eagle Project, Trent Schroer designed and built a sandbox for the Westchester
Parents Nursery School to replace an old sandbox. The new sandbox is 28' by 22.5' and is
filled with fifty thousand pounds of sand. The children at WPNS were able to briefly enjoy
Trent’s sandbox before quarantine started, but he made sure that they will be able to enjoy
it long after the quarantine ends. Trent gives a special thanks to Gary Pavlica for coaching
him with the building of the sandbox.
Trent’s favorite experience with Troop 2 was summiting Mt. Shasta. It stands out for how
difficult it was to undertake, and how satisfying and beautiful it was when he made it to
the top.
Trent is a member of Santa Monica High School class of 2020. Trent has deferred from
University of Colorado, Boulder until fall 2021, and will be attending SMC in the fall of 2020.
Brian Yang
Brian Yang did his Eagle Project at the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, a Native
American Reserve. He removed invasive ivies and juncos plants from the reservation and
replanted some of it with native plants. Brian wanted to preserve both the land and culture
that the reservation held. Some of the most challenging parts of the project were to direct
the scouts to do the labor, because it was more difficult than expected.
Brian identifies the high adventure trip to Zion National Park as a highlight. The unique
activities and environment in Zion created a very memorable experience.
Brian is a member of the class of 2020 at Palisades Charter High School. He plans to attend
UC Berkeley in the fall.
Congratulations to T2’s new Eagle Scouts!
Trent Schroer, Nicolas Vaillancourt, Brian Yang and Michael Yang are awarded the rank of Troop 2 Eagle Scout in June 2020. Due to Covid-19, Eagle Award ceremonies will be held privately.
Nicolas Vaillancourt
Nicolas Vaillancourt developed his Eagle Project to help grow the local FIRST Tech Chal-
lenge robotics community for the years to come. For two days in December, Nicolas led
30+ volunteers in constructing field perimeters for robotics competitions. He then don-
ated these perimeters to novice teams in economically disadvantaged communities in
the Los Angeles region. Nicolas is happy that he was able to share his love for robotics to
inspire future generations of students at schools with limited STEM learning opportunities.
Nicholas’ highlights from his time in Troop 2 include being able to explore spectacular wild-
erness areas including: mountain ranges in Oregon, Washington and California, canoe
camping at lakes and rivers in New York and Missouri, and rappelling down slot canyons in
Zion National Park.
Nicholas is a member of Santa Monica High School class of 2020, and will be attending UC Santa Cruz as a computer engineering major in the fall.
Michael Yang
For his Eagle Project, Michael Yang designed and constructed two storage containers at
the University Parents Nursery School. He repainted faded lines and floor markings for
door openings on the ground, and tidied up the outdoor yard and play structure. His hope
was to give back to the Westwood community and provide the nursery school with a
refurbished yard and additional infrastructure to help all of the students and parents.
During his project, Michael enjoyed the technical aspects of constructing from a design
and learning how to adapt to unpredictable situations.
Michael’s fondest memories in Troop 2 are the out of state summer camps. One of his
favorite memories is backpacking through the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park
with Dr. Marcy during his first summer camp.
Michael is a member of the Loyola High School class of 2020, and will attend Tulane University in the fall. Michael plans to double major in neuroscience and public health on the pre-med track.