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Portola Valley’s Scouting America troops 64 and 4064 recognized five scouts — Luke Zamboldi, Jenny Richter, Ellie Axelrad, Sloane Smith and Evyn Ellis — who earned the highest ranking of Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor ceremony at Valley Presbyterian Church on March 30.
“We couldn’t possibly be more proud of our five new Eagle Scouts,” said Troop 4064 Scoutmaster Karyn Ellis. “All of them have demonstrated tenacity and commitment to their community through the long advancement process and their various Eagle projects.”
In 2020, Troop 4064 was established to expand scouting to girls. The Boy Scouts of America recently rebranded to Scouting America in February, marking the 115th anniversary of the organization and fifth year of welcoming girls to scouting.
The four girls, Richter, Axelrad, Smith and Ellis, are the first in Troop 4064 to make Eagle ranking. To achieve this highest honor, scouts must earn 21 merit badges and complete an Eagle project.
Zamboldi, a senior at Sacred Heart Preparatory joined Troop 64 in first grade and has since had the opportunity to embark on many backpacking, hiking and camping trips. Zamboldi has also served as assistant senior patrol leader and senior patrol leader.
For his Eagle project, he rebuilt the outdoor classroom at Ormondale Elementary School using downed Redwood trees from Portola Valley. In the fall, Zamboldi will be attending college to study engineering.
Richter is a senior at Woodside High School and is a founding member of Troop 4064. During her time as a scout, Richter has served as troop scribe, instructed junior scouts in skills training and assisted others in their Eagle projects.
For her own project, she replaced the benches at Woodside High School’s Green Academy garden, which is used for outdoor classes. Richter also refurbished and reroofed one of the equipment sheds. She will attend Montana State University in the fall.
Axelrad is also a senior at Woodside High School and a founding member of the troop. She started as a Girl Scout in the first grade and joined Troop 4064 in sixth grade. She has served as patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader and senior patrol leader.
Axelrad’s favorite memories as a scout are from her time working as an assistant camp counselor at Boulder Creek Reservation. For her project, she led a group of scouts in making 125 blankets for children in crisis. In the fall, Axelrad will be attending college to study psychology.
Smith, a sophomore at Sacred Heart Preparatory joined Troop 4064 in 2020 and has earned a total of 30 merit badges. She has dedicated hundreds of hours to serve the community and was awarded Redwood District Scout of the Year while also serving as troop historian, patrol leader and senior patrol leader.
Smith dedicated her Eagle project to supporting animal welfare by leading scouts in the construction of 40 hay feeder boxes for the SPCA and Peninsula Humane Society.
The youngest in the celebrated group is Evyn Ellis, a sophomore at Woodside High School. She began scouting in fifth grade and switched over from Girl Scouts with an interest in learning how to shoot rifles and a desire to carry a pocket knife and use a tomahawk. Since joining the troop, Evyn has earned 27 merit badges, including one for backpacking, a difficult accomplishment that nobody in the troop has completed for years, according to Troop 4064.
As a scout, she has served as senior patrol leader, historian and troop guide. Evyn said her most memorable experience was camping in a hammock during a rainstorm. For her project, she created a mural at Corte Madera School commemorating an old oak tree that once marked the center of the campus.
“After all was said and done on the national level, adding the girls to the troop here in Portola Valley was never a problem in any way,” said Scoutmaster Karyn Ellis. “The kids had a ton of fun together and still do. Everyone in our troop —- male, female, young and adult — can be proud of the example we set for how to make this work.”
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