By Tad Stearn
The Scotts Valley community is home to three newly-minted Eagle Scouts following a ceremony held on Sunday March 8 at the Santa Cruz Moose Lodge on El Rancho Drive.
Hosted and presented by BSA Troop 614, the Eagle Scout Court of Honor is the formal ceremony held by a Scouting America troop to honor the recipients, recognize their service projects and reflect on their achievements. The Eagle Scout honorees — Andrew Kim, Summer Haber and Walt D’Ewart — were joined by family, friends, fellow troop members and mentors.
Becoming an Eagle Scout is the pinnacle achievement in the Scouts BSA program (formerly Boy Scouts of America), representing a lifetime achievement in leadership, service, and outdoor skills.
Only about 4 percent of scouts achieve this rank, requiring at least 21 merit badges, a major service project, leadership responsibilities and demonstrated Scout Spirit. All Eagle Scout requirements need to be met before the scout’s 18th birthday.
Andrew Kim
Andrew Kim, 17, is a senior at Pacific Collegiate School and lives in Scotts Valley. He served as an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader for BSA Troop 614 and passed the Eagle Board of Review in October 2025.
Andrew Kim stands in front of his service project, which replaces the old sign at the entrance to the Scotts Valley City Hall / Police Department parking lot.
Andrew admits he was a bit nervous when he started his scouting experience. “But over time I learned something important — that it’s OK to make mistakes, and real growth happens when you keep trying” he now says. “Scouting pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, to speak up, and take on leadership roles without worrying about being perfect. Those experiences shaped who I am today.”
For his civic-minded Eagle Scout Service Project Andrew and his team of volunteers demolished the worn and outdated Scotts Valley City Hall and Police Department sign and replaced it with a new, durable structure. The new sign at the civic center entrance resolved long-standing issues with safety, visibility, and unclear direction, particularly in locating the Police Department. The project also included the installation of lighting for both the new sign and the existing flagpole behind it.
Andrew managed all aspects of project planning, design and fundraising, leading a team of 20 volunteers logging more than 200 combined hours to make the sign project happen.
While he faced unexpected challenges along the way with city hall approvals and design changes, he was able to adapt and keep the project moving forward. The project was completed on July 3, 2025, with Andrew receiving a Mayor’s Proclamation for his effort in August 2025.
Summer Haber
Summer Haber’s inspiration to join Scouting America came from inside the family. “My grandfather was a scout. Scouting was his life, and it was always there for him during tough periods. He’s the one person who inspired me from the start, and it’s great that he’s here today.”
Summer Habers’ Eagle Scout Service Project at the Home of Peace Cemetery stretches across a steep cliff, preventing erosion and protecting visitors.
For her Eagle Scout Service Project, Summer led the construction of a 90-foot nautical rope fence to define a new expansion area at the Home of Peace Cemetery on the west side of Santa Cruz. Collaborating with leaders from Temple Beth El, she designed a solution that addressed two critical needs: preventing erosion and protecting visitors near a steep cliff edge. As an advocate for the environment, she designed the project to ensure that wildlife could pass through the fencing unobstructed.
Summer’s connection to the Home of Peace Cemetery began long before her project took shape. Driven by a desire to honor those who have served, she meticulously researched temple and ancestry records to identify the veterans buried there. Her work served to update the troop’s burial location maps, ensuring that every veteran is now properly honored with flag placement ceremonies on Memorial and Veterans Day.
To bring the project to life, Summer successfully raised over $2,600 and coordinated a team of volunteers who contributed more than 100 hours of labor. “You definitely learn what real leadership is”, she says of her project, “when working with a team and making people feel supported while raising them up.”
Summer is now the first female Eagle Scout of Troop 614, having officially reached the rank in April 2025. In recognition of her dedication to the Home of Peace Cemetery, she was honored with the Keep America Beautiful Hometown USA Award in 2023.
Beyond blazing the trail for future female Eagle Scouts, she had a message for all future scouts about making the most of the experience.
“Have fun with it. And work on it, instead of just seeing it as steps in advancement or checking off boxes. It’s so much more than that. If I hadn’t joined scouting, I wouldn’t be the person I am today”.
Walt D’Ewart
Walt D’Ewart, a 17-year old junior at Scotts Valley High School, served as Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 614 and passed his Eagle Board of Review in August 2025. He joined the scouts to make new friends after his family moved to Scotts Valley in 2021 but soon realized there was much more to it than that. “It’s taken me places I would have never experienced otherwise”.
For his Eagle Project, Walt connected with Common Roots Farm in Santa Cruz, a nonprofit operation that hosts day programs where people with disabilities help to grow, harvest, and package produce and flowers. Having grown up alongside an older brother with a disability, Walt was especially drawn to support the farm’s mission of building connections through shared, meaningful work.
Andrew Kim (left) and Walt D’Ewart look on as Summer Haber speaks at the celebration of them earning their Eagle Scout merit badges.
Walt chose to renovate the farm’s volunteer break area, a central gathering place where workers meet, eat lunch, and store their belongings. No stranger to tools, trucks and woodworking, building something was right in Walt’s wheelhouse.
The existing space had uneven ground and a few scattered tables. To improve conditions Walt designed a three-phase plan: installing a wheelchair-accessible patio, building an ADA-compliant picnic table, and constructing a volunteer station with storage and rain shelter.
Walt organized about twenty volunteers to clear and level the site and install all-weather pavers, followed by construction of the customized picnic table. The volunteer station was the most challenging phase, required planning, post setting, and finish carpentry.
Walt logged about 100 hours of his own work over eight months, completing the project in May 2025. His efforts were supported by more than 200 volunteer hours and over $3,000 in donations. “The best communities are built on real connections”, noted Walt, as he reflected on the experience.
Like others in his troop, Walt has grown as a person on his path to Eagle Scout. “Scouting made me take myself more seriously, and held me to something higher” he says. “I learned how to lead.”
Beyond the Merit Badges
All three scouts emphasized that becoming an Eagle Scout means much more than just satisfying the requirements and checking the boxes. The values and work ethic learned at this young age last a lifetime, with Eagle Scouts often holding leadership roles, forging strong relationships, and engaging with their community.
And once an Eagle Scout, you’re always an Eagle Scout. “You carry this through all other aspects of life”, says Troop 614 Scoutmaster Tim Johnson. “Other milestones along the way, those can be left behind as something you were. But you are always an Eagle Scout. For life.”
TOP PHOTO: Walt D’Ewart • Andrew Kim • Summer Haber