A journey of faith can take many paths—including to an Eagle Scout ranking, as celebrated recently at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (SSSAS) in Alexandria.
“Today is the celebration of a journey full of challenges, friendship, struggles, and triumphs,” School Chaplain Sarah Moses prayed during the June 1 Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at the school, in which three SSSAS students were among five Scouts earning this prestigious recognition.
Little by little, month by month, and year by year, these young men have been faithful, and we celebrate their faith, commitment, and hard work,” she added.
The Eagle Scouts relied on the school—among six Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia—for its longtime backing of their Troop 1515. SSSAS hosting the troops, meetings, campouts, Pinewood Derby, and ceremonies like this.
Their achievements drew admiration from The Right Rev. Mark Stevenson, Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, himself an Eagle Scout.
“My own formation in the Scouting program taught me discipline, resilience, and the value of service,” he said. “Earning the rank of Eagle Scout is a true honor—one that I was awarded as a young teen—and it brings me joy to witness the achievement of these young people as they serve communities of our diocese.”
One new Eagle Scout, Cecil Gregg, is a cradle Episcopalian whose faith grew during his Eagle project: building and installing native beehives and educational signage at Winkler Botanical Preserve in Alexandria.
“In the spirit of the Book of Common Prayer, I sought to act as a ‘fellow worker in God’s creation,’ using nature’s resources with wisdom and reverence, so that generations yet to come may continue to praise God for His bounty,” Cecil said. “As Proverbs 31:8 reminds us, we are called to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves’—even the smallest among us, like pollinators, who play a vital role in sustaining life.”
Perspectives on ‘Duty to God’
For Cecil, Episcopal values and Scouting are intertwined. He traces his ancestry to Alexander P. Gregg (1819-1893), the first Episcopal bishop of Texas.
“I have been fortunate to attend Episcopal schools that supported both the Episcopal faith and the values of Scouting,” he said. “I credit my experiences at SSSAS with grounding me in a tradition of service to the community that helped guide my journey in Scouting. I hope to carry forward my experiences from SSSAS and in Scouting throughout my life.”
His family, along with those of new Eagle Scouts Campbell Spence and Morgan Jay, attend St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria. The family of new Eagle Scout Harry Barnes, including his dad and Scoutmaster Paul Barnes, attend Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill in Alexandria.
(The remaining new Eagle Scout, Drew Madden, attends the SSSAS Catholic rival Bishop Ireton High School. “The Scouting program emphasizes ‘Duty to God’ but is non-denominational,” Paul Barnes noted. “Our troop has long attracted a cadre of members from the local Catholic schools.”)
The troop and its Cub Scout Pack were chartered at Christ Church in Alexandria around 1992 before moving to SSSAS.
Through the troop, some Scouts have become interested in Episcopal education. Two-thirds (26 of 38) of this Scout Troop attend SSSAS, and “in one case a Scout transferred to SSSAS based in part on his experience in the troop,” Paul Barnes said.
“The school is critical—having a base of operations for scouts is indispensable,” he added. “Beyond weekly meetings, where we can rely on SSSAS audiovisual equipment, we store gear, hold training sessions, Eagle Courts of Honor, and an annual family camping night to introduce rising 6th graders to the camping experience before we take them to more adventurous locales. Our Cub Scouts hold their Pinewood Derby in the SSSAS school gym and Raingutter Regatta on the school lawn.”
Eagles Trust the Power and Strength of the Wind
Troop 1515 has produced at least 49 Eagle Scouts, and some earned that rank by completing projects at Episcopal churches or schools. Not this year, though. Harry Barnes’s initial idea was to collect and ship musical instruments to SSSAS’ sister school St. Paul’s School and Parish in Montrouis, Haiti, but put that off “until the security situation there improves,” Paul Barnes said.
SSSAS has benefited as well. It has an outdoor classroom built by an Eagle Scout project. Troop 1515 Scouts volunteer to run games at SSSAS spring and fall festivals, and all the scouts of Troop 1515 over the years participate in service projects benefiting SSSAS and its associated missions. For example, Scouts have cleaned the woods on school property of debris, removing invasive plants and stewarding local waterways.
Every year, Troop 1515 collects food donations to support the local food bank as part of Scouting America’s Scouting for Food (SFF) program. Last year, the troop managed food collection for SFF across Alexandria. On one Saturday morning in November 2024, the scouts and SSSAS students unloaded more than 5 tons of food donations.
“As a troop we make sure we’re giving back to the school,” said Paul Barnes.
For SSSAS chaplain Sarah Moses, the Eagle Scouts represent the school’s commitment to “helping our students to grow in goodness as well as knowledge, and as part of that to encourage ‘community engagement that allows our students to practice empathy and develop an understanding of equity, justice, and inclusion.’”
To achieve Eagle Scout, “these young men have designed and led their own community service project which embodies our school’s commitment to form students who are engaged citizens of their community,” she added. “The scouting experience has given these young people a concrete way in which to live out love of neighbor as they are called to do through their Christian faith.”
In her benediction for the five new Eagle Scouts, the Rev. Moses prayed: “Walk with them wherever life takes them, and sustain them with your strength, compassion, wisdom and love…. May we leave here strengthened in our own pursuit of a life of character, citizenship, and service to the community. For as the eagle extends its wings to trust the power and strength of the wind, may we also open our minds, hearts, and lives to the power and strength of your Spirit who moves and guides us in all we do.”