Kalan Hand is the 17th from Notre Dame in recent years to receive very rare honor.
Notre Dame sophomore Kalan Hand has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award given by the Boy Scouts of America. According to BSA, only about 4 percent of the nearly three million scouts nationwide earn Eagle Scout status.
Hand is the 17th from Notre Dame Prep to receive Eagle Scout status and joins fellow NDP students John Kenny, Austin Greif, Kevin Cragg and Kalan's brother, Logan, as well as alums William Ballew, Anthony VanDieren, Logan Verheyen, Brennan Eagle, Tyler Obear, Ryan Flaherty, Ryan Dau, Erik Egner, Connor Verheyen, Jack Stouffer, Joe Lombardo and Peter Dondanville who have received such an honor.
To date, Hand has completed 40 merit badges, camped 90 nights, hiked over 200 miles, completed 72 hours of service and has been an active mentor to the younger scouts of his troop.
Hand has been a scout for many years, beginning as a member of Cub Scout Pack 186 at St. Joseph School in Lake Orion. After receiving the Arrow of Light, he crossed over to Boy Scout Troop 128 based at St Mary's In the Hills Episcopal Church, also in Lake Orion. With Troop 128, he's held multiple leadership positions, including senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, chaplain aide, quartermaster, troop guide and patrol leader.
"My favorite part of being a scout so far has been camping, where I learned many outdoor skills and a real sense of ‘being prepared,’" he said.
To date, Hand has completed 40 merit badges, camped 90 nights, hiked over 200 miles, completed 72 hours of service and has been an active mentor to the younger scouts of his troop. During this time, his troop nominated him to scouting’s National Honor Society, Order of the Arrow, given to scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives.
Hand also fairly recently went on a 12-day backcountry hiking/camping high adventure scouting event at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, which included a 125-mile hike at elevations in excess of 12,000 feet. He's also completed requirements for additional scouting awards, which were presented by Detroit Archbishop Vigneron and the National Catholic Committee on Scouting: the Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei (Children of God) award and the Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) award.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org