Two Harbors native Alex Stone, pictured above, has earned the Boy Scouts of America’s highest advancement award, the Eagle Scout rank. A member of Troop 160, Stone completed his Eagle project last summer and officially received the rank in November.
Stone graduated from Two Harbors High School in 2025 and is now enrolled at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.
Only about 6 percent of Scouts nationwide achieve the Eagle rank. Since the award was introduced in 1912, more than 2.75 million youth have earned it. For Stone, the meaning of Scouting evolved as he grew older.
“Scouting originally meant a way for me to spend time with my friends,” he said. “As I progressed through the program, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout meant much more.”
His mother, Heather Stone, said the years spent in the program shaped him in lasting ways.
“Scouting was an opportunity for Alex to gain leadership skills, life skills, and close friendships to help him develop into the person he was meant to be,” she said. She added that he set his goal early, stating, “When he first started Cub Scouts, he said his goal was to become an Eagle Scout.”
Stone’s Eagle project focused on a worn grass patch outside Two Harbors High School, an area he encountered daily.
“I literally had to step around it every day or risk tracking mud into the school,” he said. “It seemed like something I could help with.
” With assistance from community members and guidance from his project mentor, Mr. Schlangen, the area was restored.
Troop 160 has been part of the Two Harbors community for many decades. Scoutmaster Erin Mecklin noted that “scouting has been a part of Two Harbors for just over 100 years,” but said participation has declined sharply in recent years.
When Stone and fellow Scout Noah Mecklin moved up from Cub Scouts, the younger program had 20 to 30 kids.
“But with the combination of sports taking more and more time in families to the all too well-known years of COVID, scouting as a whole has slowly declined,” Mecklin said. “Cub scouting lost all of its youth during COVID, and we kept the Boy Scouts going, knowing a few had the drive and want to complete their Eagle Rank.”
Troop 160 graduated two Eagle Scouts just last year, and even then, the Scouts noted that without new youth joining, the program’s future was uncertain.
“Over the past 4 years, we have seen 3 boys (Ben Wermter, Riley Niemi, and Alex Stone) achieve Eagle rank and will hopefully add one more before Troop 160 comes to an end,” Mecklin said.
National trends mirror the local decline. Scouting membership has fallen from several million youth in the 1970s to roughly one million today, with significant losses during and after the pandemic.
Mecklin said a recent council merger has brought added structure and support.
“I have seen more organization and assistance coming through,” she said, encouraging anyone interested in restarting Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts to contact the Duluth office.
She added that the values taught through Scouting remain relevant. Mecklin shared the Scout Oath: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
She also listed the Scout Law: “A Scout is TRUSTWORTHY, LOYAL, HELPFUL, FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS, KIND, OBEDIENT, CHEERFUL, THRIFTY, BRAVE, CLEAN AND REVERENT. We could all learn to follow these goals in life; it may not be easy, but we must always try.”
The possible end of the troop is bittersweet.
“We are very proud of what these boys have accomplished over the years in scouting and will be sad to see the program end this year,” Mecklin said.
Stone said the program helped set the course for his future.
“Becoming an Eagle Scout helped start my journey of service to others,” he said. “I hope to continue at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.”
If no new leaders emerge, Troop 160 may dissolve after more than 100 years, a loss Mecklin says comes at a time when the Scout Oath and Scout Law feel especially needed.
