11-Year-Old Becomes One of the Youngest Eagle Scouts in Reston

by Megan Schmid, Staff Writer

At just 11 years old, Caleb Schweitzer has achieved what many Scouts spend years working toward: the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only about four percent of Scouts have earned this rank, with most recipients between the ages of 15 and 17.

Caleb’s Scouting journey began in kindergarten when he joined Pack 1313 at Sunrise Valley Elementary School as a Lion Cub. Thanks to an accelerated academic path at the Academy of Christian Education in Reston, he was eligible to join Scouts earlier than most. He has since moved to Troop 157 in Herndon, where he recently completed the requirements for Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle Scout service project, Caleb gave back to his school community by building a GaGa Ball pit. The increasingly popular game is played in a hexagonal structure that allows for a fast-paced, safe variant of dodgeball. Caleb spent a total of 84 hours planning, constructing, and completing the project, leaving a lasting legacy for students to enjoy for years to come.

To celebrate his achievement, Caleb was thrilled to receive the long-awaited cell phone he had been hoping for from his parents. He will also be formally honored at an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony—often attended by public officials—in the coming months.

But Caleb is far from done. He will begin Langston Hughes Middle School this fall and plans to continue his Scouting journey with the goal of earning the Distinguished Conservation Service Award (DCSA), one of the rarest honors in Scouting America. Fewer than 1,100 youth medals have been awarded in over a century.

“Scouting is more than a place to camp and tie knots,” Caleb explained. “Scouting is a place to make memories and friends you remember and cherish for a very long time. It’s a place to learn real skills like how to work together and how to be prepared. Scouting is more than troops and ranks—Scouting is a family.”

We can’t wait to see which conservation issue Caleb tackles next to help shape Reston’s future.