Lions Become Eagles

Over the weekend, two St. Mark's Lions celebrated their elevation to Eagle Scout. Matthew Jordan '25 and Arjun Poi '25 were awarded Boy Scouts of America's highest rank during the Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at the St. Mark's Chapel on Sept. 29, 2024. The two Marksmen, along with fellow Troop 730 Eagle Scout Harry Rahn, are now among the top 5% of Scouts who receive this honor.

Troop 730 is officially chartered by St. Mark's, and for Matthew and Arjun, there are even deeper associations between the School and Scouting.

"Leadership and responsibility are the two most important skills I learned at St. Mark's that transferred over to Scouting," Matthew said. "I have had a leadership role many times in Scouting, and the Path to Manhood really helped me be a great leader through experience, adaptability, and accountability. Responsibility is another factor of leadership as it made me less dependent on others and helped me to keep myself in check."

Noting another overlap, Arjun said, "Both St. Mark's and Scouting make the point that there is something greater than ourselves, and we have a responsibility to improve that greater cause, whether it's a city, a country, or one of the communities to which we belong."

Fellow Marksmen assisted both boys with their Eagle Scout projects. "They helped me with my budget and the types of supplies I should get to make my project be sustainable as long as possible," said Matthew, who constructed air purifiers for a local American Legion post. The high-grade units can eliminate harmful airborne particles like viruses and mold spores.

Arjun focused his project on collecting lightly used books to donate to Rays of Light Dallas, which provides respite care to families with special needs children. Several Marksmen from fifth through ninth grade participated in the book drive, helping the new Eagle Scout exceed his initial goal of 250 books to collect 1,100 books.

Arjun employed skills he initially honed while chairing the Food Drive as a member of the Community Service Board in ninth and eleventh grade. "I gained experience on how to run a drive, whether that's sending reminders, making announcements, or managing the donated materials," said Arjun. 

Troop 730 is led by Scoutmaster and St. Mark's alumnus and parent Mike Pickens ’94.