Student of the Week: Passion propels freshman to Eagle Scout

For Danny Duncan, scouting is a family tradition. His parents, Eva and Greg Duncan, are assistant Scoutmasters with Boy Scout Troop 1031, and his older brother Joey is an Eagle Scout.

This summer, Danny, a freshman at Edwardsville High School, completed his Eagle Scout project, building instrument racks for violins and guitars at Liberty Middle School, where he had just completed the eighth grade.

Edwardsville’s orchestra program has seen significant growth, with 260 students in elementary grades and 180 in the middle school playing instruments, and the schools were running out of ways to store their instruments. Band director Andrew Gipson said until Danny’s project, the guitars were piled in a closet, and now they are stored on a wooden rack that rolls out into the band room.

Q: Where did you get the idea for your Eagle Scout project?

A: “I wanted to do an Eagle Scout project, and I was really involved in orchestra and jazz band. So I asked them if there was anything that they needed done, and Mrs. Honda (then orchestra teacher) said they needed more violin and viola racks, and the band director said he needed a guitar rack, too.”

Q: You not only built the racks, but designed them?

A: “Yes, I looked at the other racks and took measurements so that they would fit the guitars. ... The original design didn’t work, because it wouldn’t fit through the door, so I had to change it.”

Q: How long did it take?

A: “It was at least a couple of months in the planning. ... Then I announced to the troop that I would be doing my Eagle Scout project, and if anyone can show up, please do. We had about 20 guys assisting.”

Q: What other community involvement do you do?

A: “Well, there’s the Boy Scouts, of course. We help out the community a lot, like we do cleanup along the bike trail. ... I’m also in the Order of the Arrow, and their main focus is community service.”

Q: What do you want to do after high school?

A: “I want to go to college and study to be a professor.”

Q: Do you have any advice for other Scouts considering their Eagle project?

A: “Always make sure you understand what you’re doing, and understand you might have to modify it later on.”

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Student of the Week: Passion propels freshman to Eagle Scout."