Thomas joined Troop 17 from Pack 495 at Andrews Academy in May of 2006 after earning his Arrow of Light. He was only finishing fifth grade but had taken the initiative to complete his Arrow of Light one year early.
This initiative and determination set the tone for Thomas’s entire scouting career. He quickly advanced through the ranks, mastering scouting skills and earning merit badges. Just two months after joining the troop, Thomas attended his first summer camp and earned six merit badges while working on both his Tenderfoot and 2nd class rank. By his first Court of Honor he was a Second Class Scout and had completed most of the requirements for First Class. Thomas was also an Honor Camper in 2009. At age 15 he received his Eagle along with one Eagle Palm.
His leadership skills were first demonstrated during three years as a Den Chief. During that time, a significant number of boys from his Cub Scout dens joined Troop 17. In addition, Thomas served as Patrol Leader of the Eagle Patrol for over a year and also attended the National Youth Leadership Training Camp.
Thomas proudly represents the troop in the Pathfinder District. He led the Geocaching event at the 2011 Spring Camporee and will be the Campmaster at the 2012 Spring Camporee. Thomas was active in Order of the Arrow and served as the District Ordeal Committee Chairman in 2010-2011. He was the Pathfinder District Chapter Chief – the first ever Seventeener to be elected to this prestigious and important position.
For Thomas’s Eagle service project, he organized a tree planting in Watson Trail Park in Sunset Hills. This park was devastated during the New Year’s Eve tornado of 2011. Thomas worked with the Sunset Hills Parks and Recreation Department to plan the event and coordinated resources from his contacts at school, his brother’s school, scouts, DeMolay, and two church youth groups.
Thomas is truly service-oriented, performing hundreds of service hours all over the country. He traveled to Jefferson City, Kansas City, Detroit, and Harlem (New York City) to do mission work such as serving the homeless, cleaning up parks, and renovating apartments. He recently applied to be part of a medical relief mission team to Guatemala this spring.
Thomas is a straight-A student at the Thomas Jefferson School. As a sophomore he was already taking AP classes, third-year Greek, and pre-calculus. It was a challenging class load at a challenging school but he met the demand with ease.
Besides scouts and Order of the Arrow, Thomas plays junior varsity and varsity sports each season — soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Outside of school he is active in DeMolay and his church youth group.
Thomas Van Horn —
Honor Camper… Order of the Arrow… Chief… Scholar… Athlete… DeMolay… Eagle Scout
TROOP SEVENTEEN IS MIGHTY PROUD OF THOMAS VAN HORN