Eagle Scouts Will Dozier and Josh Smith have taken their scouting experience to heart.

Both have earned their Eagle rank, and in fact have excelled past that rank, earning palms that are rewarded past the rank of Eagle.

Smith, a 10th-grader at Bainbridge High School and the son of Tana and Roger Smith, has earned a total of 38 badges and three palms—a bronze, silver and gold. Smith is a member of the BHS Marching Bearcat Band’s percussion corps, the Key Club and FFA.

Dozier, also 10th-grader at Bainbridge High School and son of Natalee and Jim Dozier, has earned a total of 31 badges and two palms—a bronze and gold. Dozier is also a member of the BHS Marching Bearcat Band’s percussion corps, tennis team and the Future Farmers of America.

To become an Eagle Scout, the scout must earn a total of 21 badges, with 10 being of a mandatory subject such as Citizenship in the Community, Personal Fitness, Communications and Personal Management. Earning a palm means that Dozier and Smith have continued to earn badges and provide leadership to their troop, which is Troop 503 that is sponsored by the Methodist Church.

Besides the badges, a key element in earning an Eagle is the service project, which the Eagle candidate must plan, develop and give leadership to a project that is helpful to any religious institution, school or the community.

Dozier’s project gathered blankets and toys for the Red Cross, which in turn distributed the blankets and toys during the 2007 Christmas season.

Dozier said had filled a 5-by-5-foot box of blankets and toys, and raised more than $200 in cash for the Red Cross. He said he wanted to do that project because it was the most effective in helping people.

Smith collected 30 toys and more than $425 for the Bainbridge Shriner’s Club in 2007, which in turn gave toys to children having to spend the holiday season in the hospital.

The club couldn’t find the help it needed in 2008 to collect the toys, so it asked Smith for his help again.

The two scouts completed their Eagle Scout application process and had their Court of Honor ceremony on Dec. 15, 2007.