To This New Eagle Scout, Being Helpful is 'Just Common Sense'
Everywhere he looks, Galen Fleet ’18 sees ways to help. During Springs’ 2016 Choir Tour to Orlando, he stayed behind the group to push the wheelchair of a fellow singer. After his grandmother’s recent knee replacement surgery, he visited his grandparents daily to clean their house and drive his granddad to lunch.
Hoping to find an Eagle Scout project that would benefit his hometown of Helena, the longtime Boy Scout stopped by the City of Helena Museum in early 2016 and asked how he could help. Director Ken Penhale suggested that he clear and restore Old Helena Spring.
“The spring is very important to Helena history,” says Fleet. “It was the original source of fresh water for the workers and residents of Helena. I had walked down the trail before and never realized what it was. Mr. Penhale told me he wanted the spring to look better than it did and add signage, but whatever I wanted to put into it was up to me.”
Fleet spent several months planning how to improve the site. With contributions from family, help from fellow Scouts, “ridiculous” discounts from Home Depot, and advice from a friend skilled in woodworking, he installed two benches, a sign, and a bridge at the historic spring in late April.
"Galen did a first-class job on the project, which was a real service to the town of Helena," says Penhale. "In choosing the clearing and restoration of the old spring area on Buck Creek, he helped preserve an important piece of Helena’s early history. The spring was not only a source of water for old town residents but was also a social gathering place. He did a terrific job on the restoration, and really seemed to enjoy working on the project. Once the planned walking trail [an upcoming project of the City of Helena] is built, the spring will be a beautiful and restful stop for those using the trail."
"Galen did a first-class job on the project, which was a real service to the town of Helena," says Penhale. "In choosing the clearing and restoration of the old spring area on Buck Creek, he helped preserve an important piece of Helena’s early history. The spring was not only a source of water for old town residents but was also a social gathering place. He did a terrific job on the restoration, and really seemed to enjoy working on the project. Once the planned walking trail [an upcoming project of the City of Helena] is built, the spring will be a beautiful and restful stop for those using the trail."
Last week, surrounded by Scout leaders and Springs faculty in Indian Springs’ Administration building, Fleet achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The highest achievement possible for a Boy Scout, the designation is granted only to about five percent of Scouts.
“Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout demonstrates a remarkable commitment and dedication,” says Brian Rodgers, Indian Springs' Dean of Counseling and Residential Life. “The skills one learns along the path to Eagle will help Galen throughout his life. I commend the many years that he has invested in personal growth.”
It was another Eagle Scout, Cameron McDonald ’14, who introduced Fleet to Springs. “I came to his [Eagle Scout ceremony]. The biggest thing I remember about that event was Mr. Pollard’s kale chips,” he says with a laugh. “But I got a feel for the school community. I had never heard of Springs, but after getting to know the place, I knew I wanted to come to school here.”
His two favorite tenets of Scouting, Fleet says, are helpfulness and cheerfulness. He believes Springs promotes these ideals by emphasizing service and respect for others. “It’s really easy to be pessimistic and not to put on a smile when you’re doing something, so I feel that cheerfulness is sometimes hard but necessary, and then helpfulness is just common sense, which is why I rate it so highly,” he says.
By encouraging citizenship and service, Springs shows that commitment to community is an important part of learning and growing up, he says. “Service would be important for me anyway because of how much I’ve received in my life. Springs reinforces that it’s only fair to give back. I’m grateful to be able to do it.”
190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, Alabama 35124
Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.
© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.
© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.