Batesville teen earns Eagle Scout rank at 13

Trey Moody, left, is pictured with his father, Lackey Moody. Trey received his Eagle Scout rank in December, two days before his 14th birthday, which was Dec. 19. Moody’s project was building a flag-retirement pit in Riverside Park in Batesville.
Trey Moody, left, is pictured with his father, Lackey Moody. Trey received his Eagle Scout rank in December, two days before his 14th birthday, which was Dec. 19. Moody’s project was building a flag-retirement pit in Riverside Park in Batesville.

— Trey Moody, an eighth-grader at Batesville Junior High School, accomplished something at age 13 that most Scouts don’t do until several years later.

Trey, now 14, earned his Eagle Scout award Dec. 17. He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 220.

His Eagle Scout project consisted of constructing a flag-retirement pit and a mailbox for people to drop off worn and tattered American flags.

“The No. 1 question we’re asked is, ‘We have this old flag that is really torn. Should I throw it away in the trash, or what should I do with it?’” Trey said. “We thought we could use this as an Eagle Scout project.”

Trey constructed a fire pit at Riverside Park in Batesville to burn old American flags, which is the proper way to retire them. He also set up a dropbox for old flags at Batesville City Hall.

“It took a pretty good amount of effort,” Trey said. “It can tie into a bunch of Eagle Scout projects, and that’s the good part.

“You need to bury the ashes from the flag to retire it. We need benches so that people can sit down at the ceremony. All we built was a flag-retirement pit and a mailbox. They will benefit other Scouts and the community.”

Trey decided to go ahead and get his Eagle Scout rank instead of putting it off like some older Scouts do.

“There’s a bunch of boys who hold their Eagle Scout project off until they’re 16 or 18, and they never get it done because they are busy with sports, homework and girls …,” he said. “I just wanted to go ahead and get it done because I’ve already gotten this far. I went ahead and pushed it.”

Lackey Moody, Trey’s father, said he and his wife, Kristi, are proud of what their son has accomplished.

“My dad was an Eagle Scout, and [Trey and I] started this journey when he was in the first grade with Cub Scouts,” Lackey said. “When he got to Boy Scouts with the group he is with, they have just been on fire — every camp they can do, every merit badge they can do, every hike they can do. They have just been gung ho.”

Lackey said there are six other Scouts younger than 15 who are getting close to becoming Eagle Scouts.

“There are six boys who are 16 or 17 who are really being pushed to finish their Eagle because they are being pushed by the younger guys. We’ve got a really strong troop with great leadership in the youth and the adults,” he said. “We’re really blessed to have a hardworking troop that really likes to go. Our calendar is usually two Saturdays a month and every Tuesday night. We’re doing something all the time. We’ve been really fortunate.”

Troop 220 is led by scoutmaster Rich Florczak.

“He’s really done a good job with these boys,” Lackey said.

Trey said he loves Scouting.

“You get to hike and canoe and go on zip lines,” he said. “Now that I’m older and I’ve done almost everything there is to do, I can lie back and mentor other kids who are on their way to becoming Eagle Scouts.”

Trey said being a Boy Scout is fun, but the Scouts also work hard.

“It wasn’t really as bad as you think it is,” he said. “Scouts isn’t something that is just supposed to be hard work all the time. It’s supposed to be fun. You’re supposed to enjoy it.”

In addition to Scouting, Trey is a member of the Batesville Torpedoes swim team. He ran cross country for the Batesville Junior Pioneers in the fall and will run track this spring.

“It keeps me healthy,” he said. “It is really exercise that I like to do. You really get healthy. It’s takes some effort, but you don’t realize the effort you’re putting into it. To me, it’s like that.

“It’s really fun, and I get to hang out with my buddies.”

Trey is also a star in the classroom, as he received the All A’s Award and the Science Award in the seventh grade.

Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.

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