Appel earns Eagle Scout rank through service, leadership and dedication

For Alexis Appel, earning the rank of Eagle Scout represents much more than the completion of a Scouting journey. It is a recognition of years of hard work, leadership and service to her community.

Appel recently earned the prestigious Eagle Scout rank through Scouts BSA Female Troop 99 in Tea, becoming the newest Eagle Scout in the troop.

“To me, being an Eagle Scout means all of my time and efforts I have worked so hard on has paid off,” Appel said. “To earn Eagle Scout, I now join the others that are Eagle Scouts, which to me it is a huge honor.”

Appel’s Scouting journey began in 2019 when she joined Cub Scout Pack 109 in Lennox. She crossed over to Scouts BSA in 2021, joining Troop 99.

Her interest in Scouting began after her sister, Sarah, came home wanting to join.

“After hearing what it was, I enjoyed doing those kind of things,” Appel said. “I wanted to join.”

The journey from Cub Scout to Eagle Scout was one Appel described as “very crazy and eye opening on what I can accomplish.”

Along the way, she said several people played important roles in helping her reach the highest rank in Scouts BSA, including Tina and Austin Buhta, Becky Beringer, her father - Justin Appel, Nedean Anderson and Scott Harvill.

Her Eagle Scout project gave Appel an opportunity to combine her Scouting experience with her appreciation for a local organization.

Appel chose the Worthing Fire Department for her Eagle Scout project because of the department’s commitment to the community.

“The Worthing Fire Department is like my family,” she said. “They are all volunteers on the department and give so much of their time to the community. It was a way to say thank you to them.”

Appel built a gear dryer for the fire department after noticing how firefighters traditionally dried their equipment and coming across an idea for a different design online.

She spent more than six months planning and constructing the project, putting in more than 160 hours of work.

The finished gear dryer provides the Worthing firefighters with a practical way to dry their gear while supporting the department’s ongoing work in the community.

“It was overwhelming and surreal to see and hear how it helped them,” Appel said.

She also donated the remaining funds from the project to the Worthing Fire Department. She is pictured below donating the funds. 

The project taught Appel lessons about leadership that she said will extend beyond Scouts.

“It made me realize that I like to use the EDGE method of leading, which is educate, demonstrate, guide and enable,” she said. “I need to be a hands-on leader, not one that just orders what is to be done.”

Appel’s Eagle Scout accomplishment was celebrated by the Sioux Council, Scouting America, which congratulated her and Troop 99 on the achievement.

“Troop 99 has a new Eagle Scout in the nest!” the Sioux Council said in a social media post. “We couldn’t be prouder of Alexis and all she has accomplished on her journey to Eagle Scout.”

Appel’s Eagle Scout achievement carries an additional special meaning because she earned the rank in the same troop where her father earned his Eagle Scout rank.

She also holds another distinction in Lennox’s Scouting history.

“I was the first female in Lennox Pack 109 to cross over to Troop,” Appel said.

Her path to Eagle Scout was supported by family, community members and local businesses. Appel said she was particularly grateful to those who helped support her Eagle project, including her bosses at Taco Vault, who held a bingo fundraiser to help her raise money for the project.

Appel’s commitment to being involved in her community and school extends beyond Scouting.

She serves as a football manager for the Lennox High School Orioles, a role that allows her to be part of the team. 

“I enjoy being a part of the team and helping them anyway I can,” she said. “I am not very athletic, but this is a way of being involved in the school.”

For Appel, both her Eagle Scout project and her involvement with the Orioles reflect the same desire to contribute and help others.

Her journey to Eagle Scout has given her more than a rank. It has provided experiences in leadership, service and perseverance — lessons she can carry with her long after her Scouting career.