For decades, boys have knotted, fished, hiked and more to earn merit badges through the Boy Scouts of America. They’ve invested sweat and time and put in the effort and heart to fill their sash with hard-earned badges doing everything from bugling to kayaking.
Each badge brings forth a sense of accomplishment and pride, and for Carroll Senior High School senior Jonathan Ciccone, each badge also sparked a desire to learn something new, dig a little deeper and push the boundaries a little farther.
Jonathan joins the elite ranks of the few people who have earned every merit badge — all 138 of them. Since the beginning of the Scouts in 1910, only a few hundred Scouts have attained every badge available at that time. Jonathan earned his last and final badge this year.
A minimum of 21 Merit Badges along with Rank advancements (Spanning many years) along with an Eagle project are required for the prestigious Eagle Scout designation. Jonathan was inspired to keep the journey going to earn every available Merit Badge – 138 in total!
To accomplish this, Jonathan immediately acknowledges the many people that made his quest possible: Family, friends, Counselors he has known since moving to Southlake in 2013, to new Counselors he met on his sojourn to 138. Without the support of these many individuals, this success would not have been possible.
For Jonathan, earning every merit badge in Boy Scouts was more than checking a box on a bucket list — it was about exploring, pushing limits and discovering what he could accomplish.
Jonathan’s love for scouting can be traced back to summer camp, which for many kids means roasting s’mores over campfires, telling ghost stories under the moon, and making memories that will last a lifetime.
For Jonathan, summer camp was the beginning of a great love for scouting.
Ever since he crossed over into Boy Scouts at age 11, Jonathan has attended summer camp with his three best friends from New York and his brother, Christopher.
“It’s really what got me going in scouting,” he says.
Jonathan earned his first five merit badges, and from then on, he was hooked.
“It sparked an interest in me because I could learn so many different things,” he says.
He started with a troop of about 15 scouts in New York, and when his family moved to Southlake in 2013, he joined Troop 928, a troop more than 100 scouts strong.
Jonathan immediately felt at home.
“It was cool to see a troop so large and involved,” he says. “There were many different people to meet and help with rank requirements and life lessons. I was amazed at how engaging and supportive the parents of the Troop were (are) while still allowing the major activities to be ‘boy led.’”
It wasn’t long before he earned his Eagle Scout in 2016. For this achievement, which only about four percent of Boy Scouts attain, Jonathan had to earn 21 merit badges and complete a service project. At the time of earning his Eagle he already had 68 Merit Badges.
For his Eagle Project, Jonathan worked closely with Colleyvine Ranch, a revitalization center for the elderly, leading the design & construction of a raised, wheelchair-accessible garden complete with fruits and vegetables for residents to harvest.
“It was cool to give back in that way,” Jonathan says. “The raised garden serves as a great way for the residents to interact with each other and grow closer.”
After achieving Eagle Scout, Jonathan stayed active with his troop, and that summer spent a week at Philmont Ranch, the Boy Scouts of America's premier High Adventure base, which challenges Scouts with more than 200 square miles of rugged northern New Mexico wilderness. The highlight of the trip was summitting Mt. Baldi at nearly 12,500 feet in altitude with this Dad and younger brother Christopher (Also an Eagle Scout). This hike was inspiring in many ways including triggering thoughts of what his next big challenge might be in Scouting. That Christmas of ‘16, he traveled back to New York, where he caught up with his childhood best friends and spoke about this adventure.
The boys had an interesting thought. “One of them said, ‘It would be cool to earn all the badges,’” Jonathan recalls. “I thought, 'why not? It’s all so fun, why not earn all of them?' This perfectly fits the next big challenge I envisioned on top of Mt. Baldi.”
The friends scoured the Boy Scouts website, studying the list of merit badges Jonathan still needed to earn. He had acquired 68 badges over five years. He had 70 badges to go—and the clock was ticking towards his 18th birthday.
Jonathan contacted many of the leaders in his troop and sat down with his father to start a tracking log – spreadsheet – with everything he’d need to get complete the challenge. He also started a five-subject notebook detailing every requirement for every badge. If he were going to rack up and additional 70 badges in a year and a half, he would need to get organized.
At first, he tackled the list from most difficult to easiest. But then he realized a better way was to approach the list by considering the amount of time he’d need to earn a badge. Some of them could be earned fairly quickly; others would take months to complete.
To earn the family life badge, Jonathan had to complete a project at his home for three months and show a counselor the before-and-after results. For the backpacking merit badge, he spent a week in New Mexico with family and fellow Scouts. He hiked 48 miles and, 144 hours later, the badge was his.
The hardest part, Jonathan says, was contacting all the counselors and people involved in the process. Most merit badges required working with two to three additional people. Getting to know these people was rewarding itself. Some of the counselors were literally 100s’ of miles away, but they made it work.
“It was incredible to see the benevolence and goodness of so many different people who were willing to take time out of their day to help me,” Jonathan says. “It speaks pages and pages of the giving nature of Boy Scouts. There’s no other organization like it.”
Though the path to earning every merit badge was time-intensive, Jonathan’s family was always willing to help.
“My mom was wonderful. She drove me everywhere and was willing to go hiking with me for hours, one day we hiked 20 miles in seven hours” Jonathan says. “Whatever I needed, she was there. It was great bonding for us.”
“My dad taught me lifelong skills around Project Management, I would tell anyone embarking on such a journey, you need a roadmap – my dad helped me build that and track my success and where I needed to step it up,” he adds.
Jonathan’s final merit badge — his 138th — was the Exploration merit badge. Eagle Scout Bill Steele, a world-renowned speleologist, wrote the badge & actually signed off on Jonathan’s final completed requirements. As part of this badge, Jonathan had the opportunity to explore an island and submit a detailed flora-based report to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
When Jonathan wasn’t working on merit badges, he was focused on schoolwork, maintaining his all-A status. He admits he didn’t have as much time to focus on his extracurriculars, but he wouldn’t have changed a thing.
“I can play saxophone & piano anytime, but once I hit 18, I can’t earn badges,” he says. “I’d be in class listening but also getting ready for the meeting with a counselor that night.”
Looking back, Jonathan knows his journey with Boy Scouts was time well spent. He has ventured where he never would have gone, made friends who will last a lifetime, and learned more about himself than he thought possible. And it’s all because he had an outlet to achieve great things through the Boy Scouts.
“There’s no organization on the planet that provides this many volunteer hours to people who are trying to make a difference,” Jonathan says. “Boy Scouts give back to kids and teaches them morals and standards. There’s nothing like it.”
His words of wisdom for other boys interested in following in his footsteps? “Do it,” he says, “but stay involved with your troop. The interaction with other scouts is invaluable.”
His accomplishments don't stop there. Jonathan is also a varsity Dragon Baseball player and was among those who graduated early this week. Baseball seniors had to have a separate ceremony as they have a playoff game during the Class of 2019's graduation. He graduated Summa Cum laude with a 102 GPA. He closed out his senior year by performing a special tribute to parents at the Carroll High School Baccalaureate White’s Chapel Graduation Ceremony. He played piano and fellow senior Madeline Bryant sang the song to say thank you to all parents for their love and believing in them over the years.
“It felt a little strange to be done, but I’m glad it’s complete,” he says. “It just feels great to have achieved this long-term goal. This has been a life-changing experience.”