By Wally Meyer
Scout Troop 127
Two Northside youths, Cynthia Propsom and Zaida Hendrickson, have earned scouting’s highest honor — the Eagle Scout Award. It’s estimated that only 4–6% of youth that join scouting earn the Eagle Scout Award.
The accomplishment requires youth to earn 21 merit badges, serve their troop in leadership roles, perform hours of service, and lead a service project that benefits their community. The two are members of Northside Scout Troop 127.
For Propsom’s service project, she led a group of volunteers in planting a pollinator garden for the Friends of Cherokee Marsh. “When I was brainstorming what to do for my project, it was important that it felt like I was giving back to my community for what it has given me,” said Propsom. “Teaming up with Friends of Cherokee Marsh to plant a garden was a great fit because I spent a lot of my childhood in Cherokee Marsh.”
For Hendrickson’s service project, she created several maps in the Northside area for storm drain plaque placements. She developed a passion for environmental stewardship during her time in scouting and a passion for chemistry in school. “I wanted to target a local environmental-chemical issue that I was knowledgeable and curious about,” said Hendrickson. “Sometimes, communities may misuse storm drains that drain to the lake by dumping products, and this can cause leeching in the environment, which has whirlpool affects.”
Her project was a success, and with the help of UW-Extension and permission from the city’s Civil Engineering department, she led a group that placed more than 100 storm drain plaques throughout Northside neighborhoods.
For Propsom, the Eagle Award is a “culmination and signifier of my time in scouting. It’s representative of all the time I put in and the time of everyone I have learned from, as well as all the lessons I learned while in scouting,” she said. “The Eagle project is unlike anything I’ve ever done before, but because the ranks build up to it, and by the time a scout reaches Eagle, they possess the skills necessary to complete it, which made it a good and very rewarding challenge for me.”
For Hendrickson, becoming an Eagle Scout is a testimony of courage and a true fulfillment of the scout oath and law wrapped in one process. “Organizing a project all on my own was a daunting task, and I feared rejection upon being entrusted with the assignment,” said Hendrickson. “I had a lot of help from my friends and my leaders. The experience taught me that support is a necessary aspect of life and work and that you can truly do anything you put your mind to with education, connections, and commitment. I had to actualize my scouting training and knowledge on a concentrated effort, and I realized that when I implemented my values into my work, I not only benefited, but my community did as well.”
Propsom’s favorite scouting memories were definitely the high adventures she’s participated in. She went backpacking at the Philmont Scout Ranch in 2024 and sea kayaked in the Apostle Islands in 2025. “For each, spending a week or two in the outdoors was incredible and that time was perfect for meeting new people and strengthening the bonds I have with the people in my troop,” she said. “In both cases, I will always remember the guides we had because of their passion for what they did and their easygoing and friendly personalities with our troop; shoutout to Raleigh, Keith, and Ted.”
For Hendrickson, going to Philmont with the troop was a great time. “My favorite memory was when we got to a shiny mountain called Abreu. I wrote a collection of poems during my venture at Philmont, but the one I wrote when we hit Abreu Mountain was titled “Angels Live in Abreu.” We were greeted with a lot of kindness and hospitality upon getting to the site as well as a fully cooked dinner of carnitas tacos,” she said. “In the morning, the staff made a pitcher of lemonade to send us back on the trail. That experience made my week and showed me how much cheerful service can affect community.”
Both girls grew up on the Northside and attended Blackhawk Middle School and East High School. They are members of Scout Troop 127, which meets at Lakeview Lutheran Church on Thursdays. For more information on scouting and the impact it has on youth, contact Scoutmaster Matt Meyer at mat
tunderscoremeyer@gmail.com.
