With no older scouts in their troop to guide them, two members of Troop 870, Newtown’s all female Boy Scout troop, have blazed their way to being the troop’s first two female Eagle Scouts.

Alyssa Jones, a founding member of Troop 870 when it started in 2018, and Gabbi Arguello, who joined in 2019, both achieved the rank, which requires 21 merit badges and an Eagle project, on a compressed time line. The Scouts were celebrated during an Eagle Scout Court of Honor conducted December 30 at Newtown United Methodist Church.

Boy Scouts of America as an organization still goes under that name, but its scouting program has been referred to as Scouts BSA since it began welcoming scouts of either gender in 2018. Each troop remains single gender.

Jones and Arguello “always shined the light and led the way,” according to Troop 870 Scoutmaster Karen Hoyack. They developed character and were committed to service to the community, he said during the court of honor.

Troop 870 Assistant Scoutmaster Judy Hammel said the two “deserved much credit” and would “wear the award with humility.” They committed to live their life with honor, loyalty, courage, cheerfulness, and in the spirit of service to others.

“I charge you with responsibly maintaining those values,” said Hammel.

Arguello said seeing the growth of Troop 870 has filled her with pride, and she is “proud to see how the young scouts are coming along.” During her time as a scout, she treated the handbook like a “sacred text” and she was “amazed to see how far” she had come. She said scouting gave her a number of crucial skills, such as team management, time management, patience, and accountability. During her time scouting, she learned it was important to “balance responsibility with fun” after her “first six months were stressful as a patrol leader.”

“Open, consistent communication with fellow patrol leaders is key,” said Arguello.

Arguello also noted that scouting shaped her in ways she “had not anticipated.”

Jones said scouting pushed her “physically and mentally,” and helped her face fears, such as fear of planes, which she overcame when she flew for a trip to Ireland and Scotland.

“Scouting helped me push my boundaries,” said Jones. “I picked events that were outside my comfort zone. If someone told me I would be giving a speech in front of people, I would have said they were out of their minds. I conquered fears and gained skills.”

For her Eagle project, Jones gave Middle Gate and Head O’Meadow elementary schools reptile and amphibian species as class pets, along with enclosures, informational booklets, and book stands. She also led class presentations to teach students about the animals.

According to the program event for the ceremony, Jones served as Troop 870’s webmaster, librarian, assistant senior patrol leader, and senior patrol leader. In 2022, she was selected to attend the Blair Atholl International Jamborette with 17 other scouts from the Connecticut Yankee Council, exploring Ireland and Scotland. She went on a camping trip to Salem, Mass., during Halloween weekend 2022.

She is now a freshman at Colorado State University working toward a degree in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology with a minor in Ecological Restoration.

Arguello joined Troop 870 in early 2019. For her Eagle project, Arguello collaborated with The Center for Empowerment and Education to create makeup kits for women entering and re-entering the workforce. This entailed collecting makeup via community donations, direct support from Beauty 21 Cosmetics, and purchasing additional products using money received from cash donations. Drawstring makeup bags were made by volunteers using fabric also donated by the community and local business Chintz-N-Prints.

Arguello has assumed various leadership roles including patrol leader, historian, assistant senior patrol leader, and senior patrol leader. In 2022, she also represented Connecticut Yankee Council at the Blair Atholl International Jamborette, taking the 24-day adventure through Scotland and Ireland.

She engaged in nighttime rock climbing at Prime Climb in 2019, participated in the Klondike in 2020, kayaked in Mystic in 2020, went to the Tri-Camporee in 2021, and went camping in Salem during Halloween weekend 2022.

Representative Mitch Bolinsky and Representative Marty Foncello both attended the December 30 ceremony, as did First Selectman Jeff Capeci.

“This is a very exciting occasion! Alyssa and Gabriella are not just Troop 870’s first two Eagle Scouts, they are Newtown’s first two young women to earn Scouting’s highest level of achievement,” said Bolinsky. “BSA first welcomed female scouts in 2018/2019, to provide the very special skills and leadership training for life to aspiring young women. What Alyssa and Gabbi accomplished is even more notable for their resiliency and focus on their Eagle journeys.”

Bolinsky concluded saying, “Newtown is a very strong BSA Scouting community, already represented by Troops 70, 270, 370 and 770. Troop 870 is a welcomed addition.”

Foncello offered his congratulations to “these two outstanding women for their work in the community.

“They each took on leadership roles within their Troop and I hope they carry that trait into adulthood," he added. "I had a great experience myself as a Scout and my son is an Eagle Scout, so I really appreciate how much work and dedication Alyssa and Gabbi put in to achieve this award.”

Capeci said it was a great honor for him to be the first selectman and have the opportunity to congratulate Arguello and Jones on all their hard work and achievements. He also said he enjoyed his days in scouting, as both a Scout and Scoutmaster.

“As the first two Eagles of Troop 870, you embody the Scout oath and law,” the first selectman said. “This is no small feat. This is a journey that is not completed alone, but with some help from family and friends.”

Capeci asked the two new Eagles “not to forget their values” and to “embrace the journey.”

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.