Preparing to soar

As a teenager, Rolando Torres of Elgin says he was so busy with homework that he simply didn't have time to become an Eagle Scout.

He doesn't want his son, Alex, to face the same problem.

That's why he told his 13-year-old to go after the highest Boy Scout rank now, before high school comes and "girls and cars and work" get in the way.

Alex, an only child, has accepted his father's challenge.

To become an Eagle Scout, candidates must fulfill goals in leadership, service, and outdoor skills, passing specific tests organized by requirements and merit badges, according to the Boy Scouts of America Web site.

Alex has secured the merit badges required for the award.

And he took a big step forward last week with the completion of a service project.

The project was on the grounds of the new Prairie Knolls Middle School in Elgin, where he'll attend eighth grade.

He organized more than 80 students, fellow Scouts, football players and parents to collect hundreds of large rocks from the school's temporary football field, which also will be used during gym class.

"If (football players) were to fall on it when they got tackled, it would be a little stinger," Alex said, noting that fewer rocks lessen the likelihood of injury.

This idea came about after several meetings with Central Unit District 301 officials, the teen said.

Not only did Alex oversee the two-hour project, but he also set up a first aid tent, a food and drink station and yet another for registration -- his parents and grandmother, Doris Corsello, were on hand to sign people in.

He divided the field into sections, marking them off with cones. Groups were then assigned to collect rocks within those sections. He asked people to bring their own collecting supplies, such as gloves, buckets and wheelbarrows.

"Those Scouts think of everything, you know," said school board member Mike Roberts, also the teenager's former football coach from the Central Youth Panthers. "You've got to be prepared, right?"

Next, a group from the Three Fires Council, the local body that oversees Alex's troop, will review Alex's activities to determine whether he can become an Eagle Scout. The family should know by the end of the year.

The Eagle Scout status would place Alex in rare company -- less than 5 percent of Scouts ever reach this rank, according to the BSA Web site.

He'd also be the first Eagle Scout in the western Elgin-based Troop 3, which his father leads. Alex's mother, Cathy Torres, is involved as well, serving as the 12-member troop's chairwoman.

Once you become an Eagle Scout, you can either mentor other Scouts in your troop or pursue other goals.

Alex already knows which path he'll take.

"I'm just looking forward to working with the younger Scouts," he said.