Competitive twins among newest Eagle Scouts
9 Methuen teens earn Scouting’s top rank

By John Basilesco
MethuenLife Writer

Twin brothers Sean and Brian Clancy do everything together — even achieving scouting's highest honor by becoming Eagle Scouts.
The 17-year-old fraternal twins were recognized for their achievement at a recent ceremony. Their mother Natalie Clancy pinned the Eagle Scout badge on each of her sons. In turn, they both placed "Eagle Scout Mom" pewter pins on her. They joined their older brother, Peter, 18, who became an Eagle Scout himself last summer.
The trio of brothers were among nine boys from Methuen Boy Scout troops earning the top rank over the past year.
Considered scouting's highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout is the sixth and highest Boy Scout rank. Each rank involves meeting a slew of requirements, including everything from demonstrating proficiency in first aid and being able to identify edible plants in the wilderness to mastering the use a map and compass.
Leading a community service project and earning a minimum of 21 merit badges also go into achieving the top rank. These badges, which are sewn onto a sash and worn as part of the scout's uniform, are like mini-courses covering everything from astronomy and chemistry to conservation, citizenship and lifesaving.
For Sean and Brain Clancy, earning merit badges turned into a friendly rivalry between the two brothers.
Sean has 28 and Brian is one behind with 27. They plan to continue racking up merit badges, trying to outdo each other along the way.
"He has one more merit badge than I do," Brian said.
"Deep down that bothers him," Sean said with a smile.
For Sean, wilderness survival was one of his favorite merit badges. It involved building a shelter and spending a night inside of it in the wilderness.
The two outgoing brothers, who are seniors at Methuen High, were happy to be honored together as new Eagle Scouts.
"It was pretty cool," Brian said. "Sean and I do everything together. Getting Eagle Scout together was a great experience."
"We started this together, so it was fitting that we finished together," Sean said.
The three Clancy brothers are members of Troop 96. Other local teen-age boys recently earning the rank of Eagle Scout include John Mosley and Michael Sprague of Troop 53, Jay Smith of Troop 60, and Robert Filteau and Kyle Dumais of Troop 51. Ruben Reyes of Lawrence, also a member of Troop 51, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, too.
Their community service projects ranged from clearing brush and painting a utility shed at the Methuen Town Forest, fixing up gravesites of local veterans to sprucing up a World War II memorial at a local church and making a shelter for battered women in Lawrence more secure by cleaning out an alleyway and placing a layer of crushed stone there.
In one of the most unusual projects, Kyle Dumais, 18, however, focused his attention on Hillside Acre Animal Cemetery, where hundreds of animals are buried.
The former Methuen resident, who now lives in Salem, N.H., tackled problems at the local pet cemetery in town for his Eagle Scout project.
Dumais uprighted overturned gravestones and adjusted headstones that had slid off their foundations. He also rebuilt a maintenance storage building that had fallen into a state of disrepair. The work involved putting on a new roof, replacing old wooden boards and giving the building a fresh coat of paint.
While the local scouts are proud of their accomplishments, their parents are thrilled.
Cynthia Mosley of Methuen, the mother of John Mosley, said she's happy that her son rose through the ranks in spite of anti-scouting peer pressure that exists to some degree.
"It's great that he went through the whole process," she said. "He learned about leadership. He learned from his Eagle Scout project and he did a good thing for the town by repainting yellow bands on poles, marking the location of between 150 and 200 fire hydrants."
Debbie and Glenn Sprague of Methuen are also proud of their son Michael, who refurbished the World War II memorial at First Church Congregational in Methuen for his Eagle Scout project.
"My husband and I are so proud of him," Debbie Sprague said. "Michael still loves scouting, and I think it will take him far in life. I expect he will remain active in scouting as an adult leader in the future."