A Zionsville Eagle Scout has gone above and beyond when it comes to learning a variety of the skills that Scouts are often known for.
Molly Simmons, a 2024 graduate of Zionsville High School, joined Boy Scouts of America in 2019 when rules were amended to allow girls to participate. A member of Troop 171 in Indianapolis where her mother, Cathy Simmons, is Scoutmaster, Simmons earned the rank of Eagle Scout in September 2023. Her final project was an ADA-accessible community garden she built at Heritage Trails Park that includes six garden beds, six garden tables and a Free Little Library. She was assisted by her teammates on the ZCHS swim team and other Scouts.
But Simmons reached a different milestone in 2024, earning every merit badge available to every youth in BSA.
“You only need 21 merit badges to be an Eagle Scout, but there are 139 badges,” she said.
Merit badges are earned when Scouts learn about different topics such as sports, crafts, science, trades, business and future careers and participate in related activities.
“When I joined Scouts, my first summer I went to camp and I thought it was really fun,” Simmons said. “I went around to each of the stations and I only took five badges that first summer. But there were so many, I wanted to try them all.”
So, beginning in June 2019, Simmons challenged herself to earn the whole lot. She achieved the milestone in March 2024, only two weeks before her 18th birthday. She said it’s hard to pick which of the badges is her favorite, but there are some standouts.
“Scuba was one of my favorite ones,” she said. “Being someone who has lived in Indiana her whole life, it isn’t really something I’m exposed to. But I got scuba certified. For climbing, I took a class with my family in the Grand Teton (National Park in Wyoming). The guides we were with were surprised at how in-depth it was to earn badges, but I was still able to earn badge information from them plus their tips and tricks.”
Besides being active in BSA, Simmons also spent four years on the high school swim team and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. She’s spent much of her life hiking and camping with her family, making some of those swim or outdoor related badges right up her alley.
But others were a challenge, which she was excited to take on.
“Going into a bugling merit badge or a horsemanship merit badge, I know nothing about those subjects,” Simmons said. “Being able to learn from those people and see their passion for such a subject was super fun.”
Simmons said besides being able to earn badges, BSA has given her life skills that will translate to the real world.
“Scouting has always been a part of my life,” she said. “Our troop pulls from about 15 schools in the Indianapolis area, so I got to build connections with people from other schools outside my town. Every Wednesday night, I got to meet with a completely different group of people and hear about their experiences. I think a lot of people don’t know the niches you can find in Scouting. Some people might think, ‘I’m not the outdoorsy type, so it’s not for me.’ But there are leadership aspects and service aspects.
“Everyone has a passion and there are so many areas that you can explore. You can have your own journey.”
Simmons will attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison this fall in the pharmacy program and will be a member of the Badgers’ women’s swimming and diving team. She said she hopes to participate in Scouts as an adult mentor as she gets older.
“All of the leadership for our troop, seeing the impact they made on me and the girls around me made the Scouting journey what it was,” she said.
Learn more about BSA Troop 171 at troopwebhost.org/Troop171Indianapolis.
