On Monday, Dec. 16, Troop 144 of Oxford celebrated a Court of Honor that included awarding Elliot Bruce with his Eagle Scout award. 

Bruce, 17, is the son of John Bruce and Meredith Wulff, both of Oxford. The ceremony was held at St John the Evangelist Church in Oxford. 

Bruce is the 91st Eagle Scout since Troop 144 was founded in 1972. 

For his Eagle project, he organized and led a conservation project at Hill Country Roots, an environmental conservation organization in Lafayette County that plants trees around the county. 

The project involved 35 youth and adults working more than 80 hours. 

During his time with Troop 144, Bruce earned many accomplishments. He attended Philmont Scout Ranch (in New Mexico), Sea Base (in Florida), and Northern Tier (in Minnesota), earning him the Triple Crown for attending all three high adventure bases. 

He is also active in the local Order of Arrow, and was recently elected lodge finance chief.

Bruce is an honor student at Oxford High School and a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. He is also a taekwondo black belt and instructor at Team Ra Martial Arts in Oxford. After graduating from OHS, he plans to pursue a degree in physics.

Several other scouts earned rank advancements, merit badges, and other awards. Troop 144 is also now two troops: 144B for boys and 144G for girls. 

Since 2019, girls have been eligible to join Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America). Troops 144B and 144G meet on Monday evenings in the parish hall of St John the Evangelist Church.