Matherly is Campbell County’s first female Eagle Scout 

Claire Matherly is Campbell County’s First Female Eagle Scout. She is pictured here with her parents Daniel and Sacha Matherly. In the very top photo, Claire Matherly had her Eagle Scout pinning ceremony on Sunday at the LaFollette Methodist Church. Her mother Sacha Matherly pins Claire while her father Daniel Matherly proudly looks on.

By Charlotte Underwood 

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Campbell County’s first Female Eagle Scout has taken wing.

 “… the path to Eagle for girls here in Campbell County has been laid. I am merely the first to make that journey, but without the trail you all have set, without the guiding light held by each of you, I may very well would have never started this trail and if I had, I most certainly would have gotten lost,” – Claire Matherly, Campbell County’s first female Eagle Scout said during her Eagle Ceremony on Sunday. 

 The BSA Scout from Troop 435 has put in tons of hard work since she began Scouts just a few years ago. All this culminated with the recent completion of her Eagle Scout project of fundraising and installing three little libraries around the county. 

 Claire’s Eagle Scout ceremony was held Sunday at 2 pm at the LaFollette Methodist Church. She was surrounded by family, friends, and fellow Scouts from Troop 435 as she received her Eagle Scout medals. 

Working her way up from Tenderfoot to Eagle, Claire has shown “the true spirit of the Scout” by giving back to her community and performing multiple community projects such as painting the Elk tower, volunteering at Louie Bluie Festival, Food Life Services and much more. 

She has earned over 40 merit badges and performed many duties in her Troop, including serving six months in a Troop leadership position. Her recognition awards include the Order of the Arrow, 50 Miler, Cyber Chip, Fireman Chip, Totin’ Chip.

Campbell County’s first female Eagle Scout and Troop 435 Leader Liz White at Claire’s Eagle Scout Ceremony on Sunday.

Her trail to Eagle started in June of 2022 as a Scout. By the end of August of that same year, she had ranked up to Tenderfoot and by September 27 2022, earned her Second-Class rank. On Oct. 18 she was a First Class Scout and by February 22, 2023 she earned her Star rank. By August 22 2023, Claire had achieved the rank of Life Scout. All these rank upgrades mark hard work, effort, merit badges and a multitude of tasks that Claire had to accomplish to continue increasing in rank.

“Scouting is more than a place, it is a group of people, it is a structure that Scouting brings to my life; it is the joy of learning something completely new,” Claire said. This structure helped her on her path to Eagle, which is no easy feat to accomplish.

Less than half of Scouts make it to Life rank and only one in six make it to Eagle Scout rank.

During her Eagle Ceremony, Claire was told that her “position is one of honor and responsibility … your responsibility goes beyond your fellow Scouts, to your country and your God.”

Bill Cocran, of the District Eagle Board and chairman of the Mt. Cammerer District, South, spoke at Claire’s ceremony.

 He commended her on her letters of recommendation that the Eagle Board received on her behalf.

“One of the letters I read laid out who Claire is as a person and a Scout. She does so much not just in Scouting but in the community as a whole,” Cocran said. He also praised her for achieving the Citizenship badge on her path to Eagle.

“One merit badge near and dear to my heart is the Citizenship badge and that is the first Eagle merit badge she got and that’s so cool. One of the things I like about that merit badge is it focuses on the rights and obligations of a citizen of the United States. How to be a good citizen of the United States starts in the community,” Cocran said, noting that Claire’s many service projects showed her dedication to her community.

Claire spoke at her ceremony, thanking all those who had helped her on her path to Eagle and everyone who assists with the Scouting program in and out of the community.

She gave special thanks to her dad, Daniel Matherly who talked her into doing Scouting in the first place. She also thanked her mom Sacha and her siblings for all their support throughout her journey to Eagle, along with Scout Leaders Regina White and Liz White.

Claire Matherly shakes hands with her dad Daniel Matherly after her Eagle Scout pinning ceremony, which was held on Sunday at the LaFollette Methodist Church.

“I like to think of the Scouting experience as a seed that is planted by those around you – they grow tall, the roots feeding them for the rest of your life … I continue to use these lessons learned from Scouts every day. I learned so many things from campouts alone, which is one of my favorite aspects of Scouting … The teamwork and leadership we learned during that time is an important and valuable lesson we will carry with us for the rest of our lives,” Claire said.

She also shared that doing service projects was another aspect of Scouting she enjoyed and that the Norris Lake Cleanup she participated in last year was her favorite.

Scouting also helped her discover interests she never knew she had like hiking and camping. Claire also attributed Scouting to helping her choose her path of study in wildlife conservation and biology.

Even though she has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, Claire said she is not done with BSA Scouting and Troop 435 and closed her speech by thanking all those that helped her along the way and with a promise to continue along the path of Scouting.

“These are the results of the seeds planted through Scouts and they have already changed my life for the better …These people that I have thanked tonight not only showed Scout’s merit through their actions but lived them all through their lives. They can be seen by how the people around them grow from the seeds they planted; they can be seen by the quiet acts of service without the expectation of thanks. They can be seen here tonight as the path to Eagle for girls here in Campbell County has been laid. I am merely the first to make that journey, but without the trail you all have set, without the guiding light held by each of you, I may very well would have never started this trail and if I had, I most certainly would have gotten lost. Now it is our job to keep that path well-lit for the next girls who strive to make the journey, to plant seeds that will grow to be the base of their lives. I plan to do this to the very best of my ability to pay for the true kindness that was granted to me by all of you. For me, earning Eagle is not the end of my Scouting journey; it is a step among many to make a difference for the people around me. It is a tool to use as you learn and grow with your troop. It is there to teach the leadership, morals, and skills that Scouts is all about. I look forward to applying all that is the steps of my journey and what it has taught me in my everyday life and to carry forth the ideals of Scouting as my journey continues.” (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 5/07/2024-6AM)