Only a small percentage of Boy Scouts of America members achieve Eagle Scout status. It is even rarer for two brothers to do so. Dylan and Allison Yarbrough are part of a group that is rarer still.
Dylan and Allison were the first brother and sister in their Henderson, Nevada, Boy Scout Troop 903 to earn Eagle Scout status.
Andrea Yarbrough, the teens’ mother, says Scouting was a family affair, with both she and husband Branden serving as assistant scoutmasters.
“Branden was an assistant scoutmaster in the boys’ troop, and I was assistant scoutmaster in the girls’ troop,” Andrea Yarbrough said.
“Boy Scouts of America allowed girls to become Scouts a few years back and Troop 903 in this area had been just for boys,” she said.
When the door opened for girls to join, some of the boys’ sisters wanted to become members too.
“We took the boys’ sisters who wanted to participate in Scouting and formed an all-girls troop,” Andrea said. “We had Troop 903G for girls and Troop 903B for boys.”
Dylan is a high school senior, Allison, a sophomore. Both are Chickasaw citizens who trace their heritage through their mother’s grandfather.
An important part of the requirements to earn Eagle Scout designation is completing a significant community service project.
Dylan’s Eagle Scout project was placing protective boundary signs around several miles of Bureau of Land Management land surrounding Tule Springs National Monument fossil beds in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Allison’s Eagle Scout project was creating a reading space complete with bookshelves, books, artificial plants, rugs and baskets for five foster homes at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City, Nevada.
At least to begin with, Allison was hardly excited about getting involved in what she considered an exclusively male activity.
“When I first heard about Scouting, I was not interested, just because I’m very girly, girly,” Allison admitted. “I like nails and makeup, and I thought, absolutely not.”
But when she tried it, she found she liked it.
“I definitely enjoyed it,” she said. “I realized I have a love for being outside and doing outdoorsy things, like hiking. It was so fun. I want other young girls to know becoming an Eagle Scout is something they can do too. It’s a goal they can achieve for themselves.”
Scouting is hardly either sibling’s sole activity. Allison attends a magnet school for music where she sings and plays piano. She also sings in her church’s youth group band.
Dylan is a varsity lacrosse player at his high school. He is in the process of gaining his private pilot’s license and has been accepted into Arizona State University’s aviation curriculum. He hopes to eventually become a commercial airline pilot like his dad, who is an airline captain for Southwest Airlines.
“Becoming Eagle Scouts was a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding,” Dylan said. “Being able to say we’re both Eagle Scouts, knowing our experiences helped shape who we are today, gives us new insights we didn’t know about before joining the Scouts.
“We’ve learned new skills and made friendships we wouldn’t have made if we hadn’t joined the Scouts. That’s something that is very personal and very important for Allison and me. I would say anyone thinking about doing it should do it. They are not going to regret it, and the experiences and the people they’re going to meet will definitely be worth it,” he said.
“My husband and I are very proud of them,” Andrea said. “Scouting is amazing, and all kids should give it a try. It really gives kids a chance to get unplugged and get outside.”