James Conrad to Receive Eagle Scout Award

James Conrad has reached the rank of Eagle — Scouting’s highest honor, which is achieved by less than five percent of all youth who join Boy Scouts of America. The Sioux Council of the Boy Scouts of America announced James will be presented with his Eagle Scout award at 2 p.m. on January 22 at the American Lutheran Church in Milbank. Everyone is welcome to attend. 

To attain this distinction, James was required to earn 21 merit badges and demonstrate leadership by planning, developing, and completing a service project for his community. James chose to build park benches for his hometown of Ortonville, Minnesota. Upon completion, the benches were placed in the city’s parks. GCC Ready Mix and Whetstone Lumber offered donations to assist James in completing his project on May 1, 2022.

James is a member of Troop 45, which is supported in part by Grant County Combined Appeal and chartered by the American Lutheran Church of Milbank. Jeff Loutsch serves as his scoutmaster.

James interned last summer at Dakota Granite in their IT department and received the company’s Dakota Build Scholarship. He currently attends Lake Area Technical College for networking and cyber security. After graduation, he plans to return to the community and continue work for Dakota Granite. He also plans to remain active in his local Boy Scout troop. James is the son of Jeff and Jaime Conrad of Ortonville.