By Kristen Miller
News Editor

COKATO, MN – Becoming an Eagle Scout is a goal Ian Wuollet of Cokato had his mind set on as an 11-year-old finishing Cub Scouts.

Only a small percentage of Boy Scouts actually become an Eagle Scout, and Wuollet is honored to have reached the highest rank attainable in the scouting program this past January.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment,” Wuollet said.

For his project, Wuollet built 15 angled wooden book shelves for the Cokato Public Library that prevent books from tipping over.

He began the process last March, and installed the shelves in May. There were 29 volunteers who assisted him with the project including other Boy Scouts from his Litchfield troop, family, and friends.

The process included organizing volunteers and getting donated materials.

The wood was donated by Goebel Fixture Company in Hutchinson, and the remaining supplies were donated by Dahlin’s Home and Farm of Cokato.

There was also a lot of required paperwork that accompanied the Eagle Scout project, which he found to be the most challenging part of the project.

To build the shelves, Wuollet organized an assembly line of volunteers to cut, sand, glue, drill, and then screw the pieces of wood together. This particular part of the process took place in the Litchfield High School’s shop room.

The staining and finishing of the shelves was done at the Dassel-Cokato High School shop room.

For Wuollet, the project wouldn’t have been possible without the volunteers, but particularly his mother, Sheryl, who was his motivator, he said.

“I wouldn’t have got it done without her,” he said.

The library staff was very appreciative of the shelves and Wuollet’s work. Sheila Rieke, branch manager, explained that the library is running out of space for books. Therefore, they need to place rows of books on top of the existing bookcases. These shelves allow the library to do that while keeping the library nice and tidy.

“He was wonderful to work with,” Rieke said. “He really went the extra mile.”

Having begun as a Tiger in Cub Scouts, becoming an Eagle has been a great reward for Wuollet, especially since it’s not an easy rank to get, noting he was the only one out of the kids he started Scouts with to become an Eagle Scout.

Through this process, Wuollet has learned a lot about planning, organizing, and carrying out a project. Being in Boy Scouts has also taught him a lot of good life skills, responsibility, communication, and that hard work pays off.

Wuollet is currently attending post secondary at Ridgewater College - Hutchinson, where he is taking welding, and hopes to find a job in that field. He is also a personal care attendant, working at AME Community Services.

“I’ve always liked working with kids and helping people,” he said.