Ronan teen earns Eagle Scout honor
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RONAN — Working with community members and aided by friends, Daniel Koehler, a senior at Ronan High School, has earned the distinction of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America.
For his Eagle Scout project, Koehler placed a green thermoplastic bench near the Gold Star Memorial in Ronan’s Bockman Park, offering a peaceful rest in the shade trees alongside Spring Creek. Koehler built a picnic bench for the park as well, which sits under a gazebo off Buchanan Street.
To fund the project, Koehler sold World’s Finest Chocolate bars in front of Walmart, Safeway, Super 1 Foods and Harvest Foods alongside other scouts in Ronan Troop 1940. Collectively, the scouts sold $5,000 worth of candy bars, netting about half of the profit for the Troop and $960 specifically to fund Koehler’s project.
WBC in Ronan donated 20 bags of concrete mix and Lowe’s and Home Depot in Missoula donated wooden boards and hardware.
Koehler was granted permission by the Ronan City Council in June 2015, and he spent more than 316 hours coordinating, planning and completing his project. Koehler lives in Missoula and commutes to school with his father, who teaches at Ronan Schools. In his “spare” time, Koehler competes on Ronan’s cross-country team, plays in the concert and jazz bands, and is a two-time state champion in Dramatic Interpretation with his Speech and Debate team.
“This year, I’m hoping to go for three-time champ,” he said. In a date yet to be set, Koehler will receive his Eagle Scout award alongside his brother, Andrew, who earned the rank last year after placing two bright orange benches along the bike and walking path that parallels Highway 93.
“In a way, in terms of the idea, my project was a based off of his,” Koehler explained.
Koehler has been a scout since he joined Cub Scouts in first grade. Through the years he’s developed leadership skills that help him in all his activities, he said.
“I’ve learned how to support my community in the best possible ways. I’ve helped young men better themselves as people while understanding my role within my groups,” Koehler said.
Koehler appreciates the help he received from Mark DeFrance-Hiebert; Jacob, Nicholas and Ryan Dresen; brothers Andrew, Michael and dad David Koehler, who all helped pour concrete, plant the bench, and spent an entire day building the picnic table with him. He’s also thankful for honest advice and feedback from Mike at WBC and Dan Miller.
“Thank you to everyone who helped,” Koehler said, adding that he’s glad people are enjoying his project in the park. “It’s an honor to have something I can do for the community, even if it’s just a place to sit and eat lunch.”
Koehler specifically wanted to show his appreciation for Scoutmaster Gary Greiff, and David, Dustin and Daniel Greiff.
“Thank you for all the years of dedication and hard work to get me to this point,” Koehler said. “You have my sincere gratitude.”
