CRESTVIEW — A Boy Scout wants to share his enthusiasm for prehistoric times with all of north Okaloosa County.
Brandon Woods, 22, said a visit to Northwest Florida State College’s Niceville campus inspired him to donate his Eagle Scout project, a fossil replica display, to the Crestview campus.
"I saw a skeleton and some display cases in the science division and I wondered if this (campus) had one," he said. "I basically just wanted to show them things about the past."
Visiting the Smithsonian museum’s fossil exhibit was Woods’ favorite part of a recent trip to Washington D.C., so he was proud to see his project on display at the Robert L.F. Sikes Education Center near Twin Hills Park.
The Troop 773 member — who said the exhibit would be featured in a science classroom — designed the project with the scoutmaster, troop committee and scout district committee’s approval.
Several local businesses purchased and donated the four fossil molds, which feature dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
Some of the pieces include a replica headpiece from a giganotosaurus and pterodactyl.
Once Pensacola’s Boy Scout office reviews the project and gives Troop 773 confirmation, Woods will be pinned with his Eagle Scout badge at an upcoming court of honor ceremony.
Decade in scouting
Woods has been involved with Troop 773 for the past 10 years, earning 62 badges along the way.
"I think he enjoys (the Boy Scouts); I think he will stay in it one way or another," Shayne Campbell, his stepfather, said.
"He has accomplished a lot," troop leader Kelly Carrico said. "Scouts usually do community projects like cleaning up neighborhoods, but since I have been with the Boy Scouts, I have never seen anything like this.”
The scout expressed gratitude for the support of all his family, including James Woods, his father, and stepmother Julia Woods.
Donna Campbell, his mother, said she has noticed scouting’s benefits for her son since he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in grade school.
"The troop has been a positive influence on him," she said. “It has helped him with being able to work with other people and be more sociable."
For Woods, exploration is the main attraction.
"My most favorite thing is going to see new places, like summer camps … and meeting new people as well," he said.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Boy Scout donates Eagle project to Crestview NWFSC campus