Dimitri and Taki Bakatsias, brothers from Highland High School, were awarded Eagle rank—the highest achievement attainable in the Boy Scouts of America program—during an Eagle Court of Honor on April 30. Dimitri, a senior, and Taki, a junior, completed the scouting program as members of Highland’s Troop 70. 

Collectively, the boys experienced 21 years of scouting. Their final Eagle projects were completed on the campus of their church, Kimisis Greek Orthodox Church of Poughkeepsie. Dimitri’s project involved the renovation of the concrete entrance to the church’s community center, which had deteriorated during the pandemic. He replaced the concrete and refreshed the surrounding landscaping. Taki’s project installed a 30-foot walkway with three flag poles on the church’s campus. The new space will give Fr. Jason Dickey (a war veteran) a place to host memorials and veterans’ prayer services. Funding for the project was provided in memory of a Parish Council member, who passed away from COVID-19.

Dimitri and Taki’s parents, Mike and Eleni Bakatsias, are proud of their sons for persisting in scouting all these years. “We feel there is a great need to balance today’s busy, technology-infused life with skills and experiences outdoors,” said Mike. “The boys were fortunate to have a strong program like the Boy Scouts of America and Troop 70 be so active and close to home.”