Having one Eagle Scout in a family is definitely something to crow about. Having three is downright impressive.

Last week, Paul DeAngelis, of Oxford, became the third member of his clan to attain scouting’s highest rank.

“I do feel a sense of achievement,” he said. “I’ve worked so many years to get to this point.”

A Court of Honor ceremony was held for Paul by Boy Scout Troop 366 on the grounds of Christ the King Church on W. Drahner Rd.

His grandfather, Vincent Paul DeAngelis, came all the way from Connecticut to attend the ceremony.

“It’s really an honor to see my grandson achieve this,” he said. “It’s something he’s going to carry with him for the rest of his life.”

Vincent became an Eagle Scout in 1958. His older brother, Louis, attained the coveted rank as well.

“I’m so impressed by what they do now,” he said, referring to the ceremony. “In 1958, it was like, ‘here it is,’ then we had a couple of cookies and some water. It’s amazing what they do now.”

Paul began his scouting career as a second-grader attending Daniel Axford Elementary. He started off as a Wolf Scout with Cub Scout Pack 366.

Now a junior at Oxford High School, Paul stuck with scouting all these years because the program has a lot to offer and has enhanced the quality of his life.

“It’s fun,” he said. “It teaches you really valuable skills that you can use in everyday life like cooking, communication, knot tying and how to identify deadly plants in the wild.”

Scouting has given Paul a sense of belonging. “It’s great place to make more friends and get out there in the community,” he said.

Attaining the Eagle rank is the top of the mountain in the scouting world.

Only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts earn this distinction, according to the National Eagle Scout Association.

Between 1912 and 2016, more than 2.4 million young men became Eagle Scouts. A total of 55,186 acquired the rank last year and of those, 1,266 were from Michigan, according to a blog by Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout and senior editor of Boys’ Life, Scouting and Eagles’ Call magazines.

To become an Eagle Scout, a young man must reach the rank of Life Scout; serve six months in a position of responsibility with the troop; earn 21 merit badges (there are 137 available); and successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.

Paul earned an impressive 46 merit badges.

“I have way too many,” he said with a smile.

To become an Eagle, a scout must also plan, develop and provide leadership for a service project that helps a religious organization, school or community.

For his project, Paul made 11 dog beds for the K-9 Stray Rescue League, a nonprofit organization in Oxford that provides shelter and care to homeless dogs until they can be adopted into loving homes.

“I really want to help that organization as much as I can,” Paul said. “I just like helping the dogs.”

Paul’s parents, Adam and Ni, both of whom are active in Troop 366, were beaming during their son’s Eagle ceremony.

“This is a really big accomplishment,” said Adam, who’s an assistant scoutmaster. “I’m really proud of him.”

“I was holding back tears,” said Ni, a troop committee member and former camping coordinator. “It’s just very emotional . . . I just feel proud. He did something he set his mind to.”

Ni noted this means a lot to her because she attended “every single campout” with him and she feels those experiences brought her and Paul closer together. During those campouts, Ni encouraged Paul to keep going whenever he wanted to quit while Paul encouraged her to conquer her fears.

Vincent believes the path to becoming an Eagle Scout has helped make his grandson more mature and independent.

“I think that’s going to be a big plus for him,” he said. “I think he’s going to fall back on the things he’s learned and that’s going to help him a lot in life.”

In addition to scouting, Paul is quite active at OHS. He plays the trumpet as part of the marching band and is a member of the swim and track teams.

Looking to the future, Paul is hoping to turn his natural creativity into a career.

“I want to get into the art or animation industry,” he said. “I want to be a storyboard artist.”