Jacob Donovan reached the top of the mountain in the scouting world.

He’s now an Eagle Scout.

A Court of Honor ceremony was recently held for Donovan, a member of Boy Scout Troop 366, at the D-Bar-A Scout Ranch in Metamora.

Donovan, an Oxford High School senior, began his scouting career as a second-grader at Daniel Axford Elementary. He started as a Wolf Scout with Pack 366.

“I just thought scouting was really fun and it was a great way to give back to my community,” he said.

Over the years, Donovan, the son of Rick Donovan and Stacey Volante, said scouting taught him about “tradition, brotherhood and how to be a man.”

It also showed him the value of empathy and the importance of being respectful and polite to others.

“You have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes,” he said.

Life lessons aside, Donovan said “having fun camping with my friends was probably the best part of scouts.”

He enjoyed campouts at unique places such as the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and an Air Force base in Ohio.

Only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts attain the coveted Eagle rank. Between 1912 and 2016, more than 2.4 million young men became Eagle Scouts.

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.

Donovan earned a total of 26 merit badges. For earning five more badges than he needed, Donovan received a bronze Eagle Palm award.

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, Donovan built fire safety barriers beneath two charcoal grills located at the Harold D. Albertson and Jeanne L. Martin pavilions in Stony Lake Township Park. Beneath each grill, he and his fellow Troop 366 scouts laid a weed barrier, covered it with sand and topped it with 12-inch-by-12-inch red patio stones. The area was then framed with wood.

Outside of scouting, Donovan is the daily news anchor for the OHS broadcasting team and has had roles in the school’s last three musicals – The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins and Peter Pan.

Following graduation, Donovan will attend Central Michigan University where he plans to study broadcasting and business.

“I want to be a news broadcaster,” he said.