William David ’21 Wins Boy Scouts’ Rarest Award
By Andrew Pearson
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Christ School sophomore William David would be the first to admit that the William T. Hornaday Silver Medal in Conservation is more than an individual honor. Inspiring others to follow his lead may ultimately be the mark that William leaves on Asheville with his community service.
The Boy Scouts of America presented their rarest award, and highest possible for conservation, to William during a formal ceremony in November. Fewer than 150 Hornaday Silver Medals have been given by the Boy Scouts since the award was created in 1914. Statistically-speaking, the Hornaday Silver Medal is 15,000 times rarer than an Eagle Scout medal. William is only the fourth Scout from North Carolina to win a Hornaday Silver Medal. Nearly 1,000 volunteers gave more than 2,800 hours of their time to support the long-term initiatives William coordinated. Thousands more people attended the educational and public events he spearheaded. “I feel enormously grateful to the National Conservation Committee and the Boy Scouts of America for awarding me this honor. There have been so many people that have supported this and selflessly given their time,” William said. “…I found that people absolutely want to help if you take the time to explain ‘why’ and ‘how’ they can help." All told, William dedicated more than 600 hours over the past three and half years working to these four issues: 1. Recycling hard to recycle items. William helped more than 70 organizations in three states, schools (including three colleges), businesses, and other organizations recycle plastic writing instruments. William also started an electronic waste recycling program that is ongoing. 2. Eastern box turtle conservation. William was part of the Turtle Monitoring Study, entering data into the 100-Year Turtle Study and a presenting data on the importance of the Shrubland Habitat. Educational programming included the Annual Box Turtle Day event at the N.C. Arboretum. 3. Invasive Species Prevention. William was involved in the planting of 88 Eastern Hemlock saplings to help develop resistance to the invasive Woolly Adelgid and to save this foundation species. He completed and presented a study on the Walnut Twig Beetle. William also wrote a blog and designed the scout education materials for the Nature Conservancy’s “Don't Move Firewood” campaign. 4. French Broad Watershed Water Quality Initiative. William and the volunteers removed
trash from multiple tributaries of the French Broad Watershed, installed more than 700 live stakes to prevent erosion and sediment pollution, removed invasive plans to restore the Dingle Creek Watershed, and helped with three research studies. 300 Christ School students and adults assisted with this initiative, resulting in more than 930 service hours. “William David is an exceptional young man and dedicated Scout, exemplifying what Scouting is all about – character, leadership, and cheerful service,” Scout Executive Joshua Christ said. “William is only the second Scout in the 98-year history of the Daniel Boone Council to earn this achievement; he has a very bright future in whatever he decides to do, and Scouting is proud to be a part of his overall development.” The Hornaday Silver Medal is presented by the Boy Scouts, but every candidate’s work is judged by a panel of national conservation experts. William has also earned 133 merit badges and 14 Eagle Palm Awards through the Boy Scouts. Recently, he also earned the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest youth award bestowed by the U.S. Congress. William will travel to Washington, D.C. in June 2019 to receive this
award. He earned this honor in part due to his community service work in conservation and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. William has previously won two other major conservation awards: the Roosevelt-Ashe Outstanding Youth in Conservation Award and the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship. William has been on Christ School’s High Honor Roll since eighth grade, an Honor Council Representative, and a Headmaster's Scholar. He is a student leader of the FIRST Robotics Competition Team 5854 at UNC Asheville. William co-founded and runs the “Future Builders” STEM mentorship and education program for disadvantaged students. During the summer of 2018, William was part of the Florida Sea Base High Adventure Marine Conservation service trip, a partnership with the Mote Marine Laboratory. Additionally, he used his Scuba Merit Badge and Open Water Diver Certification to participate in the Coral Conservation Project in Grand Cayman. William is the second member of his family and second Christ School student to win a Hornaday Silver Medal. His older brother, Bennett ’18, is a Robertson Scholar at Duke University. n
Left: William helps restore a coral reef in Grand Caymen. Above: William with Conservation Advisor Jonathan Marchal of the North Carolina Arboretum.
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