On Jan. 22, soon-to-be Eagle Scout Sarah Marston delivered 26 books and accompanying story stones for each to the Discovery Corner Preschool in Lancaster city. "I was really excited about that," said Marston, recalling the completion of her Eagle Scout project.

Marston began work on the project in November of 2020, but her scouting journey began long before that when she was asked by two friends to take part in a Venture Crew canoe trip. "I already had my (summer) work schedule, and I was helping with the Conestoga Valley swim team," recalled Marston. But when the Venture Crew started meeting the following September, Marston joined up. By the time she was 17, she was one of the first members of Scouts BSA Troop 82 in Brownstown. Nine young Lancaster women joined Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouting) in December 2018. At that time Marston became eligible for an Eagle Scout extension, which gave her until February 2021 to complete requirements for an Eagle Scout Award.

Marston developed the story stone idea with her mother, a former preschool teacher, who helped her collect a number of children's books. Marston paired each book with about 10 small river stones donated by Penn Stone. Marston coordinated the effort, which involved distributing the books and the stones to fellow Scouts, family members, and other members of the community, with the goal that volunteer painters would paint stones with characters or scenes from each story. "I distributed the books with the goal of having 20 come back for the preschool," said Marston.

While the Elizabethtown College freshman was home for the holidays, she picked up completed rocks and books. "It was a little hectic at times because I was driving all over the county, but it worked out," said Marston, who used a spray sealer on the stones when they were returned to her to make it easy for children to use them without the paint coming off. Some of the titles Marston collected for the school included "Count the Monkeys," "Owl Moon," and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" According to Marston, teachers can use the stones to assess for comprehension, teach the alphabet, or gauge progress. "I wanted to do something that would help young children learn," shared Marston, who is undertaking seven years of postsecondary education to become a physical therapist. "I love helping people learn new things."

Marston expressed excitement over each step of her journey to Eagle Scout, including her board of review, the final step to getting her award, which was held on Feb. 2. "(The review) celebrates all the accomplishments you've had so far and looks forward. The whole thing was a great experience," Marston said.