After nine years in Scouting, Hendricken student Robert Beer II, a member of Boy Scout Troop 183 Warwick, is set to become an Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor ceremony on Friday at 7 p.m. at St. Kevin Church.

Beer said he spent four years as a Cub Scout before becoming a Boy Scout five years ago. He said it all started with a school presentation.

“The Scouts did a presentation at my school and encouraged me to try it out,” he said during a phone interview last Friday, adding that camping and other activities enticed him.

“Scouts afforded me new friendships and it let me experience a lot of things I wouldn’t get to do otherwise,” Beer said, including whitewater rafting, shotgun shooting and kayaking, among others.

Beer said Scouting demands a lot of dedication.

“The most challenging part was managing your time to put into Scouts,” he said. “You need to have motivation and determination to become an Eagle Scout.”

Beer said he had a lot of role models around him to support him and show him what it takes to be an Eagle.

“When I became a Boy Scout, I heard and saw the older Scouts that worked hard and got merit badges and it provoked me to work hard to become an Eagle Scout,” he said.

For his Eagle project, Beer said he wanted to do something to give back to St. Kevin Church, where he attended not only church, but also school.

“The church hall at St. Kevin was full of storage and you couldn’t use it for events,” he said. “I organized a group and cleaned out the closets of storage and miscellaneous items. We also extended the hall 15 feet back and created a storage area for tables and chairs.”

Beer, who was in charge of the project and served as the “general contractor,” said he couldn’t have done it without the support of family, friends, fellow troops and volunteers, who spent nearly 30 hours on the project, which also included re-painting the church hall.

“Thank you to all my friends, family, parents, and supporters at St. Kevin Church for the support and hard work,” he said.

Beer said he went to St. Kevin School for 10 years, where he had lunch in the church hall.

“You couldn’t really do anything in there,” he said. “I wanted to offer something back to benefit both the school and the church.”

Beer said Scouting not only provides you with opportunities you wouldn’t get anywhere else, but it also prepares you for the future.

“It shows good character. It took a lot of leadership effort and coordination to contact people and solicit materials for the project,” he said. “I put a lot of effort in because I knew it would benefit everyone around me.”

Beer said Scouting has a lot more to offer besides unique opportunities.

“Scouting gives you the opportunity to express yourself in different ways and allows you to make friends all over the country,” he said.