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According to her mother Shandra, when Piper Shankle was four years old, she had to make a choice: go on a field trip with her school to the Monterey Bay Aquarium—her favorite place on earth—or spend the day volunteering with her parents at a Special Olympics event in Salinas.
“Playing with the fish was a big deal for her,” Shandra said. “But she told me, ‘I want to go and help with my friends.’ I did not have to drag her. It was a conscious choice she made.”
It was the first outward sign of Piper’s drive to live an active and service-oriented life, which has led her to a Court of Honor on July 28, where she will become San Juan Bautista’s first female Eagle Scout.
“Piper is a chronic volunteer,” Troop 2428 Scoutmaster April Wyatt said. “It’s almost a calling. I have seen her accomplishments over the last eight years. If someone needs help, she almost can’t say no.’’
Shankle started as a Girl Scout at eight, crafting, hiking, and selling cookies. When the troop became inactive two years later due to a lack of members and leadership, she moved to the Boy Scouts, now known as the “Scouts of America.” From there, she moved from troop to troop until she settled on the one in San Juan.
“It’s very small,” Shankle said, “so you have a lot of input. It has been wonderful: I’ve learned so many skills and done so many cool things that I never would have been able to do without Scouts.”
What appealed most to Shankle was the wide range of outdoor experiences the troop offered, compared to her more subdued experience with the Girl Scouts.
“It got to be that outlet for me to go and do these fun high-adventure things,” she said. “We learned important survival skills and outdoor conservation. I learned how to kayak and went deep-sea fishing. It’s been absolutely amazing.”
Shankle’s Eagle project brought her to Aromas School, where her father, Logan Shankle, works as a special ed instructor. A patch of ground outside of his classroom, which had been intended as an outdoor learning area, had become overgrown, and she was determined to breathe new life into it.
“I cleaned out some toxic weeds and diseased plants, which are not good for kids,” she said. “And I worked with a local horticulturist to replace them with native plants. The school was very enthusiastic.”
Shankle was able to round up volunteers who worked on the project for three weekends, providing them with water and snacks, and working alongside them until the original habitats were restored.
“Piper is an awesome young lady,” said Aromas School Principal Heather Howell. “She can step in, take a look, come up with a plan and get it done. And she handles everything with grace and poise.”
As if she were not busy enough with her scouting activities, Shankle has been active in athletics at Anzar High School, playing on the varsity volleyball team for three years—making the playoffs once—and competing on the varsity basketball team for four years, during which the team earned a spot in the championships three years in a row.
“It was great to put Anzar out there,” she said. “We made it known that we’re not just a pushover school and we can compete in athletics against bigger schools.”
Shankle also served for two years as a student representative on the San Juan Unified School District Board of Trustees and worked with Superintendent Barbara Dill-Varga as one of 20 members on the Student Advisory Board.
Dill-Varga said that Shankle was one of the key students she depended on to learn and address the needs of the students.
“Piper was passionate about representing the students,” she said, “and bringing their ideas forward to the administration. What amazed me about her was that she was involved in everything. She said ‘no’ to nothing.”
Her father said that he is impressed by her ability to sleep until noon and then “spend the rest of that day just doing, doing, doing.”
“She’s astounding,” Logan said. “She’s very service-minded and has done so much so far. She has such big dreams, and I think this is just the start. Honestly, I think she’s got a lot left to do.”
Piper Shankle’s Eagle Court of Honor will be held on July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building, 58 Monterey Street in San Juan Bautista. Guests will include Robert J. Mazzuca, San Juan Bautista’s first Eagle Scout, who served as 11th Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America.
Piper Shankle with members of her Boy Scout troop. Courtesy of Piper Shankle. 
Piper Shankle sworn in by Casey Powers as ASJSD student trustee. Courtesy of Piper Shankle. 
Piper Shankle playing basketball for Anzar High School. Courtesy of Piper Shankle. 
Piper Shankle at graduation. Courtesy of Piper Shankle.
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