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DeKalb Scout builds monarch garden for Eagle Scout project

New garden sits outside Mitchell Elementary School

October 27, 2025 at 3:48 pm CDT

Marcos Zaylik, of DeKalb, successfully completed his Eagle Scout project toward his goal to earn the highest rank in scouting. He and supporters on Oct. 4, 2025, planted a garden outside Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell Elementary School to attract Monarch butterflies. (Photo provided by Randi Warren)

A DeKalb-area Boy Scout is on his way to earning the highest honor in the program after he planted a monarch butterfly garden outside the new Mitchell Elementary School.

Marcos Zaylik successfully completed his Eagle Scout project Oct. 4 with the support of friends, family and fellow Scouts.

Zaylik filled the butterfly garden with plants intentionally selected to attract monarchs and promote their reproduction, according to a news release. The Scouts’ work aids conservation efforts for the species, which has been declining in population over the past two decades, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Zaylik’s project also corresponds with Mitchell’s school mascot.