Eagle Project Generations in the Making

Will Scully, junior at , is on his way to achieving an Eagle Scout rank that few Boy Scouts ever even attempt.

On June 5, 11 and 12, Will supervised and participated in a cleanup at the . This project took over 200 hours of work by 27 people, including Boy Scouts from Troop 53 as well as friends and family. Four hundred and fifty veterans’ graves were cleared.

According to Will's mother, Katie, his “family members have served in every military conflict since the Revolutionary War and this is Will’s way of remembering them.”

Will made a presentation to a panel of Boy Scout leaders to obtain their approval. He asked permission of Mina Kozma, Family Care Representative at the cemetery, to complete the project. Will also had to fundraise to obtain the funds to buy tools, and he succeeded in convincing Fair Lawn Fire Company 4 to donate the money to buy a drywall handsaw. A wheelbarrow and dump truck were borrowed from the cemetery.

Will Scully has been a Boy Scout since first grade. He has earned badges in Camping, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communications, Swimming, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Family Life, First Aid, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Horsemanship, Rifle Shooting, Fire Safety, Wilderness Survival, Indian Lore, Archeology, Canoeing and Wood Carving. Katie said the Boy Scout experiences her son has had will “make a boy into a man.” She also said,“If I was lost in the woods I would feel comfortable with Will because I know he knows his way around.”

The process of becoming an Eagle Scout has strict requirements. The candidate has to earn 21 merit badges. While he is a Life Scout, the stage just before Eagle Scout, he has to serve his Boy Scout troop in a leadership capacity. He also has to plan, develop and provide leadership in a service project for a religious, school or community organization.  The project must be approved by the organization benefiting from the event, the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee, and the Council or District. The potential Eagle Scout must also participate in a Scoutmaster Conference and successfully complete an Eagle Scout Board of Review.

After high school and college, Will said his future will most likely involve the outdoors as well as serving the community.