This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/09/2015 12:00 AMOn May 31, five Madison residents—Adam Boey, Noel Haren, Thomas O’Sullivan, Trenton Thomas, and Prem Patel—were celebrated in the Eagle Court of Honor for making Eagle Scout rank. The event was not only significant because of the work it took to achieve scouting’s highest rank, but also because the scouts have been together since 1st grade.
“Typically we have one or two make Eagle Scout a year, but we ended up with five who made it as they were going off to college, so the families decided to wait for the ceremony until they got back home,” said Nick Vucelic, who has been Scoutmaster of Troop 491 for the past year. “It was just an amazing tribute to the children and the troop.”
Troop 491 is 105 years old with a history dating back to the first year that the Boy Scouts came to America. The five new Eagle Scouts mark the 114th to 118th to earn the rank through Troop 491.
In order to earn Eagle Scout rank, scouts have to earn 21 merit badges, participate as a leader in the troop, and complete a community service project that typically take more than 100 hours of service between the scout and the people he organizes.
The scouts begin by discussing their project idea with Rockwell Marsh, the Eagle Scout coordinator.
“He’s not so much a mentor as a guide, and he talks to them about the process and helps the boys to find a coach,” said Vucelic, who has 14-year-old twins involved in the troop. “Everyone tends to focus on the project, but the real learning is getting multiple parties to come together to do something.”
The troop works closely with the Town of Madison, as well as with local churches and other organizations. The scouts need to decide on their project, coordinate the groups involved and those assisting with the work, and then fundraise for the costs. If permits or permissions are necessary, the scouts appear before the Board of Selectmen or appropriate board with a presentation.
Vucelic noted the Rotary Club and the Lions Club as big supporters of the troop and the Eagle Scouts’ projects.
The most recent Eagle Scouts each completed a local project. Boey rebuilt the steps in the back of Legion Hall, Haren built a shade structure with benches at Bauer Farm, O’Sullivan constructed an endpoint with bike racks and a bench at the Greenway Trail at Hammonasset State Park, Patel erected identification signs at Salt Meadow Park, and Thomas renovated Camp Pardee Youth Campsite in Killingworth, including work on the campsites, parking lot, and trails.
“By becoming an Eagle Scout, you’re in an elite community, a fraternity,” said Vucelic. “You’re mentors to younger scouts. The older guys come to the honoring ceremony, too, and they just keep giving. It’s a fairly strong network.”
Vucelic noted that in addition to the new Eagle Scouts and their families, a number of alumni scouts, previous adult volunteers, eight prior scoutmasters, scouts from Troop 490, and the majority of the members of Troop 491, which has members from age 11 to 18, attended the ceremony.
“There were a number of people there who represented them and had mentored them along the way,” said Vucelic, who noted the impact the ceremony has on the younger scouts. “When they’re young, they just go because you have to go to the ceremony, but then they hear the speeches and see what the honoring is all about, and by the time they’re in middle school, they’re really hooked into ‘I’m going to do that. I’m going to get there.’”
For more information on Troop 491, visit www.troop1madisonct.org.