Shrewsbury Troop 4 Eagle Scouts receive citations from State Representative Hannah Kane.
By Jesse Kucewicz, Contributing Writer
SHREWSBURY – Boy Scout Troop Four recognized its five newest scouts to reach the rank of Eagle Scout in a ceremony on June 19 at Floral Street School.
Alexander Pellizzari, Christopher Nerkowski, Benjamin Collins, Berin Bukow, and Aaron Lowy all join a group of 131 others from Troop Four to attain Eagle Scout, a rank achieved by only 8 percent of scouts.
To become an Eagle Scout, individual scouts must earn at least 21 merit badges and complete a special Eagle Project. According to Troop Four Scoutmaster John Travers, though, each of the five boys have gone above and beyond those requirements.
“They’ve each won bronze, silver, or gold awards which is 5, 10, or 15 additional merit badges beyond the 21,” Travers said. “It’s not just in their service projects, but what they do in their schools, what they do in their churches, what they do for their local sports teams.”
Individual service projects completed by each of the scouts included creating backpacks full of necessities for the homeless, addressing rill erosion along Lake Quinsigamond, creating a walking path in Dean Park, modifying picnic tables in Dean Park to make them handicap accessible, and restoring a sports storage shed at Municipal Field.
Travers noted the development of each of the scouts through experiences such as white-water rafting, trips to West Point and the Coast Guard Academy, and numerous leadership positions.
“It’s a maturation process,” he said. “It takes time and mentoring, which they have had a lot of by a lot of great leaders. Now other scouts recognize them as role models.”
