Back to School

In 2014, I graduated from Arcola Elementary School. Arcola means a lot to me; it’s where I created some of my earliest and most cherished memories, so I wanted to give back to my former school. I recall there are multiple courtyards located around the building. Teachers like to use those courtyards for specific, hands-on lessons. However, the courtyard on the open-ended, left-wing of the building was a mess and unusable. So after talking with the principal, I devised a plan to clear out space and construct four picnic tables for the classes to use.

First, I created a group chat with nine veteran Scouts in my Troop, whom I trust, to assist me in this project. I wanted to keep the project simple and complete it as quickly and efficiently as possible. I communicated with my volunteers when and where the project was taking place and what I needed them to bring. Since it was summer, I reminded them to beware of the heat and reminded them to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated as we created the picnic tables. By some luck, we ended up with excess funds which meant we could accommodate some last-minute touch-ups around the courtyard. And we managed to complete the construction portion of this project within five hours.

I felt I learned a lot about leadership throughout the project, like how to keep people engaged and when to step in and help others. It was very satisfying and cool to watch my project come together so well and know that my hard work had paid off.