Building a Memorial for a Fallen Scout

Yoi S-F. completed his Eagle Board of Review in January 2024, marking the end of an incredible chapter in his Scouting journey. For his Eagle Project, he set out on a goal to memorialize a fellow Scout: a bike rack and repair station at Winston Churchill High School. This project will stand as a lasting memorial to Jacob Cassell, who tragically passed away while biking down Old Georgetown Road at 17 on July 31st, 2019. From advocating for bike lanes at Montgomery County meetings in his early teens to creating a successful fundraiser, Yoi’s dedication to this cause is a testament to his unwavering citizenship and character!

Jacob Brian Cassell, who was born with autism, left an incredible mark on the special-needs community. His service extended beyond borders, from mission trips to the Dominican Republic and Honduras, to his active role in Boy Scout Troop 233. Jacob’s life was a testament to the power of determination and the impact one individual can have on the world.

As a Boy Scout, Jacob earned the rank of Life Scout and completed all of the requirements for Eagle except for his Eagle Scout project, which he had planned for September 2019. His family and his troop later completed his project.

Yoi’s mother showed him the article of a fellow Scout and Churchill student who had been in a tragic accident, and he realized he had also biked on Old Germantown Road with his dad on the same day. That moment is where the inspiration for his Eagle Scout project stemmed from, but Yoi wanted to do something before then. So, at 14 years old, he went to Montgomery County meetings and advocated for the bike lanes along OGR! While the state initiated this bike lane project independently, Yoi’s follow-through is an excellent example of citizenship and character.

Yoi further honored Jacob by dedicating his Eagle Scout project to building a Memorial bike rack and repair station at Winston Churchill High School, the high school they both attended. This would reflect Jacob’s love for riding his bike and the high school since Jacob was the mascot for the Winston Churchill Bulldogs, causing people not to love him because he was the Bulldog but love the Bulldog because he was Jacob Cassell. These reasons solidified Yoi’s decision to make the high school the perfect place for the memorial.

To start his Eagle Project, he went to former Principal Heckert to get approval for the project, but once she left, he had to get approval from Mr. Taylor, who was coincidentally the principal of Yoi’s middle school. After his approval, he was sent to the PTSA to discuss funding. After going back and forth between the PTSA and the school, Yoi created a GoFundMe for his project, reaching the proposed $7,500 goal within 48 hours and ending with $9,333 from over 120 donors. After another back and forth with the county about where the building site would be and waiting for the county to collect bids for the project, the finish line was finally in sight for Yoi.

Yoi found a contractor and vendor for all the materials needed for the project. The contractor poured in the concrete slab necessary to install the bike racks and repair station on October 9th, with the actual bike racks and repair station installed by October 26th. On October 28th, 2023, the repair station was painted purple, Jacob’s favorite color, marking the completion of Yoi’s Eagle Project.

Yoi donated the unspent money from his GoFundMe to the school, which paid for a memorial sign. As requested by Jacob’s father, Jacob’s bike is currently being fully restored and will be donated to a family in need so that someone else may enjoy cycling as much as Jacob did.

As Yoi stated in his GoFundMe, “Jacob Cassell was a shining member of our society. He spread his love and compassion to everyone he met. Jacob was a leader, a friend, and an inspiration to all. Above all, however, he was and forever will be our bulldog.”

Jacob’s legacy will always be remembered at Winston Churchill High School, and Yoi helped to solidify that with his project.