Eagle of the Week

The Arlington Catholic Herald published a story about a special Eagle Scout project that strengthened relationships at St. John Neumann Church in Reston and with the church’s sister parish, Niño Jesús Church in Manta, Ecuador.  With the help of many volunteers, the Scout, Morrow, built a set of 14 Stations of the Cross then created English, Spanish and bilingual booklets containing reflections that he sought from 14 ministries of his church. He delivered the stations in person to the Niño Jesús Church and worked with 15 youth to install the stations. Some of the youth turned out to be Scouts in the Ecuadorian program. Read the full story in the Arlington Catholic Herald: https://www.catholicherald.com/article/local/simple-eagle-scout-project-fosters-community-with-ecuadorian-parish/

Zane Javeri of Troop 345 in the George Mason District is an avid tennis player. He shared “I have been playing tennis since I was 6 years old and I am on the James Madison High School varsity tennis team.  I joined Cub Scouts in first grade and am now working on my  Eagle Scout Project and Distinguished Conservation Service Award (DCSA) project.  My Eagle Scout Project recycling used tennis balls is creating waves in the community.”He partnered with Fairfax Racquet Club, neighborhood tennis clubs, schools, and parks to collect used tennis balls and transport them to a recycling center.

Zane spotted a chance to reuse old tennis balls in addition to reducing waste. Zane explained, “My project is a huge success, with over 10,000 tennis balls collected and recycled. The used tennis balls are sent to Recycle Balls in Vermont and used for a variety of purposes, such as playground surfaces, sports surfaces, and pet toys. Recycle Balls is a non-profit organization in Vermont that specializes in recycling tennis balls.  They have recycled over 10 million balls since 2016. Each tennis ball takes 400 years to decompose and millions of tennis balls are disposed of in landfills each year”. This Eagle Scout project not only reduced waste but also made a positive impact on the environment by keeping used tennis balls out of landfills.  Zane educated over 300 individuals about recycling tennis balls.

The Scout BSAs of America’s Distinguished Conservation Service Award program honors scouts who carry out significant conservation projects. The Distinguished Conservation Service Award project requirements are more rigorous than a  Scout BSA Eagle Award project.  To earn the award, Scouts must complete two Eagle Scout environmentally related projects.  It requires the Scout to conduct in depth research of a conservation issue; determine a solution;  write a report; plan, execute and lead a project; educate the community outreach; write final project reports; present their projects and findings before a conservation committee; and earn 7 conservation type merit badges.

This Eagle Scout Project, which is centered on recycling tennis balls is a prime example of the positive environmental impact that can be made through the Distinguished Conservation Service Award program. It demonstrates the leadership skills and environmental stewardship that are at the core of the program’s mission. Zane hopes that his Eagle Scout Project makes a lasting impact on the community and serves as a model for others to follow.

In a remarkable display of compassion and initiative, Joe Markland, a dedicated member of Troop 503, in the National Capital Area Council, based out of El Salvador, undertook an extraordinary Eagle Scout project that has touched the lives of countless families in his community. With a heartwarming mission to provide comfort during times of unimaginable loss, Joe built and donated ten meticulously crafted coffins for infants to local hospitals. This act of kindness is not only a testament to Joe’s character but also a significant step towards alleviating the hardships faced by impoverished families in El Salvador.

A Crucial Solution to a Heartbreaking Problem:

El Salvador’s stringent laws dictate that parents can only retrieve the bodies of their deceased children from hospitals if they have a proper coffin. Sadly, many economically disadvantaged families cannot afford this essential requirement, leading to a harrowing dilemma. Faced with financial limitations, parents are forced to make the agonizing choice between seeking medical assistance for their sick children and risking never seeing them again, or avoiding hospitals altogether, resulting in preventable deaths at home. It is within this distressing context that Joe’s Eagle Scout Project has brought a glimmer of hope.

Handmade with Love and Care:

Joe’s project involved the construction of ten handmade coffins, each specifically designed to cater to the needs of infant burials. With the help of his dedicated troop, Joe meticulously crafted each coffin, paying meticulous attention to detail. The coffins were not only beautifully stained but also featured custom designs and handmade pillows inside, providing a sense of solace and dignity to grieving families during their darkest hours.

Making a Life-Saving Impact:

The impact of Joe’s donation extends far beyond the tangible coffins themselves. By providing local hospitals with these precious caskets, Joe has helped save lives and fostered an environment of support and care for struggling families. Hospital administrators now have the means to proudly advertise that they offer free coffins, alleviating the fears and financial burdens that once deterred families from seeking medical assistance for their children. It is estimated that this initiative will save the lives of at least 100 children, enabling parents to overcome their fears and granting access to life-saving healthcare.

A Beacon of Light:

Joe Markland’s Eagle Scout project stands as a shining example of selflessness and compassion in action. By addressing a critical need within his community, he has not only demonstrated leadership skills but has also provided hope to those who need it most. Through his commitment and dedication, Joe has shown that even small acts of kindness can have a profound and lasting impact on individuals and communities.

Joe’s Eagle Scout project, centered around building handmade coffins for infants and donating them to local hospitals, is a testament to his unwavering commitment to serving others. By addressing a pressing issue within his community, Joe has brought peace, comfort, and renewed hope to countless families in El Salvador. His actions exemplify the transformative power of empathy and serve as an inspiration to all, reminding us that through compassion and determination, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of others.

NCAC’s Potomac District held its monthly Eagle Board of Review this week, welcoming eight new Eagle Scouts!

Congratulations to all the new 🦅 Eagles Scouts and their proud parents, with special thanks to the Scouters, the EBOR Chairs and those who assisted these 8 Scouts on their journey to the 🦅 Eagles rank!

Last but not least Potomac District cannot put this monthly event without the leadership and time devoted by Larry McNiece, Potomac District Eagle Chair!

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http://usscouts.org/eagle/eaglecongrats.asp
https://oa-bsa.org/…/eagle-scout-congratulatory-letter

https://oa-bsa.org/resources/ucl-support/summit-award-congratulatory-letter

The Association of Top Achiever Scouts (ATAS) is a worldwide Scouting fellowship group, of Scouts and Scouters who have achieved the highest rank as a youth in their Scout associations such as King’s Scout, Queen’s Scout, President’s Scout, Fuji Scout, Tiger Scout, Eagle Scout, Summit, Quartermaster.
https://www.atasapr.org

My name is Jason Woodman, I am a Life Scout with Troop 1094 in Darnestown, Maryland, and a freshman at Poolesville High School in Poolesville, Maryland. I am my troop’s Outdoor Ethics Guide. I’ve been reading about endangered Monarch butterflies for a while now. Monarchs are amazing because of their migration. They fly 3,000 miles all the way down to Mexico every fall to winter in the forests. Then in the spring, they fly back up to the United States to breed. Clearly, environmental issues have affected the Monarch butterflies like climate change and drought. While reading about Monarch butterflies I learned that many pollinators are disappearing. I decided I wanted to complete an Eagle project that would help Monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

I live in the town of Poolesville which is surrounded by the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve. People here really love the environment and nature. We are a town of only 5,700 people but we are surrounded by farms. We are lucky to have a lot of parks with walking and biking trails. There are already two established pollinator habitats however they are not really seen or accessible by the public due to their locations. I wanted my pollinator habitat to be located in a very visible location where I could not only make an environmental impact but could also educate the public about the importance of pollinators.

As I was researching my pollinator habitat idea I learned about the BSA Distinguished Conservation Award (DCSA). The DCSA award is the former Hornaday Award. It encourages scouts to design, lead, and carry out a conservation project. The project must be designed to address a conservation issue or need in the local area and it must benefit the environment or creatures that live there. There are nine conservation project categories to choose from and you must complete two projects in two different categories. One project may count as your Eagle project. I decided I wanted to earn this award and my first project would be in the category of pollinator habitat conservation.

In order to make a significant impact on the environment, I knew I needed to create a large project. I needed at least ½ acre piece of land from the town. First, I had to present my idea to the Town of Poolesville Parks and Recreation Board. They agreed that my idea was a good one and recommended I present my idea to the Town of Poolesville Commissioners at one of their public meetings. Thankfully, the Town Commissioners really liked my initial proposal. They agreed to grant me a ½ acre piece of land and gave me a budget of $6,000 for pollinator plants.

The piece of land they granted me was a back entrance to Stevens Park. There is a walking/bike trail that runs right in front of the open land. The land was just flat grass. The town was mowing this piece of land from mid-March through November at least once a week. My idea was to completely take away the need to mow. I worked with a local landscape company called Fine Earth Landscape. They helped me design seven gardens that would contain 391 native straight species pollinator plants. These plants were one gallon in size. There were 12 different varieties which included two types of milkweed and colorful plants like Lobelia Cardinalis which attracts hummingbirds. A field of native wildflower seeds would then surround the seven gardens. The idea is to have the ½ acre filled with native straight species pollinator plants. It will take a few years to completely fill in the seven gardens and the wildflower meadow.
I knew this project would require a lot of people to dig the holes. I decided to have a team lead for each of the seven gardens as my point of contact. I decided to give each team lead a map of their garden so they followed my plant design. I estimated I needed about 30 people to help dig 391 holes for the plants. I reached out in person and via email to my Darnestown BSA Troop 1094, Poolesville BSA Troop 2027 for girls, Poolesville BSA Troop 496 for boys, teammates from my Upper Montgomery Lightning high school ice-hockey team, and other citizens from the community.

My project day was March 25, 2023, and it rained – A LOT! The entire area became a giant mud pit. I put a message out to everyone I recruited that this event would be rain or shine. I anticipated just a few of my fellow Troop Scouts showing up to help me with my parents. I was so surprised that 60 volunteers arrived to help plant the habitat despite the rain! Thanks to all of their help we had this habitat planted in two hours just when the rain stopped. Everyone was covered in mud but everyone said they had a lot of fun. I was nervous when so many people showed up however, it became a really easy project to lead. I think my success was a result of all my hard pre-planning. Everyone literally went straight to work digging holes and placing the plants in the ground.
The following Friday I went back to the site and installed my education signs. I have five signs from Monarch Joint Venture which have QR codes people can use to read more about the importance of Monarchs. I also installed the main habitat sign explaining the importance of pollinators. After I installed the signs, I spread 50 lbs of native straight species wildflower seeds.

My town’s local newspaper, the Monocacy Monocle, recognized my efforts. Our local town’s Facebook page congratulated all of the volunteers for helping in the rain and creating such an incredible habitat. At the last Town of Poolesville Commissioners meeting, Jim Brown, the President of the Poolesville Commissioners said, “This is single handedly one of the best scout projects that has ever taken place in Poolesville.” I am really flattered that so many in the community are excited about this project and that they are so supportive.

So far, I have over 150 hours into my project of planning and planting. However, I’m not done with this project yet. Right now, I am going back once a week and making sure the plants are doing ok. I’m excited that I’ve started to see some growth in the bare root plants. The 2nd part of my project is having a pollinator educational booth on May 6th at the Poolesville Springfest festival. Here I had some native straight species plants on display and explain to the community why they should plant native straight species pollinators in their backyard and how even a small amount of plants can make a big environmental impact.

Throughout my scouting career so far, I have earned 84 merit badges, earned the World Conservation Award, the 50th Anniversary Environmental Protection Agency Award, National Outdoor Achievement Award for Conservation, the National Outdoor Ethics Action Award, five other scout awards, and became a Leave No Trace Trainer. I hope to earn my Eagle Rank in May after completing my Scoutmaster Conference and Eagle Scout Board of Review. I will be attending my first High Adventure this summer at Summit Bechtel. Then I will start planning my 2nd project with the goal of earning the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award (DCSA). My future plan is to attend college to become a wildlife biologist.