Boy Scout Troop 155, chartered by the West Freehold School PTO, Freehold Township, announced that its most recent Eagle Scout recipients are Christopher Anastasio, Peter Conforti, Brennan Cornell, Phillip Hu and Tim Troppoli. The Eagle Scout is the highest rank that the Boy Scouts of America can bestow upon a young man.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service and outdoor skills. Although many options are available to demonstrate proficiency in these areas, a number of specific skills are required to advance through the ranks — Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle.
To advance, a Boy Scout must pass specific tests that are organized by requirements and merit badges. Merit badges signify the mastery of certain Scout skills, as well as helping boys increase their skill in an area of personal interest. Of the 120 merit badges available, 21 must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout. Of this group, 12 badges are required, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communications, Environmental Science, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Camping, and Family Life.
In addition, a Scout has a choice between Emergency Preparedness and Lifesaving and a choice among Cycling, Hiking and Swimming.
Following are the leadership projects that the Troop 155 Eagle Scout recipients completed:
Christopher Anastasio, 17, a junior at the Peddie School, Hightstown, restored the Wikoff Cemetery off Old East Freehold Road, Freehold Township. Wikoff Hill Burial Ground was discovered about five years ago. The cemetery was in poor condition and in need of repairs. Since the cemetery was neglected for so many years, the deceased were unknown and one had even been exhumed. The gravestones and graveyard were researched and documented at the Monmouth County Hall of Records.
Small fencing was placed around four of the family plots. Four signs were assembled and placed at each of the family plots and it displayed the family’s name with the inhabitant’s name and their dates of death. A separate sign with the grave’s history was mounted at the entrance gate would also be provided to show its importance to the community.
Finally, three books were put together to state the history of the graveyard, photos of the headstones, and history of the individual members of the graveyard. The books contain copies of original documents such as the original deed from 1699 and a marriage certificate. One of the books has been given to the Freehold Township Historical Preservation Committee. Wikoff Cemetery is now included as part of the Freehold Township Historical Preservation Committee brochure, a document which is used to inform people about the committee and the community’s important landmarks.
Peter Conforti, 17, a junior in the Freehold Regional High School District’s Contemporary Global Issues Learning Center at Freehold Township High School, constructed a gazebo in honor of the late Nancy DuBois Wood on the Oakley Farm property in Freehold Township. Wood was a lifetime resident of Freehold Township and was the founder of the Historic Preservation Commission. The project initially involved the digging of footings into the ground so the gazebo’s base could be constructed. Peter arranged for groups of workers to assist him in building and painting the gazebo. Finally, it was time for landscaping and Peter led his final group of volunteers to work on the planting around the gazebo. On Oct. 17, 2009, the dedication ceremony was held honoring the gazebo and the work that was put into the leadership project.
Brennan Cornell, 17, a junior at Biotechnology High School, Freehold Township, built a reflection garden as part of the Eagle Scout Leadership Project. The reflection garden is at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Millstone Township. The purpose of the project was to create a place of reflection for the parish community. The site has a statue of Jesus Christ sitting on a cement platform. Around this cement platform, a retaining wall was constructed and soil was filled in past the level of the concrete pad. To paint a picture of what the area looks like now, the inside of the retaining wall was filled with a ground cover and many plants were put in outside of the retaining wall.
Phillip Hu, 16, a junior at the Freehold Regional High School District’s Science and Engineering Learning Center at Manalapan High School, planned and implemented “Walk of Grace,” the concrete walkway at Grace Lutheran Church, Park Avenue, Freehold, where he and his family are active members of the congregation.
T
he 5-foot-wide, 48-foot-long walkway
connects the outside doors of the sanctuary to the parking lot, making the task of getting into the church easier, not just by the avoidance of any stairs, but by creating a shorter distance to enter into the sanctuary. The walkway also benefits the community as florists can now deliver bouquets of flowers or plants directly to the sanctuary without walking through the church building. In the case of a funeral, pallbearers can carry the casket using the walkway directly to the sanctuary instead of transporting it over grass or traveling through the church building maneuvering around corners.
In addition to the walkway, Phillip and his team of workers added solar lighting to the walkway, landscaped the surrounding area, added a new handicapped parking space to the parking area, repainted the existing handicapped parking spaces and re-striped the entire parking lot. The opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for “Walk of Grace” was held Nov. 21.
Tim Troppoli, 18, a senior at Biotechnology High School, Freehold Township, worked to restore a fallout shelter at the InfoAge Science and History Learning Center at Camp Evans in Wall Township. He turned it into a museum exhibit chronicling the history of the Cold War and the use of fallout shelters. The site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was used to house the Marconi Belmar Wireless Station in 1914, had a role in World War I trans-Atlantic telecommunications, played a part in the development of radar in World War II, served as a Cold War and nuclear weapons research site and was vital in the development of weather satellites. It is dedicated to providing interesting and educational exhibits, as well as preserving the structures and equipment at Camp Evans.
Tim worked to obtain period fallout shelter supplies which dated to the mid- to late-1960s with which to stock the shelter. He created replica supplies, including sanitation kits, water barrels and boxes designed to contain canned food. He led a team to assemble the actual exhibit, stocking the shelves with both the authentic and reproduction supplies to give it a realistic look. Tim also wrote, narrated and produced two informative video programs for young and adult age groups explaining the significance of the Cold War and the use of fallout shelters.
He also worked with family friends and InfoAge volunteers to print up and laminate large Cold War era posters that were hung on the walls, giving visitors insight into the hysteria and mindset that permeated American culture at the time. This completed fallout shelter will contribute to increasing the public knowledge of the Cold War era, as well as give those too young to have experienced it a chance to become acquainted with the historical setting. Teachers who visit InfoAge on a field trip will be better equipped to communicate an understanding of the time period and the feeling of political tension and uncertainty that existed then.