As the Boy Scouts of America celebrates its 100th year, Troop 33 of Milltown takes pride that it has been shaping the lives of young men and providing community service for much of that time.
The troop began in 1938 and is still going strong, according to troop leaders who point out that Troop 33 has a long and distinguished history of shaping the lives of the young men involved in the program and of providing community service.
Nationally it is estimated that less than 5 percent of all Scouts attain the Eagle Scout rank. To do so, each Boy Scout must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, serve in leadership positions within his troop, and plan, organize and complete a communityservice project. So far this year, four young men have reached that rank, and several other Scouts in the troop are actively working toward earning the rank.
Steven Lins, 18, of North Brunswick, has been involved in scouting since he was a Cub Scout in Pack 33. As a Boy Scout in Troop 33, Lins was very active, held many leadership and service positions within the troop including fire safety instructor, assistant senior patrol leader and senior patrol leader, and also served as a den chief for Cub Scout Pack 33. For his Eagle Scout service project, Lins raised funds and oversaw the construction of a Memorial Wall in honor of the deceased members of the Milltown Fire Department. The project took Lins and his helpers more than two years to complete. Lins took on the project in memory of his grandfather, Wilburt “Butch” Lins, who was a member of the Milltown Fire Department. The Memorial Wall is located in front of the North Main Street Firehouse, Milltown. Lins also is a member of the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s national honor society. He graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen in June. He is attending the University of New Haven in Connecticut and plans to major in criminal justice.
Sean Piersanti, 18, of South Plainfield, joined Troop 33 in April 2003. As a Boy Scout, Piersanti worked on many service projects and provided leadership to the younger Scouts as an instructor. For his Eagle Scout project, Piersanti worked with the Friends of the Woods organization in South Plainfield. He organized a work crew of family, friends and fellow Scouts to upgrade approximately 3,100 feet of foot trails at the Highland Avenue Woods in South Plainfield. The Highland Avenue Woods is a 35-acre environmental education reserve consisting of streams, uplands and wetlands that provide habitat for a diverse population of wildlife. Eighty species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians have been identified in the woods. Piersanti is also a member of the Order of the Arrow. A 2010 graduate of Bishop Ahr High School in Edison, Piersanti is a freshman at The College of New Jersey, Ewing.
Jacob Wright-Piersanti, 18, of Milltown, has been involved in scouting since he was a Cub Scout in Pack 33. As a Boy Scout in Troop 33, Jacob was very active within the troop. He served as cooking instructor and as a cook for his patrol on many occasions. For his Eagle Scout project, Wright-Piersanti worked with Spotswood High School to improve the senior picnic area. He raised funds and organized a work crew of family, friends, teachers and Scouts to clean up the area. Wright-Piersanti and his team repaired and installed benches, built a cover for the garbage cans, and tilled and prepared the soil. The team also constructed planting boxes for shrubs along the two sides of the picnic area that face the roadway and planted a variety of shrubs and bushes in the boxes; they also created two new paths out of the senior picnic area. These improvements were recognized for making the senior class picnic area a pleasant retreat for the students. Wright-Piersanti also is a member of scouting’s Order of the Arrow. Wright-Piersanti was an honor student at Spotswood High School and is now attending The College of New Jersey.
Michael Rose, 18, has also been involved in Boy Scouts since he was in Cub Scout Pack 33, where he earned Cub Scouts’ highest honor, the Arrow of Light. As a Boy Scout, Rose served as knots and fire safety instructor. For his Eagle Scout project, Rose worked with the Milltown Senior Citizen Center to clean up the grounds and refurbish the landscaping around the building. He met with the center director and with members to design the plan; he obtained funding and donations for the materials and organized a crew of friends, family and fellow Scouts who worked for two days, trimming or removing the old plant material, adding new plants, placing decorative planters in the gardens, mulching the gardens, installing a bench seat and creating a decorative hardscape around the flagpole. Rose graduated from Spotswood High School this year and is attending Middlesex County College, where he plans to study political science.
Troop 33 meets at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays during the school year at the United Methodist Church on Main Street in Milltown. New Scouts and adult volunteers are always welcome to stop by a meeting for more information.