In August, Edison resident David Schildkraut from Edison Troop 66 was presented with the rank of Eagle Scout, which is the highest achievement in the Boy Scouts of America.
Fewer than four percent of Scouts who enter the program become Eagle Scouts.
Schildkraut has been a member of Troop 66 since 2008. In that time, he served in the positions of Order of the Arrow Troop Representative, Patrol Leader and Den Chief. He earned 35 merit badges and was a Brotherhood honor member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society.
For his Eagle Scout project, Schildkraut led the construction and installation of an outdoor reading area with landscaping at the township’s library last year. The project consisted of four benches built from scratch, as well as a variety of evergreen and perennial plants.
“We were so delighted to have the outdoor area at the library because we’ve never had something like that before,” Edison Township Public Libraries Assistant Director Evan Davis said. “The library patrons are using it and enjoying it, and we are very grateful to David and the Scouts for all their hard work.”
The project stemmed from the library’s need for additional seating due to its popularity with students from the nearby John P. Stevens High School.
When Schildkraut heard about the situation, he started making arrangements for the project to happen.
“The library has been a place near and dear to my heart since before I was in elementary school,” Schildkraut said. “I wanted to give back to a place that had such a major role in my childhood. I really enjoyed doing this project, since it combined my love for the library and my great appreciation for nature and the outdoors.”
Schildkraut noted that the project involved over 30 volunteers who put in over 400 man-hours to build the benches and install both the benches and landscaping.
Schildkraut is a recent graduate of the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies. He is currently studying optical engineering at the University of Rochester, where he plays club kendo, does improv comedy and writes for the school paper.
This past summer, he had the honor of participating in a short-term exchange trip to Japan with the Rotary Club, and he also went to Puerto Rico for a regional Order of the Arrow event. Schildkraut is an IBM Watson Scholarship recipient, as well as an alumnus member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
Schildkraut would like to thank his family for their continued encouragement. He would additionally like to thank everybody in the Scouting program who helped him to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He would finally like to thank Edison Public Libraries for giving him the opportunity to do his Eagle Scout project. Schildkraut plans to continue his Scouting involvement as an adult leader and through the Order of the Arrow.