Two Hillsborough boy scouts were honored for their achievement of earning Eagle Scout status at an Aug. 13 committee meeting.
Mayor Frank DelCore and the committee members recognized brothers Michael and Steven Bizzoco for having achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
Michael, a senior at Hillsborough High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 489, served as patrol leader, chaplain aid and Order of the Arrow troop representative. He is currently a co-patrol leader with his brother leading a patrol of new scouts.
Michael is a member of the Hillsborough High School volleyball team that won the 2019 Skyland Conference. He also participates in the high school musicals and choir and is a second-degree black belt and instructor at his Taekwondo school.
For his Eagle Scout project, he planned, raised money and built eight owl boxes to help decrease the vole population at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, to benefit the horticulture program. The horticulture department is a work program for the patients which teaches them a trade and prepares them for employment upon discharge. He said the project took more than 197 hours to complete with the assistance of seven leaders and 16 fellow scouts.
Steven, a former Hillsborough High School student, is now a senior at Westlake High School in California.
Steven is a member of Boy Scout Troop 489 and has served as troop guide, scribe and patrol leader. He was a member of the Hillsborough High School junior varsity lacrosse team, a scholar athlete and a member of the Westlake High School varsity lacrosse team.
He has also performed in several Hillsborough school district theater productions including “Seussical” and “The Curious Savage,” as well as wrote and directed a short play for Hillsborough shorts.
His Eagle Scout project consisted of planning and building six fishing rod holders for Ann Van Middlesworth Park. A safety issue existed during fishing season wherein individuals would leave their rods on the ground causing tripping hazards and potential injury. He said the project was completed in 146 hours with the assistance of 12 fellow scouts and seven adult leaders.
After DelCore presented both scouts with proclamations to acknowledge their efforts, he took a moment to explain the importance of youth making an impact at a local level. He also noted that he delights in the frequent acknowledgements of local girl and boy scouts, too.
“One of the things I am constantly amazed of here in Hillsborough is how many incredible young people we have,” DelCore said. “The number of Eagle Scout and Gold Awards that we are able to recognize is truly staggering. It just goes to show what an incredible community we have and what great young people we have in the community.”