HOWELL — On June 20, three young men from Boy Scout Troop 258 of Howell celebrated their achievement in earning the highest rank in the Boys Scouts of America program, the Eagle Scout rank. The Court of Honor was held at the Jersey Shore Girl Scout Program Activity Center in Howell.
According to a press release, John Espinos III of Jackson and Kevin Reinkecht and Sean Yim of Howell organized their Court of Honor ceremony to celebrate their scouting journey with family members and friends.
All three went beyond their requirements for an Eagle Scout and earned the Bronze Palm award. The highlights of their scouting journey were their high adventure camps at Florida Seabase Out Island Adventure and Fishing Adventure, and doing a 75-mile canoe and portaging trip in the Canadian boundary waters at Northern Tier, Minnesota, according to the press release.
For his Eagle Scout project, John prepared, cleared, built and marked several miles of trails in Howell’s Bear Swamp Nature Area for the community’s enjoyment. John will be graduating from Jackson Liberty High School. He plans to attend Mercer County Community College to pursue an environmental science degree and to complete his bachelor’s degree at Rutgers University.
He aspires to be a conservation officer.
For his Eagle Scout project, Sean created gardens at the Monmouth County SPCA, Eatontown, in order to grow fresh food for some of the shelter’s animals. He also constructed cat scratching posts and stands. Sean will be graduating from Howell High School and plans to attend Brookdale Community College to pursue his culinary arts degree and to eventually pursue a bachelor’s degree in food services and hospitality management.
Kevin organized a kayak fishing event for wounded veterans and their families at the Manasquan Reservoir, Howell. He worked with representatives of the Monmouth County Park System and the New Jersey Chapter of Heroes of the Water to hold the event.
Kevin secured all the equipment from Heroes of the Water, which also helped guide the veterans and their families. He obtained local support and food donations from Chick-fil-A and Stop & Shop, both of Howell, for the participants and volunteers. Kevin will be graduating from Howell High School and plans to attend Brookdale Community College to pursue an associate’s degree in accounting and to eventually pursue an undergraduate degree at a university.