Nine Boy Scouts of Cranbury Troop 52B earn the rank of Eagle Scout
When a class of nine Cranbury Cub Scouts first walked across a bridge to transition into Boy Scouts, they did not know at the time, they would all earn the rank of Eagle Scout – a first in the history of Troop 52B.
The troop, known as Viking Patrol, has been together since they crossed that bridge after the fifth grade.
“They motivated each other,” said Tim Brennan, scoutmaster of Troop 52B, “Sometimes you may have two or three kids in a class of kids that will get their Eagle. That is pretty normal. There has never been another group that I know of and another year that we have that many Eagle Scouts all at the same time.”
The Eagle Scouts are Armaan Ahmed, Oleg Brennan, Rohun Chivate, Andrew Ferrante, Leo George, Ryan Guy, Brian Li, and brothers Donovan and Gavin Mavoides.
Susan Mavoides has served as the troop’s adult leader since the nine crossed over the bridge. The members were honored in a senior send-off on the same day Troop 52B held its Court of Honor on June 4.
The Court of Honor honored the rank announcement of 26 scouts and merit badges earned by 20 scouts.
“It is an impressive testament to these nine Scouts that they all joined scouting and decided that they wanted to see things through,” said Mayor Mike Ferrante, who served as former advancement chair for Troop 52B. “They all did.”
Ferrante, who currently advises younger scouts on their Eagle projects, said it has been “fun” to watch their journey and growth.
“This is an accomplished group of kids,” he said. “They will all have graduated high school through a pandemic and are all leaders in whatever they chose to do. There is a quiet confidence that they all bring to everything that they do. Doing things as well as they can with a focus on excellence.”
Every year the senior send-off is held for the graduating seniors who have stuck with Scouting, most have received their Eagle rank a year or two before but continue to come to attend meetings. They age out of Scouting at 18 years old.
The send-off was the idea of Susan Mavoides and was a nice way to say “farewell and thank you” to the Scouts, who also received a little gift for their service.
“It is a great motivation for the younger Scouts to see that Scouting is a journey,” Brennan said. “You are going to keep going and giving back hopefully. We announce what the kids’ plans are for the following year, whether they are going to community college, university or the military.”
Brennan noted how the nine Boy Scouts standout together with their loyalty to the program and their commitment once they start something to finishing it.
“If you begin a project, finish it,” Brennan said. “That was with every single rank. The boys really motivated each other.”
“In Cranbury, the community has been supportive, the parents are supportive, the other kids even though they are not in Scouts … It is great to know that there is this community support.”
Armaan Ahmed, a Princeton High School (PHS) senior, provided Bioretention Garden Education for the Cranbury Public Library as his Eagle Scout project.
Ahmed is the captain of the winning PHS Science Olympiad team and also History Bowl competitor, according to Troop 52. He is described as an accomplished pianist, who also volunteers and teaches at a local mosque.
Ahmed plans to study chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.
Oleg Brennan, a PHS senior, renovated a recreational shed as his Eagle Scout project.
At PHS, he was a member of high school varsity soccer team and is the captain of the varsity track and field team. He recently placed third in the discus at Sections to qualify for the State championship track meet.
Brennan has worked as a summer camp counselor at Cranbury Recreation Camp for a several of years.
Brennan is the 10th Eagle Scout in three generations of the Brennan family.
“There was a little bit of pressure on him,” the scoutmaster said of his son. “To see him reach Eagle was one of the proudest moments of my life.”
The younger Brennan is considering a post-grad year at a prep school as he finalizes plans for next year.
Rohun Chivate, a PHS senior, created chess tables for Cranbury School for his Eagle Scout project.
While at PHS, he plays tenor saxophone for the PHS studio band, student liaison to the Princeton Board of Education, played varsity basketball for the Little Tigers, and is a member of the varsity public forum debate team, according to Troop 52.
Chivate plans to study economics and data science when he attends Northwestern University in the fall.
Andrew Ferrante, a PHS junior, built bird nest boxes in Village Park as his Eagle Scout project.
He will continue to be a part of BSA Troop 52 as he completes his senior year and serves as a BSA Troop 52B adult leader next year.
Ferrante is a member of the 2021 Philmont crew, participates in PHS and Cranbury Arts Council theatre productions, and volunteers for Skeet’s Pantry.
“I’m very proud as a parent. It is an example of sticking to it and following through,” said the mayor, Andrew’s father.
“I think often the scouting journey can be a very lonely journey, because [the] scouts are often doing it by themselves … . For him to do it with eight friends he started with that is extra special.”
Leo George, a PHS senior, provided landscaping for a local church for his Eagle Scout project.
At PHS, he is the captain of varsity lacrosse team and boys soccer team; is a peer group leader at the high school and is a member of the 2021 Philmont crew.
George plans to study economics at Rutgers University in the fall.
Ryan Guy, a PHS senior, created a band trophy case for Cranbury School as his Eagle Scout project.
At PHS, he was a captain of varsity basketball team.
Guy plans to study mechanical engineering when he attends the University of Tennessee in the fall.
Brian Li, a PHS senior, created an orienteering course in Cranbury Brook Preserve as part of his Eagle Scout project.
At PHS, he is on the Robotics team. He has also participated as a summer camp counselor at Cranbury Recreation Camp and is a member of the 2021 Philmont crew.
In the fall, he plans to major in statistics when he attends Purdue University.
Donovan Mavoides, senior at the Peddie School, created Skeet’s Closet at Cranbury Presbyterian Church as his Eagle Scout project.
Mavoides became a two-time captain of the varsity wrestling team at the Peddie School and played varsity for the lacrosse team. He is also a member of the 2021 Philmont crew.
In the fall, he has accepted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Gavin Mavoides, a Peddie School senior, created a gaga pit as his Eagle Scout project.
Along with his brother, he served as a two-time captain of the Peddie School varsity wrestling team. and played for the varsity lacrosse time. He earned the title of County champ this year at 138 lbs. for Peddie. He was also a member of the 2021 Philmont crew.
In the fall, he will join his brother accepting an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.