Community Corner

Scouts Honored for Community Eagle Projects

From bridges built at Pyramid Mountain to the creation of a searchable grave database for a local cemetery, three Montville Eagles were recognized for their work.

Three teenagers crossed a bridge to manhood recently, and one of them even built a few bridges to get there.

Brett Irwin, Brian Smith and Conor Reid all earned their Eagle Scout honors last month and were recognized for their achievments at the Montville Township Board of Education meeting. 

Board President Dr. Karen Cortellino said she was proud to be in attendance at the ceremony in which the three Montville residents were given their Eagle badges. The three young men would also be given resolutions by the board in their honor that they can show to colleges and universities when applying.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's really a lifetime commitment that a young boy makes when they go on the trail to Eagle," Cortellino said.

Each Scout approached the microphone to share descriptions of the projects they completed to achieve the Eagle honor. 

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I installed three bridges at Pyramid Mountain," Irwin said.

Irwin explained that this became challenging when all of the building materials and equipment needed to construct the bridges had to be physically brought to the park.

Smith said his project also involved some construction as he built two wooden planter benches for the senior courtyard at Montville Township High School. Additionally, Smith did landscaping work in the courtyard.

For Reid's project, he conducted research on a local graveyard. He mapped out where all the stones are and created a searchable database of information that will be helpful to relatives of those buried in the graveyard.

"It's also helpful for the Montville Township Historical Society," Reid said.

As Cortellino explained the different rankings a Scout must endure to reach the Eagle level, she said that with each of them comes "more and more responsibility and more and more leadership."

"It is really a life's accomplishment for a young man of 17 years old," she said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the graveyard had burned.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here