| | Published February 20th, 2019
| Orinda Troop 237 Honors New Eagle Scouts
| | | Submitted by Lisa Hoskins |  | | Troop 237 Eagle Scouts, from left: Jackson Painter, Marcus O'Neill, Will Barber, Campbell Hoskins, and Max Coons. Photo provided |
Boy Scout Troop 237 of Orinda announced that Will Barber, Max Coons, Campbell Hoskins, Marcus O'Neill, and Jackson Painter have achieved Scouting's highest rank of Eagle Scout and will celebrate their Eagle Court of Honor at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Orinda Community Church. All five Eagle Scouts live in Orinda and attend Miramonte High School.
To become an Eagle, the candidate must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, including 13 Eagle-required badges, demonstrate leadership and scout spirit, and successfully complete an Eagle service project benefiting the community.
When Barber heard that the Miramonte High School administration was seeking to enhance outdoor seating available for its students, he decided to build two beautiful redwood benches and cement them into the ground. With the help of fellow Troop 23 Scouts, Barber designed, built and placed the benches. According to the school, the benches provide Miramonte students a nice, peaceful place to sit and relax . now and for many years to come.
Coon's project benefited Glorietta Elementary School where he attended K-fifth grade. Coons along with other 237 Scouts created an area for kids who attend the before/after school program to access a new storage shed by building a retaining wall and digging a new pathway to the shed. He also upgraded the existing pathway from school to the upper parking lot and planted native plants along the walkway, which he has been weeding and watering since his project was completed last summer.
Hoskins and fellow Scouts built a large wooden sign for Miramonte Baseball. Hoskins developed his love for baseball at age 4 and was honored to find a project benefiting something meaningful to him. As an MHS baseball player, Hoskins noticed it was unclear how to enter the baseball field, which is off to the side of the main football/track area. The sign is 9 feet wide, 12 feet high, set 4 feet deep and features est. 1955 and the M logo. Hoskins hopes his project pays homage to the 65-year tradition of Mats Baseball and his passion for the sport of baseball.
O'Neill's Eagle Project is designed to be sustainable within Troop 237. O'Neill and his fellow Scouts built a mobile bookshelf for Wilson Elementary School in Richmond for students in great need for books to read at home. The bookshelf is a "loaning library" so the students may bring a book to donate and choose a book for home. In addition, O'Neill and his fellow Scouts and classmates donated over 1,000 books. He hopes to continue leading one drive per year through Troop 237 to keep the shelf at Wilson Elementary School stocked for its students.
The Garden of Learning at St. Perpetua Catholic School in Lafayette is a treasured resource built to enhance classroom curriculum by fostering a sense of wonder for all things in nature. While a student at St. Perpetua, Jackson Painter frequently noticed the garden's fence was battered, allowing predatory animals to wreak havoc on the garden and posing a safety issue for students during recess. With a team of Scouts, St. Perpetua students, church members, and friends, Painter removed the existing fence and built a 115-foot long, 8-foot high fence that now protects the treasured produce, farm animals and most importantly, students. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA