Troop 10 Medfield member Madeline Rothstein recently became the first female Eagle Scout in Medfield.
When Scouts BSA became co-ed back in February of 2019, Madeline was a founding member of Troop 10 Girls. The boy and girl troops operate as separate units, but benefit from combining for many activities. The girls, some of whom got a much later start in the program, are rapidly advancing through the ranks, and now they have outstripped the boys at their speed in attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Madeline completed her Board of Review on September 22 and will receive her Eagle Scout Medal at a Court of Honor on November 19.
After years of being able to tag along on Cub Scout events with her older brother before he crossed over to the troop, Madeline joined Scouts BSA because of "all the fun things he was doing in Scouts.” She wanted to have those same experiences and participate in those same activities. “I enjoy Scouts because it gives me an opportunity to learn life skills, go on fun, unique trips, and make friends that I otherwise would never interact with in my daily life. Being the first female Eagle Scout in my town means a lot to me. It is unique, and I feel I have helped the community with my project. I want to be a role model for girls who aren’t finding fulfillment with their current extracurricular activities."
Becoming an Eagle Scout takes a significant amount of hard work and dedication. After advancing through the six other ranks, a Scout must fulfill requirements that include: completing at least 21 merit badges (14 are specifically required), holding a position of responsibility within the troop, and finally planning, leading and managing a project that benefits the community. In three and a half years, Madeline earned 27 merit badges, camped for 45 nights, earned her Spanish Interpreter Strip, plus served as a Quartermaster and Senior Patrol Leader. She has also earned the National Outdoor Achievement Award in camping, and was voted by the troop into Scouting's National Honor Society, the Order of the Arrow.
For her Eagle Project, Madeline constructed a fence from almost 100 recycled pallets at Medfield State Hospital. The fence separates events at the Bellforge Center for the Arts from the rest of the people enjoying the campus for dog walking and other activities. The fence is over 150 feet long and about four feet tall.
Madeline enlisted help from seven members of Troop 10, both adult and youth, as well as non-Scouts. After all of the design work and necessary permits and permissions were in place, and the materials had been collected, construction took two days, and the fence was also weatherproofed and staked down into the ground with 4x4 posts. Project beneficiary and director of Bellforge, Jean Mineo, was inspired by a similar fence at Jack’s Abby in Framingham. Attendees of events at the center say that it adds a nice touch and performers find it to be useful to stow their stuff behind the stage, against the fence. There are several gaps in the fence to ease maintenance of the lawn and provide access for dog walkers between events.
"It was a fun and unique project," Madeline said. "It was hard finding pallets and finding time in my schedule for work days. My knowledge in working with wood and building things was very useful. I also utilized some basic geometry skills that I didn’t think I would ever need. I learned a lot about planning a project and trying to figure out what changes needed to be made in order for it to be executed properly."
Madeline is in her senior year at Medfield High School, and hopes to attend Wheaton College next fall. She is sure her experiences in Scouting will stand her in good stead for her future, from skills such as first aid and how to be interviewed by multiple people, to probably the most important: how to be an effective leader.
Troop 10 is always on the lookout for boys and girls from 11-17 interested in all the adventure of Scouting, along with the character development, leadership development, and citizenship training that always have been at the core of what Lord Baden-Powell, the father of Scouting, called “A Game with A Purpose”. To find out more, use the "Contact Us" form at https://www.troop10medfield.org
