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By Douglas McCulloch
Hometown Weekly Staff
Three Westwood Boy Scouts accepted the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America last Saturday as they were officially accepted into the rank of Eagle Scout.
The scouts, Jared Lam, Matthew Wagner and Matthew Mason, were officially sworn in as Eagle Scouts at an Eagle Court of Honor held last Saturday at the Westwood Community Center. With a number of state and local leaders and officials in attendance, the scouts received praise and awards for their years of service to the local community and to the Boy Scouts.
During the ceremony, the scouts recalled their personal accomplishments and adventures as they rose through the ranks of the Boy Scouts, from trips to Canada to hiking, mountain climbing and white water rafting, to the many nights the scouts spent together by the fire on camping trips.
In order to be accepted as Eagle Scouts, each scout must complete a community service project. All three scouts completed their projects, which required putting in at least 100 hours of community service, prior to being named Eagle Scouts.
Matthew Wagner decided to make improvements to the Whitcomb Woods in Dedham. He built a footbridge across a stream that runs through the woods, replacing a large rock that had once been used to cross it. The work required clearing a path for the bridge on both sides of the stream as well.
Wagner and the other scouts agreed that, although their Eagle rank is their proudest achievement from the years they spent in the Boy Scouts, their Eagle Scout projects are a close second.
“Just completing the project is the most powerful part of it,” Wagner said. “We can go back and see it still there and how we had an impact.”
For his Eagle Scout project, Jared Lam helped renovate two gaga ball pits at Hale Reservation’s Day Camp. He removed the dilapidated pits and built a new structure for the ball pits.
He had spent many years as a kid at Hale’s day camp playing in the ball pits, and decided to fix them up so other kids could enjoy them.
“I used to go to the camp when I was a kid, and when I went back there I found they weren’t in great shape,” Lam said.
Matthew Mason decided to help improve the Town of Dedham’s Trails Program. He worked to restore a 2-mile trail at the Dedham Town Forest. He clearned the trail of debris and added trail markings to the trail.
Mason also had to secure approval from the Dedham Conservation Committee to carry out the work, and had to fill out permits for the project.
In addition to the Eagle Court of Honor, which was held at noon on Saturday, Troop 1 Islington also hosted a 90th Anniversary Gala at the German-American Club in Walpole. The event featured entertainment, food and a silent auction that raised money for a new equipment trailer for the troop.
A number of Troop 1 Islington alumni also attended the event to reconnect with one of the state’s oldest Boy Scout troops.
