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On May 25, Troop 3 will hold a Court of Honor to award Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle, to three young men from Westwood. Cameron Doherty, Max Moscaritolo, and John de Reyna will each receive this award at a ceremony to be held at 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Westwood, 808 High Street, Westwood. Cameron is a freshman at Fitchburg State University, Max is a freshman at the University of Tampa, and John is a senior at Westwood High School and plans to attend Pepperdine University in the fall.
With this achievement, these young men are joining a very small percentage of Boy Scouts. Nationwide, only six percent of the total number of Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers in the country earn the rank of Eagle Scout. The path to Eagle is a challenging one. To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a Boy Scout must fulfill numerous requirements in leadership, community service, citizenship, and outdoor skills. A Scout must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, including 13 Eagle-required badges, to advance to the rank of Eagle.
Using Scouting skills in the real world is exemplified in the community service project each Scout must perform to become an Eagle. Each of the three Scouts identified an organization that needed assistance and developed a plan to lead others in executing a service project to benefit that organization.
Cameron Doherty’s project benefited Westwood Cemetery. Cameron installed new signs to label the streets and paths in the old Westwood cemetery to reflect the time period, and he also cleaned up overgrown areas within the cemetery.
Max Moscaritolo’s project and John de Reyna’s project both benefited the recreational area surrounding Buckmaster Pond. Max created and installed a fishing information station at the pond’s banks. This station highlights various species of fish found in the pond and includes a fishing line refuse container.
John built and installed several picnic tables, including one that is ADA compliant, for visitors to the pond to enjoy. He also refurbished a bench alongside High Street by the Westwood Town Hall.
