Four Troop 45 Scouts advance to Eagle
WARWICK — On Saturday, Nov. 17, Warwick’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 45 advanced four more of its members to the rank of Eagle, raising the Troop’s total of Eagle Scouts to 89 since it was first organized in 1960.
The statistics are remarkable since only about two percent of all scouts attain this rank, the highest one awarded in scouting.
Troop 45 presented the awards at an “Eagle Court of Honor” for Andrew and Liam Brown, the sons of Scott and Roberta Brown; Justin Levitt, the son of Steve and Susan Levitt; and Sean Rice, the son of Stephen and Lisa Rice.
The event was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, which sponsors Troop 45. Committee Chairman Clayton Eurich served as emcee. He has directed the Eagle Court program since 1971.
Community service projects
To achieve the Eagle Rank, the scouts were required to complete a minimum of 21 merit badges, have leadership roles in and outside of the troop and participate in community service. Each candidate must complete a major community service project as the last requirement before attaining the Eagle rank.
Andrew Brown and his volunteers mapped out and restored the historic outer loop trail in Madison Lewis Woodlands Village Park.
They cleared brush and dead trees, repaired a stone stairway, built and installed three rustic benches and repainted severely weathered signs at the park entrance.
His brother Liam reclaimed Warwick’s Dekay Cemetery, previously hidden from view along Route 94 South as the result of over a century of neglect.
Brown led scouts in clearing brush and cutting trees and raised money to pay for professional tree removal for the largest trees. The cemetery is the final resting-place of some of Warwick’s earliest residents.
Justin Levitt repaired and improved the Skate Park in Veterans Memorial Park.
He and his volunteers resurfaced the skatelite on the quarter pipe that was damaged and unsafe. They rebraced another ramp, painted end caps on all ramps, built cubby storage and straightened and cleaned the overall area of the Skate Park.
Sean Rice designed and built a shelving system in the costume storage facility of the Middle School Drama Club.
His project provided an organized way to access costumes saving time and money since costume department volunteers now know what they have and can recycle before purchasing new.
Rice also organized a public fundraising concert, delegating tasks including contracting the venue, signing talent, promotion, stage direction, concessions and ticket sales.
- Roger Gavan