By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
Three local Troop 23 Scouts were honored by the Town Council at its March 10 meeting, receiving certificates of recognition for completion of their Eagle projects.
Zach Haffner, Ryan Motto and Jack Simmons were responsible for brainstorming, fundraising and seeing their projects through to fruition in order to give back to their communities and become an Eagle Scout.
Pat Motto, a former active-duty officer in the Army and a leadership trainer in the corporate world, has been involved in Scouting America for many years, most recently as a troop leader. Pat Motto spoke highly of the organization and the leadership skills it provides young people, transforming them from shy and timid kids into confident and capable young adults.
“It’s an amazing transformation and the biggest gift these boys get in life,” said Pat Motto. “I’ve seen it in my own son, Ryan, when he first joined Troop 23. He went from not talking or saying anything, and now as an Eagle Scout he’s found his voice and commands a room when goes into it. He’s still attending meetings and trying to pass that on and give back to young Scouts.”
Ryan Motto chose to repair benches in his hometown of Attleboro’s Capron Park Zoo as his project, after noticing how many of the benches were moldy and falling apart. He raised over $3,000 for the project and worked with the Parks and Forestry Department to and repair 18 benches that surround the patio area for summer concerts. The benches were repaired and built with composite deck boards to ensure quality and longevity.
Jack Simmons, a senior in the carpentry program at Tri-Country Regional Vocational Technical High School, chose to give back to North Attleborough by restoring the memorial at Petti Field and landscaping the area around it. He noticed that there was little information about Vincent R. Petti, the memorial’s honoree, and made it his mission to install a podium which explained what Petti did for children in North Attleborough and why the field was named after him.
Simmons hit a bump in the road at the end of his project when he returned from a week-long summer trip to find that the flowers he planted had been cut down and stolen. However, he was able to get new flowers donated from Steven Carvalho, director of North Attleborough’s Parks and Recreation Department, and finished his project to earn his Eagle Scout rank.
“The program really teaches you to keep going,” said Simmons. “It taught me to see things through and stick with it. I feel like that perseverance can apply to everything in life and I’ve already seen a lot of the positives from finishing the program.”
Carvalho thanked Scouting America for partnering with the Parks and Recreation Department over the years when doing their Eagle Scout projects, calling their impact on the community “a blessing for all.”
“The installation of the flagpole and cobblestone flower garden has been a wonderful upgrade to the Petti Field area,” said Carvalho. “Jack did a tremendous job with designing, planning and executing the project. His project will last for generations to come.”
Zach Haffner was recognized for the work he did at the North Attleborough Elks Lodge. Haffner, who owns his own landscaping business, put his strengths to use by clearing a large overgrown area down by the pond near the Elks Lodge. A major portion of his project was also redoing the horseshoe pits, which were ripped out and replaced with brand new ones.
Haffner was elected by his peers to serve as senior patrol leader, with Simmons as his assistant senior patrol leader. Ryan Motto also held both of those positions during his time in the Scouts.
Pat Motto called these projects a “test of the leadership skills the boys have learned along the way” and a chance for them to see a task through from start to finish.
About 120 hours of work go into the projects, and the Scouts must present in front of a panel of adults to articulate their project in order to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Pat Motto also noted the transferable skills this provides to Scouts when they enter the real world and have to sit down for job interviews, giving them unmatched confidence.
“We’re always looking for community engagement and an Eagle Scout project is the best way to do it and show the good work we’re doing,” said Pat Motto.
According to the Scouting America website, since its inception in 1912, only about 4% of Scouts have earned the rank of Eagle. The rigorous process can take years to achieve, during which Scouts must earn 21 merit badges, serve for at least six months in an elected leadership position, gather letters of recommendation from community members and attend a Scoutmaster conference, among other tasks, before choosing and completing their community-based project.