Front Page News
August 17, 2011
My Path To Eagle
Submitted By John Jarvis
My name is John Jarvis and I’ve always had two aspirations as an
adolescent growing up in Northwood.
The first was to learn how to flap my arms hard enough to take off
the ground and fly. The second, being much more feasible and yet
just as arduous, was to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest
status attainable in the scouting program. Although I’ve had this
goal in mind since my earliest days as a Cub Scout, it was not until
12 years later that I began to see my vision in motion.
The majority of people know what an Eagle Scout is.
However, the majority of people do not know what it means.
Becoming an Eagle Scout means putting hundreds of skills gained over
the years to the test. This includes leadership, time management,
communication, willpower, preparedness, and the ability to “suck it
up,” to name a few.
There are a minimum of 21 merit badges that
need to be earned, 12 being Eagle required and any other 9 optional
merit badges.
A Scout must also demonstrate his ability to live by the
principles of the Scout Oath and Law, be active in the troop, and to
serve in a leadership position within the troop for at least six
months.
Oh, and there is one other small requirement a Scout must
complete before reaching Eagle. He must put hundreds of hours into
planning, developing, fundraising, and giving leadership to others
in a service project that benefits a school, religious institution,
or the community. It should now be evident why only about four
percent of Boy Scouts reach scouting’s highest honor each year.
Unfortunately, there is one more catch. A boy can join the Boy
Scouts as early as 11, but once he reaches his 18th birthday, he is
no longer eligible to earn merit badges or continue ranking.
It was a warm, pleasant afternoon when I decided what I wanted
to do for my Eagle project. I decided to improve the Northwood Lake
Beach Area. I had often visited this beach as a kid growing up
in Northwood and I recall noting it as one of the least favorable
waterfronts among the several in town. I concluded if Northwood
Beach was to share the name of the community, then it should be at
its best to represent the community.
I spent weeks organizing volunteers, consisting of classmates,
family, and friends, to clean and clear the beach. Overgrowth and
brush were trimmed back away from the beach area, rotten stumps and
fallen trees were removed, and dead leaves were raked and hauled
away. Additionally, the shed on the premises was given a new coat of
paint.
For the next phase of the project, I spent hours going
door to door in Northwood in order to acquire the needed costs to
construct three picnic tables and a beach sign. Additionally, I
volunteered at a donation booth outside of Heritage True Value
Hardware to earn the required funds to complete the project.
Together, with the help of friends, I constructed three tables—one
of which had a longer top making it wheelchair accessible.
The old beach sign, being attached to the shed, was impossible
to read from the road. For that reason, a nine-foot tall and double
faced sign was constructed and placed by the road; making it very
much visible to those passing by.
After the completion of my project, I was scheduled for a Board
of Review, which is the final “grade” given for the overall project
as well as my years throughout scouting.
I would like to conclude by giving my sincerest thanks to
everyone who contributed to the success of my project. I don’t like
calling it “my” project because it would not have been possible
without the support from so many volunteers, donors, and the
community.
I would like to personally thank my Scoutmaster, Mark
Farrell; my parents, Bruce and Patricia Jarvis; the head of
Northwood’s Recreation Department, Kathy Boudreau; and all of my
friends, fellow Scouts, and volunteers who participated.
I would like to give a special thanks to Heritage True Value
Hardware for allowing me to set up a booth as well as the generous
donors of Northwood.
Thank you once again to everyone involved in helping me make my
project a reality.
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