MONROE, CT — Troops 62 and 26 honored members with advancements in ranks, the awarding of merit badges and naming of new troop leaders in a Fall Court of Honor Ceremony at Stepaway Preschool Monday night.
Among the scouts who were recognized, Orion Alexander, 14, and Chris Butler, 16, are pursuing their Eagle Scout rankings, the highest rank in scouting, in which only about six percent of Boy Scouts ever achieve.
Butler worked closely with Parks and Recreation Director Missy Orosz in planning his project to build four rolling cubbies, painted blue, for the pool area of Wolfe Park. He solicited donations of materials and oversaw fellow scouts in the construction phase during two weekends in October.
Butler has been in scouting since he joined the Cub Scouts in first grade and has been a part of Troop 62 since 2019.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” he said of the Eagle ranking.
Alexander is still working to complete his Eagle project to refurbish the 12-by-12-foot sandbox on the Stepaway Preschool playground. Work begins this weekend.
“It has been rotting away,” he said of the old sandbox. “We’re going to refurbish it so kids can play in the sandbox again.”
Though he’s pursuing the BSA’s most prestigious honor, Alexander said he is only in his second year of scouting.
After scouts received promotions and merit badges before their proud families Monday night, William Reynolds of the Yankee Council presented individual awards to parents who volunteer in leadership roles.
He praised Assistant Scout Master Thomas Tuccio for having a positive influence on his unit in a short amount of time.
“He’s the spark that keeps the unit going,” Reynolds said, before presenting Tuccio with the Spark Plug Award.
Reynolds then presented the Unit Leader Award of Merit to Aneta Szczypiorski, scout master of Troop 26, the BSA’s first girls’ troop to be established in Monroe.
“This adult leader contributed to the growth of the new troop, was steadfast and continued her leadership,” Reynolds said of Szczypiorski.
Moving up the ranks
The Color Guard presented the posts’ colors at the beginning and ending of the event and a candle lighting ceremony was performed throughout.
Those receiving higher rankings came up with their parents, who pinned their new scout badges on them, before they in turn pinned badges on their parents.
Mason Gamez, Lucas Peck and Alex Jiminez of Troop 62 earned the Scout Badge marking the official start on the path of scouting.
Alice Santarsiero and Vera Savic of Troop 26 also earned Scout badges.
Torin Alexander of Troop 62 earned his Tenderfoot Rank for learning the basics of first aid, tying knots and improving his fitness. He will now learn more advanced skills — more knots, more first aid, cooking and leadership.
Earning Tenderfoot badges from Troop 26 were Amelia Piedmont and Eve Donnely.
Those achieving the Second Class Rank demonstrated the skills necessary to care for themselves in the outdoors.
Earning Second Class ranks were CJ Budjinski and Hriday Kiran from Troop 62 and Isabella Lupo of Troop 26.
Nicole Matalanis of Troop 26 earned her First Class Rank, in which a member is considered a “complete scout” having demonstrated a full range of scouting skills. She will “take on greater responsibilities, demonstrate leadership, teach others, and show the full extent of the Scout Oath and Law in her actions.”
The Star Rank, an important step toward the Eagle ranking, moves scouts into a smaller group whose privilege and duty is to give leadership, guidance and inspiration to younger scouts who follow their lead.
Earning the Star Rank were Daniel Fontana and Christian Myers of Troop 62.
Merit badges
Merit badges give scouts the opportunity to investigate 138 different areas of knowledge and experience, while having fun and learning some valuable skills, according to Orion Alexander.
Scouts earning Merit badges Monday include:
Troop 62:
Josh Wasserman — wood carving
Alex Pyle — signs, signals and codes, robotics, archery
Hriday Kiran: signs, signals and codes, Chess, oceanography
Keith Belden — climbing, Chess
Torin Alexander — game design, fingerprinting
Orion Alexander — shotgun shooting, search and rescue, programming, personal fitness, family life, Chess, communication, citizenship in the nation, emergency preparedness
Cooper Gagnon — fingerprinting, game design
Cameron Gordon — canoeing, orienteering
Christian Myers — robotics, search and rescue, Chess, engineering, first aid, environmental science
CJ Budjinski — archery
Daniel Fontana — swimming, rowing, personal fitness, moviemaking, entrepreneurship, emergency preparedness, family life, first aid
Shane Robertson — chemistry, search and rescue
Elliot Harris — Pioneering, first aid
Aiden Sgandurra — automotive maintenance, rifle shooting, woodwork
Alex Fontana — Chess, climbing
Alex Butler — cooking, cycling, family life
Ashlar Pickens — orienteering
Christopher Butler — pioneering, woodwork, leatherwork, family life
Josh Scarano — orienteering, canoeing
Robby Butler — emergency preparedness, family life, space exploration, plumbing
Zach McCarthy — pioneering, shotgun shooting, exploration
Troop 26
Nicole Matalanis — climbing, entrepreneurship, environmental science, nature, rowing
Allison Butler — nature, oceanography
Amelia Piedmont — canoeing
Brooklynn Russo — rowing, search and rescue
Eve Donnely — fish and wildlife, oceanography
Molly Newell — animation, canoeing, swimming
Remi Lane — photography
Cara Crowley — leatherwork, mammal study, rifle shooting, wood carving
Isabella Lupo — search and rescue
Special Awards
Brooklynn Russo, Remi Lane, Mason Gamez and Alex Jiminez earned the Totin Chip, granting scouts the right to carry and use woods tools, after having demonstrated to their leaders the safety, proper handling and use of woods tools.
Amelia Piedmont and Isabella Lupo earned the Recruiter Strip in recognition of scouts who have recruited a friend into scouting.
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