Two Scotch Plains Residents Earn Eagle Scout Ranking

Boy Scout Troop 104 recently held two Eagle Scout celebrations for Scotch Plains teens Antonio Spadaro and Grant Brown at All Saints Episcopal Church. 

The rank of Eagle Scout is prestigious and is only earned by a small percentage of Boy Scouts. To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, a scout must hold a leadership position in the troop for at least six months, earn 21 merit badges (12 of which are predetermined), and plan and complete a community service project. The scout must pass a board of review and satisfy board members that he has completed all the requirements.

Spadaro started scouting in first grade at age 6 when he joined Pack 4 at Brunner School. He achieved his Arrow of Light award and then joined Troop 104 in fifth grade, where he progressed through the ranks. For Spadaro’s Eagle Project, he beautified four garden areas and built four benches for the Center for Hope Hospice’s “Peggy’s House”, in Scotch Plains. Spadaro's project took 99 hours to complete, which included planning, supervising other scouts and carrying out the project. Spadaro is currently a freshman at Rowan University, in Glassboro.

Brown started scouting in the first grade at the age of seven when he joined Pack 34 at Evergreen Elementary School. Brown completed his Arrow of Light and joined Troop 104 when he was 12 years old.

Brown, son of James and Natasha Brown, is currently a senior at Scotch Plains Fanwood High School, preparing for graduation. He has served as Student Council Treasurer for the Class of 2014 for all four years of high school. Brown is awaiting college acceptances and deciding on which college he will attend in the fall. He would like to attend college in the Washington, D.C. area and plans to major in international business/finance. Brown is a member of Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Newark.

For Brown's Eagle Scout project, he completed a number of tasks at the Scotch Plains Rescue Squad Center located at 1916 Bartle Avenue. He landscaped the front of the building; replaced the weather stripping on the two emergency vehicle garage doors; painted parking guidelines in the two garage bays, and built and stained a bench that is placed near the flagpole at the Rescue Squad Center. Brown completed his projects with help from the Troop, family and friends. Local merchants provided Brown with advice and generous donations. With all the support, the project took 288.5 person-hours of planning and implementation.

Troop 104, which currently includes more than 40 scouts ages 11 through 18 years old, was formed in 1956, and is sponsored byAll Saints Episcopal Church in Scotch Plains. For more information on the troop or Boy Scouts, visit http://t104.us.