Only 2 percent of all Boy Scouts go on to complete the requirements and become Eagle Scouts. Broadneck has students who have already earned their Eagle Scout award as well as students who are working diligently to achieve this prestigious level in scouting.  

Junior Joe DiPaola is a member of Boy Scout Troop 835 and chose to construct a nature-viewing platform at Greenbury Point in Annapolis for his Eagle Scout award. Before DiPaola could begin construction he had to find ways to raise money to finance the project. “I did a lot of yard work around my community and my grandparent’s community; 84 Lumber also donated a bunch of materials which helped out a lot,” said DiPaola. The trail is located just past the Naval Academy’s Brigade Sports Complex on Greenbury Point. The wooden nature-viewing platform can be seen and used by all who enjoy the nature at Greenbury Point’s trial. DiPaola, who spends a great deal of time at Greenbury Point, wanted to give back to his community. “I have a military background. My dad is in the military, and I felt that the trail along the point really needed something,” said DiPaola.

Junior Giovanni Gargano, member of Boy Scout Troop 385, created a path to the St. Margaret’s Landing neighborhood children’s playground. The project proved to be more complicated than he had thought because it took several months for the Drafting Board to approve the project. Once approved, Gargano designed a unique draining system involving multiple holes, gravel, steel edging and river cobble stone. With the help of his cousin, Gargano completed the $2,000 project and became an Eagle Scout.

Juniors Ben Hannon and Chris Hudson plan to complete their projects this year and follow in the footsteps of their classmates.

Hudson is actively working on his Eagle Scout project involving American veterans. Hudson began his project by asking friends, relatives and classmates if they knew any veterans that might like to be interviewed. The willing veterans gathered together on October 17 at the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni House for an interview day hosted by Hudson. “What I found interesting was that many veterans were nervous about telling their stories because they believed they didn’t have a story to tell. [They believed] they had to be Medal of Honor recipients to tell a story. This all is not true of course since every person’s story is incredibly important to preserve for their family as well as for the history of the country,” said Hudson. The interviews were filmed and will be stored at the Library of Congress. Hudson hopes to complete his project and earn his Eagle Scout award this coming spring.

When asked about his motivation for completing his project, Hudson said, “All of these years that I’ve been scouting, I’ve seen these boys accomplishing these really great things. It’s great to see people, young people, doing really difficult tasks that even some adults can’t handle, not to mention many kid peers. In the end, they seemed so proud of themselves. I wanted that, a feeling of accomplishment.”

Hudson, with the help of fellow boy scout and cousin, Danny DiBono, sets up the video camera and prepares to film his interviews with veterans.

Each of these boys have different reasons for being involved in scouts and earning their Eagle Scout award. Hudson believes that Eagle Scouts know a great deal about how to contribute to society and be a real leader. “Becoming an Eagle Scout means I’m accomplishing perhaps the most important thing in my life, something that will open doors to everything else,” said Hudson. Hannon also enjoys the many opportunities that come with scouting. After spending a week in the wilderness living off on his own food for a week and spending another week on a 50-mile canoe trip, Hannon says, “My favorite thing about being a Boy Scout is that it allows you to try so many new things. Boy Scouting allows you to have fun backpacking and camping. Also, it looks really good on applications, which is a plus!”