Myles’s Eagle Scout project was to build and install 8 benches for Auer Farm in Bloomfield. These benches were built by Myles and volunteers in his mother’s garage and then brought to Auer farm and sunk into the nearly frozen ground. They were placed over a wide area along walking paths and in strate-gic places in the 120 acre scenic education center.
After a couple years of volunteering at the Simsbury Community Farm and seeing the Eagle projects of others there, it was a logical choice to seek out Jonni Marshall and see what the farm needed next. In this case it was a new fire pit to replace the rather decrepit one they had and a set of 6 benches that could be used with it. The benches were built in his mother’s garage by volunteers and the pit was installed in the same marathon day as Myles’s benches by a large group of volunteers.
After all the time Mike has spent volunteering at the farm, it was a natural choice to want his eagle project to benefit the farm and, as is typical of Mike, he sought out a challenging Eagle project there. He designed, planned, fund-raised, and oversaw the construction of a loafing shed at the Community Farm of Simsbury. The loafing shed is a three-walled structure that provides shade for the cows, sheep and alpaca in their paddock, as well as provides a place for the animals to be fed hay in a manger. It took eight months of work including gaining approval from the Board of Selectmen and Town Planning and raising over $1800 before Mike’s project proceeded from concept to conclusion.
Mike has many people he would like to thank for the success of his Eagle project. First, a big thanks goes to his uncle, Jeff Doyle, whose assistance was vital during planning and construction. A very special thanks goes to Jonni Marshall at the Community Farm of Simsbury, who gave Mike the opportunity to build the shed and supported this project every step of the way, including attending Board of Selectmen meetings to provide support. He would also like to recognize all of the people who donated money in support of the project. A huge round of appreciation goes to all the scouts and families who helped build and stain the shed, including Nick Beckius, the Coles, the Crokes, the Gaitmaitins, Chris Holland, the Kendricks, the Mylanders, Mr. Reichler, the Schulitzs, Nate Stockwell and Mr. Reichler and to Mr. Burrows for his guidance and encouragement at each stage of the project. Finally, a special note of gratitude is sent to Sanford and Hawley and Maher’s for their donations to the project.
Matt’s faith led him to his Eagle Project. His project selection started with plans to make a sign at a local farm, to meeting with Simsbury Free Bike to install Rails-to-Trails mile markers, to rebuilding bike racks at his elementary school, to working with St. Mary to build cabinets in a former classroom being repurposed as a Teen Lounge.This was his passion, helping youth grow in faith. Matt wanted to bring comforts he found at Valley Brook to his old classroom. Matt had been working with his friends to support St. Mary youth and the concept of building cabinets would combine Scouts with his faith. Matt will tell you his Eagle project has been the hardest thing he has done. He learned how to make a cabinet from several sheets of birch plywood while leading 11 fellow scouts who were instrumental in completing this project. Matt is extremely proud and appreciative of all the support. Matt would like to thank Mr. Mark Brady (Mark Brady Kitchens) for making this project happen as Matt would have been able to construct a cabinet without guidance. Matt thanks his family, fellow scout families, friends, & fellow parishioners who provided support. Thank you Mr. Burrows, Mr. Sornborger, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Mylander, Mr. Reichler, Andrew Mylander, Joachim & Jared Gatmaitan, Greg Peach, Joe Lepak, Nate Stockwell, Mike Doyle, Will Bonnell, Nick & Kyle Beckius, & Chris Holland for your help. Matt appreciates the support & encouragement he received from Kathleen Keating, Fr. Frank Matera, Sage DeAngelis, Chris Rechen, and Peg Mancarella. Lastly, Matt appreciates Sanford & Hawley Lumber, Simsbury Maher’s Paint, and Bill Selig Jewelers for making generous donations to support this project.
William has been an active long time volunteer in the Simsbury School District Unified Sports and Unified Theater programs. One summer, while talking to a parent with a student in the program, William found out about a specific need that he was determined to fill. He immediately began making plans to meet with Ms. Alaina Haley, the innovative Special Education teacher with a dream of a coffee card business for her class. Ms. Haley’s students are entitled to an education until the age of 21. The main focus of the current program involves a life skills curriculum and working in skills that best prepare these students for adulthood. Her dream of a coffee cart business would teach multiple life skills that are required to become an independent-as-possible adult.
William was instantly inspired. By the time summer ended, William had his ‘Unified Inclusion’ Eagle Scout project plan in place. William organized his team of volunteers and during the 2016/2017 school year he oversaw the progress on a series of needed procedures that supported the student’s coffee cart business. Each task created was done with increasing the student’s independence in mind. Endless volunteer hours by his team created the visual book used by the students with step by step directions on the use and breakdown of the coffee cart. Visual representation of money, the cash box, withdrawal and deposit slips, an inventory list and procedures to work with the coffee cart were all created to increase each student’s independence that could be easily followed. All items William created required both visual and hands on student interaction. William’s project significantly improved the independence of the class and set the footprint for each future class to follow. William is extremely proud of the positive impact his project had in the Special Education class at Simsbury High School and for students in years to come.
William would like to thank Diana Yeisley and her son Carter for inspiring him with your story of the coffee cart that needed someone like William to organize and plan. William would like to send a heartfelt note of gratitude to Alaina Haley and her class who gave him the unique opportunity to work side by side with them everyday, which was the most anticipated part of his sophomore year school day. A huge thank you to all the scout leaders from Troop 174 who taught William through their examples, how to live by a superior Code of Conduct, especially Mr. Fogle and Mr. Burrows.
Lastly, William would like to thank his parents, his sister Katherine and grandparents, through their endless love and guidance he is a compassionate, respectful considerate leader today.