RVC’s Troop 40 mints three new Eagle Scouts

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“Service and leadership,” said Alex Maher, a newly minted Eagle Scout, when asked about the importance of his journey to the highest attainable position in the Boy Scouts of America.

Maher, along with Owen Clark and Daniel Schwartz, were inducted by the Eagle Scout Court of Honor on June 10 at United Church on Morris Avenue. The scouts are members of Rockville Centre’s Troop 40, formerly known as Troop 1, which laid claim to the first-ever Eagle Scout, Arthur Rose Eldred, in 1912.

The requirements to become an Eagle Scout are rigorous, aimed at initiating only the scouts who demonstrate remarkable leadership skills and commitment to charity.

The trio have been working on their Eagle Scout projects for a few years, and all of them spoke about the satisfaction they felt in completing them this month.

“I’ve been with the troop since fifth grade, so it really feels great to be able to follow it through to this stage,” Maher said.

Schwartz, a graduating senior at South Side High School who plans to attend the University of Delaware in the fall, spent much of his service hours at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

“I repainted the planter, cleaned it out and planted new flowers and bushes to be more presentable,” he said. “[I] cleaned the message board and re-set blue stone for the planter and cleaned out the memorial garden.”

Clark, a student at Siena College, refurbished the food pantry at St. Agnes Cathedral and held a food drive, a project that he said helped him “achieve a longtime goal and gave me a unique opportunity to give back to the community.”

Maher’s project saw him build a message kiosk for the Rockville Centre Community Garden. Maher is a student at Syracuse University.

“I think the leadership experience definitely molded a part of my character,” Schwartz said. “The service aspect of this project will stay with me for the rest of my life. It instilled in me the importance of giving back to the community.”