Rockville Centre scouts with Troop 163 earn Eagle rank

By DANIEL OFFNER

doffner@liherald.com

Four scouts with Boy Scout Troop 163 in Rockville Centre worked tirelessly over the past year for the opportunity to join the four percent of scouts in the United States to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

James Curry IV, William McManus, Jeffrey Roberts and Riley Trani, climbed the necessary ranks throughout their scouting career in preparation for their Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony on Saturday at the St. Agnes Parrish Center.

To become Eagle Scouts, they were required to earn a minimum of 21 merit badges and to plan, budget, coordinate, and complete a project that benefited the community, using only donated materials.

James Curry is a senior at Kellenberg Memorial High School, where he helps coordinate an eight-person team of programmers with the school’s robotics club. He began scouting in 2012 and has served as senior patrol leader, patrol leader, scribe and Chaplain’s aide.

Throughout his time with Troop 163, he has displayed many leadership qualities. He has mentored younger scouts, led camping expeditions, organized service projects and has helped pass the torch by instilling the values and skills he has acquired in others.

For his project, Curry built a 75-foot latticework fence for the Philips House Museum on Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre. He raised $1,100 for the building materials and organized 18 volunteers who generously dedicated nearly 165 hours of work toward the project.

Will McManus is a senior at Chaminade High School who plans on majoring in Business at Villanova University in the fall. During his time in the scouts, he has served as assistant patrol leader, patrol leader and librarian for his troop.

He is also a third-generation scout, a four-year letterman, captain of the varsity rifle team, a member of the National Honor Society, a Eucharistic Minister, a New York State School Music Association Level 6 classical piano player and a volunteer at HorseAbility in Old Westbury, where he helps individuals with special needs with equine facilitated interactions. 

McManus is particularly close to his uncle, who is developmentally disabled and currently lives in a nearby group home. For his service project, he collaborated with the house manager and residents at the home to come up with an idea. With their support, he built, stained and installed raised planters filled with flowers and vegetable plants, which he designed to help residents with physical disabilities continue to enjoy gardening.

Jeffrey Roberts is a fourth-generation scout, carrying on a family tradition of scouting that spans more than 50 years. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow honor society and has served Troop 163 as patrol quartermaster, patrol scribe, patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, Troop scribe, Troop OA representative and assistant senior patrol leader.

He is also an employee at the John A. Anderson Recreation Center on N. Oceanside Road and plans to attend a trade school.

For his project, Roberts worked with Recreation Center staff to sort supplies and donations for their various programs and activities. Together, with the help of a team of scouts and friends, they built and installed heavy-duty shelving units to help organize stored materials.

Riley Trani is a senior at Chaminade High School, who will be graduating in June 2024, and plans on attending college in the fall where he will major in either audio engineering or physics.

He has been a member of the St. Agnes Men and Boys Choir for nearly a decade and is currently president of his school’s production crew, where he oversees numerous shows and events throughout the academic year. He is also a member of the school’s Gold Glee Club and the Vocal Chamber Ensemble.

In addition to being a passionate performer, he is also a dedicated swimmer with the Elmer Swim Club Sharks, where he recently achieved a record time in the boys’ ages 15-18 medley relay and is the captain of the St. Agnes CYO Swim Team. He also worked as a lifeguard and maintenance worker at Lake Kandle in New Jersey for the last three summers.

During his time with Troop 163, he has served as an assistant senior patrol leader, den chief and quartermaster. He was also presented with the Honor Camper Award in 2019.

For his service project, Trani wanted to give back to the St. Agnes choir, which he has been a member of since the third grade and helped install new flooring to the St. Agnes choir loft, which, after many years, was dull and needed replacing.

Following the ceremony the four scouts were presented with several citations from local elected officials and community representatives including Assemblyman Brian Curran, Hempstead Town Councilwoman Laura Ryder, Nassau County Legislator Scott Davis and others.

“These outstanding young men have reached the pinnacle of Scouting by dedicating themselves to community service. In doing so, they have strengthened the fabric of our community and developed leadership skills that will serve them well throughout their lives,” Davis said. “Congratulations to James, William, Jeffrey and Riley for their impressive achievement. Their families and loved ones have much to be proud of.”