Boy Scout trio earns their Eagle rank

Three Boy Scouts from Valley Stream Troop 109 earned the highest honor in scouting on May 21, when they officially became Eagle Scouts.

Joe Cerulli, Keith Donovan and Evan Mladinov, all Malverne residents, earned their Eagle rank at a Court of Honor ceremony at Grace United Methodist School in Valley Stream. They were joined by their family members, fellow scouts and several local dignitaries.

“It was very nice and appreciated to see all of our families come out and be proud of us,” Cerulli said. “I felt accomplished.”

Cerulli is the elder statesman of the trio. He is a senior at Holy Trinity High School and will be attending St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in the fall. He plans to major in business management.

Donovan and Mladinov are both in 10th grade. Donovan attends Valley Stream North High School and Mladinov is a student at Chaminade. They have been friends since their days attending kindergarten together at the James A. Dever School.

Each scout had to earn at least 21 merit badges and complete a community service project to become and Eagle Scout. Cerulli took his love of baseball and fixed up a field at Dever. He created a Little League regulation 60-foot infield. Whenever he sees people playing on it, he smiles. “I turned a little ugly field into something beautiful,” he said, “and it still looks nice today.”

Donovan built a sun shelter at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve, as well as a roped fence along the water’s edge. He said completing this project was the biggest part of the Eagle Scout process. Mladinov built four tables and a computer desk for the Our Lady of Lourdes School in Malverne.

All three scouts say that their journey to the Eagle rank brought them closer to their family. For Cerulli, he said the process allowed him to connect with his father, and dedicates the honor to him. “He always told me the positive things about being a Boy Scout,” Cerulli said.

For Donovan, he followed the lead of his father and uncle, who are both Eagle Scouts. Donovan said he was interested in earning his Eagle rank as early as Cub Scouts. “I set my goal to become an Eagle Scout at a young age,” he said.

Donovan actually was approved as an Eagle Scout last year, when he was 15, but had to wait nearly a year for a Court of Honor ceremony to officially earn the rank.

Mladinov followed in the footsteps of his older brother, who became an Eagle Scout about three years ago. He said his parents also served as inspiration, and gave him the extra push when he needed it.

Now holding his Eagle rank, Mladinov said he will look to earn some Palms awards, which are merit badges that can only be earned after becoming an Eagle Scout. He also wants to stay active with Troop 109, serve as a role model for current Boy Scouts and help anyone else trying to earn their Eagle rank.

Donovan said he will continue to attend troop meetings and help out the younger scouts. Cerulli will be taking a break from the scouts to focus on his studies after high school. “I am hanging up my uniform for a little while,” he said, “because I am going to college.”

Cerulli said the path to becoming an Eagle Scout was definitely worthwhile, even when he had to endure some teasing from his friends. But many of those friends were proud of him when he finally earned the honor. Cerulli said he feels prepared to go to college because of his time in the Boy Scouts, “Like the motto, be prepared,” he said.

He also said Boy Scouts taught him valuable leadership skills, how to be patient and gave him the ability to solve problems.

Donovan said he knows that Eagle Scouts looks good on both a college application and job resume. “We do learn very important life skills,” he said, noting that the most important of those is first aid.

Mladinov said that he learned a lot about responsibility while becoming an Eagle Scout. He also enjoyed the numerous camping trips and making new friends. Additionally, he said it was an honor to earn the rank alongside Cerulli and Donovan.

“I’m glad I went through it,” Mladinov said. “It was definitely worthwhile.”