Scouting News

Wantagh Eagle Scout grateful for support

Posted

As Ben Schablin continued to advance in the Boy Scouts, he looked at others earning their Eagle rank and thought, “I can do that.”

He did. On April 30, Schablin officially became an Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor ceremony at Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church. He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 96, and before that was a Cub Scout with Pack 191.

“It’s not an easy thing to do,” Schablin said, noting the hard work and dedication that is required to become an Eagle Scout. The biggest piece of it, he explained, was completing a community service project.

Schablin did his project at the Hagedorn Little Village School in Seaford. He replaced two grass beds outside the school with vegetable gardens. On May 30, 2015, Schablin and close to 50 volunteers built four wooden planters — two on each grass bed with a stone walkway in between. Each box was filled with dirt.

In June, Schablin provided the Hagedorn School with all the plants, as well as planting instructions for the children, that way they could be part of the process and learn about nature.

Schablin is thankful for the support he received from the other members of his troop, who did the work while he supervised. “Without them, it wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

The project took about six months to plan, he said, adding that it took up much of his free time during his freshman year. “All the work I put into it is what allowed me to complete it in the end,” he said. “Hard work really does help you pull something off.”

Schablin said he chose to do the project for the Hagedorn School because he received services there as a child and wanted to give back. Overall, he said the project came out much better than he envisioned.

“The Hagedorn Little Village School was so fortunate to have Ben, an alumni student, choose us for his Eagle Scout project,” said Principal Patti Pizza. “For us, Ben’s ‘Path to Eagle’ began with fundraising, and ended with our children planting vegetables. Ben’s hard work and support from his family and Scout troop created a wonderful garden.”

For many years to come, Pizza added, children at the school will be able to harvest crops yielded from the garden. “We are very proud of Ben and greatly appreciate all of his efforts for Little Village,” she said.

Scouts must complete 21 merit badges to earn their Eagle rank. Schablin received 51 badges, and said his favorites were genealogy and environmental science. Many of those badges were earned during his annual summer camping trip at the upstate Onteora Scouting Reservation.

Last summer, he was a staff member there, working at the nature lodge and helping other Scouts earn their geology, weather and chemistry merit badges. Schablin also enjoyed his troop’s annual feast trip around Thanksgiving time.

He is the senior patrol leader for his troop and also belongs to the Order of the Arrow, a scouting honor society. Schablin is part of its ceremonial team that performs at Cub Scout bridging ceremonies and Eagle Scout courts of honor.

The Wantagh High School sophomore said he plans to stay active in his troop for the next two years. Being an Eagle Scout, he said, means he gets to use his experience to guide others looking to attain the rank, the highest in the Boy Scouts. “I have the opportunity to use everything that I’ve learned,” he said.

His advice to aspiring Eagle Scouts is to a pick a community service project that interests them. It will be done a lot better, he said, if it comes from the heart.

At Wantagh High, Schablin plays the trumpet in the wind ensemble, jazz ensemble and pep band, and is part of the Science Olympiad and Rube Goldberg teams.

About 130 people attended his Court of Honor ceremony including family members, friends, fellow Scouts and elected officials. He was grateful for the large turnout and said it shows that his accomplishment was appreciated by others. Schablin said that he never would have made it without the support of others.