From Cub Scout to Eagle Scout
“We all started in first grade together, and to make it all the way together now as seniors in high school, it really means a lot. Since only 6 percent, nationally, make Eagle Scout, to have four from the same originating spot really makes a big difference to me,” said Sean Brennan.
Brennan, Evan Frazier, Carter Wijangko and Aidan Jones met in their kindergarten class at May Watts Elementary School in 2010. Their friendships didn’t bloom until they joined Cub Scouts in 2011, where Aidan’s dad Matt Jones became their troop master.
“The Cub Scouts was really my first introduction to lasting friendships. Like Evan said, every pinewood derby race, every exciting camp out both in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, every summer camp; it all just kind of served to bring everyone closer together,” stated Aidan Jones.
As they rose through the ranks, they set their sights on the ultimate scouting achievement; becoming an Eagle Scout. A key part of that is the service project, a self-designed, planned and executed task that will impact the community in a positive way.
The Eagle Scout Project
Two of the scouts molded their projects around their passions.
Brennan, a Metea Valley senior, constructed helmet and bat racks for the baseball fields at Knoch Park, where he played as a kid. “The Naperville Little League had provided me with a great experience for my whole youth, so now that I’m able to give back to them it feels amazing,” Brennan said.
Wijangco, also a Metea Valley senior, created fish cribs that will enhance the underwater ecosystem of Round Meadow Lake in the DuPage County Forest Preserve. “I was able to connect my project with fishing, my passion, so that gave me a good sense of achievement, and being able to give back to people who enjoy the same thing as me and like the outdoors is definitely a good feeling,” said Carter Wijangco
The other two scouts returned to their roots for theirs, taking on projects at May Watts. Frazier, a Benet Academy senior, hand-made two picnic benches that have served as congregation areas during outdoor events.
“Mr. LeCrone, the principal here at May Watts Elementary School, he always talked about how the teachers had no place to eat, after school sports; they needed somewhere to sort of put all their stuff and have a meeting point, and it’s just great for the kids,” remarked Frazier
Jones, a senior at Benet, took his affinity for reading and writing and crafted two “Little Libraries”: one for students of May Watts Elementary and the other for the teachers and staff of the school.
“I was really happy to give something back. Not only as a project that kids long after will enjoy, but also like a parting gift before I go off to college,” Jones said.
May Watts Principal Brian LeCrone says the impact of the two projects exemplifies the culture built there.
“I think it just points to the sense of community that we have at our school I’d like to say a big thank you to Evan and to Aidan for the work that they did for the school and the fact that they wanted to give back to us,” Principal LeCrone remarked.
Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony
The four scouts were recently recognized at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. At the ceremony, Jones and Brennan bestowed a mentor’s pin on troop leader Matt Jones, who was a guiding force throughout their scouting journey.
“To have four boys who not just made it, but came from the same den together as Cub Scouts to go all the way through that whole process and become eagles, it’s an amazing honor and I’m so glad I was able to watch these boys progress,” said Troop 75 leader, Matt Jones.
Naperville News 17’s Ryan Sartori and Anthony Yench report.
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