Teens scout out ways to be involved in community
BY CHRIS MURINO Staff Writer

Five Kendall Park teens have achieved Eagle Scout rank: Josh Bagley, John Mandell and Chris Bluem, seated left to right, and Matt Ruffe and Alex Ciccione, standing left to right.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Since 1912, more than 1.7 million boys have done it- they've successfully gone through the difficult process of becoming an Eagle Scout.

Only 5 percent of Boy Scouts ever achieve this honor, and in Kendall Park's Boy Scout Troop 90, there are five members of this elite class.

The most recently honored Eagle Scout, Joshua Bagley, a sophomore at South Brunswick High School, earned his rank in early January. John Mandell and Christopher Bluem, seniors, earned their ranks in 2005 and 2007, respectively.Alex Ciccione, a senior at Franklin High School, achieved his goal in 2007, and Matthew Ruffe, a junior at North Brunswick High School, finished in 2006.

To become an Eagle Scout, the boys had to earn 21 merit badges, attend a Scoutmaster Conference and complete a community service project before being approved by the Boy Scouts of America's National Council.

"Even people who aren't in scouting know what that is," Bluem said of being an Eagle Scout. "It's really almost aweinspiring in a sense. And it's a challenge. I like challenges."

"I just wanted to go as far as I could," Bagley said. "It felt really good when I finished because it was a lot of work."

All five had to lead community projects for local parks, including the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, the North Brunswick 9/11 Memorial Park and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.

The scouts learned a great deal during their experiences.

"It taught me how to lead more than anything else," Ciccione said. "The main part is to oversee and be the project manager of your project."

"You had to be the person to answer all the questions," Ruffe said. "You have to get all the answers, get all the knowledge so you can answer all of the township's questions. You have to do a pretty big write-up."

Although the process was tough, there were parts the Scouts enjoyed. Ciccione enjoyed sleeping at Fort Tompkins in Staten Island, after the first day of work on a project.

"It was fun to be able to see what we did that day," he said. "We still knew we had more to do, but it was great knowing we would get it done."

Mandell enjoyed seeing the results of his hard work, in this case a bridge he helped build.

"Standing back, looking at it and knowing how much work went into it," was rewarding, he said.

Four of the boys went to the 2005 National Boy Scout Jamboree.Almost 32,000 Scouts from around the world came to Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.

"It was a free-for-all," Ruffe said. "It was 10 days and you were free to walk around the camp and enjoy yourself."

Ciccione showed off the five activity patches around his Jamboree patch: Duty to God, a 5K run, Outback Centers, Actions Centers and Activities. Each of the five segments had different activities to be completed, including archery, kayaking, and more.

The Scouts also took part in High Adventure Programs. Ruffe particularly enjoyed a camping trip in New Mexico that lasted for 14 days.

"When we camp out, it's usually somewhere not that far away from here," he said. "You usually can drive a car into the campsite."

He also visitedMountMarcy, the highest peak in New York, and a Florida seabase where he took part in scuba diving.

Scoutmaster Joe Zamorski said having these Eagle Scouts can only be a good thing.

"It's a major plus for the troop," Zamorski said. "There's a whole leadership structure for the troop. It makes our job very easy."

"It's really unique to have this high a concentration of [Eagle Scouts]," said Marty Mandell, of the troop committee.

Mandell said most Eagle Scouts leave the troop after they achieve this greatest honor, but not these five. In fact, his son John is an assistant leader in the troop and Bagley is also in a leadership position.

"Scouts is all based on giving back," Zamorski said. "It's up to them to teach the boys. Everyone looks up to them, especially the younger guys."

"They're absolutely different people when they come out of this,"Mandell said. "Personal confidence, self-esteem. They hold their heads higher."

Despite their experiences, the teenagers are still just that - teenagers.

"The majority of us do sports," Ruffe said. "And there's schoolwork and SATs. It helps prepare you for real life because you can't always have a perfect day."

"If your friend calls you up to hang out, but you have something to do for Scouts in the morning, you just have to say no," Ciccione said.

"Unless it's a girl," added Ruffe.