Five members of Fair Haven Boy Scout Troop 125 have soared to Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting.

The ceremony for Reed DiCenso, Aidan Eustace, David Ham, Matthew Ramirez, and Patrick Sach was held on April 26^th at Christ Church on Ridge Road in Fair Haven, with Scout Master Robert List officiating. Father Jim Grogan, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, gave the invocation. Reverend Russell Eidmann-Hicks of Holmdel Community United Church of Christ gave the closing prayer.

“The Road to Eagle Scout” is a journey that includes years of dedication to scouting and culminates in the completion of a service project. The service project is a daunting undertaking that needs to be completed by the candidate’s eighteenth birthday. The project must be approved by a Boy Scout Board of Review. It must demonstrate exemplary skill in planning, organization leadership.

Reed DiCenso’s Eagle Scout service project entailed the construction and implementation of transportable benches to be used within the school grounds located at Collier Youth Services, in Wickatunk, NJ.

Gifted to the ministry of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1927, the grounds of Collier Youth Services have been expanded to include Collier High School. The high school provides an alternative day school for boy and girls, a group home for girls, as and a day camp for disadvantaged youth.

Reed is currently a senior at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) and a member of the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Model UN. He has participated in IEEE Stem programs, Robot Challenges, and the RFH Crew team. He has a brown belt in karate.

Reed will be attending Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, to pursue a degree in engineering.

Aidan Eustace’s Eagle Scout service project benefited The First Presbyterian Church of Rumson. In the church’s Memorial Garden, two benches were stained with lichen and exposure to the elements.   Aidan’s project involved sanding down the benches to their original patina, and eliminating the lichen, debris and stains.

The benches were then treated with stain and a polyurethane coat to protect them from the weather. This restoration project enhanced the beauty of the garden, a sacred place where family members can come to remember their loved ones.

Aidan, 18,  is a senior at RFH and a member of the RFH National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Scientific Frontier Club, and Model UN. He is also a member of the Police Explorers Program, a volunteer program in Fair Haven that supports members of the police department during public events.

For his Eagle Scout service project, David Ham designed eight birdhouses and led four volunteers in the construction and placement of the houses around the grounds of the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven. This project served to enhance the aesthetics of the church grounds and provide safe, reliable shelter for the various types of birds in the area.

David is currently a junior at Christian Brothers Academy, where he is a member of the varsity cross-country and track teams, and the National Honor Society. He has been a member of Troop 125 since 2011. During the summer, he is a lifeguard for the Gateway National Recreational Center at Sandy Hook.

Asbury Park was the setting for Matthew Ramirez’s Eagle Scout Project. Matthew planned and oversaw the refurbishment of a meeting room at The Center in Asbury Park, where support services for those living with HIV/AIDS is provided.

In addition to scouting, Matthew has been a competitive rower on the Navesink River Rowing team since 2014. He is currently a senior at RFH, and plans to study engineering at Lafayette College in the fall.

Patrick Sach’s Eagle Scout service project benefitted the Holmdel Community United Church of Christ. The church’s memorial garden was suffering due to the lack of accessible water. Patrick’s project involved trenching and placing a pipe 400 feet from the Fellowship Building to the memorial garden, installing a hose bid on a 4’ x 4’ x 6’ pole, and connecting the pipe to the main water supply. This project benefited the church in that volunteers can now easily water the trees, flowers and shrubbery. It also improved the look and feel of the garden.

Patrick is a senior at RFH and is dual-enrolled at Brookdale Community College. He is a four-year-member of the RFH varsity swim team and Marching Band, and looks forward to attending Marist College as a business major this fall.

— Edited press release from Fair Haven