Nick Stathatos and some of his volunteer crew work on the foundation of a new volleyball court at Pioneer Valley Baptist Church. The court is open to the public as long use is coordinated with the church first. (Submitted photo)
WESTFIELD – The rank of Eagle is obtained by about four percent of scouts in the Boy Scouts of America.
It’s a thing that doesn’t just happen overnight. It requires years of hard work, patience and a outstanding display of both character and leadership.
With 32 Eagles Scouts coming from their ranks since 2001, BSA Troop 821 of Westfield, Mass. has consistently been above the national average of four percent and hopes to add a couple more names to that list this year.
Jimmy Gaudreau and Nick Stathatos, BSA Troop 821 Life Scouts, recently finished a major requirement on their way to achieving the rank, “The Eagle Scout Project.”
Gaudreau’s project focused on improving Hampden Ponds Field by putting in a new scoreboard for Westfield Little League, installing a flagpole, and painting the dugouts. A gravel warning track was also installed that Gaudreau said is used “so you don’t run into the fence while you’re catching a fly-ball.”
Jimmy Gaudreau and some of his volunteer crew look up at the newly raised flag at Hampden Ponds Field. The crew of more than 30 spent over eight hours working to complete the project. (Submitted photo)
Stathatos also took on a sports related project and decided to clear an area to install a volleyball court at Pioneer Valley Baptist Church.
“I wanted to do something that was really ambitious that would make everybody be like, ‘oh, can you really do that,’” said Stathatos. “I was looking for something different that hadn’t been done before, at least through our troop.”
Stathatos said the main idea behind an Eagle Scout Project is leadership.
“I’d say it’s sort of the final demonstration of all the leadership you’ve learned through your scouting career,” said Stathatos. “Putting it on display in one fell swoop.”
The boys said they put months of work into preparing for their projects. They had to put together proposals, network with local businesses to get donations, recruit volunteers and work out logistics all before they could block out time to do the physical labor.
“It’s for all the people going through what I did, playing years at senior league,” said Gaudreau. “Seeing the actual scoreboard up, after I’d been talking to the sign company about it, getting the wood and all that, seeing it actually going into the ground and lining up, that was a really cool moment. The next day they were playing.”
According to the scouts, they both managed over 30 volunteers at their projects for a combined total of over 20 working hours on site.
“They did really well,” said Joseph Muto, BSA Troop 821 Eagle Scout Project coach. “Their management on site, they can’t be picking up tools, they have to be coordinating it. They’re getting pulled in 30 different directions. It’s really good, kind of baptism by fire. They’re thrown right into it.”
Gaudreau, 17, recently graduated from Westfield High School and plans to attend Western New England University for engineering.
Nick Stathatos, 16, will be entering his third year at WHS and plans to continue honing his leadership skills as a captain on the school’s track and cross country teams. He said he is thinking about attending a military academy after graduating.
