Community Development Director Peter Miller looks on as Gary Fitzgerald, a founding member of the Westfield Arboretum project, and Eagle Scout candidate Jason Phillips plant a swamp oak at Holcomb Park Friday afternoon. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – One could not have asked for a more beautiful Friday afternoon , as the city of Westfield came out to celebrate Arbor Day, a world-renowned holiday when the planting of and caring for trees is held in the utmost esteem.
Having been designated a Tree City USA in each of the past nine years by the Arbor Day Foundation, for excellence in urban forestry management, Westfield has enlisted a local arboreal enthusiast to help with this year’s festivities.
Jason Philips, 14, a freshman at Westfield High School (WHS), is using his involvement in the city’s tree planting activities towards his final project to attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank within the Boy Scouts of America.
Active within the community, Philips is a den chief for St. Mary’s Cub Scout Pack 109 in Westfield and volunteers with the Red Cross, Amelia Park and the Westfield Soup Kitchen, in addition to managing the volleyball team at WHS and working in fundraising for Clowning For Kidz, an organization out of West Warren. Philips’ young life has been dedicated to service to others, a theme that applies to this project.
“I want to help the town out,” Philips said, “I want to plant trees so the community can enjoy them, get fresh air, and have some nice landscaping.”
Philips, who suffers from a speech impediment, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 7 in New Bedford, a small troop that aspires to give the Boy Scout experience to boys with disabilities.
Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, Jason is able to enjoy the camaraderie and life lessons that the Boy Scouts have prided themselves on providing for more than a century. Once a week, Philips telecommutes with the rest of his troop via Skype on his computer, an experience that his mother Jodie believes has helped her son grow.
“They (Jason’s troop-mates) think it’s kinda cool, having a kid in the troop who lives in western Mass. Thank God for Skype and OoVoo.”
“Being with people, socialization, has been great for him.” said his father Robert, who was on hand for two ceremonies on Friday with Jason, Jodie, and Jason’s sister Jessica.
The first ceremony took place at City Hall, where Mayor Daniel M. Knapik raised the Arbor Day flag and praised Jason’s efforts.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Knapik said referencing Jason’s project. “Every year, we get lots of Eagle Scout related activities going on in the city. (The city) is confident of his ability to lead us on a project that will promote the well-being of this and future generations.”
Later in the afternoon, several members of the earlier gathering at City Hall convened at Holcomb Park on Western Avenue to plant two trees, a swamp oak and a weeping redbud. Accompanying the family were several members of the Westfield Arboretum Project, a volunteer organization founded in 1999. With a core group of less than ten members, none of who are younger than 50, members such as Gary Fitzgerald and Cynthia “Tink” Hartdegen are dedicated to their cause of beautifying Westfield through three main goals.
“Our goals are to replant trees lost to old age, disease and development,” said Hartdegen in between carrying buckets of water from the bed of her Subaru to the swamp oak. “Advocating for responsible tree planting and to provide education on trees and their care.”
Also present was Richard Pomeroy, Jason’s adviser for the Eagle Scout project and a three-year member of the Westfield Arboretum Project.
A former cubmaster and assistant scoutmaster, Pomeroy has a son who is an Eagle Scout and knows about the commitment and dedication the title requires.
“I am certified in the genealogy, forestry, traffic safety and gardening merit badges,” Pomeroy said, “Jason has earned over 100 merit badges.”
One hundred and one to be exact, and while his mission of beautifying the city and cleaning it’s air are going to promote him to the highest honor in the Boy Scout’s organization, Jason has a more personal mission driving him, as well.
“My grandfather passed away (three years ago),” Philips said, “He was a lumberjack and he loved trees. So I’m going to plant these trees for him.”
While the actual Eagle Scout ceremony is likely to be several months away, Philips is already looking down the line, hoping to attend college, possibly UMass-Amherst, following graduation from WHS. Once there he would like to study medicine.
However, before he moves on to bigger and better things, Jason Philips will continue to persevere and fly high as Westfield’s latest Eagle Scout.
