Local Ringwood resident, Gregory Shaw, member of Troop 96 in Ringwood received his Eagle Scout award at his Court of Honor from Ringwood Mayor Walter Davison which was held at the Erskine Lakes Volunteer Firehouse this past Monday, January 27, 2014. Greg is currently a sophomore at Don Bosco Prep High School in Ramsey NJ.

Greg joined scouting in 2004 as a Tiger Cub, crossed over to Boy Scouts in Feb 2009. He has attained the rank of “Eagle Scout” at the age of 16 ½.

To Earn the Eagle Scout Rank, the highest rank in Scouting, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the area of leadership, community service and outdoor skills. While there are many options available to demonstrate proficiency in these areas, a number of specific skills are required to advance through the ranks, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle. To advance, a Boy Scout must pass specific tests, which are organized by requirements and merit badges. Merit badges signify the mastery of certain Scout craft skills, as well as serving to increase skills in areas of personal interest. There are more than one hundred fifty merit badges available. At least twenty one merit badges must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout.

The fact that a boy is an Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance, not only in Scouting, but also as he enters higher education, business or industry, and community service. The award is a performance base achievement whose standards have been well maintained over the years. Not every boy who joins a Boy Scouting troop earns Eagle Scout rank. About 2.5% of all Boy Scouts earn the rank. This represents more than one million Boy Scouts who have earned the rank since 1911. Nevertheless, the goals of Scouting-Citizenship Training Character Development, and Personal Fitness remain important to all Scouts, whether or not they attain the Eagle Scout Rank.

Beginning with Star Rank and continuing through the rank of Life and Eagle, a Scout must demonstrate participation in increasingly more responsible community service projects. To earn his Eagle Rank, Greg’s service project was the “Restoration of the historic “Sally’s Fence” at the gravesite of General Robert Erskine and others at Ringwood Manor”. Over 220 hours of community service were amassed during this project which began in the late summer of 2012 and was completed in the fall of 2013.

Greg was able to raise approximately $1,500 to fund his project. At the conclusion there was close to $400 remaining unspent which was used to start an endowment fund in his troop to honor a fallen Eagle Scout, Michael Storm Fischer, who was killed in a tragic accident about a year-and-a-half ago. This endowment is for the purpose of aiding future Eagle Scout projects to benefit Ringwood State Park. During his ceremony Greg presented the troop with a check for $390.00 for this endowment.