WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Boy Scouts of West Orange’s Troop 6 showed how they could do their own part this fall, building a new garden fence for Hazel Avenue Elementary School. The project was led by Scout Nathan Gold as part of his community service requirement to reach the rank of Eagle Scout.
“Nathan didn’t really know anything about fence repair,” Troop 6 Scoutmaster Enda Donagher said in a press release. “But he worked hard to identify, assemble and lead a team with the skills to make it happen.”
But this was no simple fence repair project; the existing fence was in such poor shape that it needed to be replaced entirely. So Gold’s work involved first planning out the project, starting with 15 fence panels donated by his family, along with posts and cement donated by Orange Lumber. Gold then recruited 16 volunteer workers from Troop 6. Joined by several parents, the crew first had to spend a weekend dismantling the crumbling fence around the school’s Rainbow Garden along Hazel Avenue.
“The hardest part was really directing such a large group of people to get the fence built,” Gold said in the release.
The following weekend, blessed by unseasonably warm and sunny weather, the Troop 6 crew returned to cement the new posts into place and put up the fence panels. With so many hands at work, by mid-afternoon Hazel School had a new picket fence around its garden.
“I was surprised how much work it took to measure and level the fence posts, secure them and cement them in place,” new Scout Sean Coxe, age 12, a former Hazel student, said in the release. “It was a lot of fun, and nice to get to help the community and do a good deed for my old school!”
“The most satisfying part of the project was seeing all the hard work come together,” Gold said.
“Having the new fence built was such a wonderful gesture and beautiful to see,” Hazel Principal William Kochis said in the release. “Thank you to all those involved in replacing the fence and brightening up Hazel Avenue School!”
“It’s a great example of the opportunity for leadership development and personal growth the Scouting program offers,” Donagher said.
Photos Courtesy of Charles Coxe
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Great job Nathan and the Scouts of Troop 6! Congratulations on completing one of the final steps toward your Eagle Scout Award.