MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of Freeholders honored eight Eagle Scouts from across Morris County for a series of ambitious scout projects that assisted local towns, neighborhoods, the ecology, and a local high school in projects that each required hundreds of hours of volunteer efforts by the scouts and their volunteer project teams.
Included was a project done by Roxbury scout Ben Smith to create a Welcome to Roxbury Township sign on Route 10 that compliments one done by his dad, Kyle Smith, several decades earlier.
“It is a privilege for the Board of Freeholders to celebrate the positive efforts of these young men and women who took it upon themselves to make positive impacts on their respective communities,’’ said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana.
“They, obviously, are the future leaders of Morris County, and we salute them, he added.’’
The freeholders, at their meeting in Morristown, awarded county certificates of achievement to:
- Noah Munn, Troop 173, Parsippany
- Erik Darling, Troop 173, Parsippany
- Benjamin Smith, Troop 159, Succasunna
- William Lawrence Wainscott, Troop 155, Hanover Township
- Joseph Mihalko, Troop 155, Hanover Township
- Joseph Nowacki, Troop 118, Denville
- Michael J. Kuser, Troop 118, Denville
- Quinn Logush, Troop 118, Denville
Each of the scouts who received county certificates have impressive personal resumes, featuring outstanding family, school, scouting, and personal achievements. The following is a snapshot of their Eagle Scout projects:
- Noah Munn is a recent graduate of the Morris County School of Technology in the Veterinary Science Academy, where he participated in the robotics club. His community activities in Mount Tabor are extensive. For his Eagle Scout project, Noah built and installed ten bat houses in Mt. Tabor, combining his love of Mount Tabor, passion for animals, concern about endangered bat species, and the health of the local ecosystem.
- Erik Darling is a recent graduate of Parsippany Hills High School and will be attending East Stroudsburg University this fall. As a scout, he participated in National Youth Leadership Training and two National Scout Jamborees in West Virginia. For his Eagle Scout project, He did rehabilitation work for the Mount Tabor Historical Society, including constructing new fencing, rebuilding a shed, and creating a new walkway.
- Benjamin Smith is a recent graduate of Roxbury High School and will attend Susquehanna University in the fall. For his Eagle Scout project, Ben created a raised garden bed to hold a sign welcoming travelers to Roxbury Township. It is located on the eastbound side of Route 46, where Route 10 begins. He worked with town officials and local merchants to secure needed approvals and supplies. Ben’s dad, Kyle Smith, also had been a scout with Troop 159. His Eagle project several decades ago was to create the welcome sign on the westbound side of Route 10.
- William Lawrence Wainscott is recent graduate of Whippany Park High School where he was a member of the marching band and active in stage productions. For his Eagle Scout project, he constructed a storage shed at the municipal Bee Meadow pool facility. The shed will store floating lane dividers for the pool, dividers that have been stored under tarps for many winters and which have been damaged as a result.
- Joseph Mihalko is a recent graduate of Whippany Park High School, where he was captain of the swim team and a four-year stage-crew member. He also is a member of the Whippany Volunteer Fire Company. For his Eagle Scout project, Joey completed the landscaping at the entrance to Whippany Park High School’s new football field. This enhanced the aesthetics of the memorial for the late Lt. Cpl. Christopher Cosgrove, a Cedar Knolls resident who was slain in the line of duty in Iraq.
- Joseph Nowacki is a recent graduate of Oratory Preparatory School in Summit, where he excelled in academics and sports – earning the Scout Scholar Athlete Award for 2016. For his Eagle Scout project, Joe managed a team of volunteers to build, install, and paint a wooden recycling storage receptacle and two wooden benches at Cook’s Pond in Denville, where he is a lifeguard and swim instructor.
- Michael J. Kuser is a recent graduate of Morris Knolls High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and Interact Club. He will attend Penn State University. For his Eagle project, Mike worked with 26 adult and scout volunteers to upgrade Denville’s Beaver Brook neighborhood by improving the parking lot at the intersection of Ford Road and Beaver Brook Lane. The project included installation of wooden guardrail fencing, cement car stops, signage, and creation of an Alpine Garden on the corner of the lot.
- Quinn Logush is a recent graduate of Morris Knolls High School, where he was a member of the Morris Knolls Chorale and Madrigals; vice president of the Interact Club; and treasurer of the Thespian Honor Society. For his Eagle Scout project, Quinn planned, designed and implemented a professionally made sign and landscape for the Ayres Knuth Farm Foundation in Denville, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
