School’s display honors Eagle Scout students, inspires others

Celia Beekman knows it’s quite an accomplishment becoming an Eagle Scout. She has seen her brother and nephews reach the pinnacle of Boy Scouting’s ranks.

So, after hearing a congratulatory message for a few new Eagle Scouts announced over the PA at Ridge High School, she decided to further honor the students by setting up a display table in the school’s media center where she works. Ridge High in Basking Ridge, N.J., has more than 1,800 enrolled students, and about 700 students and teachers stop by the media center every day.

Beekman got in touch with Ridge High technology teacher Frank Caccavale, also an Eagle Scout. Caccavale had set up the congratulatory PA announcement; he regularly celebrates high school students’ Boy Scouting achievements, from Order of the Arrow inductions to merit badge completions.

The two collected photos from 10 student Eagle Scouts, and Caccavale lent some Boy Scouting memorabilia to be displayed along with information on the Reading merit badge. Borrowing an idea from the “Bryan on Scouting” blog, Beekman created posters surmising which famous literary characters, like Atticus Finch, Captain America and Harry Potter, could also be Eagle Scouts.

“The display really generated a good amount of interest, and it was fun to see and hear the reactions of the students and teachers,” Beekman says. “It was clear to me that they realized the importance of the achievement and were very impressed by the students whom they may not have realized were involved in Scouting at such a high level.” 

Beekman kept the display up for three weeks because it was generating more interest than what the media center’s table display normally receives.

“Thanks to the display, we brought positive attention to Scouting in our community, helped motivate a few other students to finish up their Eagle Scout Award, and we even learned of another male faculty member who I did not know is an Eagle Scout,” Caccavale says.


About Michael Freeman 432 Articles
Michael Freeman, an Eagle Scout, is an associate editor of Scout Life and Scouting magazines.