Troop 44 celebrates four new Eagle Scouts

Boy Scouts of America's West Milford Troop 44, chartered by the West Milford Presbyterian Church, celebrated its four newest Eagle Scouts in December.

John Setford, Ben Macarell, Connor Collins and Eric Lippe became the newest members of the exclusive club that only about 4-5 percent of scouts achieve.

"Since reopening its doors in 2011, Troop 44 celebrated its largest class of Eagle Scouts in 2019," Scoutmaster Will Cytowicz said.

During the eight rebuilding years, Troop 44 has grown from a Troop size of five to 35.

The troop also became a part of history last year as one of the first in history to open its doors to welcome girls into the program.

The troop added five more Eagle Scouts to its "Eagle Scout Honor Roll" Wall of Honor, which lists the names of all Troop 44 Eagle Scouts since the Troop's original inception in the early 1970's.

The road to Eagle

In addition to rank level and merit badge requirements, Cytowicz said, "Each Eagle Scout needed to complete a Community Service Project that required their managerial skills to see through."

The projects completed by the four Troop 44 Eagle Scouts were:

● John Setford completed a Zen Garden at Apshawa Elementary School that gave students and staff the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful setting on the school’s grounds.

● Ben Macarell restored a previously unusable Trail Loop on the Wallisch Estates Homestead.

● Connor Collins developed and executed a Robotics Training Program through the Mountain Lakes Recreation Department.

● Eric Lippe built several Kayak Racks for use at the Highcrest Lake Community Association.