Millburn Gains A Trio Of Eagle Scouts

MILLBURN, NJ - A trio of Millburn High School juniors ascended to the highest rank in scouting as Troop 17 completed its scouting year by making Shikhar Gurung, Rahul Patel and Arjun Patel Eagle Scouts.

Committee Chairman James McKenna and Troop 17 Scoutmaster Kevin Radics oversaw the June 3 ceremony while the Court of Honor was emceed by First Class Scout Dominic O’Connor and the Eagle Court of Honor was emceed by Life Scout Andrew Bisig.

Since 1945, Boy Scouts of America - Troop 17, chartered through Saint Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills, has had over 130 Scouts earn the rank of Eagle.

The following Scouts earned a minimum of 21 merit badges and completed a leadership project in order to attain the rank of Eagle Scout this year:

Gurung, a junior at Millburn High School, volunteered at the Valley Settlement House in West Orange to teach children computer coding. In addition, he raised $3,000 for a school in Nepal damaged by a 2015 earthquake. He will be traveling there this summer to help the school set up a multimedia library.

Rahul Patel, also a junior at Millburn High School, worked with the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and the Reeves Reed Arboretum to build solitary observatory bee boxes. He also wrote informational articles to help educate the public about how they can help solitary bees.

Arjun Patel, a junior at Millburn High School, created maps, sign posts and bog bridges for the South Mountain Reservation. The purpose of the project was to improve the accuracy of the maps to help people stay on the trails, thus preserving the reservation and local flora and fauna.

Also celebrated that evening was the formation of BSA Troop 19 in St. Rose of Lima Church. Troop 19 was recently established following the Boy Scouts of America's decision to open its renowned program to girls. Troop 19’s Scoutmaster, Daniel Cannon, and its eight founding members were formally recognized.

Information submitted by Dominic O’Connor and Andrew Bisig

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