Neighbor News
Scout Earns Eagle Honor Following Historic Cemetery Project
Newport's BSA Troop 3 was formed in 1947 and Middletown's Jack Hallett -- Headed to University of Illinois -- Becomes Its 93rd Eagle Scout.
At a mid-June BSA Scout Troop 3 Newport ceremony, 18-year-old Jack Hallett pinned on the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor in Scouting. Jack is the son of Michael and Anna Hallett of Middletown.
Hallett, a 2021 graduate of Middletown High School, has been active in Scouting and the community. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in November 2020 following a lengthy, formal board of review process. Hallett renovated and documented Middletown Historic Cemetery 30 -- known as the Salisbury-Stoddard Lot -- as his required Eagle Scout Project. The project consisted of three parts. First, his team cleared the Wyatt Road cemetery of heavy brush and trees; second, they repaired the stone walls, and third, they documented the gravestone data for the Middletown Historical Society archives. Jack later presented his project to the Middletown Town Council.
Outside of scouting, Jack has also earned valuable work experience. For six weeks during the summer of 2020, he participated in a PrepareRI virtual work program as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) leading a five-member finance team. The internship with the Perspective Corporation, which helps people with learning and developmental disabilities find employment, consisted of formulating and presenting a business plan for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturing.
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Hallett also led the Middletown High School team in the national CyberPatriot cybersecurity competition and participated in a cyber-forensics camp called GenCyber at Norwich University. Using his cyber expertise, he assembled his computer (which proved especially useful for remote learning) and enjoys coding simple computer games within the Unity engine using JEdit. In August, Jack will be attending the University of Illinois where he plans to major in materials science and engineering.
Scout Troop 3 Newport typically meets every Tuesday at 7 PM, at the Elks Club, 141 Pelham Street, Newport. During the pandemic, the troop continued to meet online and conduct outdoor activities for local youth. Since 1947, over 90 Newport Troop 3 scouts have achieved the rank of Eagle. Jack is the troop’s 93rd Eagle Scout. Information about local scouting opportunities can be found at https://beascout.org.