Four Hartland Freshman Complete Eagle Scout Projects

Becoming an Eagle Scout requires dedication, commitment and persistence, according to Troop 385 Scoutmaster Matt Weber. 

With four Hartland freshman from Weber’s troop currently completing their final projects, Weber says the young men are positive representations of teenagers within the community.

“It shows we have some good kids in our community,” Weber said. “There’s a lot of focus on the negative aspect of teenagers a lot of the time and these are some examples of kids who are doing some good things.”

The four scouts include: 

• Mark Robinson who coordinated clearing trees and brush for a cemetery expansion at St. John’s church in Fenton. 
• Brian Weber coordinated the construction of a 6 foot by 18 foot wooden composting structure for a community garden for the Livingston Hunger Council. 
• Nicholas Operti is working on the construction of a pavilion at the Howell Nature Center to house a world mural that is used for educational programs for visiting students. Operti will work through Labor Day weekend to complete his project. 
• Mitchell Hundal who coordinated the installation of the donated brick pavers in front of .

For the Creekside project, the school had boxes of donated bricks which raised money for new playground equipment, according to Creekside principal Lawrence Pumford.

When approached by Hundal looking for a community project to complete, Pumford said that having the Hartland student coordinate the installation of the donated pavers was a natural choice.

"Mitchell came in with his paperwork and we sat down and came up with an idea and a plan," he said. 

Pumford, who has two adult sons who are also Eagle Scouts, understands the process the young men have to go through and calls it a "challenging leadership project" and says that young men who do complete their final project “qualify” themselves as dependable citizens.

“Scouting and the road to an Eagle Scout is about personal management, service, it’s about leadership, commitment and dedication,” Pumford said. “And when you look at a young man who has completed the rank of an Eagle Scout, you have a young man you can count on.”