BURRILLVILLE – Four members of Troop 102 Mapleville recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout and were celebrated by the community this weekend at an Eagle High Court of Honor at the Assembly Theatre.
Aidan Bates, Ryan O’Connor, Ryley Pincince and Liam Sylvester all completed the rank in 2020, but COVID-19 concerns delayed a public gathering until Saturday, Nov. 27, where the scouts were honored with a cake, a pinning and memories from their time with the troop.
For the honorees, the event acknowledged the culmination of 12 years with the Boy Scouts of America with completion of the highest rank. To earn the Eagle title, scouts must spearhead a large-scale project that benefits the community, and each of the four boys chose a unique benefactor.
Bates rebuilt the rectory stairs at Our Lady of Good Help Church in Oakland, adding fresh railings as well as balcony, earning his rank in July of 2020.
Sylvester chose a historic cemetery in Pascoag for his project, cleaning the graveyard to help out with an ongoing effort by Betty and Carlo Mencucci from the Burrillville Historical Society. He completed the rank in November of 2020, according to Troop 102 advancement advisor Amanda Jariabko.
Pincince created a new sign for Austin T. Levy Elementary School.
“Ryley needed to use the high school’s CNC Mill to code and mill out the face of the sign,” explained Jariabko. “That was difficult due to Covid, but was granted access to the high school in June of 2020.”
Pincince designed and constructed the wood frame, posts and Plexiglass, and painted the sign to match the school’s color scheme. He removed the old sign and cemented in the new one and mulched all around it.
Completion and installation of his project was done in July 2020, with the help of family and other scouts, and he passed his Eagle Board of Review in August 2020.
O’Connor had a more elaborate project in mind, but delays caused by the pandemic forced the scout to simplify, with a clothing drive. The drive was initially set to benefit the Elks Club in Bellingham, Mass., but after receiving too many donations, O’Connor had to switch benefactors to St James Baptist Church in Woonsocket. He officially earned the Eagle rank in April of 2020.
Joining the scouts and their families were various town officials who stopped in to congratulate the group on their achievements, including Town Councilors Justin Batalon and Dennis Anderson, and Rep. David Place.
Super proud of these fine young men, well deserved!!