Christopher Foo, a June graduate of High School North, will be honored as a new Eagle Scout at a court of awards ceremony before heading to Paul Smith College in upstate New York to study culinary arts.##M:[more]##
A West Windsor resident, he thanks his parents, James and Patricia, for taking him to Troop 168’s registration when he was in second grade. His brother, Alexander Foo, now a rising sophomore at North, also joined.
“Boy Scouts has had a major impact on my life,” he says. “Through boy scouts, I volunteered to create and participate in the Haunted House in the Plainsboro Library, canoeing on Plainsboro pond, as well as building animal shelters in the Plainsboro Preserve.”
He went through the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star Rank, and Life Rank, as well as collecting a total of 28 merit badges. He went from a no position scout, to an assistant patrol leader, to patrol leader, to a senior patrol leader, with his final position in the troop as troop guide.
“For an Eagle Scout Project, I reflected on the times volunteering for the Plainsboro Preserve,” he says. A project to build some benches and tables for an outdoor classroom for summer nature programs intrigued him. “By making small changes, I changed the project to six lightweight benches so it would be easier for the preserve to move them around,” he says.
As soon as his proposal was approved, he began organizing the troop as well as the fundraisers including roadside cleanups throughout Plainsboro. “With the generous support of Home Depot and Ace Hardware, I secured all of the necessary materials to build the benches,” he says. “With the proper tools and the support of my troop, the benches were finished in only two work days.”
“Scouting is a very promising program,” he says. “Not only did I make lifelong friends, but also lasting morals and a great attachment to nature. Scouting promotes leadership, teamwork, social skills, as well as survival skills. It rewards hard work and builds character. If there was an outstanding period in my life so far, it would be my enrollment in the scouts.”
