New Eagle scouts include Patrick Campbell and Ryan Shreves of West Windsor’s Troop 40, and Peter Maa of Plainsboro’s Troop 168. They are all seniors at High School North.##M:[more]##
Troop 168’s Court of Honor was on Saturday, March 22, at the Plainsboro Municipal Building. Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu was present. For his Eagle Scout project, Maa partnered with James Loony at High School North to renovate the Millstone River Ecology Study Site, extending the pathways in the area behind the school and installing several benches. The project involved more than 300 man-hours, 48 volunteers, and took almost two years to complete. The area, open to the community, is used by high school biology classes, North’s track teams, and area dog-walkers.
Peter, the son of Jen-Fue Maa and Wei-May Yen, moved to Plainsboro five years ago. He joined Pack 31 in West Chester, Pennsylvania in third grade and later earned Cub Scout’s highest award, the Arrow of Light. He has earned 25 merit badges, served as Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 168, and is a member of the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s honor society.
“Joining scouts was one of the best decisions I’ve every made; I’ve gotten so much out of the program, from the friends to the experiences to the leadership skills,” says Maa.
He was a member of North’s Science Olympiad team, which won the state competition for the first time in March. Maa tutors other high school students, and continues to lobby for his peers as student representative on the WW-P school board.
As president of student council, he has partnered with Maredith Hannon, president at High School South, and Dan Leibowitz, coordinator of the WW-P Connections program, to bridge the gap between the two district high schools.
The Troop 40 ceremony was held on March 8 at the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church. West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein were present.
Patrick Campbell’s Eagle project was to transform a tree into four rustic long benches along the trail at the Ron Rogers Preserve in West Windsor. He led a team of 29 volunteers to complete the task.
The son of Jeryl and Patrick Campbell of West Windsor, he began his scouting career in first grade as a Tiger Cub in Pack 40. After earning his Arrow of Light award, Patrick joined Troop 40 where he has earned 38 merit badges and was named a Brotherhood member of Scouting’s honor society, the Order of the Arrow.
He has also received certifications for BSA lifeguard, board sailing, and kayaking, attended the high adventure Sea Base camp in the Florida Keys, and completed a week-long Junior Leadership Training camp.
In service to his church, St. David the King, Campbell serves as an usher at Sunday Mass and a member of the Diocese of Trenton’s Catholic Committee on Scouting. His community service activities include Special Olympics, Red Cross blood drives, and the Trenton Soup Kitchen. He teaches swim classes to children with special needs at the YWCA Adapted Swim Program and is certified as a Red Cross water safety instructor and as a scuba diver.
A member of the National Honor Society, Campbell represented North at the 2006 New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl. He also runs on the school’s cross country, winter, and spring track teams.
Ryan Shreves’ Eagle project was to build and install a large information kiosk for the Millstone River Trail for the Friends of West Windsor Open Space. Working closely with Ken Carlson, vice president for the organization, Shreves supervised and directed volunteers during 200 hours of construction time, culminating with installation of the kiosk last spring.
The son of Leigh and Doug Shreves of West Windsor, he began scouting as a Tiger Cub in Pack 3425 in Overland Park, Kansas. When the family moved to West Windsor, he joined Pack 40, where he received the Arrow of Light and then bridged to Troop 40. He attended campouts including Klondike Derbys, summer camps, Hawk Mountain and Forestburg Scout Reservation, wilderness survival training, and the High Adventure Sea Base trip where he was the crew chief for his boat. His leadership positions include quartermaster, patrol leader, and instructor.
He was a member of North’s swim team for two years. A guitarist and composer, Shreves also plays the keyboard, harmonica, and trumpet.
“Achieving the rank of Eagle Scout has taught me that I have the ability and can find the motivation to accomplish any task, even one that requires a great amount of time and effort,” Shreves says.
