Winston Leung, Danny Fitzpatrick, Jeremy Campbell, and Vineet Shenoy, members of Boy Scout Troop 40, and Dominic Vivona III of Troop 759, recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout.
Winston Leung started Boy Scouts in first grade as a Tiger Cub in Pack 66 and bridged into Troop 40 in 2007. One of the highlights of his scouting experience was attending the centennial National Jamboree and the Summit Shakedown to test the new Jamboree facilities in West Virginia.
For his Eagle project, Leung led 43 volunteers who painted 65 fire hydrants and removed surrounding debris in West Windsor. Together they spent 295 hours on the project. The newly painted fire hydrants are more visible to the firefighters and also help to beautify the township since they no longer appear worn and rusty.
Leung, a recent graduate of High School South, was co-captain of the cross country and track teams, a member of the concert choir, the Noteworthy a cappella group, and the National and Math honor societies. He also performed in “Grease,” the spring musical. In the fall, he will attend Emory University.
“While the trail to Eagle was challenging, it has given me the leadership and project management skills that will aid me in my future endeavors,” says Leung. “Whatever my future may hold, I am certain that the scout spirit and the desire to help others will be the guiding principles in my life.”
Danny Fitzpatrick began Boy Scouts as a Wolf Cub in Pack 66 in second grade and bridged into Troop 40 in 2007. His favorite activity with Troop 40 is assisting with the Special Olympics every spring.
Fitzpatrick’s Eagle project was to build signs commemorating the War of the Worlds broadcast narrated by Orson Welles. The signs were placed in Van Nest Park, the site where the show had the Martians landing.
“I wanted to do something about the history of the town. Because the 75th anniversary of the War of the Worlds occurred in October, 2013, I wanted to embrace that and complement the already existing monument,” says Fitzpatrick. “It was really exciting to see what the posts added to the park’s atmosphere.”
In addition to scouting, Fitzpatrick is active in sports, theater, his school, and his church. Also a June graduate of High School South, he was the setter for the High School South varsity volleyball team and played for a local travel team for two years. He has participated in several plays and musicals at South, is a peer leader, and a member of the National and the Math honor societies.
He was the news editor of the school paper, “The Pirate’s Eye,” for two years. At St. David the King Catholic Church he taught third and fourth graders for three years and was a member of the junior and senior youth groups. In the fall, Fitzpatrick will attend Tulane University.
Jeremy Campbell started Boy Scouts in first grade as a Tiger Cub in Pack 40 and bridged into Troop 40 in 2010. He attends camp at NoBeBoSco Scout Reservation every summer. In 2013 Campbell attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree, where he served on the senior patrol and helped build a classroom for a local school.
For his Eagle project, Campbell landscaped, planted shrubs, and built a handicap-accessible picnic table for the 9/11 memorial at Ron Roger’s Arboretum. The goal of his project was to enhance the beauty and serenity for those visiting the arboretum. He was asked by the township to deliver a presentation on proper tree root maintenance and mulching to the attendees at the 2013 West Windsor Arbor Day Celebration.
Campbell, a rising sophomore at High School North, was a member of the freshman football team last fall.
Vineet Shenoy started Boy Scouts in 2007 with Troop 40. Shenoy has held many leadership positions in the troop including patrol leader for both Troop 40 and Jamboree Troop 135, instructor, scribe, senior patrol leader, and junior assistant scoutmaster.
For his Eagle project, Vineet and volunteers demolished two old, rotting picnic tables, constructed two new handicap-accessible picnic tables, and renovated an outdoor grill for the First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck on South Mill Road. During the project, which amounted to 259 total service hours, Shenoy and his volunteers learned many new skills, including carpentry and masonry.
The picnic area that was built as part of Shenoy’s project has been used at the annual Troop 40 barbecue and by the nursery school at the First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck.
“I have had an incredible amount of support throughout my scouting career,” says Shenoy. “I hope, through this project, that I am giving back and leaving my troop and community better than I found it.”
In addition to scouting, Shenoy is active in High School North’s Debate Club, of which he currently serves as president. He is also involved in the YWCA Princeton aquatics program, where he serves as an American Red Cross lifeguard and a water safety instructor who teaches swimming to children. He is actively involved in his religious organization, serving as a summer camp counselor for children, and is also a piano performer who has earned various blue ribbons. This fall Shenoy will attend Rutgers University, where he plans to study electrical and computer engineering.
Dominic Vivona III’s celebration was held May 26 at Queenship of Mary Church Parish Hall in Plainsboro.
Vivona joined Cub Scout Pack 759 in first grade as a Tiger Cub and bridged to Boy Scout Troop 759 in fifth grade. He earned 34 merit badges, performed 255 community service hours, hiked 111 miles, camped more than 70 nights, and served his troop in a variety of leadership roles.
For his Eagle Project, he constructed a 12’ x 6’ tool shed for Town Center Elementary School in Plainsboro. Green roofs are made of living plant beds and are environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. Besides storing garden tools, the shed will be used as an educational model to help explain energy and environmental concepts to the students.
He has been a summer camp counselor at Ockanickon Boy Scout Camp for four years. One of the highlights of his scouting career occurred in August, 2012, when he went to Philmont High Adventure Camp in the mountains of New Mexico with a crew from his troop. A June graduate of High School South, he will study biology at College of New Jersey in the fall.
Troop 759 is chartered by Queenship of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Plainsboro and meets on Friday nights at the Church. Contact Henry Wieck at hwieck@polygenesis.com for more information about the troop.
