Hawthorne Troop Celebrates Six New Eagle Scouts to its Ranks

It’s always an impressive feat when six members of one Boy Scout troop attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

On Sunday afternoon, Hawthorne Troop 1 not only celebrated the accomplishments of a half dozen of its finest achieving that highest rank but the newest honorees helped the troop increase its roster of Eagle Scouts to 100 members in its 76-year history.

Family, friends and dignitaries from the Mount Pleasant community packed Emanuel Lutheran Evangelical Church in Pleasantville where the ceremony took place to share the special day. Honored were Dante DiGiansante III, Christian Falco, Robert Garan, Sean Healy, Joseph Steccato and Matthew Vogel.

Scoutmaster Edmund Vogel said the support from the community has been crucial for the Troop 1 to be as successful as it has over the years.

“I think boys learn by watching and by doing,” Vogel said. “So when they see one guy do it that puts a thought in their mind that I can it. So now, they’re the ones that can try to achieve it on their own. So I think it’s by example.”

Having friends and family provide positive influence is a key factor. Falco said two years ago he watched his older brother, Michael, earn the Eagle Scout rank and decided after assisting on his project that he would follow in his sibling’s footsteps.

“That’s really the turning point where I realized I wanted that and I was going to strive for it,” said Falco, now a senior at Westlake High School.

Watching friends and family achieve Eagle Scout has been a strong motivating factor for Matthew Vogel despite the time and effort required to complete the project. Persevering through rough patches made the accomplishment even more satisfying.

“I always had my goals set on that and I always wanted to become an Eagle Scout,” Vogel said. “Over and over again, I was telling myself when everything was hard, I was like I’ve got to keep doing it, and then I kept pushing toward it.”

Highlighting how difficult the rank of Eagle Scout is to attain, it is estimated that only about 2 percent of boys who become scouts reach that level. However, the discipline, training and leadership that a young man acquires should he be successful is invaluable.

“Each and every one of these boys, whatever they will become, will always be a scout,” Healy said. “They’ll always reach out and be a leader.”

The projects completed by the six honorees each helped different segments of the community. Healy and Falco worked on separate projects to improve the grounds at Westlake High School. Healy, also a senior, beautified the entrance by building a concrete circle and painted the school’s logo. He also helped landscape a nearby area. Falco created a viewing area for fans at Westlake’s softball field.

DiGiansante and Garan both assisted the Gilbert Rauh American Legion Post in Thornwood. DiGiansante, now a freshman at the University of Delaware, decided to improve the post’s front yard by raising money to install a new fence as well as adding new plants and shrubs. He chose the project as a way of thanking post leaders for his selection as a delegate to the coveted New York Boys’ State conference.

Garan opted to improve the post’s 9/11 memorial by installing a wheelchair accessible patio.

Steccato and Vogel each embarked on environmental-related projects. Steccato worked with the Saw Mill River Coalition to restore a portion of the Saw Mill River, removing more than a ton of garbage. He collaborated with McDonald’s and the Town of Mount Pleasant to install signs and new trash receptacles in the parking lot.

Vogel removed invasive plant species from the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

Among the dignitaries and elected officials in attendance was County Legislator Michael Smith who told the young men that this effort was just the beginning of their service to the community. Now that they are Eagle Scouts more will be expected of them.

“There is an expectation that you live up to these standards because becoming an Eagle Scout represents something extraordinarily important in a community,” Smith said. “You’re looked at differently.”