The Alternative Press

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - Matthew Allegra and Andrew Krasny have a lot to be proud of at such a young age. On March 10, the auditorium of the Shrine of St Joseph was packed with fellow Scouts, family members and friends as they watched the boys attaink the rank of Eagle Scout. In order to earn this award, one must complete a service project for the community along with hours of volunteering and Scouting activities.

Allegra, a 17-year-old senior at Immaculata High School, completed his service project by refurbishing and making repairs to the smoke house at the Shrine of St. Joseph. The smoke house, which is used for quiet prayer and reflection, was falling apart and was in dire need of repairs. Allegra not only fixed up the smoke house but he also led a team of adults and fellow Eagle Scouts to re-roof the heavily damaged building and helped build a new door.

Krasny, an 18-year-old senior at Governor Livingston High School, chose to clean up a local park and build picnic tables for his service project. There are now 12 new picnic tables at Synder Field Park. Krasny and his team also cleaned up the metal fencing and other wreckage in the park.

The two boys have been friends since they started out as Tiger Cubs, often completing many activities on Troop 368 together. They both mentioned they plan to stay active in the Eagle Scouts after graduating in June.

Both are highly involved in the community as well. They are currently both in training to become volunteer fire fighters for Berkeley Heights.

One of presenters from Sunday’s event, Andrew Friedlander, talked about the significance of being an Eagle Scout.

“It represents community,” Friedlander said. "An Eagle is a leader and is respected by peers and adult leaders."

Many Scouts are not qualified to even attempt to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Several speakers emphasized that “Only 2 percent of Scouts make it this far.”

Marcella Gencarelli, manager of the Berkeley Heights office of Hilltop Community Bank and member of the Rotary Club of Berkeley Heights presented these two new Eagles with the Rotary Certificate of Achievement, together with an art print titled "Eagle Scout Court of Honor,"signed by Joseph Csatari, the official artist of the Boy Scouts of America. The prints were provided courtesy of Dr. Hal Daume, past president of the Rotary Club.

Mayor Joe Bruno of Berkeley Heights was also in attendance at the award ceremony. He noted how happy he was to spend the afternoon being a part of the ceremony, and went on to say how these two boys accomplished so much with their service projects in a short amount of time. Bruno said he also was an Eagle Scout in his youth, and that it's the one thing he “truly misses.”

The Eagle Scouts celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.