Eagle Scouts recognized
Boy Scout Troop 155, chartered by the West Freehold School PTO, Freehold Township, congratulated its recent Eagle Scout recipients Thomas M. Ferrara, Edmund O'Brien, Andrew O'Sullivan and Travis Sandin.

To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service and outdoor skills. A number of specific skills are required to advance through the ranks.

To advance, a Boy Scout must pass specific tests that are organized by requirements and merit badges. Merit badges signify the mastery of certain Scout skills. Of the 120 merit badges available, 21 must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout.

While a Life Scout, the young man must plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or the community. The project idea must be approved by the Scoutmaster and troop committee and by the council or district before it can begin.

These are the leadership projects the Troop 155 Eagle Scout recipients completed:

• Thomas M. Ferrara, a 2009 graduate of the Monmouth County Vocational School District's Marine Academy of Science and Technology, created a memorial garden and sitting area which honored the men who graduated from the Boy Scouts of America and went on to serve their country during the Vietnam era. Tom is currently attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received an ROTC Scholarship.

• Edmund O'Brien, a 2009 graduate of Freehold Township High School, created a rain garden behind the Barkalow Middle School in Freehold Township. He designed it to catch rain water and use the ground to filter out non-point source pollutants. He also constructed a kiosk which was placed in the garden. Eddie is a freshman at New Jersey Institute of Technology, majoring in construction engineering technology.

• Andrew O'Sullivan graduated from Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, in June. For his Eagle leadership project, he constructed eight school desks for the Georgia Road schoolhouse in Freehold Township. The Georgia Road schoolhouse is one of two original one-room schoolhouses remaining in the township. Andrew is currently attending Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., as part of the Corps of Cadets, studying civil engineering.

• Travis Sandin recently graduated from the Freehold Regional High School District Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at Colts Neck High School. He created an awareness of a program called New Jersey Register Ready which encourages all residents with special needs or their families to sign up for the free, voluntary and confidential program that would identify those who may need assistance in the event of a disaster or emergency. This is an important component to a community rescue and emergency response. Travis is also attending Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., as part of the Corps of Cadets.