Five new Eagle Scouts were recognized at the Piedmont Troop 15 Eagle Court of Honor on May 25 at Piedmont Community Hall. The Scouts — Thomas Ero, Connor Fredericks, Sammy Ragones, Gianluca Richmond, and Sebastien Swain — were joined by their parents and Scout leaders, including Troop 15 leaders Robert Barbosa and Maria Topete who oversaw the ceremony and rank announcements.
Since 1921, over 1,400 Piedmont scouts have earned the rank of Eagle.
Eagle Scout Project: Extended fencing to incorporate an unused space next to Colibri Preschool’s play area. Removed rubble and levelled the ground before installing a storage shed to organize and protect toys. Led 11 volunteers in 173 cumulative project service hours.
Eagle Scout Project: Transformed an unused dirt patch at Havens Elementary School, within Katie’s Garden, into a permanent seating area by excavating compost bins, digging a form, pouring a concrete slab, staining the bench, and affixing the bench onto the slab. This new bench provides a welcoming place for students and faculty to relax, enjoy the school’s garden, and to gather during lunch, recess and after school. Service hours: 71 (160 total service hours including support members)
Eagle Scout Project: Transformed the batting cage at Piedmont Coaches Field to enable another 20 years of use by Piedmont’s baseball and softball youth. The project was executed in phases: dismantled the old cage and prepared the site for the contractors, who then broadened the cage foundation for two full batting lanes and added fencing around the foundation. Added turf, nets, and mats to complete the cage. Raised $11,400 through 104 donations on GoFundMe to help pay the cost of the turf, netting, mats, and other supplies.
Eagle Scout Project: Basketball court renovations at Cleveland Elementary. The project’s goal was to create a safer and more enjoyable environment for students and visitors to enjoy. The finished project featured newly painted lines on the courts, school mascot logos painted on the courts, cleaned and repainted backboards, installed safety pads on the basketball hoops’ poles and new hoops netting. Additionally, the surrounding grassy areas and chain link fences were cleared of weeds and debris to allow for new landscaping. Raised $500 through GoFundMe to help pay for the paint, safety mats and nets.
Eagle Scout Project: Designed bunk beds and led 23 volunteers (14 scouts) to build beds for the Oakland Police Activities League (PAL) Camp cabins in Joaquin Miller Park. PAL aims to foster “a mutual bond of respect, understanding, and trust to guide youth toward responsible, mature and informed citizenship.” The aging PAL camp site infrastructure is challenged by a lack of funding. Total project hours: 208.