A junior at Tyrone Area High School, Theodore Feller, the son of Mike and Sue Feller, was recognized last week at The 2003 Elks Youth Recognition Banquet for the hard work and time he has dedicated to the community throughout his scouting career.
Feller has enjoyed numerous highlights in Troop 300 with scoutmaster Peter Kreckel, including, summer camp every year at Camp Seph Mac in Indiana, PA, outings such as camp-o-rees for spring and fall, and a klondike derby in the winter.
To culminate his years of experience as a scout, Feller applied his learning in Troop 300 to complete his Eagle Scout project, which was started in April of 2001 and finished in August of the same year.
His project was no simple task and had many steps to complete along the way. Feller wanted to beautify the front of St. Matthew’s School because Troop 300 is sponsored by St. Matthew’s Church.
He wanted to change the walkway in front of the school from the outdated and worn-out asphalt, and he also wanted to replace the overgrown shrubs in front of the building. Feller also envisioned a sign in front of the school.
“I wanted to do a project that was related to the Church because that’s where our scout troop is,” said Feller.
The first step he completed for the project was getting the approval from the appropriate people of the Church to be able to use the land in front of the school.
Then he went to work at calling all of the excavating and cement groups. G & R Escavating agreed to take out the asphalt in front of the school, and New Enterprise donated gravel and cement to replace it.
Also, plants and trees were donated for the project. Wertz Landscaping supervised the planting of the trees and the laying of the mulch, and members of the boy scouts placed the materials on the site.
Feller also needed to raise money to help pay for the proposed sign for in front of the school and for the mulch and grass seed that was to be planted. He planned a car wash at the Kopp Drug parking lot, which helped to raise the needed money.
The hard work paid off, and the front of St. Matthew’s School was updated and renovated. A new sidewalk is now in place. Also, new mulch, shrubs and plants, and a St. Matthew’s School sign adorns the front of the building.
“I was really proud of how it all went together and how the area went from asphalt to something that was very eye-pleasing and that people could use,” said Feller.
Feller learned valuable leadership skills throughout the time he spent working on the project. He also learned how to oversee different groups while they were working for the same goal. He had many responsibilities to fit into the time frame and plan of his Eagle Scout project to make it such a success.
“There’s no doubt in my mind Teddy has really exemplified a lot of leadership for pulling off a project like this,” said scoutmaster Peter Kreckel. “He was a project manager. He had to learn how to manage his time, his money and his people, and I think the job that he did up there proves that he’s worthy of the Eagle Scout.”
See photos of Feller’s project on Page 6.
