Freeholders Honor Six Outstanding Eagle Scouts
Published on January 24, 2019
Representing Troops in Lake Hopatcong, Morristown, Parsippany, and Rockaway Township
The Morris County Board of Freeholders recently honored six Eagle Scouts who live in Morris Township, Parsippany, Mountain Lakes, Rockaway Township and Hopatcong for ambitious and community-minded projects that helped them attain Boy Scouting's highest ranking of Eagle Scout.
(JPG, 187KB) (l/r) Freeholder Director Doug Cabana, Freeholder Heather Darling, Scout Jared Seal, Freeholder John Krickus, scouts Galen Wu and Michael Olson, Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo, scout Joshua Knowle, Freeholder Stephen Shaw, and scouts Anthony Vrhovc and Joseph Caputo.
Projects included creating walkways, constructing chairs for a county park and shelving for a high school band's practice room, restoring a flagpole, building a stone pathway, and planting 500 trees at a municipal site.
The projects required fundraising and many hundreds of hours of work by the scouts and their volunteer teams.
The freeholders are privileged to celebrate the work done by these young men, who undertook positive and ambitious projects for the benefit of their respective communities,'' said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana. They have set an example for all of us here in Morris County, and we greatly appreciate their dedication and hard work.
The freeholders, at their Jan. 9 meeting in Morristown, awarded county certificates to:
- Joseph Caputo, Morris Twp., Troop 112
- Josh Knowle, Parsippany, Troop 72
- Anthony Vrhovc, Rockaway Twp., Troop 160
- Galen Wu, Mountain Lakes, Troop 173
- Michael Olsen, Rockaway Twp., Troop 113
- Jared Seal, Lake Hopatcong, Troop 191
Each of the scouts, who received county certificates, have impressive personal resumes, featuring outstanding family, school, scouting, and personal achievements.
Check out the Flickr photo gallery of the Eagle Scouts' projects and Freeholder Board certificate ceremony: https://www.flickr.com/photos/morriscountynj/albums/72157675667028667
Here is a snapshot of each scout:
(JPG, 274KB) Scout Galen Wu from Mountain Lakes accepts certificates for his Eagle Scout project
Galen Wu is a home-schooled Parsippany resident. He is taking courses, as a high schooler, at County College of Morris as a challenger student.''
As a Scout, he has held virtually every leadership position. He earned the National Outdoor Camping Award, Silver Device; earned his Woodsman's Thong; completed Boy Scout National Youth Leadership Training; passed his Order of the Arrow challenge; attended 2013 and 2017 National Boy Scout Jamborees in West Virginia, and is a founding member and President of Venture Crew #173.
For his Eagle Scout project, Galen worked with 15 volunteers to create a paved walkway between the Richardson History House and The Bethel community meeting space in Mt. Tabor.
(JPG, 277KB) Scout Michael Olson from Rockaway Township accepts his Eagle Scout certificate from the Board of Freeholders
Michael Olson of Rockaway Township is a junior at Morris Hills High School, where he is in charge of the Hope Club, vice president of the Morris Hills Choir, a member of the marching band and jazz band, and performs in the pit orchestra for school musicals.
An AP U.S. History student, Michael participated in the National Geographic Geography Bee Finals and was on the championship team for the Social Studies Olympiad.
In Scouting, Michael has held many leadership positions including Troop Bugler, Librarian and Senior Patrol Leader. He slept on the USS Constitution, toured George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, played Taps at the grave of our First President, and rafted on the Lehigh River, among many activities.
For his Eagle Scout Project, Michael built four Adirondack Chairs for Lewis Morris County Park, working with 25 volunteers over some 147 hours.
(JPG, 293KB) Scout Joseph Caputo from Morristown accepts county certificate
Joseph Caputo of Morris Township is a 2018 graduate of Morristown High School and currently is a student at the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University.
In high school, he was heavily involved in music, joining ensembles and the marching band, while studying music intently and taking private lessons.
He started in scouting as a Tiger Cub and advanced through the ranks to Boy Scouts in Troop 112, making First Class as an eighth grader and Life Scout as a high school junior.
For his Eagle Scout Project, Joe wanted to do something to help his high school's music program. He decided to build much-need shelving for the Morristown High school marching band's practice room.
(JPG, 263KB) Scout Joshua Knowle receives certificate from the Morris County Board of Freeholders
Joshua Knowle is a junior at Parsippany High School. He has held various leadership positions in scouting, including Patrol Leader, Den Chief, Assistant Patrol Leader. He attended National Youth leadership Training and has worked at Camp Cub Scout, at Camp Lewis for the past five years.
Josh has accumulated 105 nights of camping and 205 Scout Service Hours, all while earning 51 merit badges such as Citizenship in the Community, World and Nation, Family Life, Environmental Science and Personal Fitness.
For his Eagle Scout Project, Michael created a walkway to the flagpole at his Parsippany Middle School, and also restored the pole itself€”sanding, scraping and repainting the deteriorated pole.
(JPG, 275KB) Scout Anthony Vrhovc from Rockaway Township receives county certificate
Anthony Vrhovc of Rockaway Township is a senior at Morris Knolls High School, where he has taken many honors and AP classes. He was nominated for the National Honor Society and has earned the "Summa Award" each year for earning a 90 percent Plus Grade Point Average.
Anthony earned 27 merit badges and his bronze Eagle Palm by the time he reached Eagle Scout.
He is a member of Order of the Arrow, participated in National Youth Leadership Training, and has served as Patrol Leader, Den Chief, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Instructor. He also attended the 2017 National Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.
For his Eagle Scout project. Anthony created a paved stone walkway at his church, the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rockaway. He coordinated a fundraising Buy A Brick'' program and managed 30 volunteers over 270 volunteer hours to get the project done.
(JPG, 261KB) Scout Jared Seal from Hopatcong receives a county certificate from the Morris County Board of Freeholders
Jared Seal of Hopatcong is a graduate of Hopatcong High School, where he was involved in music band programs, and participated in many music ensembles. He also was very active in karate, earning his black belt.
Jared first joined the Cub Scouts in the fall of 2006 and received his Arrow Light in 2011, joining Boy Scout Troop 191 in Lake Hopatcong.
For his Eagle Scout Project, Jared planted 500 trees for his hometown of Hopatcong. The town had received a grant to buy 500 trees that were to be planted on municipal property, and he agreed to plant them in an area that had been cleared for future development.
CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH OF THESE FINE YOUNG MEN!