News
Graduating senior builds tables for school, earns Eagle Scout ranking
June 18, 2010
Dylan
Reger has been looking for a place to sit down since ninth grade.
Finally, after four years, he decided to build one.
Next Saturday, Reger will graduate from Mohonasen High School—but he has no doubt that he has left his mark behind. That’s because he recently constructed four picnic tables for the school as part of his Eagle Scout Project—an undertaking that must benefit a public or non-profit entity and ultimately earned Reger the highest ranking within the Boy Scouts of America organization.
Reger said he has had the idea to build the tables since he started at the high school. As a member of the Mohonasen track team for the last four years, he said he often found himself looking for a place to sit down after practice.
So, after studying and measuring the picnic table in his back yard, he created some sketches and was well on his way. Friends Lumber on Hamburg Street donated the wood for the project and funding for the hardware and stain came from the Rotterdam Elks Club. Then, over the course of two full days, Reger and friends from his Boy Scout Troop 357 built the tables.
Each table bears his name, along with his graduation year and the words “Eagle Project.”
“Hopefully people will look at the year on them one day and be able to say, ‘Wow! That was a long time ago',” Reger said, noting that many people around the high school have commented on the tables.
“I see people using them every day,” he said. “I think they’re much appreciated.”
One of the largest aspects of the project – and of becoming an Eagle Scout – is being able to demonstrate leadership, Reger said. Going into the project, he knew he had strong leadership skills. However, he noted that managing a group of 13 people, some of them adults with actual experience in building something like a table, did prove to be trying at times. But it was a learning experience he’s glad to have and one that he is very proud of.
Reger first got involved in Cub Scouts when he was in first grade and then with Boy Scouts in fifth grade. Over the years, he said he’s been able to build on his interests, things like camping and hiking, but he’s also been able to learn about things that he might not have otherwise been able to do. The Boy Scouts, he said, have been like another family.
“I owe a tremendous amount of debt to the Boy Scouts,” Reger said. “They have helped me so much to become a better person.”
Next fall, Reger plans to attend SUNY Oneonta to study sociology. After that, he’s eying a career in law enforcement and maybe even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“I just want to be able to help people,” he said.
