HANSON – All the work is about to pay off for Hanson Scout Jack Rasa. On Saturday, Jan. 6, he will reach a goal he has dreamed of, planned for and worked toward since he was 10. He will officially become an Eagle Scout, taking part in his Eagle Court of Honor, along with seven other Scouts at 5 p.m. in Hanover Center School.
It’s an honor that only between 4 and 6 percent of Scouts reach the rank of Eagle Scout. Rasa is unique even among that number, in the 60 merit badges he has earned – earning him the higher distinction of Palms for that achievement.
There are 14 merit badges that are required – as well as a minimum of seven others, totaling 21 – for a Scout to obtain before 18, in addition to an Eagle project, to attain that rank. Jack has 60 merit badges. There are many levels of leadership roles and other requirements (camping nights, knife handling, fire safety, etc…to achieve during one’s Boy Scout years, too. Only .04 percent of Scouts achieve the rank.
Jack has also attended 16 different summer camps, averaging three per summer from Maine to New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island as well as New Mexico.
Still, he remains, the humble, reticent person who does it all because he simply loves Scouting.
“It went well,” he said. “It all got completed. … A lot of the people at the American Legion [Post 226] came to help me with getting the flagpole back up.”
The Legion became enthusiastic participants in the project, in which Scouts must prove their leadership skills by doing the planning and supervision on their projects.
“We didn’t expect it,” Pam Rasa said. “We just thought we were going to go in and help do the façade kind of stuff out front. It turned into a much bigger project.”
“I like the fact that Jack saw the needs at the American Legion in Hanson – the hall needed a lot of TLC so I like that he got involved.” said Troop 38 Scoutmaster Gary Martin, who had conducted an Eagle Court of Honor for seven Scouts on Saturday, Dec. 30. “The great thing with his project, is that once he started getting involved and reaching out for help, people did start to offer lots of assistance for him, including the troop.”
Noting that leadership skills, including supervision of the project is a key part of how an Eagle Scout project is evaluated, Martin said the troop came together to help do the work of replacing a ramp at the storage shed and repainting the flagpole.
“They have to show a benefit and they have to lead the project start-to-finish – planning, scoping and then following up, making sure that the benefactor is happy with the work,” Martin said.
The Hanson Fire Department became involved as volunteers one weekend as they provided the help needed to remove the flagpole for repainting.
“That’s what’s great about Eagle projects,” said Martin Troop 38 of Troop 38 in the Cranberry Harbors District of the Mayflower Council in the Boy Scouts of America. “The boys are looking around for ways to be of service in the community.”
Martin said the number of projects demonstrates “a lot of good leadership opportunities” are out there.
“I think that’s one of the best things about Scouting, because Scouting is boy-led,” he said. “Scoutmasters are there to guide them and keep them safe, make suggestions, but the boys do the planning and lead their projects.”
Martin did admit that it can sometimes seem daunting for Scouts to come up with a worthy Eagle project, but noted there are lots of organizations in towns that could use a hand.
“The American Legions in Hanover and Hanson have been two of our benefactors,” he said. “Of course, Scouting is very patriotic, and we really celebrate the veterans and what they’ve done for us – and then there’s lots of conservation organizations in town. On the South Shore, there’s the Wildlands Trust and in Hanover, there’s an open space committee and the Cardinal Cushing Center and the big churches. That’s usually the big focus. Lots of trail work and things like that.”
The veterans are just as pleased with Rasa’s work.
“Jack did a good job,” George said Tuesday morning. “He’s a good kid.”
George said Rasa got credit for the new sign and gutters, too. They were part of his project outline, but George didn’t want liability problems for Scouts climbing ladders to work on the gutters, and his daughter’s sign company could produce a new one, instead of trying to recreate the old one.
Rasa is also being credited for the Roof repair, George said.
“It just turned into a great project,” Mrs. Rasa said. “I think he was able to influence the adults that go there to kind of care more about their Legion – and I think David George was a huge plus.”
George, who also serves on the Hanson Select Board, is an Army veteran and Post Vice, stepped in to help.
“He thanked us so much,” Pam Rasa said of George. “Jack got the fence replaced, did the flagpole and then the sign [which] Jack and his friend were going to repaint … David George’s daughter owns a sign company, so they put a new sign up.”
Jack’s project also involved clearing around a back fence, replacing a ramp to a storage shed and having the gutters cleaned, but George, concerned that someone might get hurt in the gutter project, hired a professional who worked with Rasa so he would be able to get the credit for that part of his project.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for anyone to be on a ladder or on the roof, as that is a huge liability,” George said at the time. “Jack will be receiving credit for all his projects.”
His Eagle Board of review was held on Dec. 17, which approved Rasa’s Eagle rank. He has another review to undergo with 12 Scout leaders from around his Council who will question him about the project experience and make sure he followed all the guidelines before his court of honor, Pam Rasa said Friday, Dec. 29.
Jack is equally driven in his education and career goals, planning to enter the Coast Guard after graduating from Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton and then to pursue a career in environmental policing.
Among the things that made Bristol Aggie a good fit was that Mass. Environmental Police work with the Natural Resource Management major to protect endangered turtles in Massachusetts and use the school as a go-to for confiscated reptiles.
Jack also hopes to attend Mass. Maritime Academy to major in environmental management.