Submitted by Christine Link
(September 13, 2023) — Two scouts from Killingworth Scout Troop 18 recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Tristan Schemmerling (photo above), a 2023 graduate of Xavier High School in Middletown, raised a thirty-foot memorial flagpole at the Congregational Church in Killingworth as his Eagle Scout project. The flag was erected by Memorial Day of this year, just in time for the Memorial Day parade. (The parade concludes at the church). The project was completely finished on June 3, 2023 when the memorial bricks were installed.
Tristan chose this project because he wanted to do his part to give back to all those who gave their lives in service. He also felt the call to serve his country. Tristan was accepted and appointed to the United States Air Force Academy class of 2027. He left for training on June 26, 2023, only a few days after his Eagle Scout project was approved and earned his Eagle Scout rank on June 20th. The church is his home church where he and his family are members. The church also serves as the home base for Troop 18 as they conduct meetings there.
Cooper Pitts (photo above) built and installed eight benches made of recycled plastic water bottles at Killingworth Rec Park in the summer of 2022. Cooper states that he did this project because throughout the decade-and-a-half of life he has spent playing various sports at KRP, he noticed there really wasn’t anywhere to sit. He always loved the look of certain benches and he tried to replicate that aesthetic with his project.
To raise funds for his project, he offered companies the option to sponsor a bench. Other companies that did not want to sponsor a bench still made generous donations. He would like to thank his sponsors, WJ Financial, The Perry Boys, HK Lacrosse, HK Soccer, The Killingworth Lions, HK Park and Rec, Allstar Software Systems, True Value and Harkin Engineering.
Of the eight benches, he reserved one that he wanted to dedicate to a good friend, Boone Miller, who passed away in late 2020. With the help of the lacrosse team, they raised sufficient funds to sponsor this bench. The bench is right next to the field where they spent countless days playing lacrosse together and hanging out. Cooper is a senior at HKHS.
Troop 18 plans to have a celebration ceremony to honor both Eagle Scouts when Tristan is on leave from the Air Force Academy in late fall or early winter.
Photos by Paul Pitts and Matt Link
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