Over eighty people gathered at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Middletown, New Jersey last Friday to celebrate five boys who, after several long years, have finally earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
As the highest honor within the Boy Scouts of America program, the entire night was a big deal and many family members, scout superiors, and people in general came from all across the country to witness this wonderful event.
The boys being honored were Harrison Blarr, Anthony Pompili, Kevin Hauff, Laurance Gumina, and Nicholas Alaia. All four boys attend or attended Middletown High School North and all of them will be enrolled within a college within the next two years.
The ceremony itself started around 7:30 with everybody hustling into to main service room. As the clock ticked, the boys began to walk in at the sound of their names being called by the M.C. for the night, Mr. Bill Grant. After the boys were seated, the pledge, and sacred Scout Oath and Scout Law recited, the ceremony officially began.
The boys were continuously standing up and sitting down to accept awards, say thank yous, and shake the hands of every other Eagle Scout present within the audience, which proved to be one of the most magical moments of the entire ceremony.
As the cameras continued to flash, each boy was called up to center stage to accept the Eagle Scout badge from his mother and the Eagle Scout patch from his father. The boys also presented an Eagles Mothers Pin to their mothers and an Eagles Tie Tack to their fathers.
Audience members continued to present awards to the boys throughout the night and by 8:30 they were unable to carry anything else in their arms.
The boys even presented a brand new metal wagon and two pop-up tents to the troop as a thank you for all of the opportunities scouting has granted them. Flowers and a restaurant gift card were also presented to the Scoutmaster, Mr. Don Antenucci and Mrs. Ruth Antenucci for all of the generous support, guidance, and fun over the past several years of their lives.
The ceremony concluded with cake, cookies, and a delectable amount of other desserts and treats which had been waiting in the next room. As the boys walked around, hugged and thanked family members, and hugged and thanked each other, the true nature of the scouting program was expressed through these five boys who had worked so hard over the past several years to achieve this great honor.