Boy Scouts repair outdoor classroom
A Mars Area School District outdoor classroom received a new lease on life as a group of Boy Scouts worked together to repair it this month.
Led by Mars high school junior Ian Messina, 17, around 25 scouts from Boy Scout Troop 400 and their families worked to refurbish the outdoor classroom, located near Mars Area Elementary School, on May 14.
The classroom is at a different location from the middle school outdoor classroom that was recently demolished to make way for an access road, sparking discussions about its relocation at a school board meeting.
Ian planned, directed and raised funds for the project as part of his path toward the Eagle Scout rank.
Scout volunteers cleaned the trails that led to the outdoor classroom, laid down gravel and stepping stones, and replaced the wooden bench seating and lectern.
“It took a lot of time and it took a lot of effort and planning, but it all came together really well,” Ian said.
Ian grew up in the school district, and used the outdoor classroom at the elementary school as a child. During lockdown in 2020, he said, he came up with the idea to refurbish the outdoor classroom after visiting it with a friend.
“Me and my friend both remembered being there and using it, and I (said) ‘wow, this is really in bad shape; I might make this my Eagle Scout project,’” Ian said. “It looked very sad.”
A lot of the benches, Ian added, were starting to rot.
“The 2x6s that the benches were made out of were starting to go,” he said. “We needed to basically fix up all the lumber.”
To prepare for the project, Ian and his father, Shane Messina, raised money through a GoFundMe fundraiser shared with family, friends and the Mars community. While not all of the donors were from Mars, Messina said, they were eager to help with an Eagle Scout project, and the fundraiser collected around $1,000.
“A lot of them recognized the Eagle Scout rank and what it takes to get through that rank — part of it being an Eagle Scout project — and so they really thought it was a good project and something worth doing,” Messina said. “It did also get put out internally for Mars, and once it went out there and once it was done, the outpouring of appreciation was very high. It was definitely a good project and idea.”
While the idea for the project may have originated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ian said, the pandemic presented challenges for the troop.
“It was certainly a struggle for our troop. We had to do (meetings) online, like how we do school. That was kind of a struggle, because we couldn’t meet up in person,” Ian said. “It really did hinder our progress.”
A portion of the Eagle Scout process must be completed before a Scout turns 18, Ian explained, and during COVID-19, some Scouts had their deadlines extended.
Ian still has a few steps to go through before he officially becomes an Eagle Scout. He has one more merit badge, the Citizenship in Society badge, and needs to have his scoutmaster conference meeting with his Scout leader before printing out an application and sending it in to the Moraine Trails Council and completing his board review.
"It’s kind of like applying for a job,” Ian said. “It is a big task.”
