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In Scouting, the Eagle Scout rank is the highest rank one can achieve. One necessary step to achieve it is the completion of an Eagle Scout Service Project, a community service project the Scout must complete and act as leader. Angelica DeJesus from Bainbridge Troop 540 recently completed her Eagle project, focused on helping the Bainbridge Middle School Special Education students.

The project consisted of constructing multiple items and props for the new BMS Special Education classroom. Because of the type of paint used on the new middle school walls, it will be some time before teachers will be able to put posters or papers up on their walls. To ameliorate this issue, DeJesus and her troop constructed three mobile walls for the classroom, one of them made of corkboard for ease of pinning things up.

The other two walls also serve different purposes: one is meant to act as a divider, to help prevent students from becoming overstimulated or distracted, while the other doubles as a storage space. Specifically, this wall will be used to store the various fidgets and toys DeJesus and the Scouts also made for the Special Education program. These were made with a 3D printer the troop purchased.

Not stopping there, they also purchased books for the students.

“We were told that they were struggling with their reading scores,” DeJesus said, “so we wanted to give them an opportunity to have newer books, and they really love graphic novels, so that’s what we kind of went for the theme for.”

This project has been several months in the making, with DeJesus first starting in December. Her passion for both the Special Needs students and for reading inspired it.

“I personally really love the students,” she said, “and I also have a really big love for reading, and so when I heard they were struggling with that… it was cool, getting to choose these books, things that they might enjoy.”

Scoutmaster Margueritte “MJ” Jackson spoke positively about DeJesus’s work on the project. “The key piece of this is she created this out of thin air,” she said. According to Jackson, Scouting puts an emphasis on leadership skills from grades 6 to 12.

“She created this huge project that we had to manage… and so her leadership is what helps all of this come together.”

“We are so proud of Angelica and everything she has accomplished with her Eagle Scout project,” said Ana Baty, Director of Public Relations for the Board of Education. “She represents BHS well and it’s been amazing to see her knowledge of how government and organizations work. Her leadership and dedication to her community is something to be admired by all ages.” Baty added that Decatur County schools “would also like to thank our local Scouts and MJ for supporting Angelica through her project.”