8 minute read
Events
Pictured left to right: Gerry Schwall, James Muri, Sebastian Myers, Robert Myers, Steve Howitt The Rehoboth Board of Selectmen extends congratulations to Sebastian and Robert Myers who achieved the designation of Eagle Scout. The brothers are residents of Rehoboth and belong to Troop 24, Attleboro, MA
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank. In addition to earning a minimum of 21 merit badges, the Eagle Scout must demonstrate Scout Spirit, an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. The Eagle Scout designation is only conferred after a lengthy review process of all required elements of the award.
The Eagle Scout Court of Honor was convened on February 9 in the community room at St. Theresa Church in Attleboro. Senator Paul Feeney, Representative Steve Howitt, and Selectmen Gerry Schwall and Jim Muri attended the ceremony. Proclamations were presented to Sebastian and Robert on behalf of the State Senate, House of Representatives, and the Town of Rehoboth. Jacob Suprenard of Troop 13 in Rehoboth passed his board of Review on January 22nd and now has the rank of Eagle Scout. Jacob has been involved with scouting since first grade when he signed up one night at a Palmer River Elementary Open House. Jacob decided he would like to do something for the community at his middle school and he talked with Mr. Pirraglia about different ideas. Jacob wanted to do something that the school may want but also tie it into his love for baseball. They came up with the idea of a wraparound bench. With a very generous donation of pavers from Quarry Brothers in Rehoboth this evolved into creating a patio as well. He planned for a “Super Bowl” Sub lunch takeout fundraiser to raise money for the bench. He went around to grocery stores and asked for donations of bread, deli meat, cheese,etc. and then put out order forms to schools, businesses and through facebook. This raised over $2,000. thanks to friends, family, coaches and teachers who placed orders. We were a sub making machine! For the project the site needed to be prepped, patio installed, tree planted, and bench assembled. Jacob wanted his bench to be for all to enjoy and to have a great view of the baseball field he enjoyed playing at. On this bench he had “Be Your Own Hero” inscribed. This is a saying he saw and liked a lot from a trip with his baseball team in Cooperstown. Thank you to Live Earth as well for the direction of the patio install, and Jack Hoskins who was a big help in getting materials to the site. He is thankful to his grandparents, family, friends, other scouts and leaders past and present who helped with the labor of this project. Scouting has taught him so many life lessons as well as giving him many great experiences and memories that will last a lifetime, and for that we are very grateful.
Troop 13 Has Been Busy!!!
Jacob Suprenard of Troop 13 Rehoboth Earns the Rank of Eagle Scout
From L to R: Adler A, Ian H, Danny F, Trevor M, Mr. C, James F, Justin F, Sam D, Connor B, Chase C, and Josh F
Well, welcome to March! Troop 13 has been kicking things into gear these past couple months of the new year. This past February, 10 scouts traveled out to Yawgoo Valley in Exeter, R.I. for our annual ski trip. We stayed at Camp Yawgoog in Hopkinton R.I. Now because of a storm the day of, Friday night was a very cold night for us as we had no power but that didn't stop us from having the best time. Thank you to all the boys that went and we hope you all had fun!
EAGLE NEWS: Troop 13 would like to congratulate 4 scouts that have ascended to the top rank of Eagle Scout within the past couple months. Congrats to Jack S., Billy D., Luke O., and Jacob S. For gaining this amazing accomplishment. We are all so proud of you gentlemen!!!
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a decision. With all the problems facing the fledgling new nation, they knew that the eyes of the world were on them and what future they chose for the United States.
This informal study group is open to all interested people. It meets at 11 a.m. at Goff Hall on Tuesday mornings. No homework is required, but additional reading is suggested for those who want to know more. Next topics coming up are the presidencies of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, followed by the War of 1812. To find out more you can contact Hank Coleman (hjcoleman@comcast.net). The American Revolution has been on the minds of Rehoboth’s history discussion group this year. In February, they tackled the next big topic in American history, the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. To help bring the past to life, the group tried something new, re-enacting moments from the convention in May 1787, complete with 18th century costumes, including wigs, loaned by Rehoboth’s Carpenter Museum.
Hank Coleman, who leads this group, explained how difficult it was for the delegates from the 13 former colonies to get together and agree on the monumental business of trying to establish an entirely new nation. Not only were they at odds on many key points, they had their own currencies, and nine of them had their own separate navies!
A few costumed members of the group each read the words of some of our founding fathers (and mothers, in the case of Abigail Adams). Hank took the part of Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts, who served as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, which set rules of procedure.
Others taking part in the presentation on Feb. 18 were: Tom Charnecki as George Washington, Robert (Otter) Brown as Thomas Jefferson; Herb Adams as his own ancestor John Adams; Thurston Tarter as James Madison; Laura Samsel as Dolley Madison; Joyce Coleman as Abigail Adams; David Stewart as Charles Pinckney; Ron Whittemore as Benjamin Franklin; and Steve Krawiec as Alexander Hamilton, the only one of our founding fathers to have a wildly popular musical written about him some 200 years after his death. In a video about this crucial period for the U.S., historian Gordon Wood, now professor emeritus at Brown, said that bringing 13 independent states together was no easy task. “It was the last and greatest battle of the Revolution, to be fought with words, not guns. Never before had people deliberated about forming a whole new country.” It was even more difficult because “the US was bankrupt, there were huge war debts and an economic depression.”
At that time most Americans had never been further than 30 miles from their home. Shays’ Rebellion in 1786 in central Massachusetts was prompted by citizens’ outrage at high taxes. Shays became a folk hero to some, but creditors feared mob rule. Washington warned, “What a triumph for our enemies if we show that we are incapable of governing ourselves.”
Hamilton, as an outsider originally from the Caribbean, did not have a special attachment to any of what he called “13 petty republics”. At the convention in Philadelphia, Hamilton spoke for six hours on his 11-point plan for a federal government. Speaking about a monarchy, Ben Franklin said that “two passions govern affairs of men – ambition and avarice. Few kings would not follow example of the pharaoh, if they could.”
And let’s not forget Abigail Adams, who wrote to her husband John: “In the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could.”
The re-enactment continued on Feb. 25, with an educational video that made it clear just how difficult it was for the delegates to the convention to reach an agreement acceptable to everyone. Should they do away completely with the existing Articles of Confederation and come up with an entirely new form of government? The main focus of the debate was about the rights of the individual states vs. proportional representation of all the states in one unified national government.
To make matters worse, the delegates were meeting in the stifling heat of a Philadelphia summer, keeping the windows closed so that they could keep their discussion secret until they had reached
