Mr. & Mrs. Mark Gamber with Eagle Scout John Gamber. Last spring, Troop 243 honored three of its own during a beautiful Eagle Court of Honor ceremony at St. Joseph's Auditorium. The new Eagle Scouts (John Gamber, Joseph Pelter, and Joseph Cipriani) join a prestigious group of troop alumni who have achieved the highest rank in scouting.

The Eagle ceremony was attended by a host of local dignitaries; each of the scouts was presented with various certificates and plaques to commemorate his attainment of the rank and service to the community. The accolades for the accomplishments of the three scouts continued throughout the evening.

Among the requirements for attaining this honored rank is the completion of an approved community service project. Together, the projects organized and completed by these scouts surpassed well over 700 hours of service hours by members of the troop and other volunteers. Additionally, all three scouts obtained well more than the required minimum number of merit badges during their scouting journey.

In addition to his project of designing and constructing a retaining wall at St. Martin de Porres Marianist School in Uniondale, John Gamber had a successful tenure as Senior Patrol Leader for the troop. He is also an active member of Order of the Arrow, the honor society for scouting. John, a recent graduate from Chaminade High School, is currently a freshman at Villanova University.

Joseph Pelter, John Gamber and Joseph Cipriani Joseph Pelter completed a project that involved building a corral for retired police horses at Tanglewood Preserve. Joseph, currently a junior at Garden City High School, is one of the younger scouts from the troop to have achieved the rank of Eagle in recent years.

The names of these scouts will be added to the Eagle Honor Plaque in the school auditorium; this plaque includes the names of all Eagle scouts from Troop 243 which has been serving the youth of our community for 65 years. We extend our congratulations to the new Eagle scouts and know that their experiences in the program will serve them well in all future endeavors.