Sean Weinperl is giving his home town of Highlands one more reason to be proud when he is one of two Boy Scouts who will achieve the Eagle Scout award in ceremonies at the Navesink Fire House June 23.
The son of Jennifer Molloy and Franc Weinperl, the College of Charleston sophomore is a graduate of Henry Hudson Regional School, class of 2024 and has been a member of Boy Scout Troop 22 since he was 11 years old.
Looking back, Sean said he first joined the scouts as a Cub in Troop 22 when he was in first grade. When he turned 11, he liked everything he had learned from Cub Pack 22, liked all the new friends he had met, and eagerly stayed with Boy Scout Troop 22 eager to stay with his friends.
Today, the mature collegian admits that during his first few months with the Boy Scouts, he did have some doubts on whether he wanted to stay. While he said he joined to maintain his friendships and activities, he was not really prepared for all the obligations of scouting and the amount of work and structure that comes with being part of an active scout troop. Now, he readily admits, looking back, “it was something I absolutely needed.”
“Discipline is an important part of growing up, and some people never learn it,” he said. But experiencing this in Troop 22, Sean said he now candidly admits that “having that structure at a young age, as well s learning real skills like leadership, teamwork, and communication have had a huge part in my development.”
It is in that learning and practicing the balance between freedom and discipline that Sean now considers the very best part of years of many best parts of scouting.
For instance, he added with enthusiasm, “on camping trips, we were often given freedom to choose our activities, within certain limits of course. But we always had to return to camp at certain times to collect wood, begin cooking, or simply meet for headcounts.” That’s learning the structure of freedom and discipline.
“ Even in meetings, we always had a Troop game at the beginning, which strengthened our teamwork skills, as well as being fun, But that never came without time to work on skills and advance in rank.”
That’s the balance between fun and work, the collegian now uses and which has proven to be helpful in everyday life.
That’s especially true now that he’s at the College of Charleston, he added, “where completing course work is required, but having fun is encouraged.”
All of which explains how learning the balance between discipline and freedom also meant great memories of “being outside in nature while hiking and camping with the troop.”
With the Eagle Award the highest award in Boy Scouting, and one earned and cited by President Gerald Ford, the only President to have achieved the honor, Sean has also earned a number of other awards.
He is a member of the Order of the Arrow in Na Tsi Hi Lodge 71, which he completed four years ago, and a member of the Brotherhood of the OA which he earned the following year. He also has served as the Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 22 for more than a year, overseeing the other two patrol leaders as well as the rest of the troop, and dealing directly with the Scoutmaster and other adult leaders.
As required by all those earning the Eagle Scout Award, Sean had to select a project that would be helpful to his church or community. Working with the director of the Highlands Recreation Center, Jackie Kane, Sean decided to come up with a project that would benefit one of the programs she leads for Highlands residents and guests.
So the Beach Box was created.
A beach box is a structure placed on the beach to serve as a receptacle for used beach toys and equipment, the scout explained. Instead of leaving beach toys or other items on the sand to be washed away, beach boxes now collect and hold them to be used by children again and again. “These boxes do not need to be locked or secured, as they collect items that otherwise would have been wasted,” he said, “Besides, that way, anyone can use them. “ His boxes were made with recycled palettes, further reducing waste from the local community and giving a boost to the environment.
To complete all phases of the mandate surrounding successful achievement of the award, Sean worked with Director Kane giving a boost to the Community Center adjacent to the beach in Waterwitch, and the Recreation Center after school program, where he also volunteered to work in order to further complete his Eagle Scout rank.
Planning the project was the most difficult part, Sean added, since it included scheduling, having meetings at his home at specific times and listing and purchasing the required materials. He also had to meet with the Public Works department officials to retrieve the palettes, and borrowed tools and equipment from members of the troop to complete the work . “Luckily “ he said, “ it all worked out perfectly, and there was no extra stress involved after planning.”
It took about one month to complete the project, and it’s been two years now that the boxes have been in place. And Sean can happily say “they have accomplished their goal of providing a space for toys and other abandoned beach items to be collected and reused.”
With that accomplishment behind him, Sean the college sophomore, is looking forward to graduating in 2028 with a degree in Exercise Science.
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