A scout would be a person who helps out in the community, whether it be holding the door open, or preserving the fire department’s history, or leading a recycling program. One of the biggest scouting programs in the country is the Boy Scouts of America, or the BSA. You may have heard of this organization, but have you wondered about how many Boy Scouts get an education in our own school?

        Westhampton Beach is one of many towns in the US to have its very own Boy Scout Troop. Brought back in early 2011 by William Dalton after a 30-year absence, it was able to have over five Boy Scouts achieve the highest rank: Eagle Scout. Achieving Eagle Scout is no easy task, and having so many scouts in the troop get to this prestigious rank is something that easily wins bragging rights.

        Bob Greenberg, one of the Scoutmasters in Troop 62, helped explain what the troop does and why the troop is considered special to the town. “We have a number of new Eagle Scouts, we have a number of boys in their final steps in becoming Eagle, and we’ve gone on some pretty interesting trips,” says Mr. Greenberg as he explains the accomplishments Troop 62 has completed. Some of these trips include going to a week-long summer camp in the Catskill Mountains, white-water rafting in New Jersey, or camping out at the local Sears Bellows.

        On their Monday night meetings, they have a lot to discuss and a lot to work on within the hour they have at the Westhampton Presbyterian Church. “Sometimes we have discussions about something regarding the troop, like any upcoming trips. In our past meeting, we were talking about different ways of communication and discussing how everyone feels about being able to communicate electronically,” Mr. Greenberg says.

        The golden rule of Boy Scouts, or the Scout Motto, is the phrase “Be prepared.” Mr. Greenberg explains what this means. “It means that you anticipate things you need to accomplish to get through your life and you make sure you have those things lined up and ready to go.”

        People may ask what it takes to be a Boy Scout, and during Mr. Greenberg’s interview, he explains almost anybody can join Troop 62. “Any boy from eleven to eighteen years old can be a Scout, and they just have to show up and commit to being a part of the troop.”

The biggest question would have to be why exactly people join Troop 62, or simply Boy Scouts in general. “[Boy Scouts join] to seek out friendship with other young men, to have a venue to learn new things, to have personal growth, to learn about proper moral code, and to learn how to be a good leader,” Mr. Greenberg explains.

        Boy Scouts have several activities, whether it be camping overnight at the local Sears Bellows Park or having a blast during white-water rafting. “We’re going to try and have a canoe trip next spring down in Delaware and we had a nice fishing outing back in August,” Mr. Greenberg says.

        If it had not been too obvious, Troop 62 has seemed to become a successful troop in Westhampton. Some of these scouts in Westhampton Beach High School that have recently been promoted to Eagle Scout are Luke Dalton, Thomas Montagna, David Cabe, Sal DiBenedetto, and Justin Kuey. There are several other scouts that reside in our school, but the list of these people would be a bit too large to fit.

        Troop 62 will be participating in several projects, fundraisers, and campouts during this school year. Some recent projects were preserving the local fire department’s history, mapping out the cemetery, and even planting dunes. If you are in any way interested in joining Troop 62 or would like to know further information about the troop, contact Mr. Dalton on his email [email protected].

It is rumored that Mr. Dalton will be stepping down from the troop and will be giving the scoutmaster role to Mr. Greenberg soon, but this has not been completely confirmed as Mr. Dalton was unavailable for interview.