Ho-Ho-Kus
June 6, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES
III • Page 19
Ho-Ho-Kus Boy Scouts Ryan De Marco, Scott Halpern, and James Michalski recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The three were honored at a recent celebration that was attended by Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, Ho-Ho-Kus Councilman Philip Rorty, Northern Highlands High School Superintendent John Keenan, and Ho-Ho-Kus VFW Commander Stanley Kober. The boys received certificates and plaques recognizing their achievement and their service to the community. De Marco is a life-long resident of HoHo-Kus, where he lives with his parents, Patty and Jim, and his younger brother, Devon. De Marco is currently a junior at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale. He has been active in Scouting for 11 years, since he became a Tiger Cub. He has held various leadership positions in Troop 54, including team captain, den chief, assistant patrol leader, troop scribe, and mayor of the Iditarod town of Tok. He earned the Arrow of Light in 2006, the Hazel B. Flavelle Award in 2010, and was recently elected to the Order of the Arrow. De Marco was the leader of the Cub Scout Recruitment Camp Fire for three years and was requested to be the VIP guest speaker at the Blue and Gold Dinner for the Cub Scouts in 2010. The new Eagle Scout enjoyed many overnight camping experiences, including some memorable deep freezes in snow. His most memorable Scouting experience was hiking up Floodwood Mountain, camping there overnight, and waking up seeing only fog and the peaks of the Adirondacks.
Three Troop 54 Boy Scouts earn Eagle honors
He attended Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco for three years, and worked there as a counselor in 2009. He attended Floodwood for three years, and participated in the Cross Country Philmont Trek in 2010. De Marco’s Eagle Scout Service Project was to paint house numbers on curbs in Ho-Ho-Kus. A total of 197 house numbers were painted. He logged 138.5 hours with the assistance of many other Scout volunteers. This project, which made house numbers easier to identify, benefited emergency responders and the general public. At Northern Highlands, De Marco has been on the winter track team, cross country team, football team, and the swimming team. He has played recreational soccer and basketball for three years. For three year, he has been an active member of the Highlands Italian Club, where he held the position of treasurer. He is a member of the Model UN Team and he is part of Northern Highlands Leadership Initiative. He has been an active parishioner of Saint Luke’s R.C. Church, where he received his sacraments and is a member of the Youth Group. Since fourth grade, he has been a dedicated altar server. For the past two years, he has been a lector. He is considering a career foreign affairs. Halpern, a life-long resident of Ho-HoKus, lives with his parents, Seth and Kim, and his sisters, Liz and Suzanne. He is currently a senior at Northern Highlands Regional High School. He began his Scouting career in first grade as a Tiger Cub,and moved up through the ranks from Cub
New Eagle Scouts Ryan De Marco, Scott Halpern, and James Michalski.
Scouts through Boy Scouts, joining Troop 54 in 2005. As a member of Troop 54, he has held several leadership positions, including quartermaster, librarian, and assistant senior patrol leader. He is a recipient of the Hazel B. Flavelle Award. He attended Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco for three years, Floodwood
Mountain Reservation for three years, and completed the high adventure treks at both Philmont Scout Ranch and SeaBase. His service project involved landscaping at The Community Church of Ho-Ho-Kus. Helpern and his volunteers removed overgrown shrubbery from the church grounds (continued on page 22)