A Scout’s Eagle Project Brings New Life — and a Community Together — at Beechwood’s ARK Habitat

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — Behind Beechwood Elementary School, Lawrence Worth stood among fence posts, birdhouses, tree stumps and paving stones as Scouts, parents and troop leaders worked around him. The work was part of his Eagle Scout project — restoring the school’s ARK, a native habitat where students learn about wildlife, pollinators and the importance of caring for the land.Lawrence, a Life Scout with BSA Troop 177 in Mountainside who began scouting at age six, selected Beechwood’s ARK as the focus of his Eagle Scout project.“I get to help the community,” he stated proudly.The ARK, short for Acts of Restorative Kindness, is a restored native habitat behind the school where students learn about plants, wildlife, pollinators, invasive species and the importance of giving land back to nature.RESTORING A SPACE FOR STUDENTS AND WILDLIFELawrence’s project focused on restoring and improving the ARK so it can better serve Beechwood students and the wider school community. The work included installing new fence posts, adding rope to better define the space, creating a walking path with paving stones, refurbishing and building birdhouses, and preparing tree stumps that will hold informational signs for students.The project drew support from across the Mountainside scouting and school community, with members of Troop 177, Cub Scouts from Pack 177, adult leaders, family members and volunteers all pitching in to help support Lawrence’s work.His mother, Michele Worth, a former den leader for Lawrence’s Cub Scout pack and a current leader with Troop 177, said the project reflects both Lawrence’s growth in scouting and the values the ARK is meant to teach.“Lawrence is bringing the community together today and helping the school to be a better place,” Worth said. “We’re learning about the local plants, the local wildlife, and helping to restore something that has become very important to Beechwood School.”BUILDING, DIGGING AND GIVING BACKThe work was hands-on. Scouts removed older, weaker posts and replaced them with sturdier ones around the ARK. Using an auger rented from Home Depot, volunteers dug holes approximately two feet deep to install the new posts. New rope will help mark the boundaries of the space while still allowing the ARK to retain its natural feel.Large tree sections donated by SavATree in Mountainside were used to display educational signage created with help from Deerfield School’s Eco-Club and science teacher Taylor Dayan. The signs are intended to help elementary school students understand what they are seeing when they visit the ARK, including native plants, pollinators, insects and local wildlife.The birdhouses also represent a continuation of community effort. Girl Scouts originally painted birdhouses for the ARK, and Lawrence’s project included refurbishing some of them and building additional ones to provide more opportunities for local birds to nest in the area.MONTHS OF PLANNING BEHIND THE PROJECTWhile the project came together visibly on the day volunteers gathered at Beechwood, Lawrence’s work began months earlier. According to his family, he started planning the project in December 2025.Earning the rank of Eagle Scout is a long process that typically follows years of scouting, advancement, leadership development and service. Scouts must move through multiple ranks, demonstrate leadership, complete required merit badges, plan and lead an approved service project, complete extensive paperwork and participate in boards of review. Lawrence’s family said many Scouts are close to 18 years old when they reach this stage, making Lawrence’s progress especially notable. At 14 years old and in eighth grade, he is one of the youngest Scouts in his troop to reach this point.For Lawrence, the ARK project required much more than building and planting. He had to conceive the project, write a proposal, receive approval from Patriots’ Path Council, coordinate with the project beneficiary, work with Beechwood Principal Jessica Vierschilling, consult with Eagle project coach Jeff Healy, coordinate with Deerfield School’s Eco Club and science teacher Taylor Dayan, work with a sign company, negotiate with SavATree, set up a GoFundMe, raise funds from the community, purchase supplies and materials, rent the auger, organize volunteers through SignUp Genius, provide food and drinks for those helping and complete the required follow-up paperwork.Lawrence is expected to officially receive his Eagle Scout badge in a few months. He will be formally presented with the rank at a Court of Honor ceremony.A SCOUT FAMILY AND TROOP EFFORTHis father, Richard Worth, also a former den leader for Lawrence’s Cub Scout pack and a current leader with Troop 177, said the project has allowed Lawrence to put scouting principles into action.“We’re very proud of Lawrence,” Richard Worth said. “He is working on his Eagle project, and he’s showing leadership skills and taking initiative to delegate tasks and work with his fellow Scouts.”For the Worth family, scouting has long been a family affair. Lawrence began as a Tiger in Cub Scout Pack 177 when he was six years old and has continued through each rank of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. His mother, Michele Worth, a den mom for Lawrence’s group, later helped start the Lions program in Mountainside for younger Scouts, including her younger son.Over the years, Michele Worth said, she has watched many of the boys grow up together through scouting. Because of that long history, Lawrence’s Eagle project was meaningful not only to her as his mother, but also as someone who has seen the Scouts mature from young Cub Scouts into young men learning to lead and serve.“I feel like a mother to all of them,” she said.This summer, Lawrence is expected to work as a counselor-in-training at Camp Winnebago in Rockaway, one of the Scouting America camps.His brother, Gregory Worth, whose rank is First Class Scout, was among those helping with the project. Other Scouts and volunteers who supported the effort included members of Troop 177 and Pack 177, along with adult leaders and committee members.SCOUTS HELPING SCOUTSFor the troop’s leaders, the project is part of a larger scouting tradition: older Scouts helping younger Scouts, families supporting one another and community service becoming a shared experience.Joshua Zawislak, Scoutmaster of Troop 177, said Eagle projects are an important part of the final stage of the scouting journey.“When they become Life Scouts, they start to look at the final step, which is the Eagle Scout,” Zawislak said. “So part of that is deciding on a project that benefits the community.”Jeff Healy, Eagle Scout coach and committee chair for Troop 177, said projects like Lawrence’s help young people grow through service.“It’s always great to see our young Scouts going out there doing good work to help the community and teaching themselves about how to be fine young men,” Healy said.George Newcome, an Eagle Scout and junior assistant scoutmaster with Troop 177, said earning Eagle requires commitment and persistence. Having completed his own Eagle project at the library, he understands how much work goes into seeing a project through.“Being an Eagle Scout basically means you show up and help when other people need help,” Newcome said. “It’s the commitment of sticking through with everything and pushing to the end.”STRENGTHENING A LIVING CLASSROOMThat spirit was visible throughout Lawrence’s project, as Scouts measured, leveled, carried materials, held posts steady, worked on birdhouses and helped shape the ARK into a more accessible and lasting educational space.The ARK itself was created through Beechwood’s PTO Green Initiative, co-chaired by Anisa Peters, Pranathi Aedla-Pandya and Jennifer Schiffl. Inspired by the “We Are The ARK” movement, the Beechwood project encourages students to see land not only as something to use, but as something to care for.Now, through Lawrence’s Eagle project, that space has been strengthened for future classes.For Lawrence, the project represents the final step toward earning the rank of Eagle Scout and a chance to give something meaningful back to the community he grew up in. Earlier in the day, he simply said he wanted to help.Through the restoration of the ARK, that goal has become something lasting — a place where Beechwood students can walk the path, read the signs, watch birds settle into new homes and learn how small acts of care can restore the land around them.And long after the last post was set, and the tools were packed away, the space will remain — growing, teaching and reminding future students that one Scout’s effort helped leave their community better, and a little more special, than he found it.