Berkeley Heights Teen Restores Forgotten Revolutionary War Cemetery for Gold Award
UCL Community Desk · Union County Life
Molly Altman, a Berkeley Heights senior at the Academy for Allied Health Sciences and a Girl Scout for 12 years, was honored with a proclamation from Mayor Angie Devanney and the Township Council for her Girl Scout Gold Award project restoring the Schenck-Covenhoven Cemetery in Holmdel. The proclamation was approved on August 11.
Altman received her Gold Award from the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey on May 19 and was recognized with a ceremony held by the Chatham Service Unit on May 27. Fewer than 2% of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, and Altman's project spanned two years from planning through execution.
For her project titled "Honoring the Lost," Altman restored the cemetery, which had been overgrown and unrecognizable before her work began. She coordinated with the township to have fallen trees removed, then organized a full day of cleanup work on November 15 that drew an estimated 20 to 30 adults and 15 children, mostly family, family friends, and local volunteers. A dedication ceremony honoring the patriots buried at the site followed on November 16.
Altman researched and documented the lives of Revolutionary War patriots interred at the cemetery, writing short essays on each using records from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The essays are accessible through a QR code posted at the cemetery, on the Holmdel Historical Society's website, and in the DAR's archives.
Altman is a direct descendant of Revolutionary War patriots buried there, including Garret Schenck. The dedication ceremony drew several of Altman's relatives and other descendants, along with Jake Rue, president of the Monmouth Chapter of the New Jersey Society Sons of the American Revolution.
Altman plans to study neurology or neuropsychology in college along with creative writing and performs with a local community theater group.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy against official sources.
Produced with AI assistance and reviewed against source records.
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