Eye on ECCS: Eagle Scouts give back to their school community

 

NOTE: Occasionally throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

When Casey Parker was first searching for ideas to lead one large service project to attain his Eagle Scout rank, one of the first places he thought of was the STAR Program; the District’s post high school special education transition program available to students of Eastern Carver County Schools.

“My brother is enrolled here at STAR, so I reached out to them and asked if there was anything I could do for them,” Parker, a senior at Chanhassen High School, said.

The idea of a Lending Library or Little Free Library came about. Parker, with the help of a few neighbors and friends, constructed the base and box in his home garage. Once completed, he dug the post hole and installed the library just feet from the front door of STAR. 

How does one stock the library box?

“We got a bunch of donations from people that are connected to people with special needs or my friends and extended family. We started with over 100 books. We can’t fit that many in there, so we’re just replenishing them and switching them as we need to,” Parker said.

The response from STAR students has been amazing. 

“I came back to get a picture in my uniform and the benefactor, Patricia, told me there are kids coming through here every morning, or at the end of the school day, picking out a new book, or giving some of their own. That made me so excited to see that it was getting used,” Parker said.

STAR’s program director, Patricia Lange, shared that one student has made it part of their daily routine to select a book to take home and bring one back the next day,

“The students love it. It’s been just such a great addition to our program,” Lange said.

Parker is active at Chanhassen High School, a member of the choir and boys swimming and diving team where he earned all-state last year

MORE PROJECTS

Chanhassen High School senior Alex Schmidt also worked on his Eagle Scout project for his high school. “(I was) inspired by my love for the band. I wanted to do something for the band to show my appreciation for the good times and lessons I have learned over the years,” Schmidt said.

After talking to band director Paul Swanson, Schmidt set forth on building Jazz Band Fronts for his project. “The Fronts give a more professional look to the jazz band and add to the atmosphere when playing,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt and members of his family were also a part of an Eagle Scout project led by Chanhassen High School senior James Gladen. He, like Parker, supported the STAR building, completing a can recycling storage shed that will be used to collect cans internally.

“I was looking around trying to find a project and how I came to find STAR through my physical therapist, Trisha Rinzel. It was easy to connect with them. I’m in a wheelchair, I have a disability, and they work with people that are similar to me, so it felt like I was giving back,” Gladen said.

Gladen met with the team at STAR and the can recycling storage shed idea came about. “It was perfect. It felt like it was something I could do, but at the same time a challenge, so it was right in that sweet spot,” he said.

Schmidt and fellow scouts aided Gladen, who has limited mobility of his arms, with the build of the project in his garage. Gladen was the mastermind behind the project, leading the group through the build. His grandmother even contributed, staining the wood shed.

“There was the long process of all of the logistics, dates, times, pricing out of all of the materials. It takes a while, and there’s a lot of back and forth on what to do. Being in a wheelchair, unable to really help out, it was a lot of explaining what I was thinking. Trying to get people to see into my mind,” Gladen said.

Seeing that final product, now delivered to the STAR building, was a great moment of pride for Gladen.

Additionally, Gladen is a percussionist in the Chanhassen High School band. Director Paul Swanson called him “one of the most amazing kids I have ever taught.”

“I have a number of limitations, but band happens to be one of the things I can do,” said Gladen, who joined band in fifth grade. “It’s just fun. I have made a bunch of friends through it. Mr. Swanson is a great teacher. I just have fun when I’m playing.”