Student bridges gap between Scouts and Athletics

Schodack, NY — The boy scout motto states that scouts should “Do a Good Turn Daily!,” but one Castleton scout went above that call of duty this fall, improving a community landmark for his Eagle Scout project.

Noah Roberts, 17, saw a need and jumped on it. The Maple Hill High School senior completely rebuilt and installed an aging bridge on the school’s cross-country course, which is also widely used by community members.

“I’ve been playing soccer ever since I could. When I would walk across the broken bridge for practice, I saw that it was run down,” said Roberts in an interview last week. “I knew my Eagle Scout project was coming up soon so I decided to put my time to good use, and do something big for this community.”

Roberts, a three-sport varsity athlete admits the process was a lot harder than he initially thought. “When I first started, I thought we’d get it done in 1-2 weeks. I was severely wrong,” added Roberts, who started the project in early August. “It’s harder than people think.”

As president of multiple clubs, and with College application season upon him, Roberts was quite humble when talking about his accomplishments on the project. He credits the help of his friends and family, especially his brother Seth and their parents . “They’ve all been a huge help even though I know they didn’t have to. I’d put it out there in a group chat with my friends, and I’d get more replies to help than I could have ever imagined.”

The new bridge, which sits on what currently is a practice portion of the course, could potentially diversify the small school’s program — implementing a hill and new trail. “I am really excited and cannot thank Noah Roberts enough,” said cross-country head coach Jim Farrell.

In addition to the actual construction of the bridge, Roberts had to get his design approved by various professionals and solicit funds for the project. With the support of the Maple Hill Booster Club, Curtis Lumber, Tractor Supply Co., Ken Morris and Sons, and the Home Depot, Roberts says “the bridge is there to stay.”

Ironically, the honor society member plans on pursuing a degree in engineering and dreams of doing so at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, next fall. As he crosses the finish line of scouting, Noah’s admirable accomplishment is a solid bridge in more ways than one.

-Dylan Rossiter – [email protected] – @ByDylanRossiter-