Off of Mill Street in Medford, behind the baseball field in Medford Park, Ryan Schubert and 15 or so other helpers recently went to work after about a month of planning.
A large tree tangled with power cords had to be removed, picnic tables, bike racks and swings to be painted, mulch to be spread and plenty of park equipment to be power-washed.
“There was a bunch of graffiti on the other swing set, so we painted over that,” Ryan said.
But removing excess brush in the park was the hardest task, said his mother Lisa Schubert. Still, the project was completed in just one Saturday in mid-May.
“It was a long Saturday,” Ryan said.
“From sun up to sun down,” added Lisa.
“He was helped by his family, friends, relatives and fellow Troop №20 volunteers, whom we owe many thanks. Ryan acknowledges that he could not have completed this tough task without their assistance. He was also guided by his Scoutmaster, Lee Bealuk, and assistant scoutmaster Jim Carey,” Lisa said.
The 17-year-old Seneca High School soon-to-be senior was busy working on his Eagle Scout project that day after a long history with the Scouts.
He began his venture in the first-grade, and moved up to the Boy Scouts at 10.
Now, he is just a couple short months away from reaching the rank of Eagle Scout — only forms and paperwork remain between Ryan and the new rank.
Ryan had some advice for his younger counterparts.
“Stick with it,” he said. “There are times when it is very boring and not fun, but in the end, it is worth it.”
Over the years, Ryan has had plenty of interesting experiences as a Scout.
“I’ve gone camping and hiking all over,” he said. “We went to New Mexico two years ago for two weeks — and we were backpacking there. That was really fun.”
“It was extremely hot. The food was horrible,” he said. “But otherwise, it was awesome.”
Without the impact of the Scouts on his life, he says he “never would have learned” any of the skills and lessons he knows now, including first-aid.
In particular, according to Lisa, he has learned to be a leader.
“He had to direct different groups handling different tasks at the same time. The day started out with a wrench being thrown in the plans due to people showing up for a planned picnic in the same area,” she said. “Ryan negotiated and devised a solution that would enable the picnic to go on as planned, but in a different part of the park. With a crisis averted, he learned another lesson in problem solving. After a long day, he completed his project under budget and within a strict timeline given to him by Medford Township.”
While Medford is his hometown, he has lived with his family in the Holly Bush section of Shamong for the past three and a half years.
“Since we lived in Medford — and it’s only five minutes down the road when we moved — I didn’t transfer,” he said.
When Medford came to Ryan with a list of projects that needed to be completed, he picked the Medford Park updates.
“Medford dictates the projects basically,” Lisa said.
This wasn’t the only project Ryan has done with the Scouts. He has helped with at least 15 of them.
“That’s a minimum,” he said, and he thinks that every one of them was “awesome.”
Though busy with his Scout obligations, Ryan also finds time to embark on school co-curriculars.
“I run (varsity) cross country, winter track and spring track,” he said.
After school gets out, he will be heading to Boys State, a political program for youth, at Rider University in Lawrenceville, too.
“His teachers nominated him, so it’s a nice privilege,” Lisa said.
With his younger brother by his side while sitting at a freshly painted red picnic table — one he likely painted — Ryan said he was proud of his time with the Scouts.
His brother just graduated from the Cub Scouts and has joined Troop №20.
“His little brother’s going to follow in his footsteps,” Lisa said.
