Student Brendan Tood earns his Eagle Scout Badge by constructing Memorial Walkway

Brendan Todd of Holbrook, a senior at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton, recently earned his Eagle Scout badge, which is described on the Boy Scouts of America web site as “a milestone of accomplishment—perhaps without equal—that is recognized across the country and even the world.”

One of the requirements to become an Eagle Scout is the successful completion of an Eagle Scout service project. An aspiring Eagle Scout must “plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.)”

Brendan, who has been involved in Boy Scouts for 12 years, decided to make a memorial walkway for the Holbrook United Methodist Church for his Eagle Scout project.

“The church always wanted a walkway that connected the emergency exit to the sidewalk,” he explained. “The project took about six months to plan and construct due to needing to redo the walkway because it wasn’t level. I went from door to door seeing if people wanted to purchase a personalized brick. Most people gave donations towards the walkway and used them toward purchases for walkway materials. Building this walkway, I learned not to rush and half-bake anything because it will really tarnish the final product.”

Brendan got some valuable pointers on building the walkway from fellow Blue Hills student Adam Bussiere’s father, Gerard, of Holbrook. Brendan and Adam have been in the same Boy Scout troop since 2008, according to Brendan’s mother, Paula.

“Brendan came to me with a number of questions about his project,” said Mr. Bussiere. “He was a pleasure to work with.” 

“When a student demonstrates enough diligence and focus through a project to achieve the prestigious award of Eagle Scout, we are immensely proud,” said Blue Hills Superintendent-Director James P. Quaglia. 

“We are so proud of Brendan's admirable accomplishment in earning the high honor of Eagle Scout!,” noted Blue Hills Principal Jill Rossetti. “Brendan has demonstrated grit, leadership skills, discipline, kindness and talent. These qualities will serve you well and will ensure your continued success in your future endeavors.” 

Brendan, who is studying engineering at Blue Hills, learned a great deal from the experience. “This project has allowed to take the leadership role and understand the difficulties of maintaining cooperation in a team. Throughout almost all the engineering fields, there is a lot working as a team and this project given me a grasp of what that is like.”

He has also seen his personal growth accelerate as a result of his involvement with scouting. “Boy Scouts has made me into a selfless team player,” Brendan said, “and has helped me improve the lackluster social skills I had when I first started.”

Others emphatically attest to his character and maturity, such as Blue Hills Lead Engineering Teacher Dan Hamill. “Brendan is a smart, kind, and honest young adult. I cannot think of a student who is more deserving of this awesome accomplishment. Hard work pays off. Great job, Brendan!”

He plans to attend UMass Lowell after graduating from Blue Hills in June to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.