Eagle Scout Project Brings Outdoor Classroom to Sanford

Bebbington never lost sight of that goal; and as he progressed through the seven ranks of the Boy Scout program, he became increasingly committed to achieving this special classification.

While Bebbington has grown as a person because of this goal, Sanford has also benefitted from his efforts. All Eagle Scout candidates have a rigorous path to follow in order to earn this prestigious desgination. One major requirement is the successful completion of a service project that must benefit the community in some way, with the expectation that it will have a lasting effect.

For his special project, Bebbington decided to create an outdoor classroom in Chapel Valley on the Sanford campus. He explained his choice by saying: “I chose an outdoor classroom because I wanted other kids to experience learning in the outdoor environment that I have participated in during my time in scouting. Research has shown that outdoor classrooms lend themselves to inter-disciplinary learning. They have been shown to connect the school to the world at large and foster the use of systems thinking. They make learning a multi-sensory experience. I chose Sanford as my beneficiary because the school educates children of all ages and backgrounds, and Chapel Valley has a nice, natural backdrop for the students to be in while learning. It is also a quiet area of the campus with lots of grown trees which protect against the sun and minimize distractions. I chose to do my project at Sanford because Sanford has given a lot to me, and I wanted to give back, however small, what I could to my school.”

As a member of Troop 603, which meets at Kingswood Methodist Church in Newark, Bebbington has been camping in nine different states and enjoyed unique adventures in each one. For example, he had a chance to go spelunking in West Virginia and snorkeling in Key West. This July, he will attend the Blair Atholl International Scouting Jamborette in Scotland, which also includes a seven-day hiking excursion in Iceland, and spend the month with 1,500 other scouts from all over the world. Additionally, Bebbington has had leadership opportunities afforded to him as a scout, including spending the last two summers working at Henson Scout Reservation in Maryland as a counselor in training (CIT) and attending the National Youth leadership training (NYLT) in New Jersey with the Garden State BSA council.

Bebbington has earned 43 merit badges, more than double the 21 needed to become an Eagle Scout. He is currently his troop’s scribe, fulfilling the requirement to perform a leadership role. With the successful completion of Sanford’s outdoor classroom, Bebbington’s childhood dream of being an Eagle Scout is getting very close to becoming a young adult reality. When Bebbington is officially granted the title of Eagle Scout, all of Sanford will join him in celebrating his milestone. In the meantime, Sanford faculty and students will appreciatively put the new outdoor classroom to good use with their thanks to this industrious and dedicated young man.