By Jason J. Marchi, Courier
Correspondent:
After meeting all
the different requirements to earn merit badges and achieve scouting ranks, one
of the final tasks to attain Eagle Scout status is to oversee a project that shows
his leadership capability and improves the lives of others.
“You have to write
up the project and get it approved,” Aaron says, while holding a 15-page
proposal in his hand for the construction of a footbridge in Sleeping Giant
State Park.
Since Aaron joined
the Boy Scouts, he’s loved outdoor activities, especially hiking. After years
of trekking the trails of Sleeping
Giant State
Park, Aaron became quite familiar with a bridge
on the red circle trail that was in dire need of replacement.
His Eagle Scout
proposal was to build a new bridge a few yards downstream of the old structure.
After Aaron’s proposal, complete with design sketches, was approved, he
gathered 14 classmates, fellow scouts, and family members; purchased the
materials (the park association reimbursed him); and set about the construction
project.
A 16-foot
single-span bridge now links the banks of a stream gully where before a
dilapidated span made for unsafe crossing.
While scouting is
very much a part of Aaron’s life, it wasn’t always that way. He joined the Cub
Scouts “for a couple of years and then quit,” he admits. His incentive to
rejoin the Boy Scouts came from his father, Larry Lefland, who was an Eagle
Scout himself.
“I joined and I
wouldn’t say I was enthused at the first meeting,” Aaron notes. “I was like
your standard kid and thought Boy Scouts was nerdy. But after the first camping
trip I loved it. There were great kids in the troop. You learn a ton of stuff
and it’s a great experience.”
When not hiking,
Aaron’s involved in the high school swim team at the varsity level and he was
appointed captain for the 2008/2009 season. He also works as a lifeguard/swim
instructor at the Ridge Top Club and the New Haven Jewish Community Center.
Aaron also writes
articles for the school newspaper, The Phoenix, formed and edited the Troop 41
Newsletter for a couple years, and writes occasional articles about scouting
for Shalom New Haven.
As a break from
school and work, Aaron turns to yet another passion, model rocketry.
“My Eagle Scout
friend, Martin Hebel, got me into it. We just finished building and launching a
rocket with a five-engine cluster that went up 2,000 feet. Now we’re working
for our level-one certification with the National Association of Model Rocketry
so we can launch bigger and better rockets,” he says with a smile.
Aaron’s mentor in
both scouting and in life is admittedly his own father.
“We do a lot of
stuff together as a family. We go camping at the Lake George islands and the
Finger Lakes in New York,” Aaron says, noting that the example Larry has set
for his son is one the boy has readily taken to, while his love of the outdoors
has grown.
“I did a 120-mile,
two week backpacking trip at Filmont Scout Ranch in New
Mexico two summers ago and this past summer I did a course with
the National Outdoor Leadership
School that was mainly
climbing focused,” Aaron says. “We also went camping at Wahwahtaysee next to
Sleeping Giant and hiked the trails.”
As to Aaron’s
future, once he graduates from high school in the spring he’s considering
studying for a career in science or engineering or perhaps something in the
medical field.
Pictured: To earn
his Eagle Scout badge, North Haven resident Aaron Lefland built a bridge in Sleeping Giant State Park
with the help of family, friends, and fellow scouts in Troop 41 of Woodbridge.
He also has a passion for swimming and model rocketry.
Photo by Jason J. Marchi
To nominate a Person
of the Week, email Jason Marchi at j.marchi@shorepublishing.com or call
203-245-1877, ext. 6166.