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Overcast Baldwin High senior, aspiring Eagle Scout, raises new flag at Historical Society
Connor Carpenter may have burnished his family’s multi-generational legacy in Baldwin with his Eagle Scout project.
Two weekends ago at the Baldwin Historical Society and Museum, Carpenter, 17, his family and fellow scouts from Troop 36 began working on a project that he hopes will help him earn the Eagle rank.
They took down the museum flagpole and loaded it into a truck for refinishing. Afterward, the scouts installed a roll of low-voltage wiring that will connect to a light that will shine on a new American flag.
“The flagpole, which happened to be wood, needed to be refinished and reinstalled,” Connor’s mother, Jessica, explained. “The light that would go on the flagpole had to be rewired.”
Carpenter, a senior at Baldwin High School, had not only willing volunteers, but some expert help. His father, Curtis, is a contractor, and he brought tools with him to help with the project.
They then purchased some extra materials, such as wood and paint, to complete this stage of the project.
This part of the project was finished two Sundays ago and was picked up last Saturday, as Carpenter worked on a garden surrounding the flagpole.
New flowers and new soil arrived this past week to complete the garden.
“Another long day of hard work by Connor and his crew of family and scouts,” the Baldwin Historical Society and Museum stated on Facebook last Saturday evening. “The refurbished flagpole is up and a new flag has been hung and is flying proudly once again. They also created a new base around the pole using paving blocks glued together and poured in new planting soil in preparation for the installation of flower beds.”
Artist Michael White will work with Carpenter on a painting that will adorn the wall of the museum, and they are figuring out what they want to see there.
This was all made possibly by a fundraiser that Carpenter hosted. “So it was last Saturday,” his mother said. “It was at the Seaford movie theater, and it was based off of the new Spider-Man movie.”
Carpenter worked with the movie theater to sell tickets, soda and snacks. Some of the funds went toward his Eagle project. His mother explained that he wanted to create a lasting impact in the community.
“He wanted to leave something and do something in Baldwin, to keep the last name continuing in the town,” she said.
“So if you go to the historical society, and you happen to walk up and you see the flagpole, there eventually will be a plaque with his name, the troop name, when the project took place, and it’ll mention that he’s a fifth generation Baldwin resident.”
Carpenter has been a scout since first grade, and one of the requirements of becoming an Eagle Scout is to complete a project that benefits the community. A scout council then decides if he’s ready to move up the ranks.
“It’s a process,” his mother said. “It doesn’t happen overnight.” But, she added, he deserves to become an Eagle, and she wanted him to complete the project before he started classes at St. John’s University in the fall.
His part of the project will end in the next few weeks, but White’s artwork will be completed around mid-summer.
“I’m very proud of him,” Jessica Carpenter said. “There was a lot that went into this. This wasn’t some little small thing or whatever. This was something close to his heart that he wanted to do.”
On Facebook last Saturday, the Historical Society and Museum stated that the flagpole “looks great and hopefully, in a couple of weeks, the new signs will be installed and the light for the flag will be shining bright.
“Another wonderful community service by our amazing scout troops,” the post added.
