Boy Scout's love for water led to Eagle project

After 12 years in scouting, Sam Catalano has reached the top. The Boy Scout from Malverne and Valley Stream North High School senior earned his Eagle rank at a Court of Honor ceremony on Dec. 4.

Catalano, 17, a scout with Troop 369 in Valley Stream, said this has been a long-time goal. “Once I got to Boy Scouts, I knew I wanted to become an Eagle,” he said. “I always want to reach for the best I can be.”

The Eagle rank is the highest honor in Boy Scouting. Catalano started in scouts when he was in first grade as a member of the now-defunct Pack 74 based at the James A. Dever School. For Boy Scouts, he moved on to Troop 369 out of Blessed Sacrament Church, where he was joined by family, friends and local officials for his Eagle Scout ceremony.

In order to become an Eagle Scout, Catalano had to earn 21 merits badges. He went above and beyond, earning 36. His favorite badge to earn was for small boat sailing. Catalano remembers walking to the lake with a fellow scout at Resica Falls Scout Reservation in Pennsylvania. After a 45-minute walk with their boat, they set it in the water, and spent hours sailing. 

Catalano also had to complete a community service project. For his project, “Conservation of Waterways,” he collected “Do Not Pollute” medallions from the Town of Hempstead and placed them on all 226 storm drains in the Village of Malverne. He said the goal is to inform people that storm drains aren’t trash receptacles, and that water ends up in the ocean, bays or even the drinking supply.

He said he hopes that his efforts will result in an improvement in water quality in the area. Catalano began planning his project last year, and completed it this past September. He put nearly 100 hours of work into the project and also received 236 hours of volunteer help.

To successfully complete the project, Catalano had to get donations and also work with both elected and appointed officials. He said he had to step up and be a leader to get his project completed. “I learned great leadership skills,” he said. “I learned how to lead a group of volunteers to accomplish a task.”