4 in Bushkill Township troop awarded Eagle Scout rank
Four members of Boy Scout Troop 74 in Bushkill Township were awarded their Eagle Scout rank at a Court of Honor ceremony March 11 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Nazareth.
The four Scouts are Giuseppe Torrisi, Samuel Vituszynski, and twin brothers Kevin and Jordan Gagner. All four are seniors at Nazareth Area High School and worked their way through the rigors of the scouting program together.
Giuseppe “Joey” Torrisi made necessary improvements to the stand-alone garage located at the Schoeneck Moravian Cemetery in Nazareth. The project involved removing the old wooden garage door and installing a newer, maintenance-free metal clad garage door with new counterweight springs. The pedestrian door also was replaced with a newer exterior metal door and new lock set. The inside of the garage was cleaned of all debris and unwanted items. The walls were painted and two rows of shelving were installed to provide approximately 120 square feet of storage space. The existing lighting was replaced and five additional energy efficient LED lights were installed. Joey is the son of Giuseppe Torrisi of Tatamy and Aimee Torrisi of Nazareth. A senior at Nazareth Area High School, he is a member of the National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America. Joey has been accepted into Virginia Tech’s fiveyear architecture program.
Kevin Gagner constructed two new signs located at the Schoeneck Moravian Cemetery. The project involved using wood planking to make the backboards for the signs. Then wooden lettering that spelled God’s Acre Schoeneck Moravian Church was applied. Posts were buried and secured in the ground with concrete to support each backboard. Landscaping boxes were constructed at the base of each sign and filled with landscape rock. The sign bases were then painted along with the posts and boxes.
Jordan Gagner restored old gravestones within a section of the Schoeneck Moravian Church Cemetery. The project involved edging, cleaning, and adding paver base underneath each gravestone to properly level them out. Some gravestones that were noticeably not in their respective rows were shifted and realigned. This project improved the attractiveness of the church cemetery in addition to making the gravestones more legible. Old gravestones dating back to the 19th century were uncovered and are now once again visible. This project has improved the overall look of the cemetery by making it more attractive. Furthermore, it demonstrates respect for those who have passed.
Kevin and Jordan are the sons of Christopher and Gail Gagner of Nazareth. Kevin is a member of the boys varsity soccer team, track and field team, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, and Eagle Vision News Show. He plans on attending a two-year college and then transferring to Penn State University to pursue a degree in accounting. Jordan is a member of the National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America. He also competes on the varsity boys soccer and track and field teams. Jordan plans to attend a four-year university to major in secondary education and continue his track and field career.
Samuel Vituszynski designed and constructed an informational kiosk and bird habitats around the pond at Heintzelman Park on East Biel Avenue in Bushkill Township. The kiosk provides a shelter and posting place for park regulations and pertinent park use information. The construction mirrored other similar structures in other parks across the township. In addition, he wanted his project to benefit the natural environment and the animals that call Bushkill their home. These bird habitats, designed to attract local populations of blue birds, tree swallows, and purple martins, expand the nesting and breeding areas for these native bird species. Sam is a member of the boys varsity soccer team, high school concert band, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, and is a recipient of the Congressional Bronze Medal. He will be attending Penn State University at University Park to major in engineering.