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Arts & Entertainment

Boy Scout Shoots for Highest Rank

Community members are helping Andrew White achieve his dream of becoming an Eagle Scout.

Friends, family and community members are dedicating their weekends to help a very determined Boy Scout.

17-year-old Andrew White is going for his Eagle Scout award this Spring, the highest merit of scout-hood. Nationally less than four percent of all scouts achieve the honor, which involves completing a list requirements while executing a project benefiting the community, said Troop 17 Chairman Dave Quinlan.

Andrew's project entails the remodeling of the DePaolo Middle School courtyard, building a "theatre in the round" area surrounded by seats, benches, and a small pond. The idea is to allow students to hold classes and functions outdoors, and foster artistry in the school community.

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"I think it's cool to do a project that will benefit others in the future," Andrew said.

DePaolo sixth grader Jake Aparo, working in the courtyard with a dozen others Saturday morning, agrees.

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"I think it would be nice to get outside for class on warm days, it's a good idea," Aparo said.

Aparo was joined by White family members and friends, boy scouts and others working hard to dig away and clear the area before building the handicapped accessible theater.

Andrew has worked with local artist Mary DeCroce and DePaolo's smashing garden club to raise $3,000 in donations from parents, teachers and students funding the project, said Andrew's father Bill White. The club plans to decorate the courtyard with handmade mosaics.

"We've had so much support from people - Dr. Joseph V. Eradi Jr., Principal Frank Pepe; everyone has been great, we're really thankful," hite said. "It's been awesome."

Though funding is in place, the daunting task of completing Andrew's plan over the next few weekends remains, since scout rules say the project must be completed by Andrew's 18th birthday, May 12.

But Andrew has never been one to shy away from a challenge.

Diagnosed with autism when he was a young child, White first joined troop 17 in the fifth-grade.

Since then he's flourished, not only in the scouthood, but in life in general, said the proud White. Andrew has already been accepted to UCONN next fall with plans to major in accounting.

"I'm really happy about it," Andrew said. "I've always been good at math and organizing things, so that's why I picked that major."

Aside from Andrew's dad, mother Laura, sister Olivia and brother John, Quinlan may be one of the most excited supporters of Andrew's. He was his troop leader in the fifth grade, working with Andrew in the scout program ever since.

"It's extremely hard to plan ahead and do a project like this, but one of the challenges of autism is it makes it hard to adjust to think like rainy or something going wrong along the way, so he's had to work extra hard on this, and it's working," Quinlan said. "He does an amazing job, he's a really hard worker."

White should receive word from the national boy scouts of America whether he's Eagle Badge has been approved sometime mid-summer.

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