Eagle Scout Project

The area around the flagpole in the yard of the Rocky River Board of Education has a new look, thanks to community efforts spearheaded by a Rocky River High School Junior.

Alexander Lenhart joined Boy Scouting in first grade, and he's in the final stages of qualifying for the honor of Eagle Scout. For his required service project, Alex decided to tackle the flagpole area at the corner of Morewood Parkway and Erie Road. "I've always walked past it on my way to and from school," Alex says. "And although it was a respectful display, I thought it could be improved by having a nice, clean base to replace the eroding one." In addition to that improvement, Alex also had bigger ideas, including "adding a garden with a raised concrete paver wall and the Ohio flag."

More than just an aesthetic improvement, Alex's project had a deeper meaning for him. "I just wanted to pay my respects to Ohio and to the country," he says. "With the Boy Scout values and my family's values, it's important to honor the flag."

Alex quickly discovered that many people in Rocky River felt the very same way he did. People from the school district as well as a local business were eager to help. "I met with [Superintendent] Dr. Shoaf and [Executive Director of Human Resources and Support Services] Mr. Gifford in January," Alex relates. "I showed them photos of a circular garden like the one I was proposing. They loved the idea and connected me with Mr. Sywanyk. He asked some of the facilities guys to help me [Mr. Sywanyk is Supervisor of Facilities Operations]. And his executive secretary, Mrs. Rosario, took charge of getting the flags."

All of the concrete blocks, adhesive, soil, and plants were donated by the Home Depot in Rocky River. In addition, one of the managers from the store, Jose Figueroa, worked with Alex and the maintenance employees every day to help build the raised-bed garden. "There were multiple parts to this project," Alex notes, "and I was happy with how it all came together. Lots of people helped."

Alex is the son of Phil and Sally Lenhart and the younger brother of Katherine. In the fall, he'll be a senior at Rocky River High School and will be involved in track, Pep Band, Concert Band, Pit Orchestra (part of Drama Club), as well as serving as a Marching Band officer. He hopes to major in government and music when he goes to college.

For now, though, Alex is looking forward to "a whole happy year" of being an official Eagle Scout once he is approved. A boy is ineligible after he turns eighteen, and Alex is pleased to be completing his requirements a year early. "Becoming an Eagle Scout has been my goal from the beginning," he says. "A lot of kids that I really look up to have become Eagle Scouts."

Alex is also hoping to procure a plaque to place on the wall of the raised garden bed, identifying it as an Eagle Scout project and listing his troop number, 194. "I want promote Scouting in the community," he says. "I want people to walk by it in twenty years and say 'hey, that's a Boy Scout effort."