By:  Scott P Smith

Nicholas Shannon, son of George Shannon and Leigh Shannon of Chester, NJ, has achieved Boy Scouting’s highest rank, that of Eagle Scout. He received his Eagle badge during a court of honor ceremony on July 28th at the Field House at Grove Street Park in Chester.

To earn the award, a Scout must be active with and assume a position of leadership in a troop, earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, and complete a service project that benefits the community. The ceremony was attended by Chester Township Mayor Marcia Asdal, Chester Borough Mayor Janet Hoven, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, Morris County Deputy Freeholder Director Heather Darling and NJ Assemblyman Anthony Bucco.

Nicholas began his scouting career in 2013 as a member of Troop 139 in Chester. Since that time, Nicholas has held a number of leadership positions ranging from assistant patrol leader to assistant senior patrol leader, along the way earning 22 merit badges. Scouting has provided Nicholas with many opportunities for travel and adventure. Whether serving as Patrol Leader while attending Boy Scout Summer Camp or Chaplain’s Aide during a week and half backpacking trip to the Colorado Rockies, some of Nicholas’ fondest memories were the times he spent with his fellow scouts exploring the outdoors and building friendships along the way.

For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Nicholas led a book drive supporting the Bridge of Books Foundation, whose mission is to fight illiteracy among less fortunate and underserved children in New Jersey. Nicholas oversaw every aspect of this project from its design to implementation. Under his direction, and supported by both fellow scouts and adult volunteers, he developed a plan, orchestrated communications and managed volunteers, who managed collection sites across the Chester/Mendham area, which included a booth at the annual Chester Science Fair. In total, Nicholas and his team collected and donated more than 3,000 books and logged more than 110 hours of service.

Nicholas is a recent graduate of West Morris Mendham High School and will be attending The State University of New York – Albany this fall, studying Political Science and Pre-Law. Outside of Scouts, Nicholas enjoyed many activities while attending high school in Mendham, which included playing Lacrosse, and participating in a number of clubs including Robotics, Literary Magazine and co-founding the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Club.