Editor’s Note: Livingston Boy Scout Troop 16 recently welcomed three new Eagle Scouts. Below are their biographies, submitted to the West Essex Tribune, and written in their own words:
• • •
Peter Falchetta Jr.
Peter Falchetta Jr. started Cub Scouting in second grade, when he joined Livingston Pack 16 as a Wolf Scout.After acquiring enough camping experience, Peter was elected by his troop to join the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouting’s honor society. Through this organization, Peter helped clean up Camp Lewis so that scouts could enjoy it as much as he did. Peter also went away to National Youth Leadership Training for a week where he learned how to be an effective leader. After going through this training, he served as the troop’s Senior Patrol Leader. While he led the troop, he also conducted his Eagle Project.
With the guidance of the Livingston Trails and Greenways Committee’s chairperson Richard Cornell, PE, Peter renovated the Passaic River canoe launch site next to Okner Park for his Eagle Project. For this project, he first cleaned up the area from fallen trees and sticks and using the collected wood, he created three animal shelters to promote wildlife in the area. He fixed a mud issue by creating two trails leading down to the water with crushed stone. Peter designed and constructed two wooden benches and placed them in appropriate locations to allow people using the canoes to change into their water shoes or for people just to relax. With the help of friends, family and fellow scouts as well as very generous donations from Structural Stone in Fairfield, The Home Depot of East Hanover and Calabria Pizzeria, Peter was able to completely revamp the site.
Edward Lopez
Edward’s scouting adventure started in 2011, when he joined Pack 16 as a Tiger Cub Scout. As a Cub Scout, Edward enjoyed earning belt loops and working towards different awards. Edward was presented with the Light of Christ emblem and Arrow of Light award before crossing over to Troop 16 in 2016.
During his time in the troop, Edward held several leadership positions, such as patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, den chief, and Order of the Arrow representative. Some of the merit badges Edward had the most fun while earning include lifesaving, first aid, and shotgun shooting.
In 2019, Edward completed his Ordeal and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society. As a member of the Order of the Arrow, Edward made several new friends, built on his leadership skills, and made many great memories. Edward served as the vice chief of unit relations from 2022 to 2023. He enjoyed the time management and organizational skills the role helped him develop.
A blood drive that Edward ran yielded 42 units of blood. For every unit of blood donated, three patients are positively impacted. This meant that Edward’s blood drive had a patient outreach of 126 patients.
Edward passed his Eagle Board of Review in January of 2023. Edward graduated from Livingston High School in June of 2023. Edward will be attending Brandeis University in the fall and will be double majoring in business and biology. Edward will be following the pre-health track because he plans on attending medical school after college.
Zachary Ford
Zachary Ford became a scout in 2010 when he joined Pack 16 as a Tiger Cub Scout. In addition to many weeks at Camp Winnebago where he earned many Belt Loops, Zach earned the Ad Altare Dei pin emblem with the help of the St. Philomena’s clergy. In his final year of Cub Scouting, Zach earned the Arrow of Light award, the highest achievement in Cub Scouts. That year, during his Blue and Gold ceremony, Zach crossed over into Boy Scout Troop 16.
Zach’s Eagle Project involved preparing and assembling a new Gaga Pitat Hillside Elementary School, where he spent his first years of formal education. Zach’s project included painting/cutting wood for the walls of the pit, installing rubber matting at the site of the pit, and assembling the parts of the pit before putting on some finishing touches. Zach’s Eagle Project would not have been possible without the help of an amazing team of fellow Scouts, friends, and family. In January of 2023, Zach officially became an Eagle Scout.
Zach has earned 27 merit badges to date, including:Archery, Basketry, Camping, Fingerprinting, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communication, Citizenship in Society, Cooking, Space Exploration, Sustainability, Family Life, First Aid, Lifesaving, Music, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Rifle Shooting, Swimming, Kayaking, Wilderness Survival, Wood Carving, Chess, Electricity, Electronics, and Search and Rescue.
He recently graduated from Livingston High School with the class of 2023. Zach is preparing to attend the University of Vermont, pursuing a degree in anthropology. He continues to surround himself with the friends and family who made him the person he is today, spending the summer hanging out with friends and preparing for what is ahead in life.
The Tribune: Since 1929, Livingston’s original news hyperlocal.
