Gates and Ko of Westfield Earn Eagle Scout Rank

Boy Scout Troop 77, sponsored by the Vestry at  in Westfield, honored Matthew Gates and Geoffrey Ko with the rank of Eagle Scout in a ceremony held on June 24, 2012. This event was attended by troop members, family and friends, as well as US. Congressman Leonard Lance, Westfield Town Councilman Keith Loughlin of the Fourth Ward, and Gayle Lechner, President of Rake and Hoe Garden Club of Westfield. Geoffrey is the 81st and Matthew the 82nd scout to achieve the rank of Eagle since the troop's founding in 1935; the Eagle is the highest rank available in Boy Scouting.                

Matthew is the son of Daniel and Karen Gates and Geoffrey is the son of Wei and Angela Ko. Both Matthew and Geoffrey began Scouting as Cub Scouts in Pack 171 at the in Westfield. After receiving their Arrows of Light in the spring of 2006, they joined Troop 77 and have been active members ever since. Together they attended the 2010 Centennial National Scout Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Virginia and have camped many weeks at Sabbatis Adventure Camp in the Adirondacks. Both scouts are members of the Order of the Arrow with Woapalanne Lodge #43.

All Eagle Scouts are required to plan and execute an Eagle Scout Leadership Service project. Matthew's project involved cleanup and landscaping at the Claire Brownell Memorial Wildflower Garden located on the property of the Westfield Historical Society, the Reeve House on Mountain Avenue in Westfield. The garden was originally started by the Rake and Hoe Garden Club, Inc. of Westfield, but had become overgrown by English ivy to the point that the original steps, planting beds and wall were not visible under the ivy. Matthew worked with members of the garden club to determine where the steps and beds were in order to uncover them, and planned a new retaining wall to line the other side of a path. He coordinated with Rake and Hoe and Westfield Historical Society members to design and have custom-made two metal benches in a style appropriate to the Victorian Reeve House to replace the old benches which had been vandalized. Matthew raised $2,015 of the total cost of $4,855 from friends, family and foundations, including The Moody's Foundation, Two River Community Bank, Christine Cosenza State Farm Insurance and the Westfield Service League. The remaining funds were raised by the Rake and Hoe Garden Club from sales of
tickets for its December 2010 Deck the Halls House Tour.  

The initial work phase involved removing about 50 39-gallon bags of ivy from the property. Concrete was then poured to form bases for the new metal benches, which were bolted into the concrete for security. A 60-foot long retaining wall of stone was built to line the other side of the path, and the path was leveled and laid with gravel. The garden now has a cleared planting area, steps, a gravel path, low retaining walls, two metal benches, and is ready for planting by Rake and Hoe. Matthew's project won the First Place National Distinguished High School Service Project Award from National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Outside of scouting, Matthew is the Web Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Hi's Eye, a member of the National Honor Society, a Transition Project Leader, a member of the high school track team, and amember of the WHS Model United Nations delegation. Matthew is a member of the WHS class of 2013. 

Geoffrey's Eagle project, in the benefit of  (WCP), consisted of installing a white vinyl fence along the property line, landscaping to improve the condition of curb appeal, and renovating two signs to announce the theatre entrance and its production. He coordinated with Mrs. Gail Smith, Director of Facilities at WCP, in purchasing the vinyl fence panels and materials necessary for the installation, with funds obtained entirely from donations. Geoffrey oversaw volunteers to begin work with the removal of overgrown bushes and weeds from the driveway to prepare the ground for fence installation. So many volunteers came to help that all-around shrubs trimming and dead trees removal were done at the same time while the cement was mixed and poured to install the fence panels. With professional services donated by Caffrey Tree & Landscape, and plants donated by Williams Nursery and Mrs. Carolyn Kirkland, Geoffrey's project in the aspect of landscaping achieved more than originally planned. The 'Exit Only' sign was sanded down and repainted to hang facing North Avenue and a new 'What's Playing' billboard was made to stand on the corner of North Avenue and Edgewood Avenue.  

Thanks to the generous discount from Home Depot, donations of food and drinks from Shoprite, and materials from and Home Center, Geoffrey had surplus funds from his project to donate to the Westfield High School Theatre Department and the WCP. Geoffrey hopes his project has provided a cleaner aesthetic look to the WCP property to attract more visitors, attendees and patrons, and that it will inspire others to help further renovate the Westfield Community Players, an important part of the community since 1934. 

Outside of scouting, Geoffrey has performed in six Westfield High School theater productions and most recently earned the for Best Supporting Actor as King Charlemagne in Pippin. He is a member of the Westfield High School Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble, the National Honor Society, and the International Thespian Society. He is an avid pianist, and has completed the 12-year language and culture program at Union Chinese School to celebrate his heritage. Geoffrey will be a senior at Westfield High School in the fall of 2012, serving as a committee chair for the upcoming Model United Nations Conference, and a corresponding secretary for the WHS chapter of International Thespian Society.  

Both Geoffrey and Matthew would like to thank their family, all of the volunteers and donors to their projects, as well as their Eagle Advisor Dean Roth, and all past and present Troop 77 leaders for their encouragement and contributions.