Sal Sparacino is Troop 343 (Hauppauge)’s 81st Eagle Scout

A special Eagle Court of honor to recognize  Salvatore Sparacino IV was held at St. Thomas More Church on July 14,  where dignitaries, Troop members, family and friends joined together to help celebrate his earning Scouting’s highest rank advancement and honor. 

            In order to earn this rank, the scout must earn 21 Merit Badges and create a community service project.  Eagle Scout Sparacino’s Community Service Project was to build two chess & checker tables with benches on the lawn of the Smithtown Library’s Main Branch.  It has already benefited the library and the community by giving people a place to play chess and checkers outside.  They can also been used as picnic tables, for seating during the summer concerts and by the Library's Chess Club. 

            The Eagle Scout Community Service Project is primarily one of leadership which includes fundraising to cover the cost of any materials that were not donated, as well as to lead others in the creation of the final project.  This was made possible by having two bake sales outside the Smithtown Library during their Summer Concert Series in 2012 and Smithtown Concrete’s generous donation of materials.  With help from his parents (with his Dad as his Eagle Scout Mentor), Troop 343 Boy Scouts, friends and adults, Eagle Scout Sparacino was assisted in designing and building of the table tops made from concrete and inlaid porcelain tiles for the chess board. They used recycled blocks for the base of the table and benches and IPE wood for the top of the benches.  Final time spent on the project from idea inception to completion: Sal Sparacino spent 170 hours on his project with a total of an additional 323 hours spent from 26 volunteers.  He set his sights on earning the rank of Eagle Scout during the 2012 Eagle Scout Centennial year, and at 15 years old and a sophomore in Hauppauge High School, he became Troop’s 343 81st Eagle Scout, one of the youngest Eagles in the troop history.

             The newest Eagle Scout commented, “It gives me great pride to pass the Library and see people sitting at the tables.  I thought this project would be a good way to challenge myself while benefiting the Library.”

            Involved in scouting for ten years, his goal during that whole time has been to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout by 16 years old.  He started in 1st grade as a Tiger Cub with Cub Scout Pack 68 in Smithtown where he earned numerous advancement belt loops and pins and as a Webelos, earned his Arrow of Light (the highest rank that can be earned in Cub Scouts).  He also earned his Catholic Emblems, the Light of Christ and the Parvuli Dei religious emblems.

             In 2008, he joined Boy Scout Troop 343 in Hauppauge.  He has held several leadership positions since that time, including Patrol Leader, Instructor, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and is currently Troop 343’s Senior Patrol Leader.    To date he has earned 54 Merit Badges, the most badges of any scout in the Troop’s 45 years history.  His favorite badges are Robotics, Scuba Diving, Shotgun Shooting, Pioneering & Wilderness Survival.  For each five additional merit badges and three months of active scouting, a youth can be recognized with an Eagle Palm.  He has earned his 1st Bronze Palm (which will follow with the Gold Palm and the Silver Palm later this year) and the Nova Award (Scouting’s newest award with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics STEM principals).  He is an Ordeal Member of  the Order of the Arrow (the National Boy Scout Camping Society), earned the World Conservation Award (for earning Citizen in the World, Soil and Water Conservation, and Environmental Science merit badges) and both of the Catholic Boy Scout religious emblems -- the Ad Altare Dei Emblem and the Pope Pius XII Emblem.

            He plans to stay active with Troop 343 as a Junior Assistant Scout Master to help guide and mentor other scouts on their trail to Eagle.  He also plans to continue earning Eagle Palms, Nova Awards and Merit Badges. The summer plans included both participating with Troop 343 at the week-long Summer Camp experience at Minsi Scout Reservation in Pennsylvania and also going to the National Boy Scouts of America’s High Adventure Florida Sea Base to live on an Out Island for six days in August with five fellow scouts and three adult volunteer leaders (including his Assistant Scoutmaster Dad) to test their survival skills.

            Eagle Scout Sal Sparacino is part of the Hauppauge High School’s National Honor Society and a member of the Varsity Track where he runs hurdles and throws discus since Middle School.  He is Vice President in the Hauppauge High School’s Robotics Club, and is a participant in the Technology Club and the Science Olympiads.  For the past two summers he has worked at Suffolk County Council (BSA)’s Cub Scout Day Camp as a camp counselor and volunteered at Smithtown Historical Society to assist with their classes.

            The newest Eagle Scout of Troop 343 was honored with many presentations from community dignitaries as well as with many commendation letters and plaques (one of which from Pope Francis in Rome) and an American Flag which had been flown over the Capitol Building in Washington DC in his honor.  His Keynote Speakers were his Hauppauge Robotics Eagle advisor, Mr. Mark McLeod and his Middle School Boy Scout advisory teacher, Mr. Jeff Parrett.  Earning the Rank of Eagle, having everyone gathered together and hearing all the accolades presented to him that day, was one of Sal’s proudest moments in his life and in that of his parents.

            Entering his Junior year at Hauppauge High School, he plans to attend a college majoring in Engineering when he graduates.  Salvatore Sparacino IV and his parents Salvatore and Donna Sparacino are Smithtown residents.