By Alex Davidson
For the seven-member Schwartzberg family, the ground floor of the Holy Family School in Fresh Meadows is becoming a familiar place to gather with friends and family on a Saturday afternoon.
That is because the site is where the family has celebrated on three separate occasions the advancement of one of their sons to the rank of Eagle Scout in a ceremony that was attended by representatives of the American Legion, the armed forces and City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows).
This time the ceremony was to honor John Schwartzberg, a 13-year-old who attends Holy Family School and followed in his brothers’ footsteps to not only become an Eagle Scout but to do it at the young age of 13, said his father, Steven Schwartzberg. Most other boy scouts achieve the honor between the ages of 16-18, the father said.
John’s two older brothers, Michael, 16, and David, 15, also became Eagle Scouts when they were 13. The Schwartzberg trio is among only 2 percent of Eagle Scouts nationwide who reach the rank before they enter high school, Steve Schwartzberg said.
“I’m gonna stay in the troop and help out the other scouts,” John said. “I learned that one person can make a difference in this world.”
To get to the rank of Eagle Scout, a boy first has to enter the Cub Scouts, graduate to the Boy Scouts, then surpass other ranks such as Star Scout and Life Scout while simultaneously earning merit badges, said Steve Schwartzberg. John had to get merit badges in everything from skiing and metal work, to basketry and Indian lore.
Boy Scouts must also initiate a community project to get to be an Eagle Scout. John said he wrote up and printed a pamphlet of summer safety tips for children that advised them on a variety of summer activities, including how to swim and cross the street. The 11,000 copies of the information were handed out to Fresh Meadows residents living around an 8-block radius, Steve said.
“We like to get the kids to do as much as possible on their own,” said Steve Schwartzberg, who has been Troop 55’s leader for more than two years. “I’ve seen John grow in ways I don’t know he’d have grown if he had been in any other program.”
Steve Schwartzberg and his wife Laura, who is a Brownie troop leader for her daughter, said their other two younger children who have yet to achieve the Eagle Scout rank are already planning to achieve the honor. Unfortunately, there is no similar achievement in the Girl Scouts, Laura said, but she hopes her daughter will have a similar ceremony upon completion of her program.
For now, however, the couple was satisfied that John, along with his two brothers Michael, who became an Eagle Scout in November 1999, and David, who was granted the honor in September 2000, had achieved the long-term goal.
“I’m very proud of John but not shocked,” said Laura, who never doubted her third son would complete the program required of him. “John is a very compassionate and honest person.”
John said he plans on staying active in Troop 55 and that he, like his brothers, mother and father, will help his youngest brother become an Eagle Scout.
“He’s still only a Cub Scout,” John said about his youngest brother.
But for the Schwartzberg children, it seems that once on the trail of becoming an Eagle Scout, the ultimate honor is only a matter of time.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 156
