Great Falls Connection

Boy Scout Troop 673, sponsored by the Great Falls United Methodist Men, recently celebrated the promotion of four new Eagle Scouts: Ryley Bendewald, Gregory Roszyk, Jr., Matthew Stephens, and Benjamin Prickett, on June 2.

• Ryley Bendewald, son of Vivian Eng Bendewald and Gregory Bendewald, has been a part of BSA since he was a Cub Scout. Ryley was a member of Troop 1128 in McLean during his early years as a Boy Scout and joined Troop 673 in 2016. After joining the troop, Ryley served in the leadership positions of Den Chief, Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, and Guide. He earned 25 merit badges and became a member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor society, in 2010. Ryley has participated in two of Scouting’s High Adventures, Philmont (hiking and camping in the New Mexico mountains) and Sea Base, where he enjoyed scuba diving in the Florida Keys. He also participated in a National Scout Jamboree.
  

For his Eagle Project, Ryley created shelving in the band room storage units at Langley High School, allowing band instruments to be stored safely and efficiently for decades to come.

Ryley graduated from Langley High School in 2017 and now attends the University of Southern California, where he is an Army ROTC four-year scholarship cadet.

• Gregory Roszyk, Jr., son of Marnie Salisbury and Gregory Roszyk, Sr., joined Troop 673 in 2012, after earning the rank of Arrow of Light as a Cub Scout. Since joining the troop, Greg has served in a number of leadership positions, including as Patrol Leader, Instructor, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader. Greg attended summer camp five times; and he earned 27 merit badges, the 50-Miler award, the Frosted Camper award, and the National Outdoor Award with more than 100 nights of camping (and counting). In addition, after completing Philmont this summer, he will be eligible for the Grand Slam award of High Adventures, having already attended the Summit (2014), Sea Base (2015), and Northern Tier (2016). Greg has also participated in two National Jamborees (2013 and 2017). He was elected into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor society, in 2014.

For his Eagle Project, Greg planned and built three new elements in the teaching garden at Clearview Elementary School in Herndon. The garden is used by the kindergarten classes to grow the natural ingredients for making pizza. With the help of troop Scouts, the garden was expanded to include three new raised planter beds, an arbor and a structure to hold bird feeders.

Greg is a rising senior at Langley High School. He is a member of the LHS Marching Band and Wind Ensemble, where he plays the euphonium.

• Matthew Stephens, son of Jennifer and Gregory Stephens, joined Troop 673 in 2012, after earning the Arrow of Light as a Cub Scout. Since joining the troop, Matthew has served as Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Guide, and Instructor. He has earned 25 merit badges, the Frosted Camper award and the Snorkeling BSA award twice. Matthew has been a High Adventure enthusiast, earning the Triple Crown award for having participated in Sea Base (2015), Northern Tier (2016), and Philmont (2017), and he also participated in the National Scout Jamboree in 2017. He was elected to the Order of the Arrow in 2015.

For his Eagle service project, Matthew designed and constructed eight brush boxes for Turner Farm Events, a local charity that runs horse shows and helps maintain Turner Farm Park for equestrian activities. Equipment for the jumps was lacking and too expensive to purchase. Horses have trouble seeing the thin piles across the jumps when directly in front of them. Brush boxes are positioned under the jump as a ground line to help them see where the jump is located. Matthew led a team of project volunteers to develop these quality boxes, which are both functional and decorative and are now part of every show at Turner Farm.

Matthew is a rising senior at Langley High School, where he plays saxophone in the Wind Ensemble and Marching Band, and has been a member of the track team. He also plays travel soccer for the Great Falls Soccer Club and enjoys fly fishing with his dad. After high school, Matthew plans to pursue a career in engineering.

• Benjamin “Benji” Prickett, son of Lisa and Glenn Prickett, joined Troop 673 in 2012, after earning the Arrow of Light as a Cub Scout. Since joining the troop, Benji has served as Patrol Leader, Instructor, Quartermaster, Order of the Arrow representative, and Den Chief. He has earned 25 merit badges, and participated in Northern Tier, a canoeing high adventure in the boundary waters near Atikokan, Ontario, in 2016. Benji is a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor society.

For his Eagle project, Benji constructed a rain garden at Great Falls United Methodist Church to reduce stormwater pollution in August 2017. When rain water flows downhill on pavement, like the church’s parking lot, it picks up harmful chemicals deposited by people and cars. Putting a garden in the path of the runoff slows water and captures it temporarily while the plants in the garden help to clean the water before it drains in its normal path. Benji planned the layout of the rain garden and incorporated best practices in the design of “green infrastructure.”

Benji is a rising senior at Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH), a boarding school in Massachusetts, where he performs as a percussionist in a wide range of musical ensembles and is a member of the NMH Outdoor Team (paddling, mountain biking, and trail running). After high school, Benji intends to pursue a career in music.