Miami Palmetto High School senior Noah Befeler has earned the rank of Eagle Scout. His project refurbished sections of the Concordia Lutheran School in Pinecrest.
Befeler completed the project Dec. 1, 2018. He chose Concordia because he attended school and church there.
“I wanted it to have a sentimental meaning to me,” he says.
The project included mulching the parking lot, removing an old bench from the front of the school and replacing it with two that he built, which he sanded and painted with a stain and polyurethane. He also pressure washed the concrete in front of the school, built and installed two planters, and painted the interior of the Family Ministry Center. He also worked with the existing garden.
“I made it much more eye-catching.” he says.
The Family Ministry Center required painting not only the walls, but four pillars and eight columns.
“It was a very, very large area,” he says.
In all, he had 51 volunteers on Dec. 1, the primary workday. However, he and his family and some friends worked almost a week in advance doing prep work to get ready for the big day.
While planning the project, Befeler kept in mind that the best projects are sustainable. He also determined he wanted to make the area look nicer.
Over the years, Befeler has volunteered at numerous Eagle Scout projects conducted by his fellow scouts at Troop 457, based at Kendall Methodist Church.
His leadership roles with the troop included Patrol Leader and Chaplain’s Aide. As Chaplain’s Aide, he was the religious and emotional mentor for the troop.
“That was my leadership role for three-and-a-half years,” he says.
This past summer, Befeler went on a backpacking hiking trip in New Mexico at a Boy Scout High Adventure camp called Philmont. In order to attend, reservations must be made a year in advance.
The scouts started out in Colorado Springs where they biked down Pikes Peak, toured the Air Force Academy, went white water rafting on the Arkansas River and toured the Garden of the Gods.
Each day at Philmont, they hiked to a different campsite where the boys had to set up, cook dinner and clean up while their adult leaders supervised.
The hiking was grueling. Befeler says the experience taught him he could overcome almost anything.
“Seeing how hard the training was, I was nervous that I couldn’t do it,” he says. “In the end, I was able to. If I really believe in myself and put it toward the effort, I could do the impossible.”
He and his group spent 12 days out in the wilderness. Those 12 days also included work on a conservation project. As part of the ongoing effort to improve the grounds, Befeler and his group worked on creating a new trail.
“We were shoveling dirt, removing big roots and trees that were in the way of the trail,” he says.
They also used sledgehammers to bust rocks. They cleared roughly an eighth of a mile.
“It was very steep. It was definitely rough work,” he says. “We got very dirty. In my trek, we only got one shower throughout all 12 days. It was tough. It was hard work, especially the sledgehammer.”
Now that he’s finished with his Eagle project, his next step is finishing high school and going on to college. He’s applying to the University of South Florida, the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida. He’s not set on a major, but he is interested in marine science, computer science or computer engineering.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
