Boy Scout Builds Outside Reading Nook

Thanks to soon-to-be Eagle Scout Justin Hill, students at now have a quiet, tranquil place to read outside.

“It’s nice and cool down here,” said Anthony Taddei, the director of physical education at Beecher, under a canopy of leaves on a hot day. “This is the place to read.”

Monday afternoon Taddei took a first-grade class to the wall-less classroom, which is a group of benches located on the north end of the school grounds. Joining Taddei and the kids was the classroom's creator, 16-year-old Justin Hill, and his father, Bob Hill.

“It was a lot of hard work,” said Justin Hill, an Amity High School student who is a member of Troop 63 in Woodbridge. “It was a really long project.”

Hill completed the project over two weekends in early November last year. Help from troop volunteers, family and friends totaled 254 hours, the Life Scout said. He explained that the community project is part of gaining Eagle Scout status.

“I can remember being in the car talking to him about it,” said Hill’s father. “He fought for this.”

The elder Hill said the project is bigger than most that are proposed to become an Eagle Scout and he wasn't sure if it would be accepted. Hill said he can remember his son telling him, “Dad, becoming an Eagle Scout shouldn’t be an easy task.”

After the group of about 12 students had a 5-minute reading session, they circled the benches, tiptoeing the perimeter planks. The kids then thanked Hill through “knuckles,” or fist bump handshakes.

“It came out incredible,” said Taddei, adding that the benches are in a quiet area so there should be fewer distractions to sidetrack kids from reading.