Five Hillsborough boys from Boy Scout Troop 489 were honored together at a Hillsborough Township Committee meeting for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting.
Mayor Shawn Lipani presented formal proclamations on Sept. 28 to Will D’Andrade, Jack Dankers, Christopher Demetrio, Neel Patel and Michael Shouldis.
Will is the son of Laura and Ray D’Andrade and has an older sister, Kaitlyn. The D’Andrades moved to Hillsborough when Will was 6 months old.
Will, currently a junior at Hillsborough High School (HHS), is active as goalkeeper in club soccer and is interested in pursuing a career in cybersecurity or finance.
Will’s Eagle Scout project was to plan, fundraise and lead an installation of outdoor hand sanitizer stations for the Hillsborough YMCA youth summer camp area.
Jack is the son of Annmarie and Paul Dankers. Currently a senior at HHS, he plans to pursue a degree in political science and a career in journalism.
Jack held numerous leadership positions and the highlight of his scouting journey was his two-week, 60-mile adventure at the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.
His Eagle Scout project entailed building wheelchair accessible garden boxes for the Hillsborough Parks Department.
Christopher is the youngest son of Jeannie and John Demetrio.
Currently a junior at HHS, he lives with his older brother, Jonathan, who is also a Troop 489 Eagle Scout. A highlight of his scouting career was participating in a Sea Base High Adventure trip, living and learning to sail around the island of St. Thomas along with his troop.
His Eagle Scout project involved leading the construction and installation of four new benches at Woods Road Elementary School.
Neel is the son of Meenaxi and Bhavesh Patel and has two siblings, Shivali and Nayan.
Neel, a senior at HHS, plans to attend college to pursue a career in biochemical engineering.
The pinnacle of Neel’s scouting career was as crew leader during a 2-week hike through Philmont’s rugged northern New Mexico wilderness. He was also accepted to a senior patrol leader position for the National Youth Leadership Training Program.
Neel’s Eagle project was overseeing the construction of a new trail bridge in Skillman Park.
Michael is the son of Janet Shouldis and the grandson of Raymond Shouldis.
A junior at HHS, Michael’s most treasured scouting experience was the World Scout Jamboree, where he participated in activities like rock climbing and ziplining, but also gained a deep appreciation for people and cultures from around the world.
Michael’s Eagle project was leading the construction of an outdoor classroom at the Hillsborough YMCA.
Since its establishment in 1999, Troop 489 has graduated 89 Eagle Scouts. The Chartered Organization for the troop is Mary Mother of God Church.
- This information was provided by Laura D’Andrade.
