Morris County Freeholders Honor Outstanding Jefferson and Rockaway Scouts

Published on December 01, 2019

The Morris County Board of Freeholders last night honored a Jefferson Girl Scout and Rockaway Borough Boy Scout for their community-minded projects that helped them attain Girl Scouting's Gold Award and Boy Scouting's highest ranking of Eagle Scout.

The projects included a suicide prevention program for the local high school and community and the construction of a footbridge across Harmony Brook on Patriot's Path in Randolph.

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The projects required fundraising and many dozens of hours of work by the scouts and their volunteer teams.

The freeholders celebrate the dedication and hard work of this young woman and man. Their hard work on these important projects have set an example for all of us here in Morris County, said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana. We greatly appreciate their dedication to their respective communities.

The freeholders, at their Dec. 11 meeting in Morristown, awarded county certificates to scouts:

• Brittany Boetticher, Lake Hopatcong, Girl Scout Troop 1148 in Jefferson
• Scott Connelly, Rockaway, Troop 113 in Rockaway Township

Both of these Scouts have impressive resumes, including scholastic, scouting and personal achievements.

(JPG, 646KB) Scott Connolly stands with the Board of Freeholders during awards event

Scott Connelly of Rockaway is a junior at Morris Hills High School, where he is enrolled in the Magnet Program, and serves as men's epee captain of the fencing team.

He joined Boy Scout Troop 113 in 2014, where he served as Senior Patrol Leader for 2018/2019. Scott earned his Eagle rank in June. He has spent 176 nights camping, hiked and backpacked 365 miles and performed 149 hours of community service.

Scott attended Philmont High Adventure camp (trekking the mountains of New Mexico), Florida Seabase Scout Camp, and Maine High Adventure camp for a canoeing trek. He is trained in wilderness first aid, and is a Leave-No-Trace trainer.

He has earned the National Outdoor Achievement Award, 50-miler patch, National Historic Trails award, and 38 merit badges

For his Eagle Scout project, Scott constructed a footbridge across Harmony Brook on Patriots Path in Randolph, which also is part of both the Liberty Gap Trail and the 9 National Memorial Trail. Scott and his volunteers also cleaned up the trail surrounding the bridge. The project took approximately 160 volunteer hours.

(JPG, 737KB) Brittany Boetticher stands with (l/r) Freeholders Stephen Shaw, Deborah Smith and Kathy DeFillippo

Brittany Boetticher of Jefferson is a 2019 graduate of Jefferson High School and current freshman at Drew University.

She is member of Girl Scout Troop 1148 in Jefferson Township. Beside her Gold Award, she has also earned Bronze and Silver Awards. She has served as a counselor-in-training, a program aide, and a leader in action, and worked at Jockey Hollow Day Camp as a junior and assistant counselor.

Brittany was one of four girls selected to represent Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey at the 2017 National Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

For her Gold Award project, Brittany organized a suicide prevention program in the high school and community, coordinating the movie "Suicide: The Ripple Effect" to be shown to the entire high school, plus the eighth grade classes.

Brittany also organized a community showing of the film and formed teams for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Hike for Hope, and she continues to be active on these Stigma-Free issues.