Scout renovated Madison Intermediate courtyard
Eagle Scout planned 1,600-sq.-ft. project; honored by mayor
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

Eagle Scout Jeff Miele laughs with James Madison Intermediate School Principal Bernie Bragen (left) and Jeff's grandfather, Ralph Russo, after Miele was honored by the mayor for renovating the school's courtyard.

EDISON - Walter Cronkite, Bill Bradley and President Gerald Ford, Jimmy Stewart, Steven Spielberg and 11 out of 12 men who walked on the moon were all serious Boy Scouts. Many of them attained the highest honor a Scout can receive - the rank of Eagle Scout. Jeff Miele can be counted among them.

Miele, an 18-year-old senior at J.P. Stevens High School, was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout after completing a project some around him felt was beyond the ability of a high school student.

He took the task of revamping the courtyard at James Madison Intermediate School, a 1,600-square-foot swath of over-grown weeds, tree stumps and poison ivy, into a clean, paved, usable space that Principal Bernie Bragen thought was far too much for one boy to do.

"I can attest to what an arduous task it was," Bragen said.

PHOTOS BY TOM CAIAZZA Mayor Jun Choi (left) accepts a ceremonial check for $7,000 from Middlesex County to fund service projects similar to the courtyard at James Madison Intermediate School.

Bragen said that even until the work was nearing completion, he had his doubts but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

"Even at that time I was suspect in how he could bring this to fruition," Bragen said, "but sure enough … ."

In a ceremony in the renovated courtyard, Bragen was accompanied by Mayor Jun Choi, Superintendent of Schools Carol Toth and members of the local Boy Scouts, to honor Miele's accomplishments.

In his remarks, Choi called Miele's accomplishment an example of the type of volunteerism and community service the township is urging among its young citizens.

The mayor congratulated the boy and used the opportunity to accept a grant check from Middlesex County for $7,000 that can be used to fund community service projects such as this.

The entire project was, indeed, an arduous task. It took months of preparation, several different proposal reports, approvals from the school, the Boy Scouts of America and the township. He had to coordinate supply trucks, recruit volunteers and donations from businesses, and sell pavers with dedications to pay for the supplies that were not donated. After rewrites of the proposal and a 100-page final report, all to gain the approval of the Boy Scouts for his Eagle Scout promotion, Miele had to do the work itself.

It was a process that took more than three years.

The idea to clean up the courtyard came to Miele after his father, a member of the PTO at James Madison, mentioned that the courtyard was in serious need of revamping.

"The kids couldn't come out here," Miele said.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds and brush. Miele's task was to cart out the old brush, bring in dirt and fill to grade the area that would become the center of the courtyard, and repave, using pavers engraved with dedications to people who donated to the project.

Miele had help from his Scout troop and friends, his family and the school.

"The troop was really supportive …" Miele said. "My scoutmasters backed me the whole way."

There was only one point in the process where Miele actually felt that he may have bitten off more than he could chew - the day the work began and he showed up to four trucks and pallets of pavers.

All in all, Miele relished the work. He was the project manager and he enjoyed being able to run the show his way.

"It felt good," Miele said. "I was the project manager, I was running everything. It was my time to shine."

Miele's grandfather, Ralph Russo, was as proud as a grandfather could be.

"I'm so proud," Russo said. "It's unbelievable. We've always been proud of him, even as a little boy. He did a tremendous job."