Prep Talk

Adam Williams ’21 latest Hermit to Earn Eagle Scout Rank

Posted March 1st, 2021

Senior Adam Williams is the latest Hermit to attain the rank of Eagle Scout. As with every Boy Scout who works towards this honor, he was tasked with planning, developing and leading a service project otherwise known as the Eagle Project. In recognizing the project’s spirit of leadership and commitment to the community, Adam decided to build two swing sets at the Gibbstown and Paulsboro locations of the Guardian Angels Regional School. By selecting the swing sets as his project, he saw it as a break from some of the common Eagle Project ideas of the past and would give him the opportunity to make an everlasting impact on the students of each school.

Adam had to carefully prepare each location at both schools as these were not your average household swing sets. These units were commercial-grade and destined for public use so the soon-to-be Eagle Scout had to be meticulous with the installation of each set. It wasn’t far into the planning portion of the endeavor that Adam realized he had turned into a project manager responsible for generating funds, collecting necessary equipment, crisis management and general leadership. After putting in some old-fashioned elbow grease by clearing sod, digging and filling holes with gravel, and operating heavy machinery, Adam and his crew took the better part of two weeks to complete the thoughtful community project.

all boys catholic augustinian high school

Adam Williams ’21 leads his fellow scouts in completing his Eagle Project

The construction of the swing sets brought much joy to Adam but it was the original purpose of the project that became evident to him as the process unfolded. The lessons he had learned throughout his four years at St. Augustine began to run in unison with the skills he had attained as a Boy Scout. His project required more than just perseverance and physical ability, he had to communicate with and lead multiple groups to assist in the collection of donations, equipment, and also volunteer hours. One of his biggest takeaways involved leading a group of younger scouts who were kind enough to donate their time to help Adam complete the project. In his own words regarding leadership, “This taught me that leadership was even more about helping others rather than just striving to reach the end goal. To be a great leader you have to recognize that it isn’t just about you, you have to help those who are doing just as much to help you out.”

As Adam approaches the final stretch of his time as a student at St. Augustine, it is clear that he has grown into an agent of change and has embraced the full concept of servant leadership. Through the process of completing his Eagle Project, Adam has also inspired those around him to share in his vision of helping others. Most importantly, in the Augustinian values of veritas(truth), unitas(unity), and caritas(love) instilled at the Prep, the aspiring civil engineer has established the moral foundation that will serve him immensely for the rest of his personal and professional life.

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The servant leadership displayed by Adam is just one of the many hallmarks of a St. Augustine Prep student, take the next step towards joining the Brotherhood and become an agent of change!  Rurally situated away from major cities and contact points, St. Augustine Prep is the premier Catholic, Augustinian all-boys high school in southern New Jersey. Students at St. Augustine move between 50 classrooms and labs, spread over four separate buildings on a 118-acre campus. Consider a campus-style education for your son to be educated both regularly and safely. Visit www.hermits.com/thenextstep today or email admissions@hermits.com for more information!

St. Augustine Prep Senior leads community in completion of Eagle Scout Project

Adam’s project became a community endeavor as his leadership skills brought many people together in the process.

A project manager’s work is never done as Adam helped clear the location of sod.

A job well done, Adam (pictured second from right) poses with his Eagle Project team.

Thanks to the hard work of Adam and his team, the students Guardian Angels Regional Schools at Gibbstown and Paulsboro will enjoy recess for years to come!