In some cases, it’s not only adults, but children themselves that look to make a difference and for one aspiring Lyndhurst Eagle Scout, his motivations were there in high regard. Late last year, Roosevelt Elementary School Principal Peter Strumolo came into his new role as a first year principal with ideas. He approached Frank De Bellis, a committee chairman at the Boys Scouts Troop 86 in Lyndhurst with a creative idea to bring a technology center to the school and had the perfect place picked out, a dingy old storage room in the basement. Maybe not the perfect place, but De Bellis and Strumolo knew a conversion was possible. Money and time were issues, and so was finding skilled employees to make the conversion possible. 
"Limited space is a problem in many schools," said Strumolo. "However, we felt we were not going to use this as an excuse to not accomplish our goals and work toward our vision. We felt that it was important to take this project from a dream to reality, to model success for the students of Roosevelt School."
De Bellis knew he could make the dream a reality. He had an aspiring Eagle Scout that needed a project to garner the prestigious status that all Boy Scouts dream of achieving one day and his scouts had a good track record of making their projects work.
It was perfect timing for Tyler Crowe, a senior at Lyndhurst High School who needed to carry out a significant community service project to propel him to the status of Eagle Scout. What better place, he thought, than a school system that helped guide and develop him throughout the years. The same district has molded Crowe well; he’s a 17-year-old senior that is trying to finish high school a year early, aspiring to eventually become an engineer.
So the brainstorming and fundraising began. Strumolo, a former principal in Belleville, enlisted the help of a maintenance man he knew there who generously donated his skills to help out with the construction. The school held a Walk-a-Thon that raised a few thousand dollars and Roosevelt School parent Dave DiPisa solicited parents and local businesses. Crowe and the troop were busy getting supplies as well, and by the end nearly $13,000 had rolled in.
"The room was framed out with two by fours, Sheetrocked, we put new studs in, enclosed electrical outlets, installed new lighting, built a stage and installed new cabinets and storage counters," said De Bellis. "It’s not just Tyler’s project, he is like the project manager. He must oversee getting all the project details completed, cost analysis, the manpower needed. Over that, it’s the strength of volunteers and donations that really make this possible."
Today, the room that began as a cluttered storage room is fully carpeted, painted and complete with a stage. In front of the stage sits the greatest tool, a new digital camera and atop the new counters sit three oversized Macintosh monitors equipped with the latest editing, music and video software.
De Bellis noted that Crowe is not yet an Eagle, in that the process is rigorous. He must submit a portfolio of his work, have it signed off on and finish obtaining all required badges.
"We have a policy kind of, myself and the scoutmaster, we will afford every opportunity to make Eagle," said De Bellis. "In my troop however, we’re pretty strict with the criteria of the project. It must be at least 100 man-hours of time, must benefit the community, can’t benefit the Boy Scout troop and it must be meaningful. By no means do we just give these away."
The policy of becoming an Eagle and pushing to get scouts there pays off for the Lyndhurst troop. Last fall, Rutherford resident and member of the troop Brandon Marsella reached Eagle Scout status after he spearheaded an effort to spruce up the historic Outwater Cemetery in Carlstadt. Raymond Aronson, a fellow schoolmate of Crowe’s at Lyndhurst High School was awarded Eagle Scout last August after he took on a project of building bookcases for the Pumpkin Patch Day Nursery in Lyndhurst.
Last week, the fruits of Crowe and the other volunteer’s efforts were already paying off. Third graders Jack Burgess, Ashley Francis and Francesca DiPisa were taking turns in front of their new digital video camera to explain what they thought the school of the future would look like. It’s part of the first of many projects Strumolo realizes will come from the new media center. By the time students head off to high school, he wants those interested in spending time in the media center equipped with a digital portfolio. He’s going to run Saturday courses to help get students on track with videography, editing and creating the portfolios.
"This is not just an Eagle project that Tyler Crowe finished," said Strumolo. "It is a place that will find its way into the hearts and minds of many students who are living through a technology revolution. The students at Roosevelt School will no longer talk about technology, they will live it."
