Skokie Teen Gives Back to Preschool, Makes Eagle Scout

At first glance the ubiquitous motto of the Boy Scouts of America, “Be Prepared”, is simple advice. Yet, for Derek Damasco, the phrase transcends language to become a dynamic rubric for life. Damasco’s knack for preparation at age 16 is remarkable— a characteristic nurtured by his family and refined by the Scouts program. On September 17th, 2017 the 16-year old made Eagle with years to spare.

In February of 2017, Damasco concluded his Eagle Scout project by delivering new handmade furniture to Devonshire Preschool. Damasco assembled a team of volunteers, and under his management they built new bookcases and a wooden train table. For Devonshire Preschool director and teacher Heidi Luksa, the trainset is reminiscent of one that Damasco frequented as a student long ago in the same building. Luksa has been with the school for 16 years.

“When he was in my classroom, the train table was one of his favorite things. It’s sometimes difficult to remember what all of the kids were into over the years, but I remember specifically that those trains were definitely his favorite,” said Luksa.

“[the Scout project] was really quite perfect, and I didn’t have to do very much. Derek is a very responsible young man; it was lovely. Initially they were considering building it here, but he ended up using another space and delivered it on his own. He kept in contact with me through email, and then all of sudden it was here.”

As a young, third-grade Cub Scout Damasco loved the camping trips, which sold him on continuing the program. He has since developed an array of skills— knife and ax techniques, cooking, and hazard prevention, to name a few. Damasco says his favorite aspect of the Boy Scout program is the wide selection of merit badge requirements and opportunities; “Citizenship in the Community” is a badge Damasco is particularly proud to wear.

“Citizenship in the community required us to identify a hazard in the community. This park right here [Donald W. Lyon Park] … we had multiple car accidents right on this corner; there’s a yield sign there now that we had set up to satisfy that requirement,” said Damasco.

Nothing says “ready for anything” like knowing what to do once dropped out of a helicopter into the woods, blindfolded. When asked how he would fair in such a (hypothetical) situation, his preparedness for the question was as impressive as his preparedness for the scenario.

“Actually, one of the badges I did, Wilderness Survival, tells you exactly how to handle that situation. The first thing you’re going to do if you’re lost is stop and calm down. Then, you’ll want to notice and study your surroundings,” said Damasco.

Damasco was required to spend a night alone with a fellow Scout and little more than a water bottle. They arrived to the site shortly before nightfall and prioritized building a fire and shelter in the 20 minutes while they could still see. Camp counselors were there for supervision, but off site.

Devonshire Preschool

The Eagle Scout Project requires a Life Scout to design, implement and manage a service project. The project must meet strict guidelines and pass board approval.

“I went to the preschool and they said they had a new classroom, and actually needed a lot of furniture and new things for it. They requested the bookshelves and also new wooden train tables— which was cool to me because that’s pretty much all I did back when I was there. So that sounded pretty good. I talked to our Scout master about it and he said that it would probably be a pass, so the first step was to get the project approved by our troop’s committee,” said Damasco.

Damasco’s commitment to Devonshire Preschool allowed him to experience not just the rewarding aspects of civic engagement, but the frustrating ones common to bureaucracy and approval processes as well; after presenting to his committee, he waited over a month to be assigned a project coordinator to sign off on his project— and then had to go back to the drawing board to correct minor engineering flaws in his plans.

“The coordinator and committee gave me a few suggestions about my plans, like making the shelves adjustable—because that wasn’t in my original plan. They also said one part of my shelf design would bend if I didn’t add extra support; so, I made those changes with the coordinator, and then he approved it,” said Damasco.

Damasco worked with a project coach in order to leverage his inexperience with carpentry. His coach also had a garage stocked with much-needed equipment, where he was able to hone his woodworking skills. Although other Scouts helped with assembly, strict rules for the Eagle Scout Project state that only one Scout can receive credit for a plan. This provision allowed Damasco to gain valuable experience as a coordinator, managing a team of nearly 20 volunteers. He collaborated with The Home Depot and secured a valuable plywood donation; he maintained all records, kept a log of volunteers, stored receipts and acted as the accountant for his project. As expected, he also made sure to supply his workers with lunch. The project’s budget surplus was donated to the school.

From One Scout to Another

When asked how he would educate a young Scout considering the Eagle rank, Damasco answered as though he had given the question previous thought.

“I’d first let them know what kind of work goes into achieving Eagle, and whether or not that work is something they would like to and be able to do,” said Damasco.

Damasco said he would stress the importance of scrutinizing merit badge details, so that young students can avoid overworking—or underworking— on any requirements. This way, Scouts can be efficient and achieve their ranks in a way that is meaningful and lasting.

“If a Scout is not motivated, is lazy, or overwhelmed I would say don’t do it. The thing about Scouts is that you don’t have to get Eagle. It’s not something you need; less than five percent of Scouts actually get the rank of Eagle. I wouldn’t really discourage anyone, but if you are not passionate or not working hard towards it I would not recommend the Eagle Scout rank,” said Damasco.

Damasco says it isn’t the difficulty of the rank keeping the percentage low, but the timing. Many Scouts will wait until they are 17 to begin their project, only to find they are unable to finish before the 18th-birthday cutoff due to the life factors and distractions many 17 year-olds experience— college stress, social life, and developing identities. For Damasco, the difference is that he sees college, social life and his identity from the perspective of a Scout, as opposed to seeing those elements—or Scouts—as distractions.

“A lot of the things you learn in Scouts are actually really helpful in life. Personal management, schedule planning. It’s more than an extracurricular; you learn skills you’ll need as an adult. It basically helps you to prepare for life. For that it’s a pretty good organization,” said Damasco.

When asked if his life as a Scout represents his general worldview and day-to-day perspective, Damasco answered the question with the most stoic, straight-faced conviction.

“Well the basic Boy Scout Law is pretty much a guideline to being a good person,” said Damasco.

He continued, without so much as a break in his words for breath, “the Boy Scout must be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. And so, living through that, I guess I do.”

Damasco begins his junior year at Loyola Academy in the fall of 2018. Even now, he is keeping his mind open for college, and is considering history as a major.