Eagle Scout Returns to Restore Community Project, and Himself

When Robert Ruff completed his Eagle Scout project as a member of Troop 45 in Farmington, Michigan, he literally changed the face of Farmington High School with a new hangout spot by the school’s spirit rock.

That was in 2019. Ruff is an adult now, and has returned to update the project for future generations of Farmington High students and for a more personal reason.

When walking by the school recently, Ruff noted with pride that his project had mostly stood the test of time.

"It was still there and had not been vandalized or changed.” But he noticed something else.

“I just wasn’t satisfied with how it looked,” Ruff said. “I mean, over the years, there have been many weeds that have grown in. There was a decent amount of litter inside the bushes. The benches had settled a bit."

"I wanted the space to be something that would help and look nice for the school. I don't know how many people used it now because, you know, the garbage and weeds, and it didn't look the best."

There is also a deeper reason Ruff took on this project.

"It's been a rough couple of years. Or pretty much rough years since I became an adult, especially with Covid hitting during my senior year,” he reflected. “We didn't get a prom or a graduation ceremony, the traditional water fight— I was looking forward to that!”

Because of the way the Covid upended so much, he was denied a way to bring that chapter in his life to a close. “I never even got to actually say goodbye to my friends. Not being able to say goodbye to anyone at all was really weird."

Since then, he said his life has “just kind of felt like a downward spiral with so much being tainted by the pandemic.”

But over the past year, Ruff has taken control of his life again.

“I've been working on myself a lot this last year and that's also part of the reason why I want to work on the project, because, like, I'm kind of turning myself around,” he said.

***

A final project is required for a Scout to receive the highest rank of Eagle. Scouts can choose from any number of project ideas, the important part is that they choose it, plan it and most importantly, lead a team to complete the project.

Ruff had considered a few different ideas for his Eagle Scout project, but after dismissing several ideas as too expensive or having too much red tape, his thoughts turned to his school, Farmington High, where he started his senior year in 2019.

“Because, at least back then, there wasn't really anywhere outside the school to sit or do anything,” he explained. “So I thought, why don't I make a hangout area? And why don't I put it around the spirit rock? You know, because it's kind of like a symbol for the school, and then people have a place to sit that allows them to relax and hang out or perhaps wait for their parents."

Ruff led a group of fellow Scouts, troop leaders and parents, and created a landscape feature, a large semi-circle for the property around the spirit rock. He added benches for seating. The project took two weekends — the first building the benches, the second was spent on the landscaping.

The second work day started with plenty of help and lots of energy but Ruff admitted that through his enthusiasm, he rushed the project. It was Mother's Day, so by the end of a 14-hour day of digging, hauling and laying more than three cubic yards of pea gravel, only he and two good friends remained.

So, Ruff made plans to restore the area to what his original idea was meant to do: be a nice place for students to hang out.

“In a sense, it’s like bringing the project back up while I'm trying to bring myself back up," he said.

***

Ruff reflects fondly on his own time as a Scout.

He recalls earning his fire safety merit badge and the very practical advice the presenter gave: "Stop. Run around until you trip on something, then roll.” He laughs as he recounts this and adds “That's way more realistic instruction.”

He recalls another highlight in going to Philmont.

"Just the beauty of that place is insane," he said. "I remember there was just this one point when I was just kind of needing a bit of alone time. Like, I just kind of walked off a bit and found this really nice place by a river. I just sat down, and it was just really beautiful, a cliff, a lot of trees there. The birds were chirping. I stayed there for like a half hour and just relaxed and was just in nature and enjoying it.”These are memories he hopes the Troop’s current Scouts get.

When thinking about the skills he brings with him from his years as a Scout, he focuses on the intangibles.

“With scouting, some changes are going to be subtle,” he said. “It's going to be changes in the way you act, changes in the way you do things. You're going to learn a lot about how to be more coordinated with other people, how to lead people yourself.

“And then, with earning their merit badges, there are so many specific things you can look into and learn more about, and you can find your passion just by going and trying so many different things.”

Ruff's turnaround over the last few years includes being more active as an adult Scout and he has become an assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 45 helping his father Michael, who is the Scoutmaster.

He is also the outdoor chair which involves scheduling the campouts, organizing the summer camp experience and securing the boys’ merit badge choices.

Looking to the future, Ruff sees himself reconnecting with the outdoors.

“I've spent a lot of the last couple of years being indoors, playing video games, watching TV, all this kind of stuff. And, you know, there comes a point where you just need to go outside,” he said. “It's just necessary, not just for Vitamin D or anything, just for your soul and it’s definitely just freeing.”

He continues: “Yeah, I feel like Scouting definitely helps with that because you learn how to go outdoors in a successful way. I could probably camp on my own if I wanted to. But I've thought about getting my friends together and just going camping.We can actually just have a good time because we already know how to set up everything.”

For nearly 100 years, Troop 45 has emphasized outdoors skills, leadership, cheerful service and community involvement throughout Farmington, MI. Sponsored by St. Fabian Catholic Church and operating from the First United Methodist Church of Farmington, Scouts from Troop 45 can regularly be seen serving as honor guard at local parades, assisting with conservation projects and giving back to the community through countless service efforts. Learn more about Troop 45 and its tradition of leadership and service at troop45farmington.org/.