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NJCOS SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS ANNOUNCED
May, 2008
Jay Schnapp, the National Jewish Committee on Scouting Scholarship Chair, has announced the winners of this year's NJCOS scholarship awards. The NJCOS awarded $7,000 in need based and merit scholarships. To qualify, all Scouts were required to earn the Eagle Scout rank and either the Ner Tamid Emblem or the Etz Chaim Emblem.
This year, a record 36 Scouts applied for the awards, more than any two years combined in the history of the scholarship program according to Schnapp. He noted that "This made our decisions especially difficult as there were many more exceedingly qualified applicants than we had scholarships for."
13 Scouters from all four of the BSA regions evaluated the applications. For the first time, the application form was standardized closely with the NESA (National Eagle Scout Association) scholarship application and was available online (www.jewishscouting.org).
The 36 applicants came from 16 states with half coming from states outside the Northeast Region. 50% of the applicants reside in the Northeast Region (which is also where about 50% of the American Jewish population resides.) Only one of the applicants was from a unit chartered to a Jewish organization.
NJ 9
CA 5
NY, TX 3 each
4 other States 2 each
8 other States 1 each
The scholarships were awarded to the individuals below. For additional information, click on the recipient's name.
Chester M. Vernon Memorial Eagle Scout Scholarship ($1,000 per year for 4 years)
- Benjamin P. Nachman, Omaha, NE
Rick Arkans Eagle Scout Scholarship ($1,000)
- Shawn A. Goldsmith, Oceanside, NY
Frank L. Weil Memorial Eagle Scout Scholarships
First Place ($1,000)
- Adam R. Schuit, Princeton Junction, NJ
Second Place ($500)
- Scott I. Backer, Orange, CT
- Ryan M. Richstein, Colonia, NJ
Benjamin P. Nachman
Omaha, NE
Chester M. Vernon Memorial Eagle Scout Scholarship ($1,000 per year for 4 years)
Ben is an Eagle Scout with 53 merit badges. In Venturing, he holds the Religious Life Bronze, the Silver and Ranger Awards.
He has been a key leader in the Order of the Arrow (Lodge Chief and Section C-5B Chief), in AZA (Chapter & Council President) and USY (Chapter Vice-President).
He has served on his council’s camp staff for 3 years, instructing in Fishing, Journalism and Photography.
This summer, he will serve as Branch Manager for the OA’s ArrowCorps5 Teton Pass (colossal) service project.
Ben has earned the Aleph, Ner Tamid and Etz Chaim Religious Emblems. One of his service projects for the Etz Chaim involved documenting and cataloguing all of the Jewish Cemeteries in Omaha.
He has demonstrated scientific drive through research, having served for two years as the project leader for the Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) and as team captain for the Federal Reserve Challenge, making a formal presentation to economists as to what changes the Federal Open Market Committee should make to the federal funds rate.
He is a member of his high school Track Team, Orchestra, Student Council and National Honor Society.
In September, Ben will matriculate as a freshman at Cornell University.
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Shawn A. Goldsmith
Oceanside, NY
Rick Arkans Eagle Scout Scholarship ($1,000)
On Shawn’s journey to become an Eagle Scout, he has earned 62 merit badges, the Ner Tamid, Etz Chaim and All Faith Awards. He has developed into an avid Conservationist and has been nominated for the Hornaday Award. Shawn has attended National Junior Leader Instructor Camp at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and the National Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Virginia. The activity that has had the greatest impact on his development is having staffed National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) at Ten Mile River Scout Camp in Narrowsburg, NY.
Shawn is a senior at Oceanside (NY) High School. Currently, Shawn is Editor in Chief and Advertising Director of his school’s newspaper. His other undertakings include serving as President of the Marine Science Club, Chief Marketing Officer of Student Entrepreneurs & Leaders, Secretary & Treasurer to his school’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Chapter, a volunteer of Big Buddies and Interact, and Student Ambassador to Middle School students. Shawn maintains a weighted grade point average of 100 and has taken ten Advanced Placement courses.
Shawn has lead numerous environmental community projects such as instituting a Long Island Storm Drain Awareness campaign, restoring the Oceanside Marine Nature Study area, and investigating the Long Island Power Authority’s off-shore wind farm project. Shawn’s storm drain awareness campaign began when he was an intern at the Long Island office of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and he then continued this endeavor with his DECA team where he competed in Atlanta, Georgia. There he became an International Finalist.
Shawn has not yet decided which university he will attend in September.
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Adam R. Schuit
Princeton Junction, NJ
Frank L. Weil Memorial Eagle Scout Scholarships (First Place $1,000)
Adam R. Schuit earned the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 15 and before that, the Alpeh and Ner Tamid Religious Emblems. For his Eagle Project, Adam designed and led the construction of a portable Torah Ark for his synagogue. Subsequently, Adam earned three Eagle Palms. He is an Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 40 in West Windsor, New Jersey.
Adam’s accomplishments outside of Scouting include the following: a member of the National Honor Society; an accomplished piano player; a soccer referee and baseball umpire for Special Olympics New Jersey; and a volunteer at a local rehabilitation facility. Adam is a captain of his high school swim team and is a Varsity pitcher.
In 2006, Adam organized and led Central New Jersey’s first “Ten Commandments Hike”, and was awarded the 2007 Princeton Prize in Race Relations, and a New Jersey State Legislative Joint Citation. He donated his Princeton Prize scholarship money to the participating houses of worship, and to finance his second Ten Commandments Hike in 2007.
This year, in recognition of the work he has done in his community, the Mercer Area District of Central New Jersey Council presented Adam with its President’s Award.
Adam was accepted Early Decision to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration Class of 2012.
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Scott I. Backer
Orange, CT
Frank L. Weil Memorial Eagle Scout Scholarships (Second Place $500)
Scott is an Eagle Scout with 25 merit badges. He currently serves as Lodge Chief of his Council’s Order of the Arrow Lodge and has staffed the Section NE-2C Conclave. While at NOAC in 2007, Scott wrote a daily blog which was published on the national Order of the Arrow website. Since turning 18 he is serving his troop as an Assistant Scoutmaster.
Scott has earned the Ner Tamid Religious Emblem. He served as a youth representative on the Council Jewish Committee. He has also served as Teen Cantor at his Synagogue.
Scott has twice served as the SPL of his council’s National Youth Leadership Training Conference (NYLT) and was a youth staffer for a recent Wood Badge course. This year he will be staffing the Northeast Region’s Youth Staff Development Conference, where future NYLT staff members will be trained.
At school, Scott is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society, and was recently selected to the Tri-M National Music Honor Society. He is also a member of his high school Jazz, Concert, and Marching Bands as well as the Symphonic Wind Ensemble where he serves as Brass Section Leader.
He is a member of both his school’s Student Council and Student Government and is the sole student appointee to the Board of Education Curriculum Steering Committee. Scott has also been an editor for his school’s yearbook as well as a youth editing advisor to his school’s newspaper. In September, Scott will be a freshman at The George Washington University.
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Ryan Richstein
Colonia, NJ
Frank L. Weil Memorial Eagle Scout Scholarships (Second Place $500)
Ryan is an Eagle Scout with 26 merit badges and a bronze Eagle Scout Palm. He has served in a variety of positions in his troop and currently serves as Assistant Scoutmaster. He is also a member of the Order of the Arrow.
He is a member of USY and has earned both the Ner Tamid and Etz Chaim Religious Emblems.
Ryan was a member of his high school boys’ varsity tennis team for three years, and is in the New Jersey Math League. He is also a member of the high school Jazz Band and is Drum Major for the Marching Band. He also takes part in several of the high school choirs and has served on the Student Council. He is Vice President of the Spanish Honor Society, and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. In addition, he tutors/mentors his peers in various academic subjects. Ryan is a high school representative for the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission.
Ryan worked closely with his township mayor and other local officials in arranging and planning the township Chanukah Menorah Lighting Ceremony for this past Chanukah. In addition, he worked with a school teacher in spearheading a township-wide Election Day Food Drive program.
He will graduate from Colonia (NJ) High School in June and will take part in an Honors Program at Rutgers University in the fall.
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