From Troop 5 Maplewood:
Maplewood, NJ—Troop 5 Maplewood is proud to announce that four of its scouts have earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor in Scouting America. Those who become Eagle Scouts work for years to embody the distinguished Scouting qualities of character, leadership, service, and respect for for one’s community and country.
The scouts were honored during an Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony held on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church, with family, friends, and community leaders in attendance.
To achieve the Eagle Award, each scout must advance through the six ranks of Scouting America: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life. During the years of learning and advancement required to ascend to the rank of Eagle, scouts must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges in areas like outdoor skills, citizenship, and life skills. They must also propose, design, and implement a community service project.
Four scouts from Maplewood’s Troop 5 earned the prestigious Eagle Scout Award, the highest rank in Scouting America, during an Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church, in Maplewood, NJ on Saturday May 23, 2026. Pictured left to right, are August Jacob Macqueen Pross, Lucas Rui Quinteros, Rome Stefan Brachfeld, and Quinn Miller. Photo courtesy Becky Kraemer.
From proposal to completion, this community service project is designed to help Scouts develop essential life skills, such as project management, leadership, and perseverance. Scouts organize and oversee volunteers from the troop and broader community to complete the project, and they conduct fundraising where needed to purchase supplies. Many Scouts choose organizations and projects that are meaningful to them personally.
The Four New Eagle Scouts with their parents. Photo courtesy Becky Kraemer.
The four Troop 5 scouts who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and their projects are as follows:
Eagle Scout Rome Brachfeld and volunteers in front of the obelisk in Founder’s Park, South Orange, that he cleaned and restored. Photo courtesy Rome Brachfeld.
Rome Stefan Brachfeld, of Maplewood, a 2024 graduate of Oratory Preparatory School and second-year Business Economics student at UCLA, who partnered with the South Orange Department of Public Works in 2024 to clean and restore memorials across South Orange, including the obelisk in Founders Park, which honors the townships’ founding families, and the Veterans Memorial Rock in Meadowland Park, which honors those who gave their lives in war.
Eagle Scout Quinn Miller with volunteers and animals under the permanent sunshades at St. Hubert’s Animal Wellness Center that he designed and installed. Photo courtesy Quinn Miller.
Quinn Miller of West Orange, a senior at Newark Academy, who partnered with St. Hubert’s Animal Wellness Center in Madison during the summer of 2025 to install three permanent large sun shade canopies over their outdoor play yards to benefit both animals and volunteers.
Eagle Scout Jacob Pross in front of one of the book swap boxes he built and installed in the Maplewood/South Orange community. Photo courtesy Jacob Pross.
August Jacob Macqueen Pross of South Orange, who goes by Jacob, a 2024 graduate of Columbia High School and rising junior studying Business at The University of Toronto, who worked with the South Orange Public Library in 2023 to construct and install four book swap boxes on residential streets in the South Orange Maplewood community.
Eagle Scout Lucas Quinteros and volunteer at the courtyard space he renovated at Newark Academy, Livingston, NJ. Photo courtesy Lucas Quinteros.
Lucas Rui Quinteros of South Orange, a senior at Newark Academy, who renovated and repurposed an underused space in the Newark Academy courtyard in Livingston, NJ in the summer of 2025.
Speakers at the ceremony included Mr. Chris Birardi from the Lenni Lenape District of Northern New Jersey Council, Mr. Noah Miller from the Maplewood Rotary Club, Troop 5’s local sponsor, who also presented the Eagle Scouts with a wooden keepsake box to store their Scouting America merit badges and memorabilia, and Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca, Councilwoman Jane Collins-Colding, and Deputy Mayor Malia Herman. In remarks before each Eagle Scout received a proclamation from the Maplewood Township Committee, Deputy Mayor Herman said, “Coming to an event like this is such an honor, meeting the next generation of leaders in our community.”
Each new Eagle Scout also received several letters of commemoration from state and local officials, including New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill who said, “You are among a select few who have achieved this award, exhibiting the characteristics of initiative, courage, resourcefulness and leadership.” Congresswoman Analilia Mejia (NJ-11) remarked: “Dedicating your time to a project that benefits your community is distinctly representative of the Boy Scout philosophy. I hope you proudly carry the skills and lessons learned in the Boy Scouts with you your entire life—there is no doubt they will help you to continue to find ways to serve others.” And South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, said each Eagle Scout: “serves as an example to youth through [their] high level of personal achievement, ambition, leadership, and community service.”
Each new Eagle Scout gave remarks at the end of the ceremony, reflecting on their time in both Scouting America and with Troop 5 working for several years toward the rank of Eagle Scout. All mentioned the lifelong friends and memories they made, especially at Massawepie Scout Camp each summer in the Adirondacks, the two week high adventure backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and monthly camping outings like the annual Troop 5 cooking competition. And all spoke about how scouting will stay with them throughout their lives.
“Looking back at my time in Troop 5 has shown me how much my friends and I have grown,” said Miller. “It’s surreal to remember being 11 years old and watching the older Scouts earn their Eagle while I was stuck on the Tenderfoot fitness requirement, and now, to finally be here, having run that same mile over and over to encourage the next generation of Scouts.”
“I got my first taste of leading, and I learned how helpful it was to encourage and be encouraged by my peers,” said Quinteros. “There are many connections, moments, and triumphs that will stay with me. I’m glad I’ve been part of it.”
“[Scouting] is not just about badges, camping, or checking off requirements. It’s about seeing a problem, stepping up, and helping people even when you’re tired and would rather be climbing a mountain,” said Brachfeld. “That is probably the biggest thing Scouting has taught me. Leadership is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is just doing the next right thing.”
“Looking back, I believe that all of these [Scouting] experiences have definitely made me a better person,” said Pross. “When I’m helping others, I remember how older scouts helped me when I was starting out in Troop 5, and how much that meant to me. I can confidently say that the core principles of scouting still very much apply to my daily life.”
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About Troop 5 Maplewood
Troop 5 Maplewood has been a cornerstone of the community since 1920, fostering the core values of Scouting: trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, and responsibility. Sponsored by the Maplewood Rotary Club, this youth-led troop provides boys ages 11–17 with opportunities to grow as leaders and citizens through outdoor adventure, community service, and personal development. Highlights of the troop’s dynamic program include two weeks each summer at Massawepie Scout Camp, monthly outings, and high-adventure trips to remarkable destinations such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. By embracing these experiences, Scouts of Troop 5 develop character, resilience, and a lifelong commitment to making a positive impact.
Troop meetings are held Thursdays, 7–9 p.m., during the school year at Seth Boyden Elementary School. For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.troop5.us. Follow current activities on Facebook (facebook.com/troop5.us) and Instagram (@troop5maplewood).
