Trevor Hall relied on the Boy Scout motto of “Always be prepared” to identify and complete his Eagle Scout project.

By Michael LEVITSKY

The year of COVID-19 has forced nearly everyone to adjust some aspect of their lives, from altering daily routines to achieving lasting accomplishments. So when Trevor Hall was planning out his Eagle Scout service project but then shutdowns were enforced due to the pandemic, he had no choice but to adapt.

Hall saw the adjustment as an opportunity to do his part to help his community during a global pandemic. He, along with a group of 12 volunteers, sewed and delivered 269 reusable masks and donated nearly $700 worth of supplies to Crescenta Valley High School where Hall is a senior. The supplies included gloves and face shields, and sanitizing products such as cleaning wipes and hand sanitizer.

“I saw how people were doing this for hospitals and police and all sorts of different places, and I didn’t really see anything helping out our schools,” Hall said.

The project was completed in just three weeks allowing Hall to deliver them to CVHS by Aug. 7, in time for the school’s textbook pickup event for the upcoming year, which is now in session.

The Eagle Scout rank can only be achieved if all its requirements are met before the scout’s 18th birthday, which for Trevor was Sept. 2. The then-17-year-old, now 18, was aiming to beat not one deadline, but two.

Staying as cautious as possible, Hall never met with all 12 of his volunteers at the same time. With less face-to-face interaction, he was reduced to conducting his business the way most Americans have done since the pandemic: via phone calls, emails and numerous Zoom sessions.

Wanting to limit contact and ensure cleanliness, the CVHS senior carried out his own precautions to ensure he was following all safety protocols.

“It made the way that I did [this project] much different,” Hall said, referring to the extra precautions he set for himself. “Can you put them in a Ziploc baggie and leave [the supplies] on your porch and I’ll come pick them up?” was the conversation he had with each of his volunteers.

His donations were received enthusiastically by CVHS administrators, Hall said, and by one of the school’s custodians as well – to the student’s surprise. The custodian claimed he had been trying to get a batch of supplies such as the ones donated “for a while.”

Hall will appear before a board of review later this month to complete the final steps of his process before receiving the prestigious honor. Although he has already turned 18, this is allowed by the Boy Scouts of America, as long as the physical aspect of the project was completed prior to the 18th birthday.

The soon-to-be-Eagle Scout also hopes his project will ensure the school can have extra cleaning products and masks for students in the event someone loses a mask or forgets it at home when in-person learning resumes.

“My hope was that this project can help us get back to school safely,” said Hall, adding that it is his desire for his classmates, especially seniors, to be able to enjoy a somewhat regular in-person school year.

  Michael LEVITSKY