Eagle Scout Michael Frissora of Fair Haven (left) is pictured at the BSA Troop 67 Court of Honor with Elmer Potter, who at 90 years of age is Monmouth County’s oldest living Eagle Scout.
Press release from Fair Haven School District
Fair Haven resident Michael Frissora has attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest possible achievement for a member of the Boy Scouts of America. The award was conferred by BSA Troop 67 Scoutmaster Michael Maier at a Court of Honor, held on January 8 at First Presbyterian Church in Red Bank.
For his Service Project, an Eagle Scout requirement, Michael returned to his “roots” and gave back to Fair Haven’s Viola L. Sickles School, the public primary school where he began his education. Michael’s project was a large garden constructed of recycled wooden pallets and located on a 1,000 square foot lot adjacent to the school.
Many current and former Scouts and parent volunteers assisted in the creation of the garden this past May. It is designed to produce vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants — as well as learning opportunities for the pre-K through third grade students at Sickles School — for years to come. The project was championed by Sickles School Principal Cheryl Cuddihy and also by Media Specialist June Sustick, who will continue to help maintain the garden.
“Mrs. Cuddihy and I had discussed creating a garden, so we were thrilled when Michael called to ask her about the possibility of creating a garden at our school as his Eagle Scout project,” said Sustick. “Michael is such a great person, so hardworking and dedicated. We thank Michael and his team for our school garden, a place where we plan to keep growing and learning.”
Principal Cuddihy spoke at Michael’s Eagle Scout Ceremony, praising his initiative and the great potential of the garden. Cuddihy noted that students attending a program at the school this past summer were able to “proudly harvest and serve” the vegetables, and that a hydroponic garden is a real possibility in the future.
The son of Katy and Tony Frissora of Fair Haven, Michael began his scouting career in Cub Scout Pack 127 in Fair Haven. As a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 67, he earned 21 Merit Badges and was given the Troop 67 William R. Blair Jr. Award.
Michael, who currently attends Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, graduated from Knollwood School in Fair Haven in 2012 and from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School in 2016. His scholastic and sports achievements include Shore Sports Network Player of the Week (Baseball), Distinguished Honor in Science Award, National Honor Society, French Honor Society, High Honor Roll, Math League Captain, Viola L. Sickles Memorial Scholarship Award, and Frank W. Baigent Award for Scholarship.
Less than four percent of Scouts attain the rank of Eagle, and those who do are expected to set an example for other Scouts and to become the leaders in life that they have demonstrated themselves to be in Scouting. They are highly represented in the military, service academies, higher education and academia, and in business, politics, and the clergy. Famous Eagle Scouts include astronauts Neil Armstrong and James Lovell, Olympians Willie Banks and Steve Holcomb, and former U.S. President Gerald Ford.
