Davis leads YCNS flagpole restoration project

Updated on Wednesday, July 17 at 12:02 p.m. 

A new flagpole now stands outside Yorktown Community Nursery School thanks to the efforts of 15-year-old Henry Davis, a YCNS alumnus and member of Boy Scout Troop 173.

The project began after a storm-damaged flagpole, originally installed after the Sept. 11 attacks as a tribute to affected families, deteriorated and fell. When school officials sought assistance, Davis and Troop 173 stepped forward to lead the replacement effort.

Over several weeks, scouts coordinated with the school, gathered materials and planned the installation. Following this year’s Memorial Day Parade, scouts from Troops 173 and 164, along with volunteer parents and former scouts installed the new pole, secured it with concrete, and later Henry and his mother, Connie, planted flowers around its base.

Henry, a Yorktown High School student, said the project helped him apply leadership skills he has developed through scouting

“Boy Scouts has affected me mostly leadership-wise,” he said. “I feel like I can take charge more and get people together to work on one thing.”

Connie, who also serves as one of the troop’s committee members, said the project held special meaning because all three of her children attended YCNS.

“We’re just so proud of him for wanting to give back to the community, specifically to YCNS,” she said, adding that it was great to seen Henry “take the lead on this project and show his leadership skills that he's developed the last few years within Boy Scouts. We extremely proud of him. .

Scoutmaster Chris Muggeo said Henry, the assistant senior patrol leader,  pursued the project because he saw a need.

“He did it because it needed to be done, and he stepped up,” Muggeo said. “That was wonderful to watch.”

Henry is also planning his Eagle Scout project at YCNS, where he hopes to build an outdoor music wall for children on the playground.

YCNS Director Maribeth Fay said that she is “incredibly proud to see a former student return to give back to the school where his educational journey began.”

She added that “this project not only restores a meaningful landmark for our school, but it also beautifully carries forward the spirit of community and remembrance that the original flagpole represented."

Henry said the flagpole project demonstrates what can happen when community members work together.

“This entire project is a good indicator of how, as a town, we can get together and build something,” Henry said. “I think I find that pretty cool.”