John Carroll Catholic High School (JCCHS) senior Peter Ray recently completed his Eagle Scout requirements. He used the project as an opportunity to better the John Carroll community and enhance the current and future experiences of Cavalier students.

According to Ray, “Being an Eagle Scout accounts for over five years of hard work which includes months of paperwork, hundreds of classes and meetings, and lots of physical stress.” Once 85-90% is finished, it all comes down to the Eagle Scout Project. The project’s purpose is to demonstrate leadership and serve the community.

“At John Carroll,” Ray says, “many students enjoy spending class time outside, especially after spending the majority of 2020 inside.” This fact allowed Ray to take the first step of the project: the “proposal process.”

“I had considered many other project ideas at the school, some included a small amphitheater on the hill by the breezeway and another was permanent seating outside the lunchroom” said Ray. The final plan, however, was an outdoor classroom with a lecture podium and seating for about 25 students.

For the new classroom, Ray chose the space outside the art and choir rooms, under 3 large trees.

The planning, paperwork, approvals/signatures, fundraising, and building took about three and a half months. With the help of John Carroll's alumni director Mike Bouton, Ray’s father, and many teens, he finished around mid-October. The cost of the entire project was $792.84, which Ray said worked out perfectly because he had raised exactly $800.

“I'm proud of the project, and I hope that it will be a useful and enjoyable space for JCCHS faculty and students for many years to come.”

Ray will be attending Samford University in the fall of 2022 with plans to study business and marketing.