Back to His Roots: Alex Mattson Enhances the Davis School Garden 

Alex Mattson, a rising senior at Bedford High School, is working towards achieving his Eagle Scout badge, the highest honor in Boy Scouts. The main component to qualify as an Eagle Scout is orchestrating a community service project that has a visible, positive impact. Alex has chosen to rebuild the fence surrounding the Davis School’s plant and vegetable garden. 

This idea originated from his work weeding in the garden area in the past with his Boy Scout troop and realizing how overgrown the area is and noticing that the chicken wire fence is rusty and has holes. He also fondly remembers using the garden to grow tomato plants when he was at Davis. This activity was a part of his first-grade biology unit where the class learned about the importance of plants and their needs by planting tomatoes in the garden and caring for them throughout the springtime. 

The current fence is potentially dangerous due to the rust and stray pieces of metal. Also, the entry to the garden is inefficient as the fence needs to be pulled back and stepped over, which is especially difficult for small children. Alex envisions making the four-foot tall fence out of stained wood and PVC mesh and adding a functional and accessible gate also made out of wood. BEST PTO is working alongside Alex and supporting his project, as improving the garden fence fits under the Davis Enhancement plan that the BEST PTO helps fund. ‘

Alex predicts the fence will be completed by the end of July. The steps for completion include removing the old fence, trimming and possibly relocating some of the vegetation, cementing in the posts, attaching the fence siding, and putting up the gates. 

In addition to the community service project, to become an Eagle Scout a scout must earn merit badges that cover life skills such as wilderness survival and starting a fire, or leadership and financial responsibility by earning badges in financing and budgeting. Alex summarized that the main goal of Boy Scouts is to learn important skills that prepare young people to be independent and to use their leadership to foster community beyond their troop and schooling years, taking what they have learned and applying it in the adult world.  

Alex has been in Boy Scouts for six years and remarked on the “tight-knit community and sense of family” in his troop and the Scouts community in general. In the future, Alex is interested in continuing to help out troops in Bedford or wherever he may be.

Alex had a successful fundraising campaign and is currently looking for a sizable group of volunteers to help with the hands-on labor of this project. Those interested in helping, please contact Alex Mattson at [email protected].