Soaring to success
Neshaminy senior Roland Xavier New earns Eagle Scout medal
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
If there’s one word to describe 18-year-old Parkland native Roland Xavier New, it’s “humble.” The Neshaminy High School senior is never one to toot his own horn, even when he has every right to.
In March 2018, New accomplished a massive feat — he completed his Eagle Scout project at Bristol’s Silver Lake Nature Center, after investing more than a decade of his life with local Boy Scout Troop 19. As is Scout tradition, a Court of Honor ceremony is always held for individuals who reach this top rank.
Still, New didn’t want a big fuss made over him, nor did he want his parents spending what he considered to be unnecessary money on an event. He would’ve been content with simply picking up his medal and being on his way. But family, friends and fellow Scouts weren’t having that. He deserved to be recognized for his efforts.
On Saturday, March 30 at 10 a.m., inside the sanctuary of Langhorne Presbyterian Church, located at 125 E. Gillam Ave., Langhorne, New allowed himself to be praised during a Court of Honor ceremony. Though New said he’s been to a “million” of these, with at least two Scouts earning Eagle rank each year, this celebration was different.
It was for him.
Attendees included Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who presented New with an American flag that was flown over the Capitol, and Rep. Frank Farry. Afterward, guests were invited to Fellowship Hall for a luncheon.
For New, his journey to becoming an Eagle Scout has been nearly a lifetime in the making. When he was in kindergarten, New’s father Earl asked if he’d like to give Boy Scouts a try. He obliged, and ended up falling in love with the experience, which coincided perfectly with his other hobbies.
“I’ve always camped with my parents. We’ve always gone out west on road trips. It’s been the thing that we do for vacations,” he said.
These annual adventures began in 2007, when the News traveled to Alaska. In the years that followed, the family traveled back to Alaska to view the Northern Lights, as well as Mexico and numerous national parks, where the News regularly camped.
“It was a lot of fun. All of that really kept me involved, I think. I was well-versed in the activities because of what I was doing with my parents outside of Scouts,” he said. “I’ve experienced things that kids in my troop probably don’t even know, that are a lot more ‘Boy-Scouty’ than other things.”
Currently, New is taking a bit of a Boy Scout breather, and understandably so. During his 12 years with the organization, he worked tirelessly to climb the ranks and earn merit badges in everything from climbing to kayaking. However, New is looking back at that time with nothing but pride, especially his efforts in March 2018, when he set out to become an Eagle Scout.
When deciding on a project to complete to earn his medal, something that needed to be done before Dec. 1, 2018 when he turned 18, New and his mother Jenn immediately turned to Silver Lake Nature Center, located at 1306 Bath Road. Both were longtime visitors and volunteers, and asked the director if there was any work to be done at SLNC.
New was soon tasked with removing 400 yards of old, wire fencing throughout the park, strewn throughout four separate locations.
“Apparently, three other Boy Scouts had tried it when they were going for Eagle, and they all quit on it to do something else,” New said. “We decided to do it.”
With the help of Jenn and Earl, who was able to secure a free Dumpster through his employer, New found and took down all of the fencing, often running back and forth for wheelbarrows to transport the material, and working around volunteers participating in a large-scale Earth Day cleanup, which happened to fall on the same day.
“We didn’t know how long we would need,” New said. “We thought it would take a whole day, honestly, with how much of it there was and how hard it looked. But it took three hours, which was really surprising.”
According to New, the staff at Silver Lake Nature Center was thrilled that he was able to do what the previous Boy Scouts couldn’t.
“They were really happy,” he said. “We also donated the $200 that the scrap metal got us to them because we don’t need it for anything. We figured, why not give it to them? It’ll do them much better.”
As New adapts to his hiatus from the Boy Scouts, he’s looking ahead to what’s next after graduation. His plan is to get his liberal arts courses out of the way at Bucks County Community College, while deciding between two careers — an artist or a national park ranger.
Once his adult path is more set in stone, New isn’t opposed to returning to the Boy Scouts as a leader and inspiring the next generation.
“I always thought that people should be in Scouts because it teaches you a lot. It teaches you life skills that you’re going to need, whether it’s survival skills, financial skills, medical skills. There’s so many things that I’ve learned, it’s insane,” he said. “Everybody should at least do some form of Scouting, or at least go and enjoy the outdoors and nature. Take a hike, go fishing, go for a drive with the windows down on a scenic route. Do something like that every once in a while because it’s worth it.” ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
