Cub Scouts to graduate

A few minutes after 7 p.m. on Friday, January 12, seven boys huddled around the front passenger side tire of a Plymouth Grand Voyager parked outside St. Helen School in Howard Beach, oblivious to the winter chill.
They leaned in closely, their collective attention fixed to the activity taking place before them. Two jockeyed, positions for a better view.
“Now you’re letting the air out of my tire,” said Tom Mercatante to one of the boys, his voice rising almost imperceptibly with concern. One could easily imagine that Mercatante was doing a mental calculation on just how much more air he could afford to lose from his tire as each boy had a turn at checking his tire pressure.
“The little stem on the end of this is to let the air out” he said, pointing to the tire valve. “This is the stem cap — make sure this goes back on,” he continued.
Mercatante, assistant Cubmaster of Boy Scouts of America Pack 139 and leader of its Webelos den, was giving the boys their Handyman lesson, one of the last of 20 activities required to earn the Arrow of Light Award. The Arrow of Light is the highest award a Cub Scout can earn and it brings along with it an important rite of passage.
Webelos, short for “We’ll Be Loyal Scouts,” are boys who are at least 10 years old and have completed third grade. Unlike the younger Tiger, Bear and Wolf Cubs whose programs are based on monthly activities, Webelos’ program focuses on 20 activities in five areas including physical skills, mental skills, community, technology and outdoor activity.
The Webelos program, which is broken into first and second year groups, takes about 20 months to complete. By the end of it the boys are ready to leave the Cub Scouts behind to become full-fledged Boy Scouts.
It’s an important moment for the boys and one that will be celebrated in Howard Beach with a special ceremony during the pack’s Blue and Gold Banquet on Saturday, February 10, said Mercatante.
Mercatante noted that one of the biggest distinctions between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts is that Boy Scouts need not be accompanied by a parent during every scouting activity. But none of the boys mentioned freedom from their parents as a perk.
To Matthew Caiazza, 10, it means, “I’ll be a better scout than I was before.”
“I feel really proud of myself. I’ll be able to do more and help more people,” said Caiazza’s twin brother, Thomas.
For Roberto Williams, 10, it means he’ll be one step closer to his ultimate goal of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement a Boy Scout can earn.
“My father was an eagle scout so I want to be just like him,” he said.
Five more Webelos will join the Caiazza brothers and Williams in becoming Boy Scouts next month. They include: Nicholas Curcio; James Leonard; Niko Lowery; and Andrew and Anthony Mercatante (Mercatante’s sons).
It’s a big moment for Tom Mercatante as well, and somewhat bittersweet. He has shepherded these eight boys for years—since they were the tiniest of Cub Scouts—and they’re about to leave his fold.
“In another week or two I’ll be done with them,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”