Scout looks out for the little ones
New deck will give students safer place to wait for parents
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer
When children get out of school, they're usually excited and can behave erratically. Couple this with parents' cars swarming in and out of the parking lot, and it's not hard to jump to the worse conclusions.

ERIC SUCAR staff Andrew Pfefferkorn, 18, stands on the deck he built on the CCD school at St. Joseph's Church in Millstone. He built the deck as part of his Eagle Scout project to give students a place to safely wait for their parents to pick them up.

As a first-grade volunteer Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) teacher at St. Joseph's Church in Millstone, Andrew Pfefferkorn, 18, often felt the uneasiness that this type of situation brings on.

"The little kids would just run out of the building and into the parking lot, looking for their moms and dads," Pfefferkorn said. "I'm surprised they didn't get run over because everyone is always in a hurry and some parents don't even drive in the right way."

Pfefferkorn decided to try to make students safer by giving them a place to wait. He designed and built a deck on the CCD school building as part of his Eagle Scout project. He started working in March 2007 and recently completed the structure.

Pfefferkorn used the skills he learned from being a Boy Scout since the age of 5 and taking woodshop classes in high school to draw up plans for and execute the project, which required input and permits from the church and the township.

"I look at it and say, 'That looks pretty professional. Who built it?'," he joked.

Although Pfefferkorn did a majority of the work, he also oversaw a team of family members and Scouts during the development of the deck and gained sponsorship for the project from The Ladies of St. Joseph's, The Knights of Columbus, and Hope Fire Company. He also noted Scoutmaster Bill Mayer as an endless source of support.

The Rev. Michael Lang said Pfefferkorn's project is a blessing for the parents and children of the parish.

"The project is a great help because teachers can take the youngest children as they are leaving religious education and keep them on the deck until their parents show up," Lang said. "Andrew did a fantastic job coordinating it, as all of the Eagle Scouts have done with their projects at the church."

Lang said he is very taken by all of the young parishioners who have chosen church grounds as the site for their Eagle Scout work. "I believe it is a testament to their faith and to their connection with the church," he said.

Other Eagle Scouts provided the church with a prayer garden, a patio area with benches, landscaping, picnic tables, and an information kiosk. Lang also noted that Scouts plan to create a retaining wall filled with flowers around the statue and an awning over the new deck.

Pfefferkorn said scouting has provided him excellent training in leadership, first aid, and basic life skills. He said he is most proud of accomplishing the tasks necessary to achieve all 13 Eagle Scout merit badges.

His parents, Anita and John, said they are proud that their son hung in with the Scouts to get to this level of achievement.

"I don't know too many kids his age that give up their free time to do kind of stuff," John said. "He even surprises me sometimes."

Andrew not only volunteers his time to teaching CCD, but he also volunteers for stage crew at the Allentown High School theater and the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. He also has his own stage and does choreography while working at the Jersey Devil Haunted Hayride on weekends in October.

Pfefferkorn volunteers his time to helping organize the annual New Egypt Area Relay for Life, which raises funds and awareness for people affected by cancer. He also does a variety of jobs, including certified lifeguard, at Indian Rock Resort in Jackson.

With plans to attend Brookdale Community College in Lincroft this fall, Pfefferkorn said he would like to have a career programming videogames or working with computer graphics.