This summer, Oliver Weibel Tullio, 19, of Jaffrey, at last officially completed the journey to receive the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank available within the Boy Scouts of America.
Tullio was looking for ideas for a project, one that would qualify him as an Eagle Scout for Troop 33 when he spoke with Becky Newton, the then-Executive Assistant of the Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce. Newton told him she needed a safety video for those that participate in the town’s bi-annual roadside cleanup because when someone wants to volunteer for the community event, they have to undergo a briefing of safety procedures in person with a member of the state Department of Transportation. But if the Chamber of Commerce had something like a training video, volunteers could get started right away.
Many Eagle Scout projects involve building something for their community, but this idea was a little different, and he was intrigued, Tullio said.
Ultimately, for his project, Tullio not only produced the safety video for the Chamber of Commerce, but also a slightly adjusted video for the state’s Adopt a Highway program for the state Department of Transportation.
Armed with a booklet about trash pickup rules in New Hampshire, Tullio prepared a script, prioritizing the most important guidelines and safety precautions. For three days, Tullio led his troop on filming the public service announcements on Thorndike Pond Road, at Monadnock Disposal Services and the Jaffrey Transfer Station, and then taught some of the troop members some editing basics to turn that footage into short videos.
“The most important purpose of the video is safety. How to work safely. You work facing the traffic at all times. Wear reflective vests. The video contains basic tips done in very good taste. Some of it is even comical in how he presented it. I think he did a great job on it,” Chair of the Jaffrey Democrats Bill Weibel said.
“It teaches media literacy, because they get to be involved in the process of how these things are made,” Tullio said.
“Oliver showed strong leadership and management skills while working on his Eagle Project. His ability to work with a wide variety of people was also on display during the filming of the Safety Training video for the New Hampshire state Department of Transportation” said Ruth Webber, Tullio’s Eagle Mentor.
That leadership role is a key component of the Eagle Scout process, and one of the things Tullio said kept him in the scouting program for so many years. Before earning his Eagle Scout rank, Tullio was the troop’s senior patrol leader for two years, and Den Chief with the Jaffrey Cub Scout Den, as well as a troop guide responsible for teaching new scouts skills during campouts.
And it’s what keeps drawing him back to continue to volunteer with his troop, now that he has graduated from Dublin School and has begun college. Tullio said when he returns home for breaks, he still wants to be involved.
“It’s only in hindsight that you realize that you’re getting this character building and leadership skills. But that’s what it was,” Tullio said of his time in the Boy Scouts.
To view Tullio’s video, visit https:/bit.ly/JaffreyCleanUp.