Students and faculty at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset will be enjoying a new, shady and comfortable outdoor gathering place thanks to a service project by Troop 71 Eagle Scout candidate Patrick Sheehan. Sheehan replaced the school’s 25-year old gazebo with a brand new gazebo, complete with benches and a copper Eagle weather vane. Before installing the new gazebo, Sheehan razed the original one from 1992 that had since succumbed to weather erosion, making it dilapidated and unusable. The new wood structure refreshes the academy’s grassy area just west of the main entrance, often used for recreation, gatherings and other events, and will receive new landscaping and plantings to beautify its surroundings. Started in June, the project was completed on Aug. 20, just in time for start of the 2016 school year.
The Academy could not be happier with the new addition. 
“For almost 25 years, the gazebo at OLMA has been a treasured structure. It has provided a memorable location for our students to participate in outdoor learning experiences and informal gatherings. In the spring, it is an integral aspect of our annual ‘Reverse Shakespeare’ performance,” remarked OLMA President Margaret Myhan. “Collaboration with others and reverence for the earth are among the core values of the Sisters of Mercy. Our new gazebo provides the ideal venue for the extended Circle of Mercy to embrace these special values and enjoy the beauty of the OLMA property. We are so grateful to Troop 71 Eagle Scout candidate Patrick Sheehan for making this a reality.”
An Eagle Project is an opportunity for a Boy Scout applying for Scouting’s highest honor to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a service for the benefit of hiscommunity. For his service project, Sheehan raised the funds, recommended a design and recruited and organized the labor himself to benefit OLMA, the 90-year-old Sisters of Mercy college preparatory institution for girls. This latest addition is just one of many Eagle Projects that have benefited the community in Troop 71’s over 90-year history. Learn more at www.plandometroop71.com.
