St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Cemetery in Hecker recently underwent substantial renovations courtesy of a Smithton teen who is well on his way to earning his Eagle Scout award.

Mark Rozhon recalled getting started in scouts when he was 11, inspired to do so after attending a couple of troop meetings with his older brother.

He spoke fondly about his time in scouting overall, particularly describing a fond week at Roy C. Manchester Summer Camp in Kentucky with his fellow scouts as they worked on a number of merit badges, his favorite being the small boat sailing badge that had him spend time on Kentucky Lake.

Mark’s time in scouts is set to soon reach its climax as he’s been working hard toward the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

In May, he overcame perhaps the largest hurdle toward the award as he completed his service project: doing some much-needed groundwork at St. Augustine Cemetery off Route 156 in anticipation of future memorial ceremonies.

His mother Lori Rozhon helped him decide on his project given her position as secretary at St. Augustine’s.

“My mom had the original idea,” Mark said. “We went out there and saw how badly it was damaged from the storm, and we decided to renovate it, make it look nice for the memorial service that’s planned for the next few years.”

While a great deal of planning, organizing and paperwork goes into each Eagle Scout project, Mark described his efforts at the cemetery with his fellow scouts quite simply.

He explained that the grounds were rather neglected, so they sought to do some clean-up and landscaping that was well overdue.

“We just pulled up some weeds, dug up the debris around, cleaned it up and then we put down mulch, edging, we dug out the old plants, put new plants in to make the cemetery look really nice,” Mark said.

Mark further discussed the satisfaction that came with his efforts, remarking on how nice it was to be able to show some care toward other people’s loved ones.

“I love to do volunteer work,” Mark said. “It really shows how the community can come together to work on a project, make it look nicer. It felt really nice to work on the cemetery, bring it back to life and letting the families of the dead that lie there think about how nice it looks now.”

His mother also commented on Mark and his work on the project. Lori described him as rather sentimental when it came to renovating the cemetery grounds.

She recalled how he became truly interested in the project after speaking with parishioners, realizing what a service it would be to help those folks know that their loved ones in the cemetery are being cared for and remembered.

Speaking more on his journey toward Eagle Scout, Mark was positive about his experience and progress, noting he’s got two more to finish before he properly reaches the rank.

He discussed the time he’s spent working on the many badges required for Eagle Scout, expressing a fondness for the camping and various aquatic badges as well as the more straightforward and fun ones like the chess badge.

While some have proven to be a bit more of a task to overcome such as the citizenship badges, Mark noted how all of them have been beneficial learning experiences for him.

“I think all merit badges that I’ve done have been a very good lesson,” Mark said. “I’ve learned a lot.”

Lori likewise commented on Mark’s journey toward Eagle Scout, praising her son for his efforts and the leader he’s grown up to be.

“Mark is just an outstanding kid,” Lori said. “It’s been an honor to be his mom and watch him grow. He’s a quiet leader. He’s in cross country and track, and a lot of the leadership skills he’s shown are quietly shown, and he gets a lot of response from his teammates.”

With the highest rank in scouting nearly within his grasp, Mark offered his encouragement for younger kids who might be considering becoming scouts as well as those thinking about pursuing the same ultimate honor.

“I say that Boy Scouts is really worth it,” Mark said. “You get to go outside, enjoy time with your friends and get out there in nature. If you’re on your way to Eagle Scout, it can be a fun learning journey.”