MEDWAY - When Charlie Ross was in middle school, he made a promise to his middle school track coaches that, if he were to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, he would build them an equipment shed for track equipment that would be closer to the middle school track. 

And a few years later, he did just that. 

Ross, 18, a lifelong Medway resident and scout for 12 years, is the 71st Eagle Scout from Boy Scout Troop 367 in Medway. 

“Scouting has given me life and leadership skills I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else; scouting is a great program, particularly in Medway,” says Ross. “Eagle projects like these help fill in gaps where this is a need, but no funding. Boy Scouts gives you skills for a lifetime. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.” 

For this project, Ross, who has participated in track for several years, “fundraised $2,175 and renovated a storage shed for the Medway Middle School Track and Field Team…It was a long process. I put together the proposal, got it approved, fundraised, renovated the shed and then painted it. I started in May (2022) and finished at the end of September.

Ross says he received help from family, friends, and the community. 

“My parents and the leaders and scouts of Medway Boy Scout Troop 367, as well as several Eagle Scouts who have graduated, all helped out. Even my older sister Abby helped paint the shed. Mr. Doug Wahl, one of our former troop leaders, was particularly generous with his construction expertise.”

Ross also worked with Medway Public Schools Superintendent Armand Pires, as the project sponsor, and MPS Athletic Director Jeff Parcells. 

“Several local businesses such as DiCicco Overhead Doors, Medway Lumber, Rocky’s Ace Hardware, K & K Mulch and Loam, and Home Depot in Bellingham also generously donated materials or gave discounts on supplies which greatly helped keep the rising building costs on or below budget,” says Ross.

Due to some additional material donations, he was able to donate an overhead garage door and carpentry supplies, plus $800 from the project fundraising to the Middle School Track and Field program, which Ross says they will likely use for additional track and field equipment. 

In addition to being an Eagle Scout, Ross is the president of the Class of 2023, a U.S. Presidential Scholar Nominee, Team Captain of the MHS Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams, and a sprinter and a hurdler. He plans to attend Boston College in the fall to major in physics and/or math.