5 Secaucus Teens Earn Rank Of Eagle Scout

SECAUCUS, NJ — This June, Secaucus Boy Scout Troop 222 added five new Eagle Scouts to its ranks.

On June 14, five scouts from Troop 222 earned the highly distinguished Eagle Scout award. This is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts Boy Scouts of America program. It is the hardest achievement in all of Scouting, with only four percent of Scouts qualifying for the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

In 2026, Secaucus Boy Scout Troop 222 will be celebrating its 100th anniversary as a troop. This is a testament to all of the positive impacts Scouting has made in the Secaucus community. If you’re interested in learning more about Secaucus Boy Scout program and Troop 222, drop by one of their weekly meetings, which are held every Sunday at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria of Immaculate Conception Church in Secaucus or contact Scoutmaster Christopher Namendorf at Feefnamendorf@gmail.com

All five of these young men started out as Cub Scouts, and Mrs. Helen Allen was their Scout master. She still runs the Secaucus Cub Scout pack today. She was invited as a guest of honor at their Eagle Scout ceremony on June 14.

Here are the five young men who earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and the service projects they did to earn it:

Andrei Mikel De Los Santos has been involved in Scouting for 11 years, having joined Scouting in 2014 as a Cub Scout. For his Eagle project, Andrei renovated the gym of Immaculate Conception church. He coordinated the repainting of the gym walls, replacing the curtains, fixing of emergency signs, pressure washing and repainting of the vents and deep cleaning the floors. Asked why he chose this project, Andrei said, “ICC has always been a space where the community comes together … I wanted to give back to a place that had given so much to our town, and leave it in even better shape for future events.” Andrei was able to accomplish this with the support of his parents, Jasmine and Edwin Delos Santos (a Scoutmaster for six years), his brother Adrian (also an Eagle Scout), and volunteers from his troop. Reflecting on his time in Scouting, Andrei said, “It helped me grow as a person and prepared me to face challenges with confidence in life and a positive attitude.”

Derek De Leon joined Cub Scouts when he was in the 1st grade and has been scouting for 12 years. Due to his love of biking, he wanted to incorporate his hobby into his Eagle Project. He, along with a few volunteers, collected used bicycles, fixed and repaired them, and then donated them to the Hudson Transportation Management Association (Hudson TMA) to be given to Hudson County commuters in need. His parents, Darlene and Gerardo De Leon, were very supportive during his Eagle Project. The only challenge, Darlene noted, was “finding storage of the bikes while waiting for Derek to fix everything.” However, to finally see the bikes lined up all clean and ready to load in the truck for delivery to TMA was worth all the effort.

Luke Gutteridge has been involved in Scouting for ten years, having joined the Cub Scouts in the 3rd grade. For his Eagle Project, Luke donated 500 servings of various food groups (chicken, pasta, cereal, etc.) to the Secaucus Food Pantry to fill their shortages. He noticed that many Secaucus residents depended on the pantry and he wanted to help ensure there was enough food for everyone. Reflecting on his years in Scouting, Luke “learned to be disciplined, hardworking, and mature. I became a leader and gained a profound appreciation for the outdoors.” Luke’s parents, Joel and Anna Gutteridge, couldn’t be happier with his involvement in the Scouting program. Joel remarked, “There is no better group than the Scouts to spend time with. It has really helped mold my son into the morally and spiritually upright person he is today.”

Nicholas Elissa started his Scouting journey nine years ago; first in the Cub Scouts and later the Boy Scouts. St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Basking Ridge, where his family attends, was looking to rebuild their retaining wall to maintain the soil and prepare it for planting to sustain their parking entrance. Due to the need of the church, Nicholas decided to work on this as his Eagle Project. He met with the church grounds committee to estimate the amount of work needed to be done and the cost of the materials. Over the course of three days, Nicholas and his team of volunteers were able to transform the retaining wall and parking entrance. His parents, Hania and John Elissa, had to step back and trust Nicholas to take the lead and accomplish the work on his own. They observed him “build a plan, ask questions, and then lead his friends and Scouts during the project. He was confident and focused.”

Justin Rowe began his Scouting journey nine years ago in Cub Scouts and then with the Boy Scouts. For his Eagle Project, Justin renovated the ceiling and walls of the cafeteria at Immaculate Conception Church. He noticed that the cafeteria, where his troop meets weekly and where town events are often held, really needed repairs. They scraped off the old, rusted wall paint and replaced it with new primer and paint. They also replaced the damaged ceiling panels and painted the ceiling. It took two days and lots of help from parent volunteers and fellow Scouts to accomplish the task. Asked what he gained from this project, Justin said “I learned important skills like budgeting, planning, organizing helpers, and leading a project from start to finish.” Justin credits Scouting with helping him to build stronger social skills and to work well with others as a team. Justin’s parents, Paul Rowe and Nancy Lee, recommend Scouting to others because they’ve seen how it helped their son become strong and independent.

Helping to navigate the long process of becoming an Eagle Scout is their Scoutmaster, Christopher Namendorf. He is a third-generation Scout, with his grandmother being a leader of the Girl Guards troop in Secaucus and his grandfather and father both part of the Sea Scouts. Both his parents were involved in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Christopher and his brother Alf are both Eagle Scouts and have been Scoutmasters for Secaucus Troop 222. Today, Christopher’s son Jax is the fourth-generation Namendorf to make his way up the Scouting ranks. Asked why one should join Scouting, Christopher said, “Scouting teaches leadership, teamwork, citizenship, outdoor ethics and personal responsibility. It is also a place where kids build lifelong friendships.”