Newtown resident Joseph Belisari, who is also an assistant senior patrol leader for Troop 770, created an outside sitting area and library for St Rose of Lima School.

The area, which is nestled outdoors in the back of St Rose’s playground area, is neatly lined with stone and filled with wood chips. Around the sides of the area are several wooden benches for people to sit and relax on, as well as two statues of children lying down.

At one of the sitting area’s corners is the library, which was donated by the school’s Class of 2024. It consists of a wooden cabinet with dozens of books for people to read during recess. The opposite corner has a statue of Saint Francis, known for his love of nature.

Now a junior at St Joseph High School in Trumbull, Joseph said the project served as the chance for him to give back to the St Rose community.

“I went [to St Rose], so I wanted to give something back for a good eight years of learning,” Joseph explained.

The Eagle Scout Service Project is a merit that recognizes a Scout’s leadership and commitment to their community. It is a necessary step in achieving the Eagle Scout rank, the highest rank a Scout can receive.

The project itself needs to be something a Scout can donate or provide to their community. They also need to secure donations and fundraising for it, and usually lead other Scouts throughout the project completion process.

The process for the outdoor sitting area started in August of last year, when Joseph first took measurements of where the sitting area would go behind St Rose. He was not alone in seeing the project through, as he had the help of his fellow Scouts as well as his dad, Joe Belisari, who is the assistant scoutmaster for Troop 770.

After he met with his troop’s Committee Chair and got the project approved, Joseph met with St Rose Dean of Student Life Mary Jo Bokuniewicz to go over the logistics of his project. This included how much the project would cost, what funds would be spent on, what materials would be used, and more.

For fundraising, Joseph spent one weekend at St Rose Church. After every mass, Joseph spoke about his project and collected donations from people in the back of the church. Joseph also went to different stores with his dad and asked for donations.

The process of actually building the outdoor sitting area started in May. The first step Joseph and his dad took was having their friend till a square area behind St Rose. After that, Joseph and the others laid out landscaping fabric and later started digging holes for the bookshelf’s post.

However, they ran into an issue: on one corner, there was concrete in the ground from the sidewalk.

“So we had to change it to the other side where there wasn’t concrete, so it was a bit of a challenge,” Joseph said.

They concreted the posts in the ground, making sure they were level until the concrete dried. Another hurdle, according to Joe, was all the rain in spring.

“There was no fit schedule for us to work, so we were changing days left and right,” Joseph explained. “Sometimes you couldn’t work on the weekends, but you’d have to find time to work on the weekdays.”

Despite all the weather challenges and occasional building road bump, Joseph and the others finished building the sitting area in June. To Joseph, it felt good to finally have it done.

“There was a lot of weather we had to avoid and a lot of dates we had to change because of that, so seeing everything come together ... was such a great confidence boost,” Joseph said.

Following through on the Eagle Scout Project, he said, helped him develop leadership skills that will carry him into the future.

For Joe, he could not be more proud to see Joseph complete his project. He said it was good watching him grow and overcome challenges along the way.

“We’d come late at night after school during odd hours, but seeing it get done ... I’m just really happy for him,” Joe said.

Joseph thanked the parishioners and donors who supported him throughout the process, whether it was through supplies or funds.

Father Peter Cipriani held a small dedication ceremony recognizing Joseph and his gift to his alma mater on Monday, August 25. Joining Cipriani for the special occasion were Joseph’s family, Bokuniewicz, and a few St Rose students.

“It is our hope, it is our prayer, that many people will take advantage of this area as an oasis of peace,” Cipriani said.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.