Megan Murello
Eagle Scout Project
After five years of leading and learning in Scouts BSA, I finally was ready to take on the final step of completing my Eagle Scout Project. I designed, fundraised, constructed, project managed, and installed three eight-foot costume storage racks for a middle school theatre department over the course of six months.
Costume Rack Designs
The beneficiary of my project, the Argyle Middle School Theatre Department, had just moved into a new campus and was in dire need of storage space for their costumes. I worked with my former middle school director to find ways in which I could help their department, and we landed on constructing some sort of costume "island" racks for their room to fill the storage need. After visiting the site multiple times and communicating with the directors on their vision, I attempted designing for the first time, drafting these custom eight-foot-tall costume racks that included adjustable brackets and over six feet of storage space (shown right and below).
Costume Rack Construction
After months of proposals, fundraising, and planning, it was time for my project workdays. While an Eagle Project is meant to teach many things, this exercise is meant to put leadership and project management skills to the test. On these construction workdays, I led Scout and adult volunteers as well as friends who came out to help. I shared my design plans, gave safety debriefings, and delegated different project tasks to each person based on tool use history and what skills each person wanted to put into practice. We built all the way from the bases to the roofs of the racks through these workdays. Later, my family and I painted and embellished the structures with adjustable hanging brackets and rods.
Costume Rack Installation
Once all three costume racks were completed, I held another volunteer day at Argyle Middle School to transport and install the racks in their costume room. As we had to detach parts of the racks for transportation, I led the scouts in unloading and bringing the racks into the school, reattaching the base of the racks to the supports, and finishing any paint touch-ups.
Finished Project
Through my Eagle Scout Project, I was able to combine two of my passions - Scouts and Theatre - and strengthen my construction, organizational, and leadership skills. You can see below the original state of their costume room and the room after the additions of the custom costume racks. Through this invaluable opportunity, I learned how to effectively project manage and communicate to large groups while also providing a solution to this theatre department's lack of storage space.
Management
By Event Managing and Production Managing in various capacities, I've been able to explore an entirely new aspect of project management and apply what I've learned to technical theatre.
Event Manager/Coordinator,
Council Camporee
Once a year, a Scouts BSA Camporee occurs that includes all districts within the Longhorn Council. Troops come from all of North Texas to compete in various events and participate in fellowship. My Troop received the honor of hosting Camporee, and I served as the point person and responsible leader for logistics and communications. I organized the schedule for each event, coordinated with other Troops' leaders, and collaborated with my fellow Troop members to ensure the events unfolded as planned.
Production Manager,
Silverado Showcase
In the Silverado Show, I have worked for the past three years with dance company directors and competition teams to put together their annual showcases. I run every rehearsal leading up to the event, communicate the technical aspects requested by the teams, and call cues during the run of show, making sure all dancers are kept updated on where we are in the performance.
Community Outreach
From building sets at church to fundraising for clean water wells in South Africa, I've had the opportunity to serve my community and work on a variety of projects with new people.
.jpeg)
