Hometown Heroes: Theodore and April Haarke of Wading River
Boy Scouts April and Theodore Haarke stand with Theodore's flag depository box at the Long Island Antique Power Association in Riverhead. Credit: Morgan Campbell
From “retiring” old flags to providing academic resources to homeless children, two Wading River siblings are helping to improve their community — while also making history.
Theodore and April Haarke, who attend Shoreham-Wading River High School, both recently completed service projects to become an Eagle Scout, which is the highest achievement attainable within the Boy Scouts of America. They are the first brother and sister to simultaneously earn the honor in Suffolk County.
Theodore Haarke’s project consisted of creating a flag depository box and a bench outside of the Long Island Antique Power Association in Riverhead, where he also performed a restorative paint job on a 1943 Caterpillar tractor. April Haarke prepared 75 individual science projects for use by children at a local homeless shelter through the Long Island Science Center in Riverhead.
“A flag depository is where you put tattered flags,” said Theodore Haarke, 17, a junior and a member of Troop 161 in Shoreham. “You’re not really supposed to throw them away, and there aren’t a lot of depository boxes out east.”
Haarke estimates he has collected about 75 flags through the new box on Sound Avenue in front of the Long Island Antique Power Association, where he is a member of the Tractor Club. His scout troop then “retires” the flags as part of a ceremony that consists of unfolding them and laying them over a fire pit, he said.
April, who said she funded her project using a $500 grant from the Andrew McMorris Foundation in Wading River, filled 75 shoeboxes with an assortment of science experiments. She also included QR codes that enable children to access instructions posted on a private Google Drive.
“I’m just happy to get more kids interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” said April, 15, who is a sophomore and a member of the all-girl Troop 23G in Center Moriches. “That’s what basically inspired me to do my project.”
Theodore Haarke is also a member of his school’s golf and tennis teams, while April is a member of the Art and Future Farmers of America clubs and the art and literary magazine Cymbals. In addition, she is involved with the Town of Riverhead’s Youth Court, which is a voluntary alternative to the traditional juvenile justice system for youth offenders.
“We are pleased to have these two students in our high school,” said Shoreham-Wading River High Principal Frank Pugliese. “In addition to their exceptional academic work, they looked beyond our school community and found worthwhile and far-reaching projects to qualify for this rank. We are proud that they took the initiative to give back to our greater community.”
April is the 20th female to earn her Eagle Scout Award in Suffolk County, according to the Boy Scouts of America’s Suffolk County Council.
Nominate a Long Islander who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com (photos should be high-resolution). Photos may be used in other publications affiliated with Newsday.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
