Published on September 28, 2022
Over the summer, Ryker Geesaman, an incoming freshman at Warwick High School, built a Gaga Pit at Bonfield Elementary as a project for his Eagle Scout Troop.
The idea for the project began when Ryker reached out to Mrs. Balsbaugh, the principal at Bonfield Elementary. Ryker has several family friends who attend Bonfield and mentioned how cool it would be if their school had a Gaga Pit.
With the help of fellow scouts and family members, Ryan Geesaman, Travis Stuckey, Matt Stuckey, James Brennan, John Spead, and Carsen Sangrey, the Gaga Pit was built in just 4 hours!
The Gaga Pit was funded using donations from several generous donors in both the Bronze ($500+) and Silver ($1,000+) levels:
Bronze Donors:
North Group
STRAY Production Services
Benchmark
Cloister Flooring
Weierbach & Genetti Prosthodontics
Lititz Lions Club
Michele Fleet
Thom Scott
Silver Donors:
VFW Post 1463
The pit was built just before the school year started and has allowed for students to enjoy during recess, gym class, or even after school hours. During the building stages, Ryker and his team were able to add rubber matting to make sure that the pit wouldn’t get muddy and an ADA gate to allow anyone to join in on the fun!
The goal of the project was to bring a positive impact to both the school and community. Ryker is anticipating many smiles on the faces of those who get to use the pit. He felt that this was the perfect Eagle Scout project as it allows students to get outside and enjoy the game of Gaga.
"My hope for this project is that it will be able to continue to bring happiness and joy to kids for many years to come. Hopefully, it might inspire some of the students to do something like this and give back to their community." - Ryker Geesaman.
Thanks for all your hard work, we can’t wait to use the pit!