Most students leave elementary school and move on. For 12-year-old William Joseph Correa, leaving Samuel Staples Elementary School also meant finding a way to give back.
Correa, a seventh-grade student at Helen Keller Middle School and a member of Easton Boy Scout Troop 66, recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout. As part of the achievement, he completed the Samuel Staples Elementary School Lending Library Project, creating a free lending library for students and community members.
“Sometimes students graduate from a school and forget about where it all began,” Correa said. “So, for my project, I wanted to give back to the school community that gave so much to me.”
Correa graduated from Samuel Staples Elementary School in 2024 and chose his former school as the site for his Eagle Scout service project.
The project involved three phases: building the foundation, constructing the lending library and installing the structure. Correa used weatherproof and recycled materials in keeping with the Outdoor Code of Ethics promoted by Scouting America.
The lending library was installed near the Samuel Staples “Seeds of Change Garden,” making it accessible to students during the school day and available to the broader Easton community when school is not in session, particularly during the summer months.
Correa invited members of Troop 66 and Cub Scout Pack 166 to assist with the project. He said the collaboration helped promote inclusion, recruit future scouts and demonstrate the value of teamwork.
“The SSES garden club and other stakeholders in the school community were pleased to have a lending library on school grounds, particularly near the school garden, which is often used as an outdoor classroom and an additional space for book buddies and other school groups to meet,” Correa said.
The new library joins an existing free lending library at the New Friends Playground near Helen Keller Middle School. Together, the two libraries provide free access to books at both of Easton’s public schools while encouraging reading and community connections.
Correa also credited Samuel Staples Principal Kim Fox-Santora for supporting the project and local scouting programs. Santora is retiring at the end of the school year.
“Mrs. Fox Santora is retiring at the end of the school year, and collaborating with her is a special way to honor her many years of service to the Easton community,” Correa said.
