Penn Manor HS student builds new Marticville sign

When Gabe Kubicar learned that Marticville Middle School wanted to upgrade its roadside sign to display announcements for parents and students, he had an idea. Why not build the school a new sign as his Eagle Scout project?

That’s exactly what the Penn Manor senior – who attended Marticville – did. With help from fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 2 in Holtwood, he raised about $1,500 to pay for materials and completed the sign project in time for the start of school.

Gabe built new sign supports out of pressure-treated wood wrapped in aluminum casing. He reused the familiar old blue sign board, but he added a new section below where letters can be inserted to create messages.

He also re-landscaped the area, removing a tree and some shrubbery that were starting to obscure the old sign, and adding plants, red river stones and a bench made from leftover project materials. As a final touch, he installed solar-powered lights to illuminate the sign at night.

“I’m very pleased with how it turned out,” said the soft-spoken senior, who expects to attain the rank of Eagle – Scouting’s highest rank – in the next few weeks.

Marticville Middle School principal Christine Santaniello said the sign is a major improvement.

“It has been a huge benefit for us in keeping our community and school families more informed of events happening in our building,” she said. “With our old sign, everything was overgrown, and just seeing the sign was difficult.”

“Gabe really cleaned things up, and now we have a sign that is not only very visible but also practical.”

The sign has carried many different messages about upcoming events and activities since school started at the end of August. Recently, it sported a simple message directed at a thoughtful former student: “Thank you, Gabe!”