Staff report

Every classroom in the Cuyahoga Falls City School District is now stocked with a safety bucket, thanks to an Eagle Scout project led by Dennis Schaefer, a local student and Boy Scout Troop 152 member. Schaefer took on the initiative after hearing Security Supervisor Ben Gessford highlight the need for lockdown safety supplies at a Board of Education meeting.

After securing approvals from his troop, the school district, and the Boy Scouts’ Great Trail Council, Schaefer worked with Gessford and District Nurse Krystal Nykaza to determine what the buckets should contain. Donations helped fund essentials like bottled water, toilet paper, candy, and storage bags, while a $25,000 grant obtained by Gessford provided first aid kits for each bucket.

Schaefer and a group of family and friends assembled the 400 buckets at the district’s bus garage, repurposing pickle buckets that were cleaned and dried before distribution. The district’s maintenance team then delivered them to classrooms across the district.

Schaefer, the son of Board of Education member Carrie Schaefer, received praise for his work. “Dennis could not have completed this endeavor without the guidance and encouragement of Mr. Gessford and Maintenance Supervisor Mr. Woodard,” his mother said. The project not only helped him earn Eagle Scout status but also strengthened emergency preparedness across the district.