Enjoying Devin’s success was grandmother Lucille Kress, mom Ana Baker, grandmother Carmen Iraola and of course Devin himself .
On August 30 a ribbon cutting-celebration was held at The Museum of Ventura County for the opening of the Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Children’s Garden, the Museum’s new experiential learning environment for children of all ages.
The highlight of the new garden is the Chumash dwelling constructed by Devin Kress with help from scout members, friends and family. The garden also contains Myrtle the Turtle sculpture, a stone gathering circle and beautiful murals.
Devin’s Eagle Scout project was to build a Chumash Ap (dwelling) for the new Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Children’s Garden.
In accepting the recognition that he received at the opening he told the gathered crowd “Hi, my name is Devin Kress and I’m a student at Ventura High School and a Boy Scout with Troop 119. I am also a lifelong resident of Ventura. Over the last two months and with the help of family, friends, Scouts from Troop 119 and many other new people I met along the way, I was able to construct the Chumash ap here at the museum for my Eagle Scout project.”
“Let me just start by saying I had no idea what I’d be getting into. This was a great experience for me because I was able to build something that will help kids for many years to come. Along with the museum docents and staff, I took a trip to the Chumash Indian Museum where we learned a lot about the Chumash people and saw some cool artifacts. I could not have done this project without the help of Gray Wolf and the staff at the Chumash Indian Museum. “
“Over 350 hours went into this project and there’s a long list of people that made this project possible. Including fellow Scouts and parents for also helping me gather materials that I needed from the riverbed. “
“I want to give a special thanks to Megan Gately, Museum Director of Education & Outreach for giving me the opportunity to do this project. Back in April, Megan asked me to work on the project. We put in many hours planning, discussing and working on it. She gave me a huge level of trust and responsibility.”
“I am very proud that my project will help to give kids and adults a new learning experience about Chumash culture here at the museum for years to come and I am glad to have done it for the museum.”
Devin’s mom Ana had this to say regarding Devin’s project “ This was a very challenging project but the fact that so many people came together to help was heartwarming. This project will live on and be able to give a little piece of history to all. I am a very proud mom. Devin has a few more badges to earn before becoming an Eagle Scout (like his older brother Diego) but this project was the biggest part.”
On hand was Ventura Mayor Cheryl Heitmann who presented Devin with a proclamation from the City Council and stated “ The round Chumash-style dwelling Devin created for the Children’s Garden as his Eagle Scout project is amazing and a wonderful addition to the space. “
The Children’s Garden is a wonderful addition to the Museum. It will serve as a teaching opportunity and will draw even more families to the museum. Made possible by the generosity of Howard Boroughs and Barbara Meister, it is a gift to the city and especially the children.”
For more photos go to www.venturabreeze.com
