Paint brushes scattered all over the grass, hammers banging, and piles of granite being delivered was the scene on Saturday, March 5. All these activities played a part in trying to clean up the area around the tennis courts.

Senior Jackson Cobb has started and finished his Eagle Scout project and is trying to beautify the tennis facilities at Bowie.  His project included making water cooler stands, staining picnic tables, and adding a walking pad made out of granite right outside the tennis shed.

“Being around the Bowie tennis courts for four years, I was starting to get a broad perspective and I realized that these things could help the school and the tennis organization,” Cobb said.

Tennis coach James Dammann was excited that the facilities will be updated and look nicer for visiting teams.

“I really appreciate what Jackson has done for the tennis facilities and am so glad that he has taken the time to make the area look nicer,” Dammann said.

In order to complete all the tasks Cobb must do with tennis and Eagle Scouts, organization and planning plays a big role.

“It’s all about time management,” Cobb said.  “Before every week I sit down and I write down all I need to do and then I figure out what time I have, so I almost create a schedule for myself.  It makes me work more diligently and efficiently when I know that I’m on a schedule and I need to get X amount done in Y amount of time.”

Cobb has recieved an endless amount of support.

“When I first started this, I planned on having it done by the beginning of next year. Because of the great support by the booster club, I was able to get it done by March,” Cobb said.

Several teammates came to work on the project to help out.

“I participated because it was an excellent opportunity to support the team and to spend time with my friends,” senior Mariya Shkolnaya said.  “We are all very close, so anytime we get together we always have  fun and create a lot of amazing memories.”

The volunteers were down to business, but also had some fun towards the end of the day.

“The experience was honestly really fun,” senior Ksenia Vlassova said.  “We painted tables and also ended up painting each other.  We also helped sweep up leaves and pull weeds. At the end, the most fun part, we played the knot game where we held hands randomly and tried to unwind ourselves. Overall it was really fun and it made me grow closer to my friends and teammates.”

Once the project was finalized, Cobb was able to feel a sense of relief and accomplishment.

“My favorite part was finishing because it turned out fantastic and in the back of my mind, I knew that I played a part in making the tennis courts a nicer place,” Cobb said.

The lessons and experiences have taught Cobb important skills he will use in the future.

“This really has taught me that there is always something that can be done to help people, and there will always be people to help you if you look for it,” Cobb said.  “Everyone that came out showed tremendous support throughout the project.”

Along with the cleaner area, the project also helped the teammates bond even more.

“This project will affect the tennis team by giving us a cleaner facility to play in,” Vlassova said.  “Also, this project definitely brought the team together because we all diligently worked together and had fun at the same time.”

The lasting effects of this project will remind the other tennis players all the hard work and effort that was put in.

“I think this project really helped improve the tennis facilities,” Shkolnaya said.  “When I walk by I can see a considerable improvement in how the area looks, which makes me feel proud of all the work everyone put in. Every time I see what we did, I remember how much fun it was working together with the other players.”