Senior Justin Tennenbaum has finally made it acceptable for kids to write on tables.

Tennenbaum built whiteboard tables for Hebron Valley Elementary school as a part of his prerequisites to become an Eagle Scout.

“Boy Scouts has given me a lot,” Tennenbaum said. “I’m ready to adapt to anything. You could drop me on an island, stranded, and I’d be better prepared.”

Tennenbaum has been a Boy Scout since the age of 5. In order to become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank, he needed to have 21 merit badges and had to have completed a service project. After contacting his local elementary school at the recommendation of other Eagle Scouts, he emailed the principal, Adrienne Gall.

“[Gall] told me she’d like to have more whiteboard tables as a part of Strategic Design, the district’s innovation initiative,” Tennenbaum said. “She already had a few from the husband of a teacher who had made them. She said they were a huge hit.”

Tennenbaum first recruited a friend whose dad is a carpenter. They worked in his workshop after buying materials from Home Depot.

“We had a bunch of designs,” Tennenbaum said. “In order to make it work we had to fidget with it a little. The first table was really hard to make, but it got faster and faster with each consecutive table.”

The tables were 48 x 48 and the total cost was $750. Tennenbaum was able to fundraise a portion of the cost by sending out letters to local businesses and doctors. After completing the tables, Tennenbaum used another friend’s pickup truck to transport them to the elementary school.

“The principal was really happy about it,” Tennenbaum said. “It contributed to their learning lounges and I was happy I could help.”

Later in the year, Tennenbaum was able to become an Eagle Scout.

“It was a fun journey,” Tennenbaum said. “I really hope other people continue the tradition. It’s nice to see that I’ve been recognized for something.”