By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
NORTHFIELD — The Eagle Scout project completed by Dennis Xu was all about inclusion.
Xu and other members of Boy Scout Troop 72 painted the fence behind the Otto Bruyns Public Library of Northfield, a place near and dear to the Northfield resident’s heart.
“I chose to involve myself with the library because I like to read and I have been going to this library from when I was in elementary school,” Xu said. “I guess you can say it was a place I was close to and familiar with and had a connection with, so I decided to do my project at the library and see how I can help improve it.”
Library Director Aubrey Hiers said Xu approached her with the idea of starting an international language book collection. She said Xu’s idea was to create a collection of books “in various languages — Chinese, Spanish, Bengali — the languages of the different residents here in Northfield.”
“I chose foreign languages because that was also a part of me, being an ABC (American-born Chinese) and speaking Mandarin,” Xu said. “I just felt making and incorporating other cultures and languages was a great path to take with my project, and also give a sense of diversity and embracing the differences in cultures in the community.”
Hiers said the library already had a small Spanish-language section but wanted to expand it “so people could come in and find a book in their language.”
Hiers said she was creating a space in the library for the collection when the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 and “we knew we wouldn’t be able to exchange materials.”
She said they have not abandoned the idea but it was clear Xu would have to go in a different direction.
“I discussed options with my troop leader, Mrs. Hiers and also my parents to figure out an alternative to the project,” Xu said. “We brainstormed many different ideas until we got to painting a mural. … I liked this project because I got to still work with the library for my Eagle project, still be able to incorporate my previous project into it and also do something that I am confident in doing, which is art.”
So Xu shifted the focus of his project, instead designing and painting a mural on the fence behind the building featuring shelves of books with foreign language titles on their spines.
Hiers said it was something that could be safely executed during the pandemic and “would have a similar effect of showing all residents of Northfield that we respect and welcome all cultures and all languages and we’re here for the whole community.”
Xu said the project was perfect for social distancing and observing other restrictions regarding the pandemic.
“It was a plain fence that needed some spicing up and art was also one of my strong suits,” Xu said. “Not only that, it was a project that we could do outside so there wasn’t much of a worry with COVID.”
Xu said he was also able to incorporate parts of his original project into the new idea after Hiers suggested painting book shelves with titles from different languages.
“So rather than physically having an international section in the library, I was able to paint one,” he said. “And after painting I felt that this was a much better and more amazing project than the one I was planning.”
The first step was to draw a sketch of what was going to be painted so the people painting had a guideline and Hiers knew what to expect.
An aging wood fence is not always the best canvas, but Xu said there weren’t any major problems.
“Though the fence was old, many parts of the fence were still usable so my dad and I only had to replace a few of the planks that snapped off,” he said. “There was also a problem with the weather when it rained on one of the days I planned on doing the project and some of the book titles washed off, but after rescheduling and fixing up some of the damaged areas we were able to finish the project.”
Xu said he split the whole process up into sections.
“First I used tape to map out where the book shelves would be and that was the first thing to get painted,” he said.
Next was painting in the books.
“During this I used a Sharpie and also the lines created by the fence planks to map out where each book would be and the height of all the books, then all the helpers would then follow the outline and paint in the books with any color they wish,” Xu said, noting they added flowers, vines, a globe and other items on the shelves.
“The last step was to paint on the titles. I prepared some titles to use consisting of books in foreign languages, but because there were so many books, we took artistic liberty and painted on our own favorite books and other popular books we could think of,” he said.
Hiers was pleased with the final product.
“It was a great idea and I completely have a lot of respect for Dennis, who did not give up on the project and worked hard,” Hiers said. “I am proud of Dennis for modifying the project to find a safe way to carry that message.”
The 17-year-old senior at Mainland Regional High School has been a Boy Scout since seventh grade under Scoutmaster Don Edwards.
“Dennis Xu’s project turned out exceptional,” Edwards said. “As Dennis’ scoutmaster, I could not be more proud of him. He has always been a pleasure and an asset to the troop. Dennis excels in everything he does. He actually started out in Boy Scouts at a bit of a disadvantage. Most Scouts start at age 11 and have seven years to work toward Eagle. Dennis started at age 13 so he completed Eagle in just under five years.”
Xu said he got help from both fellow Scouts and their families, including Tommy McGowan and his parents, Andrew Edwards, Shane Edwards, Ryan Edwards, Jackson Little, Nathan Sbrolla, the Lawlers, the Sundras and Dylan Eisele and his parents.
“The Friends of the Library helped with donating money for me to buy the supplies like paint and paint brushes,” Xu said.
Xu, who plans to study biology at the University of Richmond in the fall to prepare for a job in the medical field, said the help and support of others was vital to the project’s completion.
“I couldn’t have done it without them. I am very thankful to Mrs. Hiers for giving me the opportunity to do this project and allowing me to do it at the library and working with me on the design and parts of the planning,” Xu said. “Because of how large-scale of a project it was to paint the whole fence and write in the titles (which took way longer and was much harder than expected), it would’ve taken a long time if it was just a few people but so many of the Scouts and parents picked up brushes and helped out, allowing the project to finish quickly and without any problems. It was thanks to them that I was able to accomplish this project.”
Xu also is an accomplished pianist, having played for the past 10 years, and said he plans to continue taking lessons and may minor in music. He began winning awards for his piano playing prowess at just 9 years old. More recently, in 2018 he took first place in a technique competition. He also has been competing in the Ocean City Pops Student Competition for the past three years, taking first place in 2020 after placing second in 2018 and 2019. The next Pops competition is in May.
Hiers said more then eight languages are represented in the book titles painted on the fence. She also noted that until the library creates its own foreign language section, she can get books from any other depository in the state. Anyone seeking a specific book or a book in a specific language can arrange that through the library at 241 W. Mill Road.
