Eagle Scout makes 639 masks for Ridgefield School District

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Gavin Gannon has been working towards his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout for many years. Back when he set his sights on becoming one, he never could have guessed his Eagle Scout project would be sewing hundreds of masks for the Ridgefield School District. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many logistical and planning challenges for schools, including where learning would take place. While the school district will start the 2020-21 school year with online and remote learning, it is also planning ahead to when schools can safely reopen. Gannon, going into 10th grade, decided to make one part of their planning process easier by making masks for students, teachers and staff in the district. “I chose maks for my project to help RSD be a safer environment for when schools are reopened,” Gannon said in a news release. “It’s to help keep the community safe”.  

Gannon’s project was particularly ambitious because he had no prior sewing experience. He started the project by finding a mask pattern and purchasing a variety of fabrics. His mother and grandmother showed him how to cut the patterns as well as assemble and sew the two-layer reversible masks. 

“It was a long process of cutting, sewing the masks together and attaching the other bits,” he said, mentioning that he didn’t mind the challenge. “It was fun, actually.” 

Gannon started the project in late June and finished up about a month later. His original goal was smaller, but his advisor pointed out that more masks would make a bigger impact. 



“We started at 200 (masks) and it went to 600, so it tripled,” Gannon said. 

In all, he ended up making 639 masks in sizes ranging from child to adult. 

Scouting is a tradition in Gannon’s family. His grandfather is an Eagle Scout and helped him join the scouts. Gannon is a member of Boy Scout Troop 320.