For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-742-3922
Email: [email protected]

Local Student Donates Emergency Supplies to Mansfield Public Schools as Part of Community Service Eagle Scout Project

MANSFIELD — Superintendent Teresa Murphy is pleased to share that Mansfield Public Schools recently received a donation of 400 Lockdown Buckets from a local student as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Thomas Petrucci, a Mansfield resident and senior in the criminal justice program at Southeastern Regional Technical High School in Easton, recently donated the buckets to each Mansfield school.

A Lockdown Bucket is a ready-to-grab emergency kit specifically designed for classroom use in the event of an emergency or lockdown situation. It holds some of the essentials for a teacher to use to keep students safe in the event of a school lockdown. The Lockdown Buckets include two wooden door wedges, a roll of duct tape, a hammer, rope, a coloring book, a pack of crayons and a deck of cards. 

The buckets will be placed in each classroom in all Mansfield schools and will help to supplement the district’s existing school safety plans.

“While we hope they never have to be used, the buckets include basic and practical tools that can be used in an emergency situation,” Superintendent Murphy said. “The safety of our students and staff is always of the utmost importance and we are thankful to Thomas for thinking of our schools for his project. We greatly appreciate all of the effort, time and dedication that he put into this project.”

Petrucci created hundreds of the buckets to be used in the schools as the community service component of his Eagle Scout project for Troop 17 in Mansfield.

Superintendent Murphy and Mansfield Police School Resource Officer Det. Ken Wright have been working with Petrucci since last spring on the project. By November, Petrucci was able to secure all of the items that he wanted to include in the Lockdown Buckets. He delivered the buckets to the five Mansfield schools on Dec. 20 and 23.

The total cost of the project, including materials and other expenses, was just over $5,000. Many community members and organizations assisted Petrucci with his project by donating money and volunteering time. The rope was donated by the Mansfield Police Department and Department of Public Works, Lowe’s sold the duct tape at a large discount, Home Depot sold the buckets and lids at cost and Harbor Freight Tools assisted in securing the hammers. The door wedges were made of scrap wood donated by various members of the community and were constructed with the help of one of the troop’s adult leaders in his wood shop. Petrucci also organized a local spaghetti dinner fundraiser, a “Savers Fundraiser,” a can and bottle drive and sold Hilliard’s chocolate bars to raise funds.

Approximately 400 hours in total was spent on the project.

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