The Titan Walkway: one path, one school and a new freshman tradition created by senior Stephen Clare.

“I was looking for an Eagle project [to become an Eagle Scout],” Clare said. “I thought it would be cool to talk to my school [and] start a new tradition.”

The pathway hugs the eastern curves of the building and is made of bricks and gravel. Clare worked with Vice-Principal James Shellard to bring the project to life.

“The point of an Eagle project is to make sure you’re in charge of the project,” Clare said. “[But Shellard helped] bring the materials [such as the bricks] from the maintenance department on one side of the school to the sidewalk on the other.”

The bricks used in the pathway also have special significance to South. The bricks were left over from a project of Jeff Yordy’s, an iconic GBS teacher who passed away last year.  However, trouble struck, according to Clare’s eagle scout mentor Sara Filipiak.

“The problem was there weren’t quite enough [bricks],” Filipiak said. “Stephen had to [problem solve]. He did research, he [called] hardware stores and he found the bricks to finish the path.”

Filipiak’s role was to guide Clare through his project from beginning to the end and also to help assist him in his plans of helping his neighborhood.

“I’ve worked with a couple other scouts, and [I’ve] found that when a scout has passion, they really feel like they’re giving back to the community,” Filipiak said. “For Stephen, I really think this had a personal appeal to him because it was his school.”

The Titan Walkway is not only a symbol of Clare’s project, but of the students who walked the path, according to Shellard.

“It was important to recognize that the freshmen are not just welcomed, but celebrated here,” Shellard said in an article on the GBS website. “At South, we [are here] to guide them.”

Freshman Emily Belga agreed with Shellard about the premise of the school’s welcoming attitude towards freshman.