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Eagle Scouts recognized at Court of Honor
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By Margie Stanislaw
Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 12:54 p.m.
Updated: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Harrison City Boy Scout Troop 230 honored five Eagle Scouts at their Biannual Court of Honor.
“Not every boy who joins a Boy Scout troop earns the Eagle Scout rank; only about five percent of all Boy Scouts do so,” according to the Boy Scouts of America.
Troop 230 of Harrison City honored five Eagle Scouts last month at a Court of Honor held at the First United Church of Christ, where the troop has been chartered for 60 years.
Scout Master John Mueller, during the ceremony told the boys and their families “becoming an Eagle Scout is something to strive for, not something to push off.”
The rank of Eagle requires not only planning and project management skills, but also that a young man demonstrate leadership skills and be active in service to his community.
Notable Eagle Scouts include the 38th President of the United States Gerald Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, Academy Award winning movie director Steven Spielberg, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, hence the Boy Scout phrase, “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.”
The five young man honored were David Benson, Alex McCafferty, Tim Seaman, Nate Obringer and Nick Sapp.
Each of the young men planned and executed a large community service work project, where they were responsible for getting the project approved, procuring all the materials, and enlisting help to complete all the labor.
David Benson did a landscaping project at Penn Middle School and also painted railings there. Benson said, “My whole life has been scouting. It's been fun and I'll be there for you guys.”
Alex McCafferty built a bridge at the wetlands park on Pleasant Valley Drive. He said, “It was a lot of fun and I had a lot of help and I'd like to thank everyone.”
Tim Seamen also completed his project at the same site, where he worked on the restoration of the area that will be the park's entrance. He removed two tons of brush and trees. This park and wetlands area is being developed for Penn Township with not only the help of the Boy Scouts, but also with assistance from Waste Management.
Seaman said, “I'd like to thank Waste Management and everyone that helped me.”
Nate Obringer planted trees and shrubs at the New Life Presbyterian Church and also did work on the retention pond. “It was a team effort, and I would like to thank my leaders for pushing me,” he said.
Nick Sapp did a painting project at Community Methodist Church in Harrison City.
“I have to thank my family for helping me to achieve this,” said Sapp, who is a 16-year-old who attends Penn Trafford Middle School. Born prematurely and weighing only 2.5 pounds, Sapp was diagnosed at an early age with Autism on the Asperger's spectrum. His father, Joe Sapp, said the Penn Trafford School District and Wrap-Around Services really helped his son to the point that he was able to be mainstreamed in school.
Joe Sapp also said, “Scouting really helped him (Nick) pick up the social skills and helped him to develop mentally. He is a junior in high school and has just gotten his learner's permit.”
Over the summer Sapp attended Eagle Camp where he worked on the badges required to become an Eagle Scout. Sapp received more merit badges at the Court of Honor than any of his fellow Scouts.
Boy Scout Troop 230 meets every Monday night at the First United Church of Christ in Harrison City.
The troop has about 45 registered Boy Scouts with 12-15 active adults. The Troop committee chair is John Obringer and the Scout Master is John Mueller.
For further information on Troop 230, contact Mueller at 724-861-8960.
Margie Stanislaw is a freelance writer.
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