Byron-Bergen High School student Luke Hollenbeck has earned the highest rank in Boy Scouts: “Eagle.” Hollenbeck is a member of Bergen Scout Troop 6031 of the Seneca District, Iroquois Trail Council, whose sponsoring organization is the Bergen United Methodist Church. He will be formally presented with the Eagle Award at a special Eagle Court of Honor.
To reach Eagle rank, a scout is required to earn at least 21 merit badges, including 12 in specific categories; and the scouting ranks of Second Class, First Class, Star, and Life. A scout also needs to perform a major community service project, seeing it through from the very start to its conclusion. Hollenbeck’s Eagle Project took place in the Village of Bergen. With help from fellow scouts, friends, and church and family members, he was able to coordinate the remodeling of a storage shed for the Bergen First Presbyterian Church. Hollenbeck and his work team cleared bushes, disposed of unnecessary materials inside the shed, installed a new door, built a ramp leading up to the door, and completed the project by giving the shed a new coat of paint.
Hollenbeck says that the road to Eagle has been a great learning experience and he has gained the most from the outdoor skills and leadership training he received during his high adventure trips to the Adirondacks, and his trip to the National Boy Scout Jamboree, which took place at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia in 2010. He is also a member of the Scouts’ Order of the Arrow.
As a senior at Byron-Bergen High School, he participates in soccer and track, and belongs to National Sr. Honor Society and Ski Club. Hollenbeck plans to major in criminal justice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford with the goal of becoming a police officer.
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