Three Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 542 Earn Eagle Scout Rank
Zachery J. Rineer, Peter J. Decker and Joseph P. Wright of Boy Scout Troop 542 in Maple Glen, Pa., received the Eagle Scout Award, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America, at a Court of Honor ceremony at Supplee Presbyterian Church.
During his Scouting career, Zach Rineer earned 25 merit badges, including videography and filmmaking. During his tenure in the troop, he made nearly a dozen Scouting-related short films and promotional ads. His leadership positions including Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, Lead Instructor and Assistant Instructor. He participated in the 2013 National Jamboree at The Summit Bechtel Reserve, Mt. Hope, W. Va., and was part of a sailing crew at the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in 2015. He also attended summer camp at Resica Falls for 5 years.
For his Eagle project, Rineer led a group of youths and adults in constructing a “buddy bench” and accompanying rubber mulch, landscaping and explanatory signage at Simmons Elementary School in Horsham, Pa. Children who don’t have anyone to play with during recess sit on the buddy bench and it serves as an invitation for other children to ask them to play. A graduate of Hatboro-Horsham High School, Rineer is a student at Temple University planning to major in media studies or film.
Peter Decker earned 32 merit badges, and held leadership positions including Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Scribe and Assistant Scribe. His High Adventure experiences included Philmont Scout Reservation in Cimarron, N. M. in 2016, and The Summit Bechtel Reserve, Mt. Hope, W. Va., in 2015. He also participated in the 2013 National Jamboree at The Summit and attended summer camp at Resica Falls for 5 years.
Decker’s Eagle project involved leading a group of youth and adults in constructing a walking path behind St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Ambler, Pa. The group dug out the path, adding weed prevention cloth before filling the path with gravel and lining it with bricks to provide a safe and attractive route for church parishioners. Decker is a senior at Wissahickon High School, where he is active on the Water Polo and Swim teams. He plans to attend West Virginia University and pursue a degree in astrophysics.
Joseph “Peter” Wright earned 26 merit badges. He was elected to Order of the Arrow, the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America, and held leadership positions including Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, Patrol Leader, Lead Instructor, and Bugler. Wright participated in High Adventure trips including Philmont Scout Reservation in 2016, Florida Sea Base in 2015 and National Jamboree in 2013. He also attended summer camp at Resica Falls for 7 years.
For his Eagle project, Wright led a group of 27 volunteers to plant 200 trees, each with vinyl deer fencing, at Rose Valley Preserve in Upper Dublin, Pa. His project contributed to the reforestation of Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation while combating the spread of invasive species. A graduate of Lasalle High School, he is currently a freshman at Penn State University majoring in political science,
Pa. State Rep. Todd Stephens presented House citations congratulating the Scouts on their accomplishments and earning the Eagle rank.
Boy Scout Troop 542, based at Supplee Presbyterian Church in Maple Glen, Pa., has more than 90 youth members and is led by Scoutmaster John Schultz. Since its inception in 1969, more than 150 Scouts from Troop 542 have earned the rank of Eagle.