Local Teen Earns His Eagle Scout Award

Alex Warkenthien, age 18, of Mundelein, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest advancement award offered by the Boy Scouts of America. Alex was recognized in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on January 5, 2013, at St. Francis de Sales Church in Lake Zurich.

A member of Troop 309 sponsored by St. Francis, Alex is one of approximately 4 percent of all Boy Scouts who attain the Eagle rank. Each candidate must earn a 21 merit badges and successfully complete a community service project to earn his Eagle award.

For his project Alex worked with the St. Francis Jubilee Garden which provides fresh produce for the Emmaus House Community Dinner and local food pantries. The project involved a number of tasks including major tree and brush trimming, a new wood chip driveway, new picnic tables, 4 raised beds for growing herb and root produce, a new pavilion covering the outdoor work and storage area, a season's supply of fertilizer and a substantial donation to the Jubilee Garden Fund. While the project improved the overall condition of the Garden, it will also help increase the yield of the Garden by several hundred pounds. The project was funded by donations from the community and completed with the help of many volunteers working over 100 hours.

Alex has served as Order of the Arrow troop representative and received the Brotherhood Honor in the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scout's Honor Society. Alex also has attended the National Youth Leadership Training Program, High Adventure backpacking in Glacier National Park and the 2010 National Jamboree.

Alex currently attends Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein where he is a captain of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, a Scholastic Bowl member and member of Mu Alpha Theta Math Society and the National Honor Society. He will attend Iowa State University in the fall where he will study Civil Engineering.