Two local Scouts achieve Eagle rank
Boy Scout Troop 10 recently recognized two local Scouts for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at an Eagle Court of Honor on March 22 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, off Crane Road in St. Charles.
• Max Markowicz is a senior at St. Charles North High School. In high school, he participated in DECA, school store, and auto club. He was the team captain for the St. Charles North cross-country team and track team. Max is the son of David and Jo, and also the younger brother of Eagle Scout Grant Markowicz.
Max's scouting career began when he joined Cub Scout Pack 110 at St. Patrick Catholic Church as a Tiger in first grade. He moved up through Cub Scouts and earned the Arrow of Light Award as a Webelos II. He then crossed over to Boy Scout Troop 10.
Over the years, Max served in many leadership positions including: Quartermaster, Patrol leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader and many others. Max earned 29 merit badges. Over the years, Max participated in countless campouts and attended six weeklong summer camps. Max has enjoyed many different campouts and experiences with Troop 10, including the experiences of wilderness survival, climbing, skiing, canoeing, and biking. He also participated in High Adventure trips to Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois, Black Canyon in Gunnison, Colo., and sea kayaking in North Carolina.
Max has advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout with one Eagle Palm. For his Eagle project, he renovated a half-century-old large barn for Garfield Farm Museum in Campton Hills. This project took 165 working hours. Max showed great leadership in managing the materials, the labor, and the implementation of this project. He credits the successful completion of his project to the generous outpouring of support he received from fellow Scouts, family, friends, and local businesses.
• Alex Michael Vonderhaar, a senior at Aurora Central Catholic High School, is a National Merit Scholar and an Illinois State Scholar. He is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the National Math Honor Society and has participated in competitions on the WYSE Team (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering). He plans to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.
Alex is the son of Chris and Carol Vonderhaar of St. Charles. He has a sister, Kelly, and two brothers, Joe and Eric, both of whom are Eagle Scouts. He has played soccer at Aurora Central during all four years of high school and was the team co-captain his senior year. He also played on the tennis team as a junior and senior.
Alex began his scouting career as a Tiger Cub Scout in first grade. He enjoyed the activities and earned his Bobcat, Wolf, Bear and Webelo badges. He also earned the Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei religious awards. As a Boy Scout, he attended summer camp every year at various locations, where he worked on many of his merit badges. Alex has earned a total of 38 merit badges during his seven years in Boy Scouts. He also earned the Pope Pius XII religious award. Alex has held several positions within Troop 10, including Troop Guide, Quartermaster, Chaplain's Aide, Assistant Patrol Leader, and Senior Patrol Leader. Prior to his role as Senior Patrol Leader, he completed the Thunderbird National Youth Leadership Training in Rochelle, Ill.
Alex has participated in many different campouts and experiences with Troop 10, including the opportunities to go caving, skiing, climbing, horseback riding, and white-water rafting. He also went on a High Adventure trip to Pamlico Sea Base in North Carolina where he spent several days sea kayaking and camping on the beach and other campsites. They also stopped in West Virginia to go white-water rafting.
His Eagle Project involved building a garden on the west side of the entrance to St. Patrick's in downtown St. Charles. Alex worked with Charity Davis to plan a garden that would replace the plain grass-filled area so that it would complement the flowers and pavers on the opposite side of the church. They estimated the required materials, tools, garden soil, mulch, bushes, flowers and plants. Alex procured donations from several local businesses in order to obtain project materials as well as food and water for the 18 volunteers who worked on the project. The finished garden is a beautiful addition to the downtown church area. Alex would like to thank the businesses who helped him with their donations, as well as his mentor, Dan Kadolph, who made a donation as well as participating in the project work and providing guidance. The Prayer Shawl Ministry of St. Patrick also made a sizable donation from their gardening fund. Alex would especially like to thank Charity Davis, whose love of gardening and dedication to the parish helped make this project possible.