A ceremony was held to honor Eric Pennella’s progression to Eagle Scout at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Nov. 26.

“It’s a lot of hard work to becoming an Eagle Scout,” Pennella said. “It’s a lot of teamwork, working with other people and then a lot of leadership that goes into it. It’s a team effort.”

Pennella is a member of Boy Scout Troop 146 based in Salisbury Township. Family, friends and other members of Troop 146 attended his court of honor.

“It’s a stress reliever right now, because I’ve spent a lot of time planning this,” Pennella said following the ceremony.

To gain the rank of Eagle, Scouts must complete volunteer projects, totaling around 100 hours of volunteer work and earn 21 merit badges. After earning the Eagle rank, Scouts are able to continue on and become assistant Scoutmasters.

Pennella chose to complete projects around St. Paul’s Church. He placed landscaping blocks around the church’s sign to make a garden, repainted the front doors and created a rain garden to block rainwater from the basement.

“A very small percentage of Scouts actually achieve the rank,” Joe Robert, Scoutmaster of Troop 146, said. “It’s one of the few achievements as a youth that still holds a significant weight long term.”

Pennella, a senior in high school, plans to apply to St. Vincent University to study petroleum and natural gas engineering after graduation.