Jun 13, 2015 2 min read

John Brook Benhart, 18, of Upper St. Clair has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest advancement award of the Boy Scouts of America. Benhart was recognized at a Court of Honor in May, at a ceremony held at Westminster Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the Laurel Highlands Council, Troop 366, sponsored by Westminster Presbyterian Church, led by Scoutmaster Rick Diffendal. Benhart is one of approximately 4 percent of all Boy Scouts who earn the rank of Eagle, and award first established in 1912.

Benhart’s Eagle Scout project entailed installation of posts, rope-fencing and signage in environmentally sensitive areas of Boyce-Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair, and took 227 volunteer service hours to complete.

Benhart is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church and a senior at Upper St. Clair High School. He serves as editor-in-chief of both the Montage, the school’s literary arts magazine, and the St. Clarion, the school’s newspaper. He is founder and president of the Biology Club, captain of his high school rowing team, a USCHS Student of the Year finalist (and winner in 2013), a member of the homecoming court, a volunteer student tutor in Spanish and calculus, and a certified sailing instructor. He has maintained highest honors every semester, and is a member of National Honor Society, a National Merit Scholarship finalist, a member of the Quill and Scroll Literary Society, a three-times dean’s list honoree, a recipient of the Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award, and a recipient of the Gold Award presented by the Trib Total Media’s Outstanding Young Citizens program. He will be attending Duke University.