ML student earns Eagle Scout rank
Boy Scout Troop 65 of Sunset Hills Presbyterian Church in Mt. Lebanon announces that Max King of Mt. Lebanon recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout. King is a sophomore and honor-student at Central Catholic High School, and the son of Barb Moore and Byron King.
Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts earn Eagle Scout rank.
King’s Eagle Scout project enhanced public safety at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District. He raised $5,565, which included contributions from local sources, as well as donors in Virginia, Alaska, Canada, England and Serbia. The Ronald E. Bradley Foundation also gave a significant financial contribution towards the project. Using these funds, Max purchased two emergency evacuation chairs for the History Center. These chairs are like sleds, and are used during emergencies to transport people with limited mobility down staircases. Then King, along with scouts from his troop, trained security and event staff at the History Center in the proper use of the evac-chairs. Working with Patrick Moore, a nationally known fire safety expert, and printing expert Amy Riley of Mt. Lebanon, Max designed and installed additional safety signage at the History Center. Finally, King recruited more than 30 volunteers to participate in a large-scale fire drill at the History Center.
King joined Cub Scout Pack 65 when he was 6 years old and extends gratitude to his den mother, Terri Hughes of Mt. Lebanon. King achieved the Cub Scouts’ highest award, the Arrow of Light. As a Boy Scout, King attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree in 2013. He served as senior patrol leader of his troop and quartermaster, and is now a junior assistant scout master. King is a member of the Boy Scouts honor society, Order of the Arrow. He will attend the Order’s 100th Anniversary Celebration at Michigan State University this summer.
In 2013, King won the Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) History Award, through a nomination by faculty at Mellon Middle School.
King is currently a volunteer with a MacArthur Foundation-funded program called “Linking Communities with STEM,” which identifies community needs, creates eco-friendly sustainable solutions to test, improve and bring novel products to market. The project is led by Dr. Michelle Parker, of the engineering department at Central Catholic. This summer, King will be a paid intern at the University of Pittsburgh, working on this grant.
Also this summer, he will participate in a week-long workshop in chemistry and engineering at the metallurgy department of the South Dakota School of Mines. Eventually, he plans to pursue undergraduate and master’s degrees in geology.