By TAMI QUIGLEY Staff Writer
Three Eagle Scouts who are parishioners of St. Ignatius Loyola, Sinking Spring celebrated their Eagle Scout Award Ceremony May 11 in the parish hall.
Daniel Fulop, James Hornickle and Gregory Schwenk were honored together in the afternoon ceremony. Fulop did not attend the event as he was participating in a volleyball playoff game and arrived later.
All three boys have been friends since their Cub Scout days in elementary school.
A Court of Honor was held for the scouts receiving the highest award given by the Boy Scouts of America: the Eagle Scout.
Fulop is the son of Richard and Brenda Fulop, Hornickle is the son of Dr. David and Maria Hornickle, and Schwenk is the son of Michael and Abby Schwenk.
Troop 430 celebrated the occasion as Father Thomas Bortz, pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola, opened the ceremony by praying the invocation. Christopher Neidert, charter representative, was master of ceremonies. Dr. David Beougher, scoutmaster of the troop, presented the Eagle Award. Michael Schwenk and Jeremy Schwenk placed the Eagle neckerchiefs on the new Eagle Scouts.
Barry Kauffman, local representative for the Sons of the American Revolution, also presented awards to the scouts. Recipients of this award are given the opportunity to apply for a college scholarship, with a national winner receiving up to $8,000.
Father Stephan Isaac, assistant pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola and chaplain of Berks Catholic High School (BCHS), Reading led, the closing prayer.
Hornickle and Schwenk just graduated from BCHS, with Hornickle as salutatorian. Fulop is a recent graduate of Wilson High School and the Berks Career and Technology Center East Campus, with a focus in the building construction occupations program.
To receive the Eagle Scout award, a scout must organize and perform a project to benefit his community.
Fulop’s Eagle project involved renovations to the storage shed at the Wyomissing Hills Pool. He removed the walls and roof; built trusses and walls; replaced trusses, wall sections and roof ridges; installed roofing materials, windows and doors; and replaced and painted siding. Fulop earned 41 merit badges as a Boy Scout.
Hornickle worked with the rangers at Blue Marsh National Recreational Area and the Master Gardeners from Penn State Extension office to redesign, remove and replace existing plants from five gardens surrounding the concession stand at Blue Marsh. The previous flowers were replaced with more pollinator-friendly plants to ensure the welfare of pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Hornickle earned a total of 38 merit badges during his years in Boy Scouts.
Schwenk’s service project was to make repairs to the BCHS football shed. He removed the current roof, fixed the hole in the roof, placed new tar paper and shingles on it, then sanded and repainted the exterior. Finally, he added new trim and fixed a hole in the floor.
Schwenk earned a total of 32 merit badges. He has kicked for the BCHS football team for four years, and continues a long history of Eagle Scouts in his family. He has three uncles that received their Eagle Scout awards, in addition to his father, Michael, and two older brothers, Jeremy and Bradley Schwenk.
Fulop is using the skills he gained at the Berks Career and Technology Center while working at Jud Firestone Plumbing. In fall he plans to train in the center’s plumbing apprenticeship program.
Hornickle plans to attend the University of Scranton and major in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology.
Schwenk plans to major in business at Penn State University - Berks Campus.
