Three La Crescenta scouts earn Eagle rank

Jan. 24, 2012 12 AM PT

Sam Catalfamo, 16, of La Crescenta, will be recognized for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts, at an Eagle Court of Honor at 6 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in La Crescenta.

For his Eagle project, Catalfamo planned and coordinated the construction of a 16-foot mounting block and ramp for disabled riders at Move A Child Higher, a Pasadena program that offers equine therapy to disabled children and disabled American veterans.

Catalfamo is a member of the Order of the Arrow, a national honor society of the Boy Scouts, and has attended Philmont Scout Ranch twice, completing a 90-mile backpacking trip and a 110-mile backpacking trip through the mountains. Catalfamo is a junior at Crescenta Valley High School, where he is a member of the water polo and swim teams. He is interested in science and art, and volunteers three Saturdays each month at the Aquarium of the Pacific. He intends to study biology in college and continue drawing the animals that interest him. He has donated nearly 200 hours of volunteer service to the community.

John Daniel Hales, a 15-year-old sophomore at Crescenta Valley High School and member of Troop 360, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout. John Daniel is a member of Charismatics Chamber Choir and the water polo team at Crescenta Valley High School.

Having served as a senior patrol leader, John Daniel earned 24 merit badges and camped for over 50 nights in the High Sierras, San Gabriel Mountains, Camp Emerald Bay, and Camp Whitsitt. A highlight for John Daniel was his experience at the Philmont Scout Ranch, where he spent two weeks hiking more than 110 miles in the rugged terrain of Northern New Mexico.

For his Eagle project, John Daniel led his fellow scouts in transforming a room at Mountain Avenue Elementary School into a greatly needed storage facility for musical instruments. John Daniel oversaw funding, cabinet design and installation, and chose this project because of the years he enjoyed in Mountain Avenue’s instrumental music program. A significant aspect of scouting for John Daniel has been becoming close friends with the other scouts in his troop.

John Daniel will be recognized in an Eagle Court of Honor at 6 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in La Crescenta.

Robert Forest Menke, 16, of La Crescenta, will be recognized for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, at an Eagle Court of Honor on Jan. 29 at 6 p.m., at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in La Crescenta.

For his Eagle project, Menke led a team of scouts in transforming a meeting room for foster children and their birth parents at Los Angeles County’s MacLaren Children’s Center in El Monte. The room changed from a grim and damaged industrial-style room into a bright, comfortably furnished play and family room.

Menke is a junior at Crescenta Valley High School, where he is involved in the water polo and swim programs. During his scouting career, he has spent over 50 nights camping and has hiked over 400 miles. During the summers of 2009 and 2011, he attended Philmont Scout Ranch, where he spent two weeks each trip hiking the rugged terrain of Northern New Mexico. He is a member of Order of the Arrow, scouting’s national honor society. Menke continues living the scout spirit, having contributed over 100 service hours toward achieving the Crescenta Valley High School’s service award.