Meridian Scout earns Eagle rank

Tyler Protivnak was presented the rank of Eagle Scout on July 28 at a Court of Honor at the St. Paul Church.

He has been in scouts since first grade, earning all ranks through Cub Scouts and eventually earning his Arrow of Light in February 2007.

As a Boy Scout, he earned 29 merit badges and was elected to various positions in the troop, including chaplains aid, assistant senior patrol and senior patrol leader. He earned his Light of Christ, Parvuli De and AD Altare Dei Religious awards while in scouting. He also participated in the National Youth Leadership Training through the Boy Scouts of America as a participant, staff and senior patrol leader and was a member of the Order of the Arrow.

His Eagle project consisted of the landscape rehabilitation of the garden area at Butler Catholic School. This included removing concrete, railroad timbers and old plant materials.

He organized the replanting, mulching and planting of sod as well as the cleaning of religious stones in the garden to enhance the final project.

Protivnak graduated from St. Joseph High School in Natrona Heights with honors and as co-valedictorian of his class. He is attending the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

He is the son of Larry and Marlene Protivnak of Meridian.

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Aaron Ivie and a team of Eagle Scouts are building a historic kiosk on the Butler-Freeport Community Trail for Aaron’s Eagle Scout project.

The kiosk will sit beside the trail where Massey and John Harbison owned property on both sides of the creek. They called the property Mount Joy.

The kiosk is open from dawn to dusk daily on the creek side of the trail in Buffalo Township, slightly south of the Route 28 bridge overpass.

Massey Harbison and her children were taken from her cabin by a band of raiding American Indians in 1792.

After three days of captivity, Massey escaped and walked to her rescue in what is now Fox Chapel.

The kiosk not only celebrates Massey’s heroism, but also the home where she lived after her ordeal.