Category Archives: Youth

NSSA Junior Member Austin Demek of West Deer Township earned Scouting America’s highest rank when he successfully completed the Eagle Scout Board of Review on November 5, 2025.
The son of Trent and Stephanie Demek, Austin led a team of youth and adult volunteers in planning, organizing and refurbishing the tables and benches at the Rifle Range at the North Side Sportsmen’s Association. The tables, benches and rifle stands were beginning to show their age and needed a new coat of paint. In addition, the tabletops were in bad shape due to years of use and simply wearing out over time. Demek and his team installed new tabletops on each of the eleven shooters benches and gave each one a new coat of paint. With extra time and materials, two extra benches and two rifle stands were also freshened with a coat of paint. The fifteen tables, benches and racks are all now uniform and much more aesthetically pleasing. Demek’s upgrades will also serve to give each of these pieces a long life of use by the members of the club.

A junior at Deer Lakes High School and A.W. Beattie Career Center where he is in the Carpentry Building Construction Program, Demek plans to move directly into the building trades after high school. Carpentry, like so many other commercial and industrial trades are desperate for young craftsmen to join their ranks. He credits his time and leadership opportunities as a member of Troop 653 in the Japeechen District for his passion for these interests. Through its Merit Badge Program, scouts are introduced to a wide variety of vocations, many focusing on the building and construction trades. Earning the rank of Eagle Scout he has already proven his work ethic and leadership qualities.

To get a young person involved in Scouting simply go to https://beascout.scouting.org

NSSA Junior member Luka Muchnok of Indiana Township earned Scouting America’s highest rank when he successfully completed the Eagle Scout Board of Review on October 1, 2025. The son of Tim and Amy Muchnok, Luka led a team of youth and adult volunteers in planning, organizing, constructing and installing five fishing line recovery and recycling receptacles in Emmerling Park in Indiana Township. Muchnok’s extensive outdoor activities included spending much of his young life fishing in Emmerling Park. His love and care for the outdoors made him aware of the problem of discarded fishing line, hooks and bobbers along Deer Creek which runs through the heart of the park. These discarded items can be harmful to visitors, including curious children as well as the local wildlife. Sadly, this is not an uncommon problem. In an effort to mitigate this problem on a larger scale, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania has developed the Fishing Line Recovery and Recycling Program. According to the ASWP, fishing line can take up to 600 years to decompose. Through the recovery and recycling program the fishing line is sent to the Berkley Conservation Institute and recycled into fish habitat. With Muchnok’s lifelong love of the outdoors, this made a perfect Eagle Scout project for him and his team.

A junior at Fox Chapel Area High School, Muchnok’s future plans are still unclear. In his words, “I am not yet sure where my adventure will lead.” Beyond his love for all things outdoors, he is a competitive archer in the Junior Olympic Archery Development Team at NSSA. He would like to accel to the point of earning an archery scholarship to a four-year college. He credits his time and leadership opportunities as a member of Troop 653 in the Japeechen District for much of his passion for the outdoors and exploring new opportunities.

To get a young person involved in Scouting simply go to https://beascout.scouting.org