Michael A. Iacocca, the newest Eagle Scout from Troop 22.
Michael A. Iacocca, son to Mary and Al Iacocca, brother to Anna and Patrick, earned the rank of Eagle Scout on October 19 as a member of Unionville’s Troop 22.
Iacocca, 17, is a senior at Unionville High School and is President of the Math Club and is a member of the National Honor Society, Speech and Debate Team, and the Academic Team. Iacocca is a National Merit Semi-Finalist, attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Science, and a member of Johns Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth and Students of Exceptional Talent. He also spends time working as a teaching assistant for MathPlus.
Iacocca’s Eagle Scout Project was an outdoor educational kiosk that was built for the benefit of Hillendale Elementary School. A former student at HES, Iacocca felt compelled to give back to his prior school, and the PTO had the project waiting to be done. The kiosk sits at the trailhead of the HES walking trail and is used to post information about HES, the walking trail, and educational materials about environment. The trail is used by both the school and the general public, and all who see it comment on how nicely it complements the trail.
During the project, Iacocca acquired the valuable skills of designing and planning the construction of the kiosk, as well as implementing that plan. He also learned how to make smooth lumber from the rough cut lumber he got at a discount from A&A Lumber in Avondale. With nearly a dozen scouts and half a dozen adults providing over 150 hours of labor, Iacocca was able to finish the project on time and within budget over the course of a few weekends. Throughout the project, Iacocca learned the valuable lesson of being ready and able to adapt to unforeseen changes, such as when they realized that they had dug their postholes into a construction waste hole or how to lift a two-hundred pound roof eight feet into the air. The experience was rewarding and something he will take with him as he heads off to college next fall.
