Clarkston’s Paul Gunckle was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on Nov. 7 by The Boy Scouts of America Troop 189. The Eagle rank is the highest honor in scouting.
The culmination of his work came in the form of his Eagle service project. Paul refurbished and upgraded the Clarkston United Methodist Church’s playground area. Because of Paul’s vision and perserverance, the play area was expanded including new retaining walls, fill and gravel.
?(Paul’s project) definitely helped the playground… the children love to be outside and on the playground,? said Eileen Bullen, business manager for Clarkston United Methodist Church. ‘It was wonderful to work with Paul. He was very professional in his approach.?
In addition to the cosmetic changes, the playground was also brought up to code.
‘It was a good learning experience and a good way to give back to the community,? said Paul.
The refurbishment of the playground took about two months to plan and was executed completely in one day.
To be eligible for the Eagle rank, Paul completed 21 merit badges; participated in numerous community service projects; served as the Patrol Leader, Chaplain and Historian for Troop 189; and earned seven lesser ranks.
Paul, whose parents are Mike and Katie Dahl, is a senior at CHS and is a member of the National Honor Society. He has been accepted into the University of Michigan’s engineering school, but is waiting to hear from Notre Dame before making a final decision on college.
Aside from his academic acumen, Paul played varsity tennis on the first team doubles last year. In his time at CHS, he has also participated in the JV tennis and soccer teams and freshmen soccer. Outside of school, and the team Paul plays tennis at Genesys and travel soccer.