James "Jake" Henderson IV has earned the highest badge of Boy Scouting.

The Lehighton teen recently attained his Eagle Badge at his Eagle Court of Honor. The event marked the culmination of 11 years of dedication to the Scouting program.During the ceremony, held at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lehighton, the Rev. Robert VonFrisch provided the invocation, while Diane Lariar, North Valley District director for Minsi Trails Council, officially convened the Court of Honor. The Color Guard then presented the colors. Assistant Scoutmaster Dan "Deacon" Evans served as master of ceremonies.Guest speakers included state Rep. Doyle Heffley, also an Eagle Scout, who presented Henderson with an American flag that was flown over the state capitol in Harrisburg and a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recognizing his accomplishment; Carbon County Commissioners Wayne Nothstein, Thomas J. Gerhard and William O'Gurek, who presented a resolution recognizing Jake's accomplishments; and Thomas Mase, mayor of Lehighton, who presented a citation from Lehighton Borough Council proclaiming Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, as James W. Henderson IV day in the borough.Citations from state Sen. John Yudichak, Congressman Matt Cartwright and President Barack Obama; as well as certificates from Barbara and Ken Cahill of the AMVETS and Gail Maholick of the Beltzville Lions Club; and Good Citizen medals from Nick Hawkey representing the Carbon County Mountaineers and the Palmerton Lions Club. Lee Becker, representing Trinity Lutheran Church, the Charter Organization for Troop 82, also presented a certificate of recognition and a check.Following presentations, Jake spoke about his Scouting experiences and how important the program was to building his character and self-esteem.He then conducted a special flag ceremony to honor Scoutmaster Scot Wingert and advancement coordinator Judy Wingert using the American flag provided by Heffley's office.The flag was unfurled, and all Scouts and Scout leaders recited the Scout Oath. The Scouts then folded the flag and Jake presented it to the Wingerts to thank them for their years of dedication to the program.During his acceptance, Scot Wingert informed the group that the flag will be flown in front of the Wingerts' home every time a Scout from Troop 82 attains his Eagle badge.Jake began his Scouting career when he was 6 years old with Cub Pack 82.After attaining the Arrow of Light, Cub Scout's highest honor, he then bridged to Troop 82. The Pack and Troop are sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church in Lehighton.Jake's Eagle project consisted of constructing a picnic table and two park benches that are installed at the Lehighton Amphitheater in the upper park. The table sports a checkerboard burned into the wood top. The entire project took a total of 180 hours from planning to completion.Jake's accomplishments also included countless nights of camping, including backpacking a portion of the Appalachian Trail; a total of six nights of subzero camping in a tent with no heat; 65 miles of hiking; 296 service hours and numerous elected leadership positions within the troop.In addition, he spends his summers working as a staff member at the Trexler Scout Reservation in Jonas and is a member of Crew 1928, which is based at Camp Trexler. The crew is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of Camp Trexler, and the members serve as staff for the Boy Scout summer camp program.His hobbies include collecting antique farm tools and equipment and Scout memorabilia, restoring antique tractors and hunting, fishing and trapping.He is a senior at Commonwealth Connections Academy and plans to pursue a career as a diesel mechanic and welder and is also starting a business purchasing, restoring and selling old tractors.Jake is the son of James and Kathy Henderson and the grandson of Grace Fogel and the late Harvey Fogel and the late Hewell and Charlotte Henderson.