Five Briarcliff Teens Become Eagle Scouts

Five Briarcliff Manor teens have earned a distinction only afforded to approximately 2 percent of all scouts—Eagle Scout.

Austin Kopec, Nathaniel Martorano, Mark Moretto, Joseph Pennacchio, Jonathan Weiner were celebrated at a Court of Honor ceremony on May 22.

Below are bios for each scout, courtesy of Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Ryan:

Nathaniel Martorano – September 13, 2012

Nate Martorano became an Eagle Scout on his 18th Birthday - September 13, 2012. Nate joined boy scouts in 6th grade - moving up the ranks fairly quickly. With his last two years in leadership roles culminating in Senior Patrol Leader. Nate has also participated in numerous troop and council events and paddled over 50 miles one summer. Nate is a member of the Order of the Arrow Brotherhood.

Nate's Eagle project was performed at the Mianus River Gorge. This is where he did his Intel Research Project which he received top category in Westchester. 

Nate has just completed his freshmen year at Rensselaer Poly Technic University in Troy, NY. Nate plans to take the following year off to pursue his passion for music. Nate is signed with a UK label and will soon release his debut album. In addition the "Chomstars" are to play at Citi Field at the EDC festival.

Jonathan Weiner – November 14, 2012

Jonathan started scouting as a Cub scout in Pack 6 Briarcliff with fellow Eagles Austin Kopec and Mark Moretto and bridged to Troop 18 Briarcliff. He has steadily advanced in rank and leadership positions serving as the troops' Senior Patrol Leader for the past year, all the while earning more than three dozen Merit Badges. He has attended summer camp, participated in numerous troop and council scouting events, including ice climbing and two 50-miler kayak treks. Jonathan has also earned the Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII religious awards and is a member of the Order of the Arrow Brotherhood.

For his Eagle Service project, Jonathan designed, planned, led, and completed a set of erosion control systems on the entrance trail to the Hardscrabble Nature Preserve in Briarcliff.  This trail is used by many local dog owners year round.  Jonathan spent over 50 hours planning and 240 hours with friends and fellow scouts to restore a trail that had deteriorated over time and to prevent further erosion.  The erosion controls consisted of the digging of three swales of over 600 feet total and lining them with rock to divert water away from the trail into a nearby stream and replacing some of the rocks surrounding the trail edge. His team also worked to beautify the entrance to the trail. Since completion, the trail surface has been relatively dry after rainstorms and the overall condition is excellent.

Outside of scouting Jonathan is an All-League varsity soccer and track athlete for Briarcliff High School and is the lead tech lighter/builder for the high school musicals. He is also a member of the New York State Math Honor Society.

Jonathan will be attending SUNY Geneseo in the fall. Jonathan earned his Eagle on November 14, 2012.

Joseph Pennacchio – December 5, 2012

Joseph is a junior at Briarcliff High School and began scouting as a Cub Scout in Pack 6 Briarcliff and returned to scouting after a short hiatus in seventh grade when he joined Boy Scout Troop 18 Briarcliff.  He has enjoyed the numerous activities sponsored by the troop including camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Over the past four years, he has worked his way through the requirements for each of the five ranks preceding Eagle, worked as a Den Chief for the Pack 6 Briarcliff Webelos, and worked as the Troop 18 Advancement Instructor, helping nearly a dozen scouts in rank advancement. Over the past few summers, he has attended Scout Summer Camp, and last summer, he participated in a 50-miler kayak trek on Lake Champlain. Over the years, he has completed at least two dozen Merit Badges, and in addition, has earned the Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII Catholic religious awards. He is also a member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society.

This summer, Joe’s Eagle project was to lead a team in constructing two carts for the Blythedale Children’s Hospital Occupational Therapy Department. In the spring, he met with Mrs. Lena Cavanna of Blythedale Hospital to demonstrate his interest in carrying out a project to help the hospital, where he had been an Outpatient at the Brace Clinic Department. Joe was an outpatient for over 12 years (from 18 months until age 14) getting leg and foot braces due to muscular issues in his feet and legs.


The project was a great success and as a result of this project, the Occupational Therapy Department at Blythedale Children’s Hospital now has two carts to transport games, puzzles, arts & crafts supplies, and more to the patients in the Hospital. These patients desperately need these forms of recreation as an outlet from all of the treatment and therapy that they are receiving. The patients will enjoy using the things these carts deliver, and there will be a lasting impact on the occupational therapy wing in the hospital. The carts were delivered to the Hospital in early September after 242 hours were spent on the project (between all of the phases of planning and all of the time spent by 30 different people), and since then, the Hospital has greatly enjoyed and appreciated these carts.

Outside of Scouting, Joseph is an outstanding student and is an athlete on the Varsity Cross Country and Track Teams, is the Founder and President of the Briarcliff High School Finance Club, and is a member of Mathletes, Chemistry Club, Habitat for Humanity, the Briarcliff Bulletin, National Honor Society, and the New York State Math Honor Society. In addition, he is working on an Intel Research Project where he is researching the extent to which Major League Baseball Teams Profit-Maximize and Win-Maximize.

On December 5, 2012, Joseph earned the rank of Eagle Scout.  

Austin Kopec – January 23, 2013

Austin entered the scouting program as a Tiger Cub in first grade.  His experiences in the Tiger cub program inspired him to continue along his path on the Boys Scout journey.  He learned many life skills along the way.  Austin advanced to Boy Scouts and the excitement and adventure only got better. White water rafting, hiking, camping boy scout camp and survival training all keep Austin intrigued and determined to become and Eagle. With the support and guidance of amazing leaders, he has earned over 25 merit badges and held various leadership positions at Troop 18 in Briarcliff.

Austin’s’ Eagle project involved trail maintenance of a piece of land that connects north County Trail way to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.  The trail was overgrown, had uneven surfaces, sides too wide or narrow and had poor drainage.  Many soil conservation methods were used such as water bars and rolling grade dips.  Some areas of the trail were totally redesigned.  As a member of the cross country team Austin often used the trail with his teammates while trying to access Rockefeller State Park.  It was a very risky place to run and injuries did occur.  Methods for fixing the trail involved carving into the tread of the trail to form soil conservation mechanisms, cutting weeds and tearing up edges of trails to widen the trail, inserting steps with logs at dangerous areas and putting down wood chips in needed areas.  In addition a picnic table was made safe and more appealing for use.  While conducting my project Super storm Sandy hit and a very large tree fell in the middle of the trail, so he relocated the trail around the tree at a safe distance.

Whether in a scout uniform or lacrosse uniform or pair of blue jeans Austin’s’ leadership skills shine through. From an early age Austin exhibited signs of a natural leader.  His kindness and sensitivity are character traits which have resulted in people placing their trust in him and often turning to him as an example.  His desire to help others has motivated him to pursue many projects that benefit others, especially those in need.  He has used his God given talents to organize several fund raising groups of likeminded young musicians to perform benefit concerts to donate yearly to Blythedale Children's Hospital. He has been recognized by his high school and awarded the honor of "Distinguished Student". He has served as Captain for his lacrosse Team for the past two years.

I am constantly impressed by Austin's commitment to do his best.  He has set very high standards for himself and works tirelessly to achieve his goals. A true humanitarian he often puts the needs of others before his own. His whole life he has been the first to come to someone’s defense when being treated unfairly.  He has always leads by example amongst his peers, first at a young age by discouraging bullying and promoting an all-inclusive philosophy on the playground.  Later in life he became an example of good decision making when it came to driving and making life choices.

This fall Austin will attend the University of Vermont where he will pursue degrees in mechanical engineering and music performance.

Mark Moretto – May 1, 2013

Mark started as a Tiger Scout in Cub Scout Pack 6 Briarcliff and bridged to Troop 18 Briarcliff. He has attended summer camp at Camp Read numerous times and participated in high adventure activities including ice climbing at Lake Placid a kayak trek on Lake Champlain. Mark has also earned the Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII religious awards and is a member of the Order of the Arrow.

For his Eagle Service Project, Mark mapped gravestones at the Little White Church Cemetery in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The Civil War era headstones had been destroyed or removed due to storms and poor maintenance. A map existed from the 1950s, but was not useful. With the help of a surveyor, fellow scouts, and friends, over 231 hours were spent planning, marking, photographing, and finally mapping the gravestones. The new map is significantly easier to follow and will eventually be published online once the restoration of the cemetery is complete.

Mark has a passion for science and was recently named an Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist, won first prize in the National Young Astronomer Award Competition and multiple science fair awards during the last two years.  He is co-president of the Academic Challenge Team for Briarcliff High School and plays Varsity Golf.

Mark will be attending the University of Maryland in the fall. He will be participating in the Honors program and studying Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy.

Mark earned his Eagle on May 1, 2013.