NEW BETHLEHEM \u2013 One local scout\u2019s accomplishments were recently celebrated as the longtime Boy Scout\/Scouting America program came to an end in the Redbank Valley area.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, March 21, Jordon McCauslin of New Bethlehem received his Eagle Scout recognition, took the Eagle Scout oath and celebrated with several others from the Eagle Scout Class of 2025 from both the Rivers District and the Lakes District who make up the French Creek Council.<\/p>\n
Although he technically earned the Eagle rank last summer \u2014 the highest recognition in Scouting America \u2014 McCauslin officially received the honor at the annual awards dinner in March.<\/p>\n
He was among a class of 54 scouts who earned the Eagle rank in 2025, with the banquet held at the Edinboro United Methodist Church.<\/p>\n
The ceremony came about a month after the local scouting charter, which has been through the New Bethlehem Presbyterian Church for many years, came to an end on Feb. 28. That made McCauslin the last Eagle Scout from New Bethlehem Scout Troop 403, which ended along with New Bethlehem Cub Scout Pack 403.<\/p>\n
McCauslin is the son of Susan and David Heschke of New Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving autism, Jordon didn\u2019t fit into a lot of circles,\u201d his mother said. \u201cHe was not an athlete. Jordon found a home in scouting \u2014 a place he fit in and yet a place he could excel on his own and create his own path.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCauslin started as a Lion Scout, when it was in the trial phase, becoming one of the very first Lion Scouts to start the program.<\/p>\n
As a child, McCauslin was diagnosed with autism and selective mutism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a challenge he was able to overcome, along with many other challenges that came along the way,\u201d his mother said, noting that she and her son both got involved with scouts as a way to connect.<\/p>\n
McCauslin\u2019s father died at the age of 36 when Jordon was just three years old, following complications during open heart surgery.<\/p>\n
His mother became a scouting volunteer, with the program becoming something that she and her son could do together.<\/p>\n
With a family history in scouting, Susan Heschke said Jordon\u2019s grandfather was a past scout master, and his uncle, Greg Shreckengost, earned his Eagle Scout in the early 1990s. His grandmother was also a Cub Scout master for many years in the 1990s. Susan was a Girl Scout while growing up.<\/p>\n
For his Eagle Scout project, McCauslin made the American flag retirement box that is housed at the Redbank Valley Public Library and was built for the American Legion.<\/p>\n
The box \u2014 measuring about three feet tall and 24 inches wide \u2014 has a raised bottom for easy emptying. Legion members collect used flags during the year and hold a proper flag retirement ceremony each Flag Day in June.<\/p>\n
The lid of the box lifts on hinges and rests on four castor wheels for easy relocating. Jordon used oil based paint for a protective, longer lasting and shiny finish. He painted and decorated the box in American flag colors and design.<\/p>\n
Although he has completed the Eagle Scout rank, Jordon continues his scouting career as a Sci-tech Director for Camp Custaloga Town Scout Reservation.<\/p>\n
During his time in scouts, McCauslin set the record for completing the most merit badges in the history of Troop 403 with 51 total, previously held by Tyler Ortz. He earned the Arrow of Light Award in 2019 and crossed over to the troop, working under scout masters Mark Beckett and Tami Skinner.<\/p>\n
Currently a senior at Redbank Valley High School, McCauslin plans to attend a four-year college to major in secondary education. His dream is to be a history teacher.<\/p>\n
Jordon said that scouting has helped him become the person he is today.<\/p>\n
With the local troop disbanding, Heschke said that boys and girls who are interested in Scouting America can find programs in Clarion, Knox and Leeper, which are all part of the Rivers District, comprised of scouts from Clarion, Venango and Mercer counties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW BETHLEHEM \u2013 One local scout\u2019s accomplishments were recently celebrated as the longtime Boy Scout\/Scouting America program came…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,20736,23571,77663,8238,77665,77668,75888,36900,77664,77669,77667,77666,59681],"class_list":["post-173221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-boy-scouts-of-america","tag-eagle-scout","tag-girl-guiding-and-girl-scouting","tag-outdoor-recreation","tag-outdoor-recreation-organizations","tag-patriotic-and-national-organizations-chartered","tag-scouting","tag-scouting-america","tag-scouting-and-guiding","tag-world-organization-of-the-scout-movement","tag-world-organization-of-the-scout-movement-member-organizations","tag-youth-movements","tag-youth-organizations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}