WHS Senior on His Way to Eagle Scout

Teens are often regarded in popular media as surly, unmotivated slackers. If that’s how the average teen is supposed to behave, then Ben Wineman is not your average teen.

The senior is involved in drama, basketball, Honor Society, French Club, is the Associated Student Body Director of Communications takes AP courses, is the ASB “Voice of the Falcons.” He was recently presented as student of the month at the Greater Woodinville Chamber of Commerce by district superintendant, Larry Francois.  

Oh, and he’s about to become an Eagle Scout.

Ben recently finished building a which has made farm manager, Rosy Smit’s work life significantly easier.

“I only had one room that locked before and it had to act as workroom, tool shed and my office,” Smit said. “Having the shed near the fields is much better, now we don’t have to walk all way back to the building to get a hoe.”

Smit said she was impressed both with Ben’s communications skills and with his ability to organize a work party.

“He had to write a proposal and change it to accommodate our needs and then he must have had 40 people here the day they were building the shed. It was a really great experience working with him.”

Earning the Eagle Scout rank is no easy feat, it’s the highest award the Boy Scouts give and to achieve it, a scout must earn 21 Merit Badges and complete a service project benefiting a local non-profit group, school, church, or community group.

Ben, a member of Troop 573 since 5th grade, built the 10 x 12 foot shed after planning the project for more than a year and spending more than 585 hours on the task. His goal is to have all the signatures he needs for Eagle Scout by his 18th birthday later this month.

“Eagle Scout Rank, to me, represents all of my hard work and dedication to the scouts the past seven years,” Ben wrote in an email to Patch. “It also represents everyone who helped get me to this point. All of the parents, scoutmasters, fellow scouts, everyone who helped me achieve the highest award a Boy Scout can earn.”