Detroit Catholic Central High School congratulates Luke Heldke ‘23 for achieving the rank of Eagle in the Boy Scouts of America on February 28. The path to becoming an Eagle Scout is a challenging one that requires dedication, commitment, and hard work. In fact, only four percent of scouts have earned the rank since the organization’s inception in 1911. 

Heldke’s journey to Eagle began in first grade when he attended a scouting night and was introduced to the exciting activities that scouts participate in, such as camping, hiking, and fishing. He was immediately hooked and joined Den 8 as a Tiger Scout in Pack 755 at Amerman Elementary School in Northville. He later became a Boy Scout with Troop 755 in Northville in sixth grade.

Heldke always knew he wanted to become an Eagle Scout, and he remained committed to this goal despite juggling a busy schedule that included school, sports, and scouting. He is involved in many extracurricular activities in addition to scouting, including playing the trumpet and mellophone in symphony band and marching band, being an active member of the National Honor Society, playing hockey, working as a USA Hockey referee, and working at a local pizzeria. Despite these commitments, Heldke continued to work towards his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, earning 41 merit badges on his way to achieving this rank.

Michelle McQuaid Heldke, Heldke's mother, said that she and her husband are incredibly proud of Heldke's achievement. "Given that Luke is an extremely busy, multi-dimensional student with many interests, we were extremely proud that he remained committed to achieving the rank of Eagle,” she said. “He remained focused, learned how to effectively manage his time, make trade-offs, and eventually achieve his goal."

Heldke's Eagle project involved installing a bike repair stand at Lakeshore Park. The project required extensive planning, budgeting, and coordination with the city of Novi. An avid hockey player, Heldke looked for ways to stay in shape when indoor hockey was not an option at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He turned to mountain biking as a means for conditioning safely in the outdoors, spending time biking local trails at Maybury and Lake Shore Park.  During one of his rides at Lakeshore Park, he realized the park was lacking a bike repair station–his Eagle Scout project was born.

Heldke's involvement in scouting has taught him the value of hard work, a lesson that he believes will serve him well in his future endeavors. "Hard work is key to almost everything in scouting, and it translates to the real world," he said.

Heldke also believes that being an Eagle Scout makes him a better Shamrock and vice versa. 

"When becoming an Eagle Scout, the scout oath and law are ingrained into our heads and are used in our everyday lives,” he said. “These help to live the values we have at CC with our GDK Program."

As Heldke's senior year draws to a close, he is looking toward his next steps. He plans to continue his education, studying engineering at either Purdue, MTU, or MSU. With his strong work ethic, commitment to excellence, and dedication to serving others, there is no doubt that Heldke will continue to achieve great things in the future.