By KEITH UPCHURCH

kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612

DURHAM – Jonathan Huml of Durham has gone where few other boys his age have.

At 13, he’s already earned his Eagle Scout rank, which the typical boy doesn’t achieve until he’s 17.

But that’s the kind of person Jonathan is: focused, hard-working, but modest.

Even though it took him hundreds of hours to complete his merit badge requirements and his service project at age 12, he gives much of the credit to others for helping him.

Jonathan is a member of Troop 424, and the youngest Scout from the troop to earn an Eagle rank.

The troop is chartered to Immaculata Catholic School at 716 Burch Ave. in Durham, where Jonathan is an eighth-grader.

To earn the rank, a Boy Scout must progress through seven ranks and earn at least 21 specified merit badges. He also must plan, develop and provide leadership to a service project for any religious organization, school or community.

For his project, Jonathan built two benches and cleaned the trellis at Triangle Presbyterian Church at 5001 Tudor Place in Durham.

The night before the project, Jonathan got on a tractor and dug holes for the benches, which he said was “pretty cool.”

“It makes me feel good that I can accomplish something of this magnitude,” he said. “I put a lot of time and effort into it. It’s just nice that other people see the Eagle Scout as a great achievement.”

Jonathan tipped his hat to others.

“I want to thank everybody for helping me, because it couldn’t have been done without my peers, my adult leaders and the leadership of my fellow Scouts. It’s a community-building achievement. And it sort of opened my eyes to what can be done with so many people.”

Jonathan is the son of Raymond A. Huml and Leslie Huml of Durham.

His mother said Jonathan is very goal-oriented.

“When he sets his mind to getting something done, he does it,” she said. “He spent a lot more time doing Scouts than I ever thought he would. It’s been great.”

She said his Scoutmaster, Mark Sikora, has been instrumental in helping Jonathan achieve his Eagle.

Sikora said Jonathan “set the bar extremely high,” and became the troop’s youngest Eagle at 13 years and one month. “This is a testament to his drive to success and the support of his parents and Eagle adviser,” he said.

Jonathan plans to continue with scouting until he turns 18, and says the scouting experience has opened doors “to do really exciting stuff that we wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise.”

He plans to attend Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh next year, and after graduating, hopes to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

“He’s been definite about that since he could walk,” his mother said.

Jonathan’s long-range goal is to play Major League Baseball, or if that doesn’t work out, to be a sports medicine doctor.

“I’ve played baseball ever since fourth grade,” he said, “and it’s turned out to be something that I really love. Any way I can get to sports, I’ll get there.”