Whiz Kid: Teen Makes Eagle Scout

This week we feature a newly honored Eagle Scout from Boy Scout Troop 380, which meets out of in Tinley Park and is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.

Nicholas Salerno

Whiz Kid's Age: 17

Whiz Kids' School: Sophomore at Morgan Park Academy in Chicago

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: This Palos-area resident was also honored at Tuesday's village board meeting for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Salerno organized 88 volunteers and personally raised $800, $225 in cash donations and $2,856.42 worth of donated materials and supplies to re-do the landscaping around his school, Morgan Park Academy.

"He was expecting about 20 to 25 volunteers and he got 88," father Mike Salerno said.

Whiz Kid's Inspiration: Salerno's two older brothers both made Eagle Scout, with his oldest brother, Michael, earning the honor at age 13. It was his next-oldest brother, Jason, whose Eagle project gave Salerno the idea for his.

"My brother Jason did the painting around the school, so I thought I would do the landscaping," Salerno said.