By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Shelby County High School’s Band Director Tom Grigsby is one happy man! A brand new, huge, safe band tower with wide, strong steps overlooks SCHS’s fields.

Every time Grigsby walks up those steady steps with handrails and does not have to climb up that iffy old ladder, he will be thankful to the Boy Scouts of America, especially, J.P. Gravitt, who chose this monumental construction feat to be his Eagle project.

John Patrick Gravitt, better known as JP, is the son of Emily and Larry Gravitt of Columbiana and the grandson of Mary Morris of Fourmile. This outstanding SCHS senior is in the top five of his class and was an honor usher at last year’s graduation.

His accomplishments are many: SCHS band drum major; Boys State; Youth Leadership Shelby County; National Honor Society; Key Club (treasurer); Show Choir; All-State Choir; Beta Club; and the SCHS representative at the Alabama Youth Summit at the University of Alabama.

Music is one of Gravitt’s passions. In fifth grade, he began to play the trumpet; by sixth, he was in the concert band; by seventh he was a band aide; in 10th he attended the Drum Major Academy; by 11th he won the honor to be SCHS’s drum major; and in his senior year, he continues to lead the band as drum major from SCHS’s new band tower.

Gravitt’s other passion is scouting. He is one of two scouts from Troop 560 who has made the journey from Cub Scout to Webelo to Boy Scouts and, finally, to Eagle, Boy Scouts’ highest rank.

He received the Arrow of Life, the highest award for a Cub Scout. As a Boy Scout, he was senior patrol leader, chaplain and was elected by his scout peers into the honor society, Arrow of Light.

Gravitt joined these two passions when he chose as his Eagle project to build a new band tower for SCHS. He raised over $2,000 to fund the project and bought the supplies at Brown Lumber, which contributed by giving him a discount on the materials. The design was drawn by Scoutmaster and Engineer Sid Wheeler along with input from Grigsby and Gravitt. With the help of scoutmasters, scouts and friends, the tower was completed this summer.

When Gravitt graduates next spring from SCHS, he will long be remembered for his Eagle scout project — SCHS’s new band tower.

Phoebe Donald Robinson can be reached by email at phoeberobinson@bellsouth.net.