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Eagle Scout wants to carry on what he learned at CHS

Brett Dineen to study biomedical engineering in fall at the University of Missouri

Published: June 3, 2022   

By Malea Hargett
Editor

Malea Hargett

Catholic High School senior Brett Dineen demonstrates May 4 on the alto saxophone he has played since the fourth grade. He performed in the school’s jazz, concert and pep bands.

Malea Hargett

Catholic High School senior Brett Dineen demonstrates May 4 on the alto saxophone he has played since the fourth grade. He performed in the school’s jazz, concert and pep bands.

A well-rounded student is the dream of every parent and high school principal.

For Catholic High’s Brett Dineen, this means earning a 4.0 grade point average, becoming an Eagle scout, playing the saxophone in three different school bands, participating in the Christ the King Church youth group, working with two local cotillions and holding a part-time job.

He rounds out his time on the school’s broadcast team, REACH club, Mu Alpha Theta math club and National Honor Society.

He hopes to continue to excel in college, be active in his Catholic faith and play his saxophone.

Since he entered CHS in ninth grade, earning all As has been his goal.

“It’s been one of the main things that drives me,” he said. “I don't want to lose that 4.0. I’ve gotten close a couple times, freshman year and last quarter. … It's really challenging here. So I want to try to meet that challenge.”

A family tragedy didn’t stop Dineen from reaching his academic and scouting objectives. In January, his sister-in-law Autumn Wilder died after a long battle with cancer. She was 28 years old.

“It was hard,” he said. “How could it not be, she was so young, but I've been trying to still get my work done. And be involved at Catholic. I hope it’s making me stronger. I’m working my way through it.”

Since fifth grade, he has been playing the alto saxophone, following in his mother’s footsteps. In fact, the saxophone he plays is the same one his mother Lynn and older brother played.

His proudest accomplishment this year has been becoming an Eagle Scout. For his project, he built a trail at Pediatrics Plus farm.

“All the prep work and such and work after took me a while, but the project day actually took about two hours. I had a lot more volunteers than I was expecting. We were clearing the area, raking, taking down a few trees that were in the way.”

Scouting was a good fit for Dineen’s interests and values.

“I love the values that scouting preaches,” he said. “It's a different atmosphere than a lot of groups you can be in. It’s a little more, bit more organized. They put a lot more emphasis on the moral part. Most groups focus on the actual thing you are doing. Scouts focuses on doing it right.”

This summer, he will attend the last of the Boy Scouts’ four high adventure camps, Sea Base in Florida.  

CHS academic and college guidance counselor Fred Baker said, “Mr. Dineen has been an outstanding student. Additionally, he has been a mainstay in the band and is among the most universally liked and respected members of the senior class.”

Dineen, 18, is enrolled in the honors college at the University of Missouri and plans to study biomedical engineering.

“I always was interested in biology,” he said. “My brother was a biology major. And then I always liked working with my hands. So I kind of just started looking to see if there is something that combined the two. And then, I found biomedical engineering.”

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