2005 Young Achievers

Achiever takes her energy to high school

(Sixth in a series)

Tricia McDonough

Fourteen-year-old Tricia McDonough's long list of middle school accomplishments earned her a 2005 Gateway Young Achiever award. She's started her first year of high school at the same hectic pace, both in school and outside.

She's already started work on an original play that's a sequel to the "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" fairy tale.

She, her sister and other neighborhood friends will stage that next summer as an outdoor performance for families in her Fenton subdivision. The play will be complete with original costumes and stage settings.

Tricia said the play "will tell what happens to Goldilocks in her teen years."

The Rockwood Summit High School freshman was one of 10 St. Louis-area kids to earn the 2005 Gateway Young Achiever award. Sponsored by the International Leadership Network. the award includes a $1,000 scholarship.

( Last May, Young Saint Louis.com published the names of the 10 Achiever winners. Starting in June, YSL.com has presented profiles of the elementary and middle school Achievers. This is the final Achiever profile.)

Tricia's award was based on her academic and service accomplishments while in 8th grade at Rockwood South Middle School. But the Achiever judges always are pleased when kids continue their contributions.

She has had a 4.0 GPA every year she's been in school.

She was on her school's student council every year she was eligible in elementary and middle school. Already this year, she's joined the Summit school council.

Tricia started playing the violin in 4th grade when all students take violin. She joined the orchestra that year and continued each year. She's already in her high school orchestra.

She served as editor of the Rockwood South Middle School yearbook staff. As a 9th grader, she's taking a journalism class that is a prerequisite for high school yearbook work. She'll be eligible to join the yearbook staff at the start of next semester.

Tricia was in the National Junior Honor Society in both 7th and 8th grade. She was secretary as an 8th grader.

In 8th grade, she was also on the School Improvement Committee that suggested ways to improve their school. She also was a member of the school's Character Coalition. That group tries impress kids the need for honesty, respect and self-control.

But, there also were plenty of activities outside of school.

She's been a Girl Scout for nine years. Tricia was fortunate to have the same adult leader for all that time. This year, she's finishing her qualifications for a Silver Award.

"Then, I'm going to join the Postal Express Girl Scout organization. It goes by the name PEGS. You complete requirements via the Internet, " Tricia said.

In addition to planning subdivision entertainment, she's part of a lake cleanup patrol.

"We have a lake in our subdivision where we walk all the time. My sister and I join two other friends to pick up trash," Tricia said.

She also volunteers at the Fenton Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. That's a local center to help sick or injured small animals and birds that are brought in by residents.

"My mom's a volunteer there. I go along and help. I'm not old enough to work with the animals but I help clean pens and do the laundry," Tricia said. A group of neighborhood kids even sponsored a July 4 bake sale to raise money for the center.

Tricia's been babysitting since she was in 5th grade. She took a Red Cross course so she'd be better prepared. The babysitting along with work at the Newport Landing swimming pool helps her earn spending money.

She's saving so she can get some advanced camera and video equipment.

"When I grow up, I want to own a business that makes DVDs of special events," she said.

Tricia is already doing some video and DVD compiling. "That's what I do on the weekends," she said. Her current project is to compile a video of family activities.

"I'll have a motion video and then a slide show for still pictures at the end," she said.

She'll use her video interest in her favorite class this fall. It's a "language arts research class." Her class project is "Video and photography and how it has influenced America."

During the year, she'll put together a 30 to 40-minute presentation to be presented to a panel of judges at year's end.