Gateway Young Achiever profile

Fenton girl continues to excel in middle school

So far, 12-year-old Meghan Chac of Fenton has been following a busy schedule of school and outside activities. And she's received recognition for accomplishments in a variety of fields.

One of those recognitions was being named a 2008 Gateway Young Achiever.

Since last summer, Young Saint Louis.com has been writing individual profiles of the elementary and middle school Young Achievers. The monthly profiles point out not only the accomplishments but what motivates these young people.

In Meghan's case, those activities have included accelerated academic classes, a first place in the Greater St. Louis Science Fair, district cross country running awards and MVP of an elite soccer team as well as awards for her singing and artwork.

She's also helped with community outreach and served as a mentor for younger kids.

She even has time to find homes for stray dogs and cats found in her neighborhood.

Meghan won the Young Achiever award last spring while she was a 5th grader at Kellison Elementary School. The award includes a $1,000 savings bond and a chance to compete for national YA awards.

Her nomination form was accompanied by endorsements from four different adults. Three were from her school and another was from Karen Giesler from the Center for Creative Learning in Ellisville.

Ms. Giesler said Meghan showed discipline when working on team projects. "Even when other group members' enthusiasm and task commitment began to wane, Meghan persisted."

She is now a 6th grader at Rockwood South Middle School and is just as busy as ever.

And, she's set some goals for this year.

"I want to have straight A's and also work to improve my writing skills," she said.

At Rockwood South, Meghan continues in the Stretch accelerated academic program. In addition to advanced curriculum in regular classes, she's working at 7th grade level in math.

In soccer, she's changed teams. In 2006 and 2007, she was the MVP for her Missouri Premier soccer team. Now, she's playing for the Scott Gallagher team in the St. Louis Youth Soccer Assn.

She's a middle infielder, which puts her in the center of both the offensive and defensive flow of the action.

One of the things that helps with her soccer playing is that she's both fast and has good stamina. In both 4th and 5th grade, she was the fastest girl at the mile run during her pre-cross-country training.

It didn't hurt that she finished third in the 2007 St. Michael's Kids Triathalon competition. That combines swimming, biking and running.

She also was a softball all-star for four years and will play on a Fenton Athletic Assn. team in the coming season.

She's planning to try out for the cross country and track teams at Rockwood South.

Another activity she plans to continue in middle school is her singing. She was in Kellison's special chorus last year and plans to join the Rockwood South chorus also.

Meghan said her favorite classes in middle school are math and science. In science, she's now studying genetics.

As a 4th grader at Kellison Elementary, she won a blue ribbon in the Greater St. Louis Science Fair for her design for a laser-activated "doggy door."

She said the design called for a laser "trigger" on the door flap that let a dog enter without having someone open the whole door. The flap was activated by a laser "key" located on the dog's collar as it neared the door, she said.

Her interest in animals led to a joint effort by Meghan and a neighbor, 12-year-old Mitchell Witiger. The two would be on the lookout for lost dogs and cats and try to get them back home.

"We found one dog and took him around the neighborhood until he located his own home," she said. She said they aren't always so lucky. "But, we find homes for all of the lost animals," she said.

At Kellison Elementary, Meghan was on the Student Advisory Council for three years. She also took part in the school's "buddy" program. That's when an older kid is paired with a new kindergarten student and helps them get acquainted with the school.

She also was a crossing guard at Kellison to help kids get across the street when coming to and from school.

One of her favorite hobbies is drawing. She said she uses both pencils and pastels to create the artwork.

One of her earlier projects was to paint her own likeness on a ceiling tile which was then mounted in a hallway at Kellison. She said her favorite artwork usually involves outdoor nature scenes.

Meghan also is active in Girl Scouts. One of their community outreach projects involved raising funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. The kids bought gift cards and delivered them to New Orleans kids who had relocated in St. Louis after the storm.

Meghan said she plans to go to college but hasn't picked a course of study yet. However, she said she'd like to do something in the field of athletic training.