Megan Cockroft

Megan Cockroft's mom was seeing red all summer this year. Megan, a Leechburg eighth grader, wore a red shirt virtually every day. There was a reason for that.

Wearing the red shirt all the time was not really a strange thing. Megan is a dedicated young lady who tries to be consistent about anything she sets her hand to. It explains why she has cheered since fourth grade for the Kiski Valley Lancers and now at Leechburg Middle School.

Back Tucks in the Back Yard

Her red-shirt seriousness shows in gymnastics, which Megan has participated in for six years; the last two were spent at American Gymnastics in Burrell, the four before at the Kiski Valley YMCA. Her determination is demonstrated by the back tucks - a fairly tricky move for an eighth grader - she does as she practices tumbling in her backyard.

"I like learning new things and doing stuff like that," Megan says. The toughest part of gymnastics for her is "learning new things, getting it, and not getting frustrated. You just keep trying and having them help you and keep practicing."

Her concentration also resounds in concert band, where she has played clarinet since the fourth grade. And it shows up on the field, where she plays left field and catcher for Leechburg's middle school softball team.

Civics, Hot Seats, A Good Read and Shoeboxes

Her red-shirt intensity is found in the classroom, in Civics of all places. Apparently, Mr. Davies makes it fun, "like, for teaching vocabulary, he has a 'hot seat.' People get up there and people randomly ask you questions, you scream it [the answer] out." If you don't answer correctly, you stay up there, according to Megan. As of this date, she says she has not been left up there.

Her red-shirt fiery enthusiasm is heard in the echoes of the strains of the chorus as she sings soprano for Leechburg Middle School. It is also obvious when Megan tells you another favorite class is English, "because we're reading books that have points to them that teach you lessons, like how good your life is compared to other people who have it really bad." Neither statement about English nor the revelation of how good one's life is, is an everyday observation by the majority of kids her age.

"Red-shirt serious" may have been an after-effect of a mission trip to Washington D.C. with her church youth group, Calvary Presbyterian in Leechburg. The trip, which involved helping to feed the hungry, was a heavy dose of reality-vision for Megan. Realizing the lack of opportunity some have helped her realize the value of opportunity in her own life. (See the version of this article in the hard-copy of November 2003 issue of Alle-Kisk Today.) A part of that church since birth, she is a part of missions trips, crop walks, and last Christmas, sending shoeboxes of gift items to people in other countries who "don't have the things we have."

Reason For The Red-Shirt Season

For now, the red shirt stays in the closet. These days, Megan Cockroft is still a 13-year-old student, enjoying civics class and rollerblading with her friends and being a part of her family. Her dad, David is a line coordinator for Allegheny Power, and her mom, Karen, is an X-ray technician at West Penn. Her brother, Nathan, plays football and baseball at Leechburg. "They all teach me a lot," Megan says. But she is grateful "my mom puts up with me, 'cause we can get really bratty sometimes."

Her mom does more than put up with her. In her job at West Penn, she found a program that made Megan a beneficiary of the red shirt. The West Penn Junior Volunteer program gives people opportunity to help out at the hospital, and Megan took up the challenge.

She volunteered at West Penn hospital all summer, working in the pain clinic - the standard uniform being a red shirt and white pants. She copied and filed patient reports and worked in registration in the School of Nursing. As new nurses came in for the first time, the 13-year-old registered them and assigned them to rooms. I asked whether they had a problem with her age, and she answered, "They were surprised they had such a young person doing that. It didn't really bother me." And she had no trouble. "I would do it again," Megan says. "They have lots of things, but I like working in offices." Don't be surprised if she puts on the red shirt again. She might as well…

…If the shoe fits, wear it.