A Hero in Penn Hills

Rosedale Resident Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:14 pm

Penn Hills teen alerts police to live wire on soccer field
Thursday, September 18, 2008
By Tina Calabro
The day after high winds wreaked havoc in Western Pennsylvania, a Penn Hills teenager averted a potential tragedy in a soccer field by quickly notifying authorities about a live power line that lay in a path that 27 teammates would soon take to practice.

Michael Parente, 14, a ninth-grade home-schooled student, arrived at the field at 2 p.m. Monday, about 15 minutes before his high school teammates.

As he typically does, he entered the field from a different pathway than his teammates. Michael arrived early to practice kicks, before his teammates were dismissed from school.

When he placed his belongings on a bench, he noticed a dead fox whose body had been severed by a downed power line, surrounded by burned ground.

"I followed the line with my eyes and saw that it went across the path my teammates were going to be coming down in a few minutes," Michael said. "It was giving off sparks and fire, so I knew it was live."

He ran to the school district administration building, which is adjacent to the field. The first person he encountered was a municipal police officer who happened to be in the building.

As the officer went to examine the site and summon the fire department, Michael ran to the head of the pathway to stop his teammates from proceeding down.

"It really could have been a tragedy," said Teresita Kolenchak, spokeswoman for the school district.

"He was quick thinking and did what he had to do. He probably saved lives, and definitely health and welfare, because the line was lying right across the fence. All a kid had to do was lean against the fence and it would be very serious."

Michael is the son of Frank and Meredith Parente. The school district is planning a formal recognition of Michael's actions, Ms. Kolenchak said.

Tina Calabro is a freelance writer who can be reached at suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 18, 2008 at 12:00 am

HopefulInPh Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:16 pm

Way to go Michael!!!!!!!!!! I ''m so proud of him, so I can imagine how his parents feel:) I'm going to try and keep up with this story, I would love to be there for the formal recognition Smile