Schools

Whiz Kids: 10 Great Kids We Met This School Year

From helping other people to finding success in academics, athletics or extracurriculars, Patch celebrates kids who rock.

School is officially out for the summer! 

And while kids are rejoicing by taking to parks and pools, Bolingbrook Patch is looking back on the school year that was and recognizing 10 great kids we met along the way.

Have your own Whiz Kid nomination?

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Each week, Bolingbrook Patch seeks suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.

We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.  Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to Local Editor Brian Feldt at brianf@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information included below

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But without further ado, here are the top 10 Whiz Kids this school year:

In honor of Arbor Day, members of the Jane Addams Middle School Multicultural Club planted a Japanese Tree Lilac on the north side of the school Thursday afternoon. Alex Kornfeind, Mikal Reed, Linea Prater, Natajessia Howell and Anthony Perry all pitched in, along with faculty advisor Colleen Porritt, to dig the hole despite a driving wind and a steady drizzle. The tree was donated by the Brickman Group. (Courtesy of Valley View School District)

Free trip to Disney World anyone? Tess’ award-winning essay on healthy eating habits earned her a free trip to Disney World.  Tess, a Brooks Middle School 6thgrader, wrote an essay on a healthy cooking contest her family held as they road-tripped to Disney World two years ago. In the contest, each family member was encouraged to create a healthy meal or snack to avoid the traditional junk food families eat on lengthy trips in the car. Tess’ words were so creative that her essay was selected a winner by Disney in its The Magic of Healthy Living Essay Contest. “I was thinking about what we did when we went to Disney World (two years ago) and how much fun I had,” she said. “We drove and I made this fruit salad and my brothers and sisters made some other snacks for the ride.

Tess' Essay: "Once upon a time, my family was going on a road trip to Disney World.  We wanted to stay healthy as we made the two day drive to Florida, so we planned some fun ways to eat healthy and stay active.  We had our own healthy cooking contest to see who could make the best healthy meal items and snack foods for the trip. My big sister made a pasta salad with chicken, noodles and garlic.  My brother made breakfast pizzas for the hotel room and my little sister made granola snacks for the car.  I won with my colorful fruit salad.  It was made with strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, oranges, red grapes, watermelon, orange juice and a pinch of sugar.  We mixed it all in a big plastic bowl and put it in a cooler so that we could take it out at a rest area for lunch.  This way we didn’t have to eat fast food on our magical journey to the 'Happiest Place on Earth.' When we stopped to eat lunch at the rest areas, we made sure to stay healthy by making a game out of getting active.  My siblings and I played tag while mom and dad set up the picnic.  We raced and even played catch with our stuffed animals.  Dad and mom played catch with us after lunch and judged the races.  The magic of healthy living for our family is all about having fun!"

Angelica Garcia found out she had been selected to be an ambassador for the People to People program after being nominated by one of her teachers and going through a rigorous interview process. Founded by former President Dwight Eisenhower, People to People is designed to bring different cultures together to promote peace and friendship. Angelica, an honor student who hopes to be a writer someday, is deeply involved in her school and community. She plays clarinet in the Humphrey Band, and is a member of Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, and Scholastic Bowl. She is also active in her church and has been a Girl Scout for six years having received the Bronze Award. (Courtesy of Valley View School District)

Eric Jackson's dad became seriously ill and fell unconscious during a cold, snowy night in December. Being the only one in the house—Eric's mom was still at work—Eric knew he had to get help. He tried to call 911, but the phones were not charged. Eric put on his winter boots and headed out the door to find help. After knocking on door after door for multiple blocks, Eric finally reached help and they were able to call an ambulance. Eric saved his dad's life by not giving up until he found help—he's quite a big hero for being a little boy. 

She's not exactly college ready, but 2nd grader Jaquelin Cruz was more than happy to check out a brochures from various Illinois colleges and universities, including one from Western Illinois University, during the Tibbott Elementary School College Fair held in May.

Years of dedicated service to scouting culiminating in his Eagle Scout project, which was creating ID cards for more than 200 Bolingbrook children. The ID cards would go to help the kids' parents if their child ever went missing.

Justin Klatt had his eyes on a slightly used Xbox 360 after earning enough Panther Paws—special reward coupons for good behavior practices later redeemable for prizes—to buy it. On draft day, Klatt surprised nobody by purchasing the video game console. But his next actions took everybody for a turn. Klatt used his points to buy the Xbox 360 for his friend, Spencer, who had wanted the video game console as well.

In July, Robert Kaminski will board a plane and head to Los Angeles and then on to Beijing as part of the People to People program. Founded by former President Dwight Eisenhower, People to People is designed to bring different cultures together to promote peace and friendship and that’s exactly what Robert is hoping to do. “It’ll be exciting to see how other people view our country and tell them how we see theirs,” he said. An honor student with “almost straight A’s” at Humphrey, Robert has attended VVSD schools since kindergarten. He has participated in Humphrey’s Scholastic Bowl and is a member of the National Junior Honor Society. He also volunteers at the Bolingbrook Village Hall and Fountaindale Library.  (Courtesy of Valley View School District)

Not only has this year’s Bolingbrook High School cheerleading squad been one of the most competitive in the state, they have also made it a mission to give back to the community. Months before the team finished fourth at the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association state championships, it was already making in impact for those in need by establishing a three-month drive to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The program included efforts to raise funds throughout October and BHS was one of the state’s pilot schools in the Komen Foundation’s Yoplait Yogurt campaign.

JLT Associates, a team comprised of Bolingbrook High School students Dana Campbell, Mark Davey, Adam Froehlich, Zachary Kuchta and Julia Kolder, was selected the 2011 Midwest regional’s Top Mock Firm and the Illinois State Mock Firm Champion in the Regional Home Division at the May 6 Mock Firms Architectural Design competition. (Courtesy of Valley View School District)


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