Whiz Kid

Whiz Kids: Accidents Waiting to Happen

This group of young engineers is building first-place robots, and headed to the top.

Accidents Waiting to Happen – it’s not a rock band, it’s a team of rockstar engineers who attend Folly Quarter Middle School.  The boys, members of the same Boy Scout troop, are Griffin Holt, Zack Gronlund, Justin Argauer, Mac Smith Devin Geibel and Eric Frank. They went through six rounds of competitions Saturday at the First Tech Challenge (FTC), held Saturday at Marriotts Ridge High School.  During the competition, according to the FTC website, the teams built a remote-controlled robot using the LEGO Mindstorms controller and metal parts. Accidents Waiting to Happen swept a host of awards in the competition, including the "Inspire Award," which is given to the team that the judges "Truly embodies the 'challenge' of the program;" the "…

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Whiz Kid: Sebastian Morales

This second grade student is a philanthropist in the making.

Name: Sebastian Morales School/grade: St. Louis School/2nd Grade Key to Awesomeness: Sebastian Morales recently held a yard sale to help in his school's efforts to support the building of a new gymnasium and Parish Activity Center at the parish.   St. Louis is raising money as part of an Archdiocesan Capital Campaign, and Sebastian was inspired to help in any way that he could. His first attempt involved creating original artwork that he sold to relatives and friends, and meeting with success, he decided to ramp up his efforts.  On a recent weekend, Sebastian and his parents loaded their movies, toys, and personal items on tables, and Sebastian went to work -- encouraging sales by telling patrons that his profits were for his school.  His …

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kid: Clara Cares

Clara hasn't forgotten her time at the Johns Hopkins Pediatric ICU. She's found a way to thank them for helping her.

Name: Clara H. Age: 7 Why She's a Whiz: After having to spend time there herself, Clara has been making bracelets to raise money for the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. In her own words:  I've been there before. I know how scary it can feel. I want to help other kids like me by raising money for the PICU. I hope the money I raise can go towards providing things to make the children feel more at home. When I was there I felt scared. I didn't know what was happening. But the nurses and doctors were really nice. At first I didn't like it but then I began to feel at home because of how well the doctors took care of me. I loved being with the other children. Now that I have thought of a way to help, I want to do it! Clara, a …

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kid: Elizabeth Watson

This Ellicott City native is getting help to pursue a career helping others.

Name: Elizabeth Watson School: University of Delaware, Class of 2013 Key to Awesomeness: Autism Delaware awarded the Daniel and Lois Gray Memorial Scholarship to Elizabeth Watson. The Ellicott City native is majoring in cognitive science and psychology. She's minoring in disability studies too. All while working her way through school. The scholarship was created in memory of Daniel and Lois Gray to help support students who are planning a career working with children who have autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Scholarship applicants must be full time undergraduate or graduate students at the University of Delaware; major in special education, psychology, linguistics, or speech pathology; plan on becoming a teacher or other professional in …

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kid: Eleni Paraskevopoulos

Eleni is taking a giant leap into the world of science.

Name: Eleni Paraskevopoulos School/Grade: St. Louis School/Sixth grade Key to Awesomeness: This is really awesome. Eleni has been accepted into NASA -- the NASA SISTER program. SISTER stands for Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research), and the program is a way to introduce middle school girls to learn about careers in science engineering and math.  Eleni's smarts won her the opportunity to meet research scientists and engineers and pick their brains about their jobs this summer. Congratulations to Eleni from Patch and her classmates and teachers at St. Louis School!

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kid: Julia Habiger

This 7th grader's academic skills won her a scholarship to Institute of Notre Dame -- and she plays the ukelele, too!

Name: Julia Habiger  School: St. Louis School, 7th grade Key to Awesomeness: Julia is a stand-out academic with the awards to prove it. She tied for first place in the 27th Annual Institute of Notre Dame Scholympics academic competition. Beating out more than 100 competitors, her win scored her a scholarship to the Institute of Notre Dame.  Julia excels beyond books -- she's a member of the Student Council, Drama Club and Sports Club at school. And outside of school she volunteers for Children's Liturgy at St. John the Evangelist, she's in the Peabody Children's Chorus; swims on the Atholton Swim Team and plays basketball, too. And now, she's learning to play the ukelele.  Congratulations to Julia from her peers and teachers at St. Louis …

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kid: Kevin Roche

Kevin is a whiz when it comes to connecting people, places, trends and politics. That's why he's heading to the National Geographic State Bee.

Name: Kevin Roche School: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, eighth grade Key to Awesomeness: Kevin won the OLPH National Geographic School Bee in January. The school has just found out that Kevin qualified for the state-level bee, where he will represent Our Lady of Perpetual Help on March 13.  Needless to say, OLPH is proud of Kevin and wishing him luck! So is Patch! The National Geographic Bee uses materials prepared by the National Geographic society -- people, places, names, facts about the environment --  to answer a wide array of questions. For example: "The North Atlantic current brings warm waters from the tropics to the west coast of which continent?" Find the answer (Europe) and explanation, as well as additional sample questions on …

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