Pats Laniak has nominated David Glassman at an Athens Patch Whiz Kid. After reading about David’s many accomplishments, it’s easy to understand that motivation—he is a whiz at many things!      David, 17, is a senior at Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School. He is the STAR student for Athens-Clarke County, which means he had the highest score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test in one sitting on the three-part SAT taken through the November test date of his senior year. A STAR student also must have a G.P.A. that puts them in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class. Pats describes…

  One of the performers in the Lullabies for Lukas benefit at Hendershot’s Friday night will be 11-year-old Jordan Rhym. She’ll be the smiling girl on the drums, playing with friends of her older brother Chad in a band called Jordan and Two High School Dudes. Jordan, a sixth grader at Clarke Middle School, has been playing drums for a while, participating in Girls Rock camp and now studying drums at the Athens School of Music. But drums aren’t her only instrument—Jordan has taken piano lessons and also plays cello in the school orchestra. “I’m happy to have found orchestra,” she says. “It’s …

By Mona Robinson Anna Frances Julian is a budding artist and writer in fourth grade at Chase Street Elementary. She will turn 10 this month. I sat down to interview her over a cup of tea at a local coffee shop, expecting her to be a little nervous. However, she wasn’t a bit nervous. The conversation flowed smoothly and effortlessly as if I were with a best friend. For an almost ten-year-old, Anna Frances has a very impressive vocabulary and a wide range of experiences that she eloquently incorporates into conversation. Confident yet modest, this collector of soda bottles and bottle caps wants…

When nine-year-old Cleo Weinmeister smiles, her entire face glows, giving you a glimpse of her warm spirit. But you’d have to spend time with this busy girl to understand how diverse are her interests and how varied her accomplishments. She reads a lot, mostly fantasy books, and she writes. She writes so well, in fact, that by the time she was eight—a long time ago when you’re nine—she was the author of a book. “Time to Go” was published last year by Tate Publishing. In the story, a cat waits and waits to go to his trapeze class, and finally gets there. It’s no coincidence that Cleo, too, …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Lucy Kemp Age: She just turned 10Grades: 4thSchool: Athens AcademyAccomplishments: Lucy has been showing lambs with 4-H for as long as she can remember. She has won ribbons for her animals, "lots of them," she says. Her parents and she sell the wethers--those are the males, she explains--to UGA and often breed the ewes--the females, she says--for more lambs. Unlike the general public, Lucy knows firsthand that sheep are not stupid. …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Names: Whitley and Henry WalterAges: 8, 6.5Grades: 3rd, 1stSchool: Athens Montessori School Accomplishments: Whitley and Henry Walter are siblings who can be described as friends and even "pals." Despite the age difference, they share a lot of the same interests and activities. Both take dance classes at Studio Dance Academy. Henry has been dancing since age 2 and studies ballet, tap, and jazz. Whitley's loves tap and she also takes …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Esther Cole-ConawayAge: 13Grade: 8thSchool: Clarke Middle SchoolAccomplishments: As a 7th grader, Esther took the SAT and rocked it, with a 4/5 on the writing portion and a 1600 on the test itself. Not bad for a 12-year-old! Key to Awesomeness: Esther is a 13-year-old 8th grader at Clarke Middle School who has a 97.7 GPA. This year, she's taking a 9th grade math class on-line. Her mom, Megan Cole, a school nurse at Burney-Lyons-…

Name: Sara TonksAge: 13Grade: 8thSchool: Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle SchoolAccomplishments: Sara Tonks has been writing since third grade. Her first efforts were “total and complete” copies of other people’s stories, but she was writing nonetheless. To say her writing has progressed is an understatement, as she now writes original poetry, shorts stories, and a novel is in process. The idea for Sara’s blog, Mutant Middle School, came to her in dreams last fall. She began writing with weekly installments and publishing on Sundays. While she thought it would be a three-month project, ending in …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Mollie ShermanAge: 17Grade: 12thSchool: Clarke Central High SchoolAccomplishments: Mollie Sherman has always been active but it wasn’t until the tenth grade that she found her sport. On a recent morning at Jittery Joe’s, Mollie told me that running cross country has turned into something that has changed her life. A senior at Clarke Central High School (CCHS), Mollie will actively seek out an organized running group when she goes to…

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Names: Megan Frances Wickwire and Madelyn Patricia WickwireAges: 13, 9Grades: 7th, 3rdSchool: Athens Montessori School Accomplishments: Megan and Maddy Wickire are sisters who have a lot in common. The girls love music and were nominated for Whiz Kids by Calley Payne, who met the girls through their involvement in Girls Rock. Megan and Maddy participated in Girls Rock this past summer and were thrilled to play the 40 Watt. Older sister …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Tiger Liliana VillavecesAge: 12Grade: 7thSchool: Clarke Middle SchoolAccomplishments: Tiger Villaveces has three siblings all bearing family names. Her name, however, is an ancestral name of a different sort. Tiger was born in the year of the Tiger, which is something she shares with both her dad and grandmother. There aren't many downsides to such an unusual name; Tiger always finds it fun to see the second glance she gets when she…

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Milan Edward PavlicAge: 14Grade: 9thSchool: Clarke Central High SchoolAccomplishments: The first questions that Milan Edward Pavlic’s paternal grandfather, Ed Pavlic, asks at every family visit concern Milan’s career aspirations. What does he intend to do? Clearly influenced by his namesake, Milan said, “My grandfather is constantly asking me questions and challenging me.” Traveling to Croatia to visit family was the highlight of …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Jack Peyton KitchensAge: 11Grade: 6thSchool: Hilsman Middle SchoolAccomplishments: Jack Kitchens has settled into his new school this fall. Moving to middle school is a big transition, even from a great elementary school like Barnett Shoals Elementary School (BSES). But changing schools when you have a rare genetic disorder called cystinosis could be considered a challenge. Jack has a strong sense of himself and handles the …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Grace Celeste RollinsAge: 12Grade: 7thSchool: Clarke Middle SchoolAccomplishments: According to her mother, Grace Collins has been "telling stories before she could write." Carol Collins wrote down dictated tales from a young toddler Grace. This fascination with the written word has resulted in Grace publishing two books before hitting high school. Grace takes any opportunity to turn her ideas into stories. In fact, her recent …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Evan KnoxAge: 15Grade: 10thSchool: Cedar Shoals High SchoolAccomplishments: Evan Knox began his sophomore year at Cedar Shoals High School (CSHS) on Monday. Along with playing trumpet in the marching band, he is on the Academic Quiz Bowl Team. Evan loves history and his favorite study area is the Mideast.Evan was nominated for a Whiz Kid profile by Cedar Shoals High School Social Studies teacher, Robin Richards, who coaches the CSHS…

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Jake BabendreierAge: 14Grade: 9thSchool: Cedar Shoals High SchoolAccomplishments: Climbing is a solitary sport. Even in competitions, individual points have not traditionally been combined for a team score. While this is changing, especially in high level national competitions, the climbing that this week's Whiz Kid does is very much a solo endeavor. Jake Babendreier is on the competitive climbing team at Active Climbing and has …

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Emma Katherine GoodrickAge: 11Grade: 6thSchool: Hilsman Middle SchoolAccomplishments: Emma Goodrick is a proud alumnae of Whit Davis Elementary School (WDES) and has high praise for the dedicated faculty and staff, especially teachers Jennifer Bell and Ashlee Perry. Special WDES events that Emma will remember fondly include the Science Fair and the Mini Relay for Life benefiting The American Cancer Society. Emma's favorite was …

Athens Patch wants suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Audrey Lane KennedyAge: 8Grade: 3rdSchool: Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary SchoolAccomplishments: Audrey Kennedy appreciates the bright neon green of a grass snake. She recently caught two and had an interesting time keeping them in her aquarium. Quite fond of most living things, Audrey has a backyard pond that is home to a baby turtle and goldfish. Along with her two cats, Audrey lives with her mom, Julie Kennedy, dad, Ian Kennedy, and little sister…

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Zoey Coral Conley-MullisAge: 9Grade: 4thSchool: Oglethorpe Avenue ElementaryAccomplishments: Zoey Conley-Mullis is the daughter of Angela Mullis, a labor and delivery nurse at Athens Regional Medical Center, and Tim Conley, a local musician and massage therapist. A lifelong ovo-lacto vegetarian, Zoey says her favorite foods are made by her dad, who is talented in the kitchen. Tim's burritos and protein shakes with mangos are tops on…

Each week, Athens Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments.Name: Benton and Rhodes KleiberAge: 6Grade: 1stSchool: Timothy Road ElementaryAccomplishments: When people see identical twins, they are often lumped  together as The Twins. Benton and Rhodes Kleiber, however, are two very individual rising first graders at Timothy Road Elementary School. Rhodes and Benton are the sons of Emily and Ryan Kleiber and the little brothers of sister Kate Kleiber. This past year was the first that the boys were…