Whiz Kid of the Week: Coles Ehlers

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

Name: Coles Ehlers

Age: 10

Grade: 4th

School: Chase Street Elementary

Accomplishments: Coles Ehlers is the oldest of Sarah and Ben Ehlers’s three sons. He’s the kind of neighborhood kid you’ll see on the sidewalk with a lemonade and cookie stand, raising money for Louisiana oil spill relief or the Haitian earthquake. Community service is a regular part of the Ehlers’s family life and they have participated in many HandsOn Athens family events like the MLK Family Serve Day. Coles thinks “it’s fun to help other people.” Coles is a member of the Athens Time Bank and has provided his services as a babysitter and deck stainer.

When asked what he likes to do in his free time, Coles answered in two words, "Be active!" Coles likes to rollar skate, swim and, of course, bike. The family of five can often be seen on bicycles around downtown, or in the Cobbham and Boulevard neighborhoods. Whether cycling to school at or to piano lessons from the neighborhood piano teacher, Jasna Cope, the Ehlers have found that riding bikes is a faster way to get from here to there than loading three energetic boys into a mini-van. Both Ben and Sarah are triathletes and Coles participated in his first triathalon last year in Gainesville, Georgia. When asked about that experience, Coles said, “It was a really long bike ride and run in the rain. It was fun.”

Coles is an enthusiastic member of teacher Beckie Barrett’s fourth grade class at Chase Street Elementary and is particularly interested in history. “My favorite [time period] would have to be the medieval times.” Mrs. Barrett characterized Coles as “addicted to books” and said that one of Coles’s most often repeated phrases is, “Oooh, I just love that book.” One of Coles’s favorite genres to read is fantasy.

While the Ehlers love Athens, the family takes advantage of an unique abroad experience every three years. Ben Ehlers is a professor of European History with a specialty in Early Modern Spain. The family spends several months every few years in Spain so that Ben can conduct research in the archives and teach in UGA’s program in Valencia. Sarah Ehlers shared a memorable cultural immersion activities: one summer the three siblings went to an alternative arts day camp. You never knew what kind of activities to expect there. Coles remembers the yoga classes fondly stating, “When we mediated, it was relaxing.” Both Ben and Sarah are fluent in Spanish and have tried to immerse their boys in the language, particularly when overseas. One summer, Sarah convinced camp counselors in Spain to talk to her boys only in Spanish, though they caved after a few weeks. When asked about the summers in Spain, Coles said that he “really likes that I’ve managed to make friends,” while there. When not speaking Spanish in Spain, Sarah Ehlers teaches a Mommy and Me Spanish Class for preschoolers and their parents on Wednesdays at 10am and Thursdays at 3:30pm.

What is this Whiz Kid looking to do when he grows up? Coles wants to be a part-time artist and pottery maker. Coles knows creating art might not be enough to live on. “Since I will probably need another job too, maybe I will be an inventor. I really love to play with Science and Chemistry.”

Key to Awesomeness: It's undeniable, Coles is an active kid both physically and mentally. This will serve him well in the future and we can't wait to see what his future brings!

We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to rebecca.mccarthy@patch.com Be sure to include all of the following information:

• Nominator's Name
• Nominator's E-Mail
• Whiz Kid's Name
• Whiz Kid's Age
• Whiz Kid's School
• Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
• Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful? Please include a 150-word description)

Please remember: This is not a competition. This is just a nice way to highlight young people in Athens especially those who inspire. Athens Patch will try and feature as many students as possible.