Whiz Kid of the Week: Brittany Noonan

Whiz Kid’s Name: Brittany Noonan, age 15

Whiz Kid’s School: , Grade 9

Whiz Kid’s Accomplishments: This former Student of the Year, chosen by the Groton-Ledyard Rotary, is a cheerleader, dancer (jazz, tap, and ballet), and a science-lover. She’s also a big help to her family at home.

 Her favorite subject?

“Biology is my favorite this year,” Noonan says.

Her favorite experiment so far has been extracting DNA cells from an onion in Biology class.

Noonan also enjoys reading in her spare time. Recently, she read Water for Elephants, which quickly became her favorite book.

Key to her success: She's never afraid to ask questions.

“If I don’t understand something, I always ask about it because I might not have the time to figure it out later,” says Noonan.

Her busy schedule includes daily cheerleading practices, dance classes, and Future Business Leaders of America club meetings.

Despite her hectic schedule, school always comes first, and she has learned how to juggle multiple commitments.

“Sometimes I just have to say no so I can get my work done,” she says.

Cheerleading has also been an important experience for Noonan.

“It’s really helped me with teamwork,” she says. “I’ve always been kind of an independent person, but in cheerleading you can’t do stunts alone, so you have to learn to work together.”

Noonan's team earned second place in the Northeast Blizzard Competition in Plainfield on February 19.

Best Advice:  “Just try new things. I think high school is kind of trial and error,” Noonan says.

She also encourages students to push themselves past their comfort zones.

“Cheerleading was pretty new for me, and joining the high school team meant taking bigger risks,” she says.

The rewards have paid off, and Noonan looks forward to her cheerleading team's next meet in March, where she hopes they'll place first.

Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout, or helped your local soccer team take the championship?

Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to deborah.straszheim@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?)

 If your nominee is selected, we'll contact you and assign a photographer to take a photo. For questions, e-mail deborah.straszheim@patch.com.