Winchester Patch wants to recognize your kids, whether they are whizzes in the classroom or pros on the field. Each week, we seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and athletes that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about the amazing youth in our community to spotlight as the Patch Star Student and Athlete of the Week. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to winchester@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information: Nominator's Name Nominator's Email Star Student's/Athlete of the Week Name …

Maximilian France Age: 6 School: Lincoln Elementary School Accomplishment: According to his parents, Maxi has already accomplished a lot for a 6 year old. In July, this upcoming first grader spoke at a School Committee meeting addressing his concerns about redistricting. "I don't know many 6 year olds who would have the courage to do this," said Dennis France, Maxi's father. You can watch his speech in the attached video. Key to Awesomeness: Maxi finished kindergarten at Lincoln and will be entering a mixed-age class at Lincoln including first and second graders. Not only is he fluent in …

Sadie Shock Age: 3 School: The Creative Corner Accomplishment: Sadie is entering her first year of preschool at the Creative Common School. Key to Awesomeness: Her mother says Sadie is outstanding for her imaginative play, her friendship with her big sister, Allison, and her enthusiasm for story time with her daddy. We wish you luck at your first year in preschool, Sadie!

Venkat Rao Age: 8 School: Lynch Elementary, where he will enter fifth grade this fall Accomplishment: He qualified for the Study of Exceptional Talent by scoring 700 on the mathematics section of the SAT. He is one of the youngest students ever to do so. Key to Awesomeness: Venkat is gifted at math and has used the EPGY online course for several years to advance in math, after previously using the Singapore Math curriculum. He has participated for two years in The Math Club in Lexington, this year earning a top 2 percent score in the grade-6-and-under E division and a top 10 percent score in …

The MWRA was pleased to announce that Olivia Calnan, a sixth grader at the McCall Middle School, received Honorable Mention in MWRA’s 30th Annual Writing Contest. This year, students across the MWRA service area were challenged to write essays on the topic of What a Clean Boston Harbor Means to Me. MWRA received more than 600 writing entries, as well as over 1,100 posters about water conservation. A ceremony honoring the winning students and their teachers was held at Deer Island on May 27. More than 250 people attended the celebration. The Poster and Writing Contests are part of the MWRA’s …

There are hundreds of happy stories that came out of Town Day this year. One of them comes from avid fisherman and fourth-grader, Brooke Stevenson. One of the first to register for the Fishing Derby on June 5, 10-year-old Brooke carefully chose the place where she would cast her line into Wedge Pond. She was accompanied by her dad, Mark Stevenson while mom, Carol waited for any news at home. "They go fishing together a lot," said Brooke's mother Carol. "They both love it. They will be fishing for Striper this summer on Plum Island." Brooke set up her rod and cast the bait. She didn't have to …

It's become a tradition at the Lincoln Elementary School. Every year students perform skits and sing a variety of songs to celebrate May Day. According to Lincoln music teacher, Michelle Garciano, the event celebrates art and music in the school. This year, the students also create haikus as they are trying to raise money for the tsunami victims in Japan.

It was a little more than four years ago now that Eleanor Stroud, along with some McCall Middle School parents and former Principal, Evander French, noticed the ever-increasing amount of plastic bottles throughout the school. At a school council meeting it was decided to start some sort of recycling program. And last month, Governor Deval Patrick and Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan, Jr. honored that program, now called the Green Team. During a State House ceremony, Secretary Sullivan recognized schools and nonprofits from 19 communities across …

Winchester High School has selected graduating senior Chelsea Fujimoto as this year’s McKeown Scholar. Fujimoto topped 26 classmates to earn the honor, which is accompanied by a $10,000 merit scholarship to be applied to the four-year college or university of her choice. The Woburn-based Cummings Foundation sponsors the McKeown Scholars competition, now in its 15th year. “An ambitious young woman with excellent communication skills, Chelsea is an excellent representative of the McKeown Scholars program,” said Joel Sweets, the Foundation’s executive director. “We are pleased to be able to …

For the past three years, Tony Dong has been a member of the Winchester High School Math Team. He, along with senior Jeff Chen and juniors Alex McDonough and Julia Page, have all been on the team since its inception during the 2008-2009 season. Before Dong, Chen, McDonough and Page, along with their faculty adviser, Amy Donovan, started the team, it had been nearly a decade since the school fielded a math team. So when the Sachems defeated Choate Rosemary High School from Connecticut, a team that has won the New England Regionals for the last 15 years, by one point, 92-91, it was something …

There are a number of characteristics that Winchester residents consider very highly  – its close proximity to Boston and the Town Center – are two that are very important to the town. But none may be as highly regarded and as important to residents as the success of its school system. Students in Winchester excel in and out of the classroom everyday. Earlier in the year, Ambrose student Ella Ross collected books to donate to South African students. There’s also the ongoing fight to raise money for Winchester High School student - Milan Moosavizadeh. The soccer star suffered a heart attack …

Each week Winchester Patch will select a Whiz Kid of the Week. This week, we chose Samantha Mangano, a 17-year-old senior at Winchester High School. Mangano is one of the stars on the Lady Sachems basketball team. Whiz Kid's Names: Samantha Mangano, 17 Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Winchester High School Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Mangano was nominated to be on the McDonald’s all-American high school basketball team. The team is comprised of the top 24 basketball players in the country, and Mangano was nominated as one of the possible players in the game. Whiz Kid's Key to …

Each week Winchester Patch will select a Whiz Kid of the Week. This week, we chose Jeffrey Chen, a 17-year-old senior at Winchester High School. Chen is a whiz with computers and robotics who has already been accepted into Cal Tech, but he’s waiting to hear back from MIT and Harvard. Whiz Kid's Names: Jeffrey Chen, 17 Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Winchester High School Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Chen has had a number of accomplishments over the years from interning at NASA to taking advanced Math classes at MIT. Here is a list of his accomplishments: PROMYS Program (intensive …