Canton Patch wants to spotlight great students in our weekly Whiz Kid column. Every week, Canton Patch profiles a stellar student. Do you have an awesome student, athlete, artist or musician to nominate? All Canton students, in grades Pre-K to 12, are eligible to be featured. If there is a great athletic team, community service group, youth group, sports team, or dance team that deserves a shout-out, nominate them for our weekly Whiz Kid. Email nominations to lisa.gentes@patch.com and be sure to honor your all-star student today!

Name: Grace-Mary Burega School: A sophomore at Canton High School. Key to Awesomeness: An all-star student and musician. Accomplishments: Grace was nominated by her parents for this week's Canton Patch Whiz Kid. The Canton High sophomore excels in music and keeps busy with her musical career. She "is an outstanding musician, playing eight woodwinds. She started with the alto saxophone in Grade 4 at the Hansen (School,) then added clarinet and flute in her private lessons while at the Galvin Middle School," her father, Paul, said in his nomination. "Going into high school, she picked up the …

Name:  Kimberley Frazier Grade:  9 School: Canton High School Key to Awesomeness:  Physical and creative wisdom. Accomplishments: Kimberley Frazier works at challenging herself. “When I can get better, it makes me feel good about myself.” A toddler when she first began swimming, the Canton High School freshman wanted to try a new sport. Her cousin likes volleyball; when she tried out, Kimberley met good people and earned a spot on the team. The new sport [volleyball] challenges her intellectually and physically. “You never know where the ball is going. You must be quick on your feet." She …

Name: Shannon Belle Milewski Grade: 9 School: Canton High School Key to Awesomeness: Action based on inspiration and dedication Accomplishments: Dancer–At the tender age of three, Shannon Belle Milewski’s first teacher, Lorraine Best, ignited something powerful in her. Now a student at Stoughton’s Starline Academy for the Performing Arts, she continues to be inspired by teachers Rayna and Anna, and inspire as an assistant dance teacher for young students. “The kids are adorable, and I can see in some that they will do something with dance when they are older,” she said. Choreographing her …

Name: Christina Guccione Grade: 9 School: Canton High School, Fontbonne Academy Key to Awesomeness: Sharing her talents on the stage. Accomplishments: It was pouring rain the first time Christina Guccione met Carol Fortier at her office. The “pipe dream” of acting first appeared a few months earlier - and was quickly dropped. When the thought returned this past April, the nervous teen bravely stepped into an opportunity to meet with Fortier, Fontbonne Academy’s Musical Director. Not entirely sure of what she was doing, Christina gave Fortier’s character piece, a cold reading, her best shot. “…

Name: Marissa Davis Age: 14 School: Fontbonne Academy Key to Awesomeness: Preparing for success. Accomplishments: At a young age, Marissa Davis understands the importance of preparing for success. “It was a good way to meet people from school,” she said of her experience at Fontbonne Academy’s Musical Theatre Summer Camp. When the Canton resident enters Fontbonne in just days – she will do so already knowing four other incoming freshmen. The longtime dancer earned the role of Snoopy’s friend for the performance. “It [dance] helped in auditions; I really got the dance parts,” she said. Dancing…

Name: Ariana Sanusi Age: 14 School: Canton High School, Fontbonne Academy Key to Awesomeness: Being present and fully engaged with life. Accomplishments: Ariana Sanusi tried out for her first musical in first grade–and got a lead role. Feeling that if she could do so well at a young age, why not try out for bigger roles when she got older? Playing Woodstock in the Fontbonne Academy Musical Theatre Summer Camp’s July 29 performance of “Kids on Broadway,” Ariana again earned a leading role. In love with singing–she first began at age three–Ariana resumes lessons at the Canton Music School in …

Name: John Broberg Age: 13 School: Galvin Middle School Key to Awesomeness: Love and dedication for his craft. Accomplishments: Entering eighth grade at the Galvin this fall, John Broberg “likes sound and what you can do with it.” Hearing a saxophonist play the theme to The Simpsons at a school performance captured the then fourth grader’s attention, and began his own musical journey. Spending two weeks in July at the Canton Summer Music Program was a great experience–meeting different musicians, including high schoolers as well as band players his own age. Improv allows him to go with his …

Name: Brook Schmid Age: 9 School: JFK/Hansen Key to Awesomeness: Openness and engagement. Accomplishments: Brook Schmid turns ten this week, and with only one school year of cello lessons, she participated in the advanced strings group at the Canton Summer Music Program for two weeks in July. The cello’s deep sound sparked her interest, and Brook learned classical orchestra pieces at John F. Kennedy Elementary this past school year. “I improved a lot,” she said. “I did not know how to hold a bow.” Learning new notes, finger positions, and two new styles of music–jazz and fiddle–deepened Brook…

Name: Kirsten Bernstein Age:  19 School: Canton High School Key to Awesomeness: Setting clear priorities and making wise decisions Accomplishments: Recent Canton High School graduate Kirsten Bernstein’s world turned upside down sophomore year when her mom was diagnosed with cancer; opening a fierce commitment to life's priorities in a moment. Attending chemotherapy and blood transfusion appointments, she was by her mom’s side to provide lifesaving care and support. Bernstein was inspired by her mom and wanted to make her happy. The teen made the decision to give Mom no reason to worry about …

Name: Bridget Healy Age: 12 School: Canton Equestrian Center Key to Awesomeness:   Staying calm and focused Accomplishments: Bridget Healy is a bit of a horse whisperer in Canton. Riding her first pony at age three, mom Barbara said she has never had a fear of horses. Today, people stop to watch, amazed at how good she is with them. Barbara said Bridget can spot what is going on with a horse just by looking, and is developing a reputation working with troubled ponies. No matter the situation, she remains a calm and smiling leader while providing just what each horse needs. The seventh grader …

Name: Edouard El Massih Age: 16 School: Canton High School Key to Awesomeness: Multi-lingual and multi-cultural. Accomplishments: Edy El Massih speaks three languages and is beginning a fourth this fall–his senior year at Canton High School. Born in Lebanon, El Massih has been speaking Arabic and French his whole life, and English since he was ten, when he arrived in Canton with his family. The Lebanese immerse themselves in language; students attend language classes and learn math and history in both French and Arabic, he said.  Realizing he was losing touch with French when he moved to the …

Name: Kayla Smigielski Grade: 5 School: JFK Elementary Key to Awesomeness: Living the secret of life. Accomplishments: When Kayla Smigielski found herself in Children's Hospital ER with a fractured foot, the 10-year-old noticed other kids who would not heal as easily – if ever. As Kayla prepared to turn ten on June 8, she included a special note inside invitations to her roller skating party: “My present is sharing this special day with all of you. If you would like to bring a gift, please bring a check made out to Childrens Hospital.” Friends and family gave Kayla $300 which she proudly …

Name: Michael Counterman Age: 18 School: Canton High School Key to Awesomeness: More than meets the eye. Accomplishments: Canton High School 2011 graduate Michael Counterman connects to meaning and purpose through sports–and loves making that connection for others. The Voice of the Bulldogs since 2008, he enjoyed explaining sports to people and he is good at it. CHS honored Counterman with a special award earlier this month. Athletic Director Daniel Erickson’s speech meant as much to Counterman as the award itself. Remembering where it began–in Ed McDonough’s TV Production class–the recent …

Name: Courtland Priest Age: 12 School: Galvin Middle School Key to Awesomeness: Honoring all the expressions of himself. Accomplishments: Seventh grader Courtland Priest wanted a good grade on his assignment. But beyond that, he said he wanted to write a good poem that paid tribute to his Dad–who taught him all he knows about art. The inspiration behind Courtland’s poem, The Artist, propelled him to first place in Fresh Ink’s contest. Fresh Ink is Galvin Middle School’s literary magazine. Julie Ghostlaw, Courtland’s English teacher and the magazine’s co-advisor, described him as a well …

Name: Erica Rosenthal Grade:  8        School: Galvin Middle School Key to Awesomeness: Sharing her wealth of knowledge with others. Accomplishments: GMS’ Erica Rosenthal received two prestigious honors; both unexpected, and both touching the lives of others. Erica was surprised to be named one of just two New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) Scholar Leaders from the Galvin. Michael Paretchan, her English teacher, said “her academic skills and potential are among the best of any student I have ever had, but what really sets her apart is how she gets along with everyone.” Paretchan …

Name:  St. John's  Meals on Wheels Tuesday Team Grade:  4        School: St. John the Evangelist Key to Awesomeness:  True Community Members Accomplishments: St. John’s fourth graders deliver Meals on Wheels to senior citizens and parishioners every Tuesday. Their teacher Lauren Weidmuller said they feel privileged to do so. The fourth graders rotate their service in groups of three, ensuring deliveries happen every week. Traveling with Principal Charlotte Kelly, first stop is Canton’s Council on Aging, then on to  three home visits to drop off food, talk with people and help out with …

Name:  Alyson Churchill Grade: 9 School:   Fontbonne Academy Key to Awesomeness: Nurturing Academic and Artistic Talent Accomplishments: Canton resident Alyson Churchill’s GPA of 3.75 earned her first honors in Fontbonne Academy’s third quarter honor roll. She did this while taking Algebra II and Spanish II, both sophomore level classes.  The “student-teacher connection” at Fontbonne means a lot. “I love that there is never a time you feel alone,” the high school freshman said. Her favorite classes are math and theology, which are “quite rigorous at Fontbonne,” said Fran Karoff, …

Name: Anvitha Addanki Age: 8 ½ School: JFK Elementary Key to Awesomeness: Developing creativity and intellect with joy. Accomplishments: Third grader Anvitha Addanki was the first in Ms. Rebecca Smart’s music class at John F. Kennedy Elementary School to earn a black belt in "Recorder Karate" by learning and playing all the songs in her packet correctly. She said her favorite song to play is “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” In this first year playing the wind instrument that is similar to the flute, Anvitha said she “likes the recorder a lot,” and she nurtures her love for music by studying …

Contributed by Judy Bass. In her own words, this article is by Whiz Kid Amanda Graham: Whiz Kid: Amanda Graham, Age 18 School: Blue Hills Regional Technical School Accomplishments: Awarded a Charger Scholarship to the University of New Haven, majoring in Forensic Science. Key to Awesomeness: I am currently a senior at Blue Hills Regional in the Culinary Arts Program. I believe it is very important to stay motivated and always challenge oneself.  Some ways that I try to achieve this are by playing varsity sports.  I’ve played all four years.  I’ve received all-star awards in Swimming and …