Whiz Kids' Name(s): Rebecca Bucci, high school freshman Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: West Essex Regional High School, North Caldwell  Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: A national observance each March, the Art Educators of New Jersey’s Youth Art Month (YAM) emphasizes the value of K-12 art education for all children and encourages support for quality art programs in school. Each school throughout the state is invited to submit up to four pieces of art, celebrating the “Power of Art”. Only two-dimensional designs are allowed, but students can use any art tools they prefer, including …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: West Essex Regional High School’s Team Estonia members Will Qawasmi, David Inga, David Shields, James Lovey and Deanna Daley. Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: West Essex Regional High School, North Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Five members of West Essex Regional High School’s Robotics Team worked together as Team Estonia to compete in the annual Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Zero Robotics Challenge. The self-taught C programmers participated in the three-stage competition, placing fourth on a national level. The competition …

Whiz Kids' Name(s): Rachael Borrows, Olivia Carrara, Elizabeth Elliott, Abby Lebet, Ashvin Nagarajan, Brendan Padover, Ally Wertz, Lydia Wielgus and Roxanne Wilcox. Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Grover Cleveland Middle School 2011-12 Forensic Team Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Grover Cleveland Middle School, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Students in the Gifted Academic Program (GAP) at Grover Cleveland Middle School (GCMS) took home the varsity first place team trophy for overall performance from the Essex County Forensic Tournament, as well as second, third and …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Alexa DeJoseph, high school senior Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: When Alexa DeJoseph was looking for service project ideas and a way to get more involved, she didn’t have to look any farther than her dad’s commute. Driving through Paterson each day, DeJoseph and her father saw a community in need and launched Backpacks for Kids in Need, a program that provides backpacks and school supplies to children. Now in its fourth year, the program has provided more than 300 backpacks and…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Lauren Bomberg, high school senior Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Modern, ballroom, jazz, Hip Hop, and more, Lauren Bomberg loves to dance. And, dance she does! Dancing with Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts (SMAPA), Bomberg is one of just nine girls on a merit-based scholarship with the company. However, this Whiz Kid also has her sights set on a career in medicine, aspiring to be a doctor. Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness:  A West Caldwell resident and student at …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Marissa London, high school junior Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: West Essex Regional High School, North Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: After learning of the life-altering injuries sustained by PFC Derek McConnell, Marissa London, a junior at West Essex Regional High School (WEHS), began "Hearts for Derek", a fundraiser to benefit the young soldier who was wounded over the summer while serving in Afghanistan. London kicked off the fundraiser at the North Caldwell Fireman's Community Center on Sunday, Oct. 16, during a pasta dinner held to…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Louis Mollet, high school freshman Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: James Caldwell High School, West Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: After moving from France to the Caldwells just three years ago, James Caldwell High School freshman Louis Mollet has already left his mark on his new hometown, earning the coveted Scout of the Year title for Boy Scout Troop 6, Caldwell. A Boy Scout since the sixth grade when he arrived in the states, Mollet began earning a wide range of merit badges, participating in social service activities, and attending all…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: John Giuffre, high school junior Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: West Essex Regional High School, North Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Tired of searching for in-depth and useful reviews of cycling gear, West Essex junior John Giuffre decided to take matters into his own hands. An avid cyclist since the age of four, the cross country mountain biking and cyclocross aficionado began GearTested.net, an online site dedicated to reviewing clothing and gear for camping, cycling and snow sports; showcasing new gear, and providing peer reviews of …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Jackson Salter, high school senior Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: James Caldwell High School, West Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: A competitive swimmer for more than 10 years, musician, and AP Scholar, Jackson Salter was recently recognized as a National Merit Semi-Finalist. But, his greatest surprise may have been the perfect score of 2400 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The senior, who received the Dartmouth Book Award last spring, also took part in the North Jersey School Music Association (NJSMA) all North Jersey regional …

After a summer break, Patch Whiz Kids will resume this fall. The column will once again appear each week, featuring an area youth or youth group/team who excels in academics, the arts, or another special talent, or has gone above and beyond in some unique way to help the community—or the world—be a better place. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens from the Caldwells. Send us your nominees and we'll select one to be featured each Monday in Patch Whiz Kids. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to caldwells@patch.com. Be sure to include the…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Danielle Martucci, Academic Scholar with Highest Honors and First-Team All-Conference basketball player Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: James Caldwell High School, West Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: She has played basketball for what seems like forever, but senior Danielle Martucci has reached many goals, both athletic and academic. Now, the graduating senior was recently named 2010 Scholar Athlete for James Caldwell High School (JCHS). Presented by the NJSIAA, the award is given to one athlete from every high school in the state. Whiz …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Class of 2011’s salutatorian, artist and now fashion-design student Holly Timpson Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: She dances, paints, and is a regular volunteer with the Pittsburgh Project, and now the salutatorian from Mount Saint Dominic Academy (MSDA) is one of only 40 freshmen accepted into the Presidential Scholars Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York. Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: After a successful four years, Mount Saint Dominic Academy senior …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Gymnast Elizaveta "Liza" Pletneva Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Liberty Academy of Rhythmic Gymnastics, Fairfield; Washington Elementary School, West Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: The third grader is one of nine gymnasts who headed to the National Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Orlando last weekend, qualifying by placing in the top five of level 6 in the regional championships held in Ohio. This was Pletneva’s third trip to Nationals. Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: For four years, Liza Pletneva has trained with Nataliya Chernova …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Eighth grade student Allegra Whiting Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Grover Cleveland Middle School, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: The two-time winner of the National Young Musicians Showcase Competition, member of North Jersey School Music Association's 2011 Junior High School Region-1 honors music ensembles and 2009 first place winner of the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra’s Young Artist Baroque Concerto Competition, the talented middle school student recently auditioned for the pre-college programs at Juilliard and the Manhattan…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Lauren Marazzi Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: The Mount Saint Dominic junior is one of 90 students accepted into the Governor’s School of New Jersey in the Sciences, a three-week summer program held at Drew University. Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: More than 400 students apply for one of the coveted spots in the Governor’s School of the Sciences, a unique summer program for academically talented high school students who have completed their junior year, but only 90 students were…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Washington Elementary School Fifth Grade Book Battle Team Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Washington Elementary School, West Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Washington Elementary School fifth graders took home a first-place victory in the district-wide Book Battle competition. Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Washington Elementary School came out victorious in the school district’s annual Fifth Grade Book Battle competition, not only winning for the third consecutive year, but with a perfect score. After winning a one-day voluntary …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Lynnli Wang Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: West Essex Regional High School Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Achieving the rank of salutatorian is in itself a great accomplishment. Add to that wining the technology award for the National Center for Women & Information Technology Aware for Aspirations in Computing, acceptance into the North Jersey School Music Association’s 2011 High School Region-1 Ensembles, her role as a member of the West Essex Regional High School state sectional champion girls’ tennis team, and her acceptance into the New Jersey…

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Emily Fiore and Morgan Vitiello Whiz Kids' School/Church/Community Center: James Caldwell High School (JCHS), West Caldwell Whiz Kids' Accomplishment: Raising money for charity is always a good thing, but these two young students have created, organized and executed one or more fundraisers each year to benefit either a nationally known, or locally grown, fund for someone in need. Hoping to make a difference in the community, the state and sometimes even the world, these self-motivated students have raised nearly $6,000 for charity. This weekend, the …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Eighth Grade Italian I Students Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Grover Cleveland Middle School, Caldwell Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Speaking and performing in front of a crowd is never easy, but speaking in a language that is new and second to a native language, can be tricky, if not terrifying. For the first time in the history of Grover Cleveland Middle School (GCMS), eighth graders from the school competed in the Italian Language and Culture Competition, placing first in the middle school category with their presentation of Doppiamente …

Patch Whiz Kid/Team/Club of the Week: Patrick Wu, high school senior Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: James Caldwell High School Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: When a student achieves the rank of National Merit Finalist, it is a true accomplishment. Add to that his acceptance into the North Jersey School Music Association’s 2011 High School Region-1 Ensembles for violin, and his role as a member of James Caldwell High School’s team that was named State Champions at the New Jersey Physics Olympics, and you have a true Whiz Kid. Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Most parents know the value …