Sachem Patch Whiz Kid

Every week Sachem Patch will honor one deserving student in the Sachem Central School District with the title, "Whiz Kid."

Here's the second one ... 

 Whiz Kid's Name: Nicholas Buonaiuto, Peter Buonaiuto and Mason Bila

Whiz Kid's Age/Grade: Nicholas and Mason fourth grade; Peter third grade

Whiz Kid's School: Tamarac Elementary School

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Nicholas, Peter and Mason competed as a team in a model airplane contest held by The Cradle of Aviation Museum on Jan. 22. Students constructed the model airplanes from kits and then flew them in competition. Prizes were awarded to the teams with the best performing aircraft. Nicholas, Peter and Mason set a new record in endurance flight and won an overall grand prize, receiving a trophy and tickets to the IMAX dome theater.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: "Nicholas, Peter and Mason got up early on a Saturday and took the initiative to apply themselves to this challenging, but fun endeavor," said Brianne Furstein, their GATE teacher at Tamarac. Nicholas states that choosing to spend their time productively while building their model, (instead of rushing to finish early and then wasting time), was a big factor in their success. They’ve shown that determination and teamwork really pay off. The boys are looking forward to competing in a rocket contest at the museum, come June.

Have a Whiz Kid to nominate? Email Sachem Patch Editor Chris R. Vaccaro at Chris@Patch.com.