Whiz Kids: St. Augustine of Canterbury Student Combines Technology and Creativity

As students grow in the digital age, a strong background in technology can give them a head start on their future.  That's why we're happy to recognize St. Augustine of Canterbury School sixth-grader Sunny Reddy as Whiz Kid of the Week.

Last month, Sunny was announced as a winner of the New Jersey Association for Educational Technology's Six Sounds in Search of an Author Contest.  He won top prize out of 120 submitted entries from across the state for the Middle School Comedy/Romance category.  Sunny created a one-minute long podcast that included six sound effects: a striking match, an engine roar, a beating heart, cricket chirps, a ringing phone and a splash. 

“I was very impressed with Sunny’s Podcast, 'Diet Water,' which was a parody of the infomercials that we all see on television," said Technology teacher Debbie Knox, who submitted Sunny's podcast to the contest.  "His use of his voice as the announcer was quite phenomenal for a student of his age."

Knox said that Sunny was able to sit in front of the computer and record the podcast right off the top of his head.

"Amazingly, he recorded his podcast without a script," she said.  "(Sunny) said that he had a lot of practice from his performances at the Odyssey of the Mind competitions that he has participated in for the past three years."

Sonny will be able to choose from either a Sanyo Digital Stereo MP3 Voice Recorder or a Coby 3.0 Mini Digital Camcorder as his prize for the contest. The project itself involved infusing Language Arts and Technology in a creative way to inspire literacy, as well as twenty-first century technology skills, Knox said.

"This project gets the students to apply higher thinking skills and learn technology in a creative, meaningful and entertaining way," she said.  "It's not like work, it's more like fun, so the students enjoy doing this type of project."

South Brunswick Patch is seeking suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to davy.james@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?)

▪                A high-resolution JPG photo of your Whiz Kid

Questions? E-mail South Brunswick Patch Editor Davy James at davy.james@patch.com.