Whiz Kid of the Week: John Rowley

Name: John Rowley, 15

School: Oakton High

Accomplishment: Built an outdoor classroom for use by St. Veronica School and Parish in Chantilly

Key to Awesomeness: "Always has a smile on his face, is helpful to his friends and neighbors, always looking to get something done," said John's nominator, Fred Rubin.

John's most recent project provided an outdoor classroom, which seats about 32 people, for St. Veronica School and Parish. John, of Scout Troop 160, rallied dozens of volunteers to help him build the benches and podium he designed for his Eagle Scout project.

"I came up with the idea myself," John said. "I knew I wanted to do it at St. Veronica because it's my church. They were walking me through the grounds to show me different projects they'd like to see done when I saw the grove of trees and thought the classroom would be perfect there."

The school dedicated the classroom Nov. 1.

John stays active as an athlete and honors student. He played freshman football and is looking to play freshman lacrosse in the spring. He is also a certified scuba diver.

But John thinks others can manage an active life with a little planning.

"You have to plan ahead and make sure you're meeting small goals along the way," John advised. "You have to be goal-oriented and make sure you're doing things step by step and have a plan of how you're going to carry something out."

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Know of a worthy Whiz Kid? Send us:

●    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?)