Patch Whiz Kids of the Week: Ben Loudermilk and Zachary Fucini

Each week, San Bruno Patch will feature an amazing kid, youth group, teen or sports team that wows us with their accomplishments. 

This week, we couldn't just limit our applause to one kid. held its annual schoolwide science fair Jan. 19. Fifth- and sixth-grade students were required to conduct their own experiments while kindergarten through fourth-graders were asked to conduct group experiments in their classrooms. Sixth-graders Ben Loudermilk and Zachary Fucini didn't just submit their experiments for their school's science fair, but they also submitted their work to the San Mateo County Science Fair. And they both earned second place in their respective categories.

Patch Whiz Kids of the Week

Name/Age: Ben Loudermilk, 12

School: Crestmoor Elementary School

Accomplishment: In January, Ben participated in Crestmoor’s schoolwide science fair. He received a first place ribbon in his category—behavioral science—for his project “How Do We Decide By Taste or Sight?” Ben was also awarded the first place ribbon for best overall project in the sixth grade. The top three finalists from sixth grade advanced to the San Mateo County Science Fair. Ben was chosen as a finalist and was interviewed by several judges who asked questions about his project. At the awards ceremony on Feb. 4, Ben was awarded a second place ribbon for his project. —submitted by Crestmoor Principal Natalie Sheridan

Key to Awesomeness: According to Sheridan, Ben really enjoys science and he had a great time with this project. He tested more than 15 people to gather his data and spent a lot of time going over his results. He was very excited to see that his hypothesis was correct. Ben predicted that his test subjects would be persuaded by brand familiarity and packaging when tasting various types of bottled water. Each person did a blind taste test and then a taste test where they could see the individual bottles.  

Name/Age: Zachary Fucini, 11 

School: Crestmoor Elementary School

Accomplishment: Zachary also participated in Crestmoor’s schoolwide science fair. He received a first place ribbon in his category—physical science—for his project “Which Light Bulb Filament is Brightest?”  Zachary was awarded the overall second place ribbon for sixth grade. He then advanced to the San Mateo County Science Fair. Zachary was also chosen as a finalist and was interviewed by judges. At the awards ceremony, Zachary was also awarded a second place ribbon for his project. —submitted by Crestmoor Principal Natalie Sheridan

Key to Awesomeness: Zachary says that the key to awesomeness is to “study hard, do your homework and put your dreams into action.” —submitted by Crestmoor Principal Natalie Sheridan

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Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. 

Each week, San Bruno Patch will seek 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 the comments or e-mail the information to martin@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?)

If your nominee is selected, we'll contact you and asign a photographer to take a photo. For questions, e-mail martin@patch.com.