Whiz Kid: Nothing But A's for Oakview's Phoebe Holmes

Each week, the Whiz Kid column spotlights an accomplishment of a student or student group. This week, we feature Phoebe Holmes, an eighth-grade student at Oakview Middle School who will attend Lake Orion High School this fall. 

Phoebe Holmes

Accomplishment: Holmes has been on the honor roll since fourth grade. She is also involved in music, sports and Student Council, and she tutors students two days a week. In her limited spare time, she also volunteers at a local animal shelter and plays music at the .

Key to awesomeness: Besides earning straight A's for as long as she can remember, Holmes, 14, earned a perfect 4.0 GPA at Oakview Middle School this year. She is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and serves on the school's Student Council. This year, Holmes ran track for the first time, and she plans to play tennis at this coming school year.

Holmes is also a talented and avid flute and piccolo player. She recently earned a spot in the Lake Orion High School marching band and placed into one of the highest concert bands at the school as an incoming freshman. Outside of school, she has put on concerts at the Older Persons' Commission with her 9-year-old sister, Jaclyn, who plays piano and sings.

During her three years at Oakview Middle School, Holmes organized a pit band for the school's parent-run musicals and played flute, piccolo and guitar in several musicals, including Aladdin.

When she's not in school, Holmes tutors up to 10 elementary school students two days a week at the Orion Township Public Library (she says her favorite subject is math).

She also has volunteered at Oakland County Animal Control. "I walked dogs and played with cats," said Holmes, who has two pet Peking ducks.

The teen leads an active lifestyle and enjoys spending time outdoors with her parents and sister.

"We ride our bikes down the Paint Creek Trail," Holmes said, adding that she and her family often bring their pet ducks along for the ride in a bike trailer.

On top of her many accomplishments, Holmes is also a certified ham radio operator; she earned her certification when she was just 10 years old.

The active teenager said she already knows what she wants to do when she grows up.

"I want to go into something medical and keep playing music on the side," she said.

Do you know our next Whiz Kid?

Each week, Oakland Township Patch seeks suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams who 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 email the information to editor Jen Anesi. Be sure to include all of the following information:

• Nominator's name
• Whiz Kid's name and age
• Whiz Kid's school
• Whiz Kid's accomplishment
• Whiz Kid's key to awesomeness (what made him/her successful?)