Whiz Kid: Conor Waterman

Name: Conor Waterman

Age: 9

School: ol

Accomplishments: Conor, the son of John and Deb Waterman, is a third grader who is making a name for himself as a public speaker. Tuesday night, Conor spoke to the Saline Area Schools Board of Education and asked people to support the Special Education millage renewal proposal on the May 3 ballot. Conor has a hearing disability and the millage helps pay for a "boot" that allows the teacher to pipe the questions right into his hearing aid. He told the board that the special equipment helps keep him out of trouble. Without it, he said, he'd always be asking classmates to repeat what the teacher said. Last fall, Conor spoke to the Michigan Senate in favor of the Complete Streets initiative, saying that Michigan's public roadways should be made accessible for all travelers, and not just those using motor vehicles.

As a result of that talk, Conor was one of three students honored as League of Michigan Bicyclists Advocates of the Year.

Key to Awesomeness: Guts. It takes guts to stand up in front of a government body and tell them what you think.

(If you wish to nominate a local kid for our weekly Whiz Kid feature, send your nomination to tran.longmoore@patch.com)