Schools

Whiz Kid: Brett Balasa

Not every student does this for their favorite teacher.

Brett Balasa

○    Whiz Kid's Age: 18

○      Whiz Kid's School: Northridge Prep.  

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○      Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: When browsing at a Barnes and Noble bookstore, Brett noticed a promotion for a "My Favorite Teacher" contest. He instantly thought of Mr. John Kestler, who taught him math in seventh, eighth and ninth grades at Northridge. Brett entered the contest, and his essay won at the store level. Both he and Mr. Kestler were there to accept the award April 15.

"There's something really special about Mr. Kestler," Brett says. "He's got great speaking skills. He gets your attention. He's good at explaining things. And it doesn't faze him if he has to spend upwards of 20 minutes working with you."

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○      Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness:  Northridge structures its grade point averages on a scale of 100,  and Brett has a 97. He has run cross country, he plays piano, he's done debate, he's in the National Honor Society and he's in charge of the service projects at school.

This weekend, he pursued one other talent--he traveled to St. Louis for a tournament with the tennis team, where he plays number one doubles. 

In the fall, he'll attend the University of Virginia to study business. 


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