Whiz Kid: Derek Luther

Each week, Media Patch features individual kids, teens, youth groups, and sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments in the feature called Whiz Kid. We also want to hear suggestions on who you'd like to see featured as a Whiz Kid, so send some nominations our way. This week's Whiz Kid is Derek Luther, a first grader at Rose Tree Elementary School, who loves baseball but also finds time to read and volunteer. 

Name: Derek Luther

Age: 7

School:

Accomplishments: Derek read for about 1,400 minutes in the month of February and earned a certificate for "Read for Ronald," a fundraiser led by the Philadelphia 76ers to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. He also received a certificate for participating in his elementary school's Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service, where he painted vegetable signs for the Hillside CSA Farm in Elwyn, prepared dog treats for the Delaware County SPCA, and helped put together blocks for a local preschool.

Why he's awesome: Derek loves all sports. He plays soccer, flag football, basketball and loves swimming the backstroke during his swimming lessons. But baseball is his favorite sport. Derek is a divide fan (his mother is a Phillies fan and his father roots for the Cubs) but that hasn't held him back from swinging a bat. This will be his first year playing "real" baseball for Media Little League after two years of mastering his skills on the T-ball field. 

Derek is a quiet guy and loves scientific things. He talks about being an astronaut someday, his mother says. His favorite subjects in school are gym and reading and his favorite books are the Magic Treehouse series. He loves to ride his bike, climb trees and catch bugs. Derek is your all around American boy. 

Editor's note: Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local hockey team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.