Whiz Kid: Oak Forest Whiz Kid Hall of Fame for March

There are plenty of good kids in Oak Forest. Some excel scholastically, others athletically. Others even in philanthropy. We want to know about them. We need your "Whiz Kids." Take a look at the ones we featured this month.

Think you know of one? Tell editor Lauren Traut, by emailing lauren.traut@patch.com, or calling (708)382-0737.

Whiz Kid: Wesley Frye (March 2)
Most recently, Wesley performed along with 49 other top Chicagoland high school musicians in the Northshore Concert Band at Northwestern University. Frye plays the trombone, sings and acts. He also joined a select group of students in a performance with well-known vocalist Eric Whitaker March 6–8.

Sixteen-year-old Wesley impressed Patch with his professional demeanor and on-the-spot vocals from Pirates of Penzance. Check it out.

Whiz Kid: Forest View Farms Silver Spurs 4-H Club (March 9)
This group of 50 kiddos went above and beyond when group leaders asked them to collect 500 pounds in food donations for the Cook County Farm Bureau, as part of a competition with all other 4-H clubs in the county. The group doubled that expectation, collecting 1,124 pounds of food. The first place winner of the competition received $100 from the bureau, and the Silver Spurs decided to donate the money to . Marley Majetic is a local teenager whose aspiration to start up her own food pantry has helped increase donations citywide.

Whiz Kid: 4-H'er Sarah Betz Raises Goat, Hopes for Shot at National Show (March 16)
Just a kid, Sarah has raised a "kid" of her own—of the goat kind, of course. Through Forest View Farm Silver Spurs 4-H club, Sarah has taken the goat "Wizard" under her wing, as she learns the responsibilities needed to care for another creature Sarah learned this month that a photo of her and her beloved goat has been chosen for a contest through the National Goat Expo in Des Moines, IA in October of 2012.Voting is online, open to everyone and ends May 31. If Sarah wins the contest, she will win one free registration for one goat, to one sanctioned show or 4-H show event. This will allow Sarah to compete in the National 4-H goat expo against other 4-H members from across the country.

Whiz Kid: Cub Scout Collin Krause Springs to Action to Save Friend (March 23)
Ten-year-old Collin Krause didn't think twice. When his friend signaled that he was choking, Collin stepped up to pump the friend's stomach, until the Jolly Rancher candy lodged in his throat flew out. 

"He thanked me for saving his life, and I said, 'no problem,'" Collin said of his act. Collin was 9 years old at the time of the choking incident, which happened at KinderCare in Tinley Park in February 2010.

Whiz Kid: Oak Forest Fifth-Grader Paxton Hoop Goes Bald, Raises Bucks (March 30)
Paxton Hoop, a fifth-grader at Kerkstra Middle School, was one member of a team of girls from her Tinley Park Bulldogs 12-U Travel Softball Team who raised $24,176 for the March 13 St. Baldrick's Day event in Plainfield. Paxton shaved 16 inches of her long, blond hair. Their group, "Team Trooper" is among the top 100 worldwide, for most funds raised. Team Trooper ranks 62nd in the world, 58th in the United States and 7th in the state. They raised the most funds at the Plainfield event.

Do you know someone you'd like to feature as a Whiz Kid? Let us know! Email editor Lauren Traut at lauren.traut@patch.com, or call (708)382-0737.