Whiz Kid: Christopher Elliott

Westlake kids do amazing things every day, and each week at Westlake Patch, we're going to be featuring child, teenager, club or team that really shines.

Whiz Kid: Christopher Elliott, 10

School: Bassett Elementary  

Teacher: Mrs. Thrasher 

Accomplishments: Christopher is taking part in a country-wide math contest called "First in Math" by Suntex. The program provides friendly incentives for kids to preen their math skills and helps them to score well on standardized tests. Students who take part receive accomplishment stickers each time they finish a section of the contest, and Christopher is in first place among all of the nation's participants of the First in Math challenge. 

"Bassett joined the First in Math competition last spring, and by the time summer came along, Christopher was the #4 participant in the state," said Christopher's father Michael. "We encouraged him to set a goal of 100 stickers each day over the summer. He ended the summer with 22,300 stickers." 

Michael said that Christopher's goal was to be number one in the state, but that eventually evolved into him being the top performer in the entire country. He currently has 43,549 accomplishment stickers and there are still nearly two months left in the competition. 

"I'm really hoping to win First in Math," said Christopher, who has finished nearly all of the exercises in the competition. 

In addition to being number one in the First in Math program, Christopher maintains excellent grades and takes part in several school activities. 

Keys to Awesomeness

Christopher is extremely active at school and wouldn't have it any other way. 

"I play football, basketball, soccer and baseball, and I'm a student council member," he said. He is also a member of the school's book club because he loves to read. 

"My favorite subject is science because you get to do fun experiments," said Christopher, who wants to be an NFL quarterback when he grows up. 

Christopher loves to help others, so he cuts his grandmother's grass and shovels snow from her driveway to help her out. 

Chicken paprikash is Christopher's favorite brain food, and he loves to listen to his favorite bands, Coldplay and Viva la Vida, while he's doing homework or participating in First in Math exercises. 

The Million Dollar Question: If Christopher won a million dollars that he'd have to give away to a worthy cause, he says he would donate it to help the needy children who live in orphanages.