Whiz Kid: Kaitlyn Loeben

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Kaitlyn Loeben           

Whiz Kid’s Age: 11

Whiz Kid’s Grade: Sixth Grade                       

Whiz Kid’s School: Smithville Elementary School

Whiz Kid’s Accomplishment: Kaitlyn Loeben has been competing with the Dance Forum since she was in second grade, and has been dancing since she was three years old. She is dancing in the Nutcracker with the Atlantic City Ballet in December.

Whiz Kid’s Keys to Awesomeness:

Kaitlyn Loeben isn’t sure where her love of dancing came from, but it’s something she thinks could be a profession for her some day.

Loebyn has been competing with the Dance Forum since she was in second grade, and has been dancing since she was three years old. She is dancing with the Nutcracker in the Atlantic City Ballet in December.

“I just love being on stage and having all the attention,” Loeben said. “And I like ballet and slower dancing because I can think about my dancing and take it all in while I’m on stage. “

She also plays the clarinet for the Smithville Elementary School band, and is a member of the Smithville chorus. She volunteers at the St. Mark and All Saints Church as an altar server. She served as waitress during the church’s Roast Beef Dinner.

“I do a lot of volunteer work,” Loeben said. “I worked with Alex’s Lemonade Stand. It felt so good to help while having so much fun.”

She is also a straight-A student.

“I always have to try my best, and go the extra mile when I’m studying,” Loeben said. “And that goes into dancing, too. I’m always working hard.”

Next year, Loeben will join her brother, Sean, at the Galloway Township Middle School, when she goes into the seventh grade. Sean Loeben is currently in seventh grade. Her father, Mark, is a commercial pilot with American Airlines and is a reserve in the U.S. Air Force.

While Loeben said she is interested in dancing, and would some day like to make a career out of it, she also aspires to be a professional writer.

“I write fiction when I’m in school or on vacation,” said Loeben, who writes fantasy or realistic fiction. “What I read usually inspires me.”