Meet Nazareth's "Whiz Kid" Colin Henderson

"Whiz Kid" Facts:

• Name: Colin Henderson
• Grade: Sophomore at
• Church: 
• Honors: Ranked first in his class, High Honor roll
• School activities: Chess Team
• Sports: NAHS Cross Country Team, NAHS Tennis Team, Blue Mountain Soccer

"Whiz Kid" Key to Awesomeness:

Colin Henderson is ranked first in his class, but he didn’t reach the top because of the study skills his parents taught him. Instead, he lives by a quote they taught him:

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin

Colin believes that focusing on a class, taking good notes and working hard on assignments is what really counts.

“Understand it -- don’t memorize it -- and it all falls into place,” he said. “You should be learning to truly learn, not to just pass the test.”

There’s a lot of competition to be on top of the academic mountain, but Colin intends to hold on to his top spot throughout high school.

“It can get stressful at times,” he admits. “If you want to be successful in school, it does come at a price. You‘ve got to be dedicated.”

Colin maintains a balance of school and play by optimizing the usage of his time, he said. He often can be found playing basketball with friends, playing chess or strumming on his guitar. That said, he also likes to take some time for himself -- he aims for a balance of both.

In school, American history was his favorite class -- math came in at a close second.

And his favorite teacher? That would be Ed Mazur.

“He genuinely cares about his students, develops relationships with them by being sincere and approachable, and puts in extra time and effort to ensure their successes,” Colin said. “Furthermore, Mr. Mazur has an extremely thorough knowledge of American history and its nuances that he uses to effectively teach the subject.”

Colin believes he will most likely study finance, business or economics some day.

As for where, well, the sophomore hasn’t quite gotten that far yet.

We'll make sure to ask him in two years!