Whiz Kid: Meet Sandy Kim

Whiz Kid's name: Sandy Kim

Whiz Kid's age: 14

Whiz Kid's school: Lochburn Middle School

Whiz Kid's accomplishment: Sandy, an eighth-grader, was recently voted Lochburn Lion of the Month. She speaks both Korean and English and serves as a teaching assistant in the English Language Learners (ELL) program. Sandy tested out of the ELL program by improving on her test scores by 50 points in just a year, and exceeded the standard on the reading and writing WASL.

Whiz Kid's key to awesomeness: You will go a long way before you find another student like Sandy, says ELL teacher Shelley Heinzman, who called her one of the best she has seen in her 18-year teaching career. “Her work ethic, study skills, reading and writing aptitude are outstanding,” she said. Sandy, who will attend Clover Park High School in the fall, plans to become a professional artist. Her skills are well known around Lochburn, and Heinzman said she could easily get a job right now as a graphic designer. “I’d hire her in a Lakewood minute,” she said.