Whiz Kid: Great Student, Musical Maestro and More

This Whiz Kid is a student at William T. Rogers Middle School and all around performer. Whiz kids come in all shapes and sizes, as a team or an indvidual, kindergarten to high school senior. If you know a Whiz Kid let us know, we want to brag.

Nominator's Name: Jim Barbarino, a.k.a. proud papa

Whiz Kid: Toni Grace Barbarino

Age: 13

School: William T. Rogers Middle School

Whiz Kids' Accomplishment: All around great student, musical maestro and more.

Whiz Kid’s Key to Awesomeness: This whiz kid is an all around star with a laundry list of accomplishments. Toni Grace Barbarino is a solid student participating in the accelerated program at William T. Rogers Middle School with a GPA of a 96. Barbarino doesn’t stop there though; she is also an active leader in her school and serves as Vice President on the Student Council.

Music seems to be her calling. Barbarino, who plays the baritone horn, has been chosen all county for the  Suffolk County Music Educator's Association for the past four years. Impressive as that is, she is also a soloist for New York State School Music Association for the past four years as well.

Barbarino is not only active in mind but also body. She enjoys showing her school spirit as a co-captain of the school’s cheerleading squad.

What makes her so awesome says her dad is her ability to be herself. “Toni Grace has always been driven to learn and competes with herself,” says dad Jim Barbarino. “(She) seems to be oblivious to peer pressure and has a very diverse group of friends," he said.