Whiz Kid: Brandi Aldridge

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Brandi Aldridge           

Whiz Kid’s Age: 13

Whiz Kid’s Grade: Rising eighth-grader           

Whiz Kid’s School: Galloway Township Middle School

Whiz Kid’s Accomplishment: Brandi Aldridge is currently working on performing in the summer play, Beauty and the Beast. It is the third play the middle schooler will be participating in as she gets reacquainted with the fine art of ballet.

Whiz Kid’s Keys to Awesomeness:

Brandi Aldridge never had an interest in ballet until she played a bottle dancer in the Galloway Township Middle School’s production of Fiddler on the Roof this year.

“It’s difficult not knowing where to place your feet,” Aldridge said. “So I’m going to try to talk my mom into letting me take more dance lessons.”

Aldridge has an interest because she’s been singing and dancing her whole life, and she’s beginning to participate in more plays. In addition to Fiddler on the Roof, Aldridge played a rat in the play, Rats, with the Once Upon a Time Players.

She is currently working on her third play, Beauty and the Beast, also with the Once Upon a Time Players. That play takes place at the middle school on June 26, and Aldridge will be playing The Dresser.

“I’ve been singing since I was able to talk,” Aldridge said. “When I went to pre-school, my mom would teach me songs and we would sing them in the car on the way to school.”

She’s taken singing and dancing lessons, and is now getting the chance to put them to use, but that’s not all she does.

Aldridge is a member of the Girl Scouts. Her troop adopted a stretch of road between Arthur Rann Elementary School and Jimmie Leeds Road for clean ups. The girls also clean a stretch of beach in Brigantine near 17th Street once a month.

She describes herself as an A and B student in school, and says she excels in Language Arts and art-related classes, such as music and 2-D and 3-D art.

She also anticipates going to eighth grade next year because she has the chance to learn algebra and meet new people.

“I can learn more about myself and who I can be around other people,” Aldridge said.

Editor’s Note:

Although the school year is over, there are still plenty of Whiz Kids out there waiting to be recognized. Little Leaguers, travel teams, summer camps, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, students who were overlooked during the school year and those making general contributions to the community are all potential Whiz Kids.

Send recommendations to Anthony.Bellano@patch.com.