Meet Thinh Tran

Whiz Kid's name: Thinh Tran

Whiz Kid's age: 12

Whiz Kid's school: Lochburn Middle School

Whiz Kid's accomplishment: Thinh, a native Vietnamese speaker, has been named a “Lion of the Month” at Lochburn, an award bestowed upon students who demonstrate both scholarship and citizenship. A team of grade-level teachers selects those to be honored. Thinh is also a bilingual teaching assistant in an English Language Learners (ELL) class at Lochburn.

Whiz Kid’s key to awesomeness: Thinh is known as an honest, respectful and polite young man who attributes his intelligence to “ideas that come to my brain,” said ELL teacher Shelly Heinzman, who said she is most impressed with her pupil’s high-level academic vocabulary. His hobbies include playing “History of Warfare,” walking – and helping people.