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Schools

Whiz Kid: Diego Gutierrez

Fourth grader wins National Geographic contest.

Name: Diego Gutierrez 

Age: 10 

School: Greenbriar West Elementary School 

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Accomplishment: This young student is one of 15 winners of the National Geographic Kids 2011 Hands-On Explorer Challenge, an essay and photography contest inviting kids to explain how they actively explore their world. 

Key to Awesomeness: In his spare time, 10-year-old Diego Gutierrez enjoys investigating Rocky Run Stream and its surrounding area with his dog, Paisa.  

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“I really like going there and exploring,” he said. “There are different paths so you can keep exploring...it’s really fun exploring new trails and going to new places that I haven’t been to before; each path leads to a new place.”

This year’s Hand-On Explorer Challenge allowed Diego to showcase his passion for science and learning about Rocky Run Stream in a 300-word essay and compete with kids across the country who share similar interests.  

Thousands of children between the ages of 9 and 15 entered the competition, and Diego was selected as one of the 15 winners. In addition to a new Nikon® D3100™ Digital SLR Camera, he won a weeklong expedition trip to the Cayman Islands in July with the 14 other winners.  

“Sometimes the stream is calm and peaceful,” Diego wrote in his essay. “Other times, after a heavy rain, it seems angry, hurrying on its way downstream like it was late for some important appointment. The stream has its own personality, and I think I’ve learned to read its moods.”

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