Whiz Kid: By Observing Friends, Student Weaves Intriguing Tales

Name: Reem Al Shareef

Age: 10

School:

Accomplishment: Al Shareef, a fifth grader in Ms. Jennifer Gartha’s class, has taken her love of reading an additional step by writing stories she shares with her teachers and students at Oakman.

“A lot of my stories are about my friends at school,” she said. “Writing is one of my favorite things to do. I like writing about my best friends, and what they are doing.”

Al Shareef’s stories are in part an extension of her reading; she enjoys many books, including many different topics. Some of her favorite stories are “In the Valley of the Wolves,” “The Last Dragon,” and the Animorf series of books.

A prolific writer, Al Shareef is also a member of the school’s IGNITE group, which means she is one of the school’s top students in terms of academic performance. Also, she takes part in the school’s broadcast, which is shown in each classroom on a closed-circuit system. As part of the broadcast crew, she reports on events and news happening at Oakman.

Key to Awesomeness: Al Shareef’s endless curiosity and inherent interest in others is the key to her success at Oakman, said Gartha.

“Her stories have a lot of imagination, and a fabulous vocabulary and a great story line,” she said. “Much of this is due to the amount of reading she does.”

Oakman Principal Radewin Awada agrees.

“Reem has been an exemplary Oakman student who is a leader and continuously strives for excellence,” he said.

Reem is the daughter of Alaa Al Shareef and Duha Al Bustani of Dearborn. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her parents and her 9-year-old brother. A standout in math and science, she hopes to one day follow her father into the pharmaceutical field.  

Do you know a Dearborn student who has been inspired by others? Do you know a student that spends time seeking out knowledge about topics that may not be apparent to other teens? Does that student’s hard work and initiative rival the most motivated of adults? If so, we’d like to hear from you.  Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

E-mail your Whiz Kid nominations to Editor Jessica Carreras at Jessica.carreras@patch.com. Please include the name, age, school, achievement and key to awesomeness, as well as a photo. Then come back every Wednesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight. You never know who may be smiling at you from the computer screen.