This Week's Whiz Kid: Andrew Festa

Whiz Kid's Age: 18

Whiz Kid's School: Albertus Magnus High School

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment:  Proven leadership skills on the field and in the classroom as captain of three sports and student council president.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness:

There is not much this senior hasn't tried and succeeded at.  He is a 3-season varsity sport standout, Student Council President, and an honor student. In addition, he was recently honored as the Rockland Scholar Athlete of the Week.

He was captain of his football team, winter track team and now his baseball team.

In the beginning of this year you could find Andrew on the football field.  He was awarded All-League and honorable mention All-County for his outstanding performance as linebacker and wide receiver.

"My favorite football game this year was my last game. It was a home playoff game against Woodlands.  I liked it because the whole game was close, both teams were evenly matched, I hit like I never hit before and I am glad that my last football game ever was on my home field," said Festa.

While running track, he was able to keep fit after football season and throughout the winter. This helped prepare him to start baseball season in good shape.

On April 2, Festa and the rest of his Albertus teammates had opening day versus Clarkstown South.  In his first game of the season Andrew did the following as the catcher: threw out the only runner that tried to steal, tagged out a runner at home who tried to score from second on a single to the outfield.

But the most outstanding play of the game was his last at bat: In extra innings, down 5-4 with 2 men on, 2 outs, and in the bottom of the 8th, he hit a ball over the centerfielder's head for a walk-off 6-5 Albertus victory!  What a way to start the season.

"This baseball season means the world to me.  I hope we can come together as a team and enjoy it. This year in baseball I have a different reason to look forward to playing every team this year. I look forward to T.Z. because that is where I am from and I know all the kids on the team. I look forward to Pearl River because I hear they are supposed to be very good this year. I look forward to North Rockland because we beat them my junior varsity year with a walkoff in the last inning so I know we can beat them. And I look forward to Suffern because they are always the team to beat."

While Andrew's performance on the field has been outstanding, it carries over into the classroom. He is an honor student taking AP History and Honors Calculus. 

"My favorite subject is European history. I have always been interested in history and the military as a kid and also my teacher Mr. Green is awesome."

Andrew plans to study Civil Engineering next year when he goes to college. He is still undecided as to where he will go but Syracuse University, University of Delaware and University of Vermont are currently the front runners.

His interest in engineering was piqued while working at his family fence business over the summer. 

"My dad owns Fesco Fence on Route 303 and I worked there some summers and I loved it. I like the idea of trying to figure out how to build the fence and how to install it at the right angles and measurements. It was really hard work. " 

If you have ever been to an Albertus basketball game you may have heard Andrew in the crowd leading the cheering and getting the crowd going. This school spirit is what helped get him elected as president of the student council.

"As student council president, I have had to run pep rallies, organize and work orientations, and open houses, do the prayer and pledge in the morning and help out the school any way I can."

Albertus will be losing a great student as Andrew wraps up his last couple of months of high school. But one lucky college will gain a very promising freshman.