This week's Whiz Kid is Alex Mathews who ranks in the top one percent of the nation’s seniors and is a National Merit Scholarship Corporation semifinalist. Do you know a great kid?  Email sarah.flagg@patch.com.

Name: Alex Mathews

Age: 17

School: Oakville High School

Year in school: 12^th grade

Accomplishment: Alex is a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition and an avid musician.

Key to Awesomeness: Being a National Merit semifinalist is a fine honor, but Mathews prefers to talk abut his passion for music. He plays the saxophone, baritone, alto and soprano in the Oakville High School marching band and was a featured soloist this year. There is no hesitation when asked about his favorite class at school.

“Definitely, my favorite class is music theory taught by Mr. Perkowski. He is a great teacher and the assistant band director. He makes learning easy and he is both knowledgeable and hilarious,” Mathews said.

Mathews’s musical exploits extend to his church, Southminster Presbyterian, where he often sings Christian songs and plays the saxophone. Earlier this year he traveled with his church to New Orleans on a one-week mission to rebuild schools damaged by Katrina.

As to his further education, Mathews is considering several universities.

“I am very interested in the music performance program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Another option is the music program at the University of North Texas. Their offer was very generous and they have a great music program,” Mathews said.

When relaxing, if not playing his saxophone or listening to jazz, Mathews might be playing baseball or spending some quality time with his two dogs, Yogi and Louie. As to leisure reading, he enjoys the Harry Potter series and J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.

*This story has been updated to reflect accuracy. The article previous reported that Alex Mathews went to Mehlville rather than Oakville High School.