Whiz Kid: Mathew DiVito

Name: Mathew DiVito

Age: 7

School: Deer Run Elementary School

Activities: Mathew plays baseball, basketball and flag football. He will soon be moving up to East Haven Youth Football’s tackle division. Mathew is also involved in youth wrestling, where he “won a medal the first time” competing, he said. 

Other Interests: Mathew loves animals and spending time with his dog, Apple, and his two older brothers, Tanner and Alec, who are 9-year-old fraternal twins. Mathew also has a pet aquatic frog whose name is Optimus Prime. He also likes to ski with his brothers and mom and dad, Jennifer and Ryan. When asked if there were any other sports Mathew was interested in, he said, ”I just kind of want to try tennis, because it looks so cool.”

Accomplishments: “I think my accomplishments are my writing assessments and the high grades I get in spelling,” said the 7-year-old.

Key to Awesomeness: “Mathew balances his extracurricular activities while maintaining a rigorous academic curriculum,” said his 2nd-grade teacher Tammy Anne Afragola. “He is one of my top readers and is already reading novels.”

Mrs. Afragola said that she had nicknamed Mathew “Chick Ambassador” because when the class raised baby chicks this year, he would stand by the box where they were incubating and explain the process. She said this included the number of days in the incubation process, how the eggs needed to be turned several times each day, and if the kids wanted to touch the chicks, how it was necessary to wash their hands and use sanitizer.  

Quote from Principal Bill Grimm: “Mathew is respectful, kind and caring to his classmates and all of the adults at Deer Run School,” he said, adding that Mathew personifies the school’s expectations of being nice to others and trying your best.

Future Plans: “I want to be a firefighter when I grow up,” said Mathew, “because my dad is one."