BLOOMINGTON - When Wil Ward, 14, sets his mind to something, he does it.

There was the time in the sixth grade, for instance, when he decided he wanted to get all A's in junior high.

Mission accomplished.

When he needed to raise money to attend a People to People world leadership conference in Washington, D.C., he wrote letters to friends and relatives and made a presentation to a Rotary Club.

He raised $1,200.

"He's real goal-oriented," said his mother, Jenny Ward, a development officer at Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University.

Most recently, the eighth-grader at Chiddix Junior High School set his sights on a Scholar Attitude award through the Illinois Elementary School Association. He was one of 14 eighth-graders statewide picked for the award, which honors academics, sports and sportsmanship.

Chiddix Principal Tim Green believes Wil, nominated by school administration, is only the third Unit 5 student to receive the award in its nine-year history.

What are your favorite subjects in school and what sports and activities do you participate in?

I like math and science. It's fun to solve problems. I run track in the mile and 800 meters and also cross country. I'm also in jazz and concert band.

Where will you go to high school and do you have any career plans?

I'm hoping to go to U High because of their great academic program. I'm interested in engineering or medicine because they both improve people's lives.

Do you have a special hero?

My dad, because he cares about people.

What do you and your friends do when you get together?

We usually play basketball or go for runs.

Your parents spelled Wil with one ‘l.' Do you like it spelled that way?

I like it. I think it's unique.

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Wil Ward

Age: 14

Hometown: Bloomington

Family: Parents, Dane and Jenny Ward; brother, Wesley, 11

Honors: Scholar Attitude award winner, Illinois Elementary School Association

School: Eighth-grader, Chiddix Junior High School, Normal.