WHIZ KID: Juanita Teen a Standout Volunteer at Summer Kids Camp

Name, age: Hailey Sims, 15.

School and Neighborhood: Hailey will be a ninth-grader at in the fall. She lives in Juanita.

Accomplishments: Hailey completed the 's Counselor in Training program in May and has spent 80 hours volunteering this summer at Peter Kirk Camp.

“She’s a gem: Great with kids, great spirit and energy, and some day will make a wonderful camp leader,” says Tracy Harrison, Kirkland Parks recreation coordinator.

Hailey’s training focused on working with younger kids at the camp. As a counselor, she helps with things like outdoor games, art projects and food preparation.

Part of the training also helps Hailey deal with the different personalities and needs of the many kids at the camp, all of whom she enjoys being around.

“They’re all really funny,” she says.

Key to awesomeness: Hailey first started volunteering with the as part of a school project. When that experience came to an end she wanted to continue to help out and work with kids.

“I really liked volunteering.”

She and her mother soon found an opportunity with Peter Kirk Camp. Hailey enjoys babysitting and likes to work with younger kids, so it was a natural fit for her.

“It doesn’t even feel like I’m volunteering,” she says.

Hailey enjoys the sense of responsibility she feels when working with the younger kids, enjoys being looked up to, and also appreciates the encouragement she gets from the older counselors at the camp.

At school, Hailey enjoys language arts and math. “I’ve always liked math and problem-solving,” Hailey says. She also thinks that working with younger kids is itself a kind of problem-solving exercise.

Hailey also enjoys pottery, art and playing volleyball, which she’s done for the past three years.

Hailey hasn’t quite started to think about college yet, but she would like to pursue something in the fashion industry. In the meantime, she’ll continue to volunteer whenever she can: “Definitely.”