Tucson Region

Star-Eyewitness News 4 'Student of the Week'

Marlón Rascón Student council president at Johnson Primary School

Name: Marlón Rascón School: Johnson Primary School Age: 8 Grade: 2 Inside the classroom: Ask Marlón if he's a math genius, and he thinks about it a minute then nods "yes." Students at Johnson Primary are working on math skills, so they know basic facts automatically instead of having to count problems out every time. "I finished all the math problems and I did them all correctly. We had to do 100 problems in 5 minutes. We did it again and I did it in 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Now I have to do it in 3 minutes. I didn't practice. I like math. I just know it. It just comes automatically." The reward: For their math speediness and accuracy, Marlón and a classmate were treated to a McDonald's lunch with Principal Dan Weisz. "It was fun. I had Chicken McNuggets and fries and a milkshake. It was chocolate. Mr. Weisz got the Big Mac. I couldn't eat a Big Mac. It's too big. It's like two hamburgers put together." The home front: Marlón has five brothers and a twin sister, plus mom Delia Rascón and dad Jose Rascón. "I'm the littlest. I have five brothers, but my sister has six brothers. Everyone is good at math." Political aspirations: Marlón was elected Student Council president of Johnson Primary, which houses grades K-2. "We had to get a lot of votes and I got three and the other kids got two. There's a vice president, too. When I'm not here she has to do my job and when she's here she helps me." Marlón made an announcement on the loudspeaker Monday about the council's efforts to collect money for the Red Cross through the Pennies for the Heart program. "Every class has a empty soda bottle and they put pennies in it. It ends on Feb. 18 and whoever has the most pennies gets a special surprise." Favorite food: Broccoli. "I like it just plain. I've always liked broccoli. It's green and it's mushy, kind of like soft. It tastes like every food you like." The word on the street: Teacher Luz Elena Howard had Marlón in class last year, too. "He's always excited about learning things. He comes in every day full of energy. He's like a sponge. He's really fast in memorizing facts. He's a really smart little guy."