Jonathan Cleckler has both a creative mind and athletic ability. When he’s not on the football field or basketball court, he is either building a random project or playing video games.

Jonathan, a Verbena eighth-grader, is also interested in physical science, particularly the elements and what things are made of.

“The biggest stuff is made out of the smallest atoms,” he said.

He plays for Verbena’s junior varsity football and basketball teams and is president of the SCA (student council) and vice president of FCCLA. He also enjoys participating in fundraisers for the athletic club at the University of Alabama.

Jonathan aspires to play football for Alabama and study computer programming. He is interested in designing his own video games like the adventure and sports games he plays on Wii and other systems.

“It’s amazing to me that they can make video games like that,” he said. “I want to see if I can make one even better.”

Jonathan also builds projects from Bionicles, which are made by LEGO.

Although both of his parents are teachers at Verbena, he doesn’t seem to be drawn to teaching although he has thought about it.

Jonathan is the son of Mark and Jane Cleckler of Verbena and has a brother, Jacob, and a sister, Mattie.