An executive memory
Local 6-year-old has knack for knowledge, especially when it comes to U.S. presidents
BY LAUREN CIRAULO Staff Writer

Matthew D'Elia, 6, of Old Bridge, has a passion for knowledge and can recite details both well-known and obscure pertaining to U.S. presidents.

OLD BRIDGE — It wouldn't be wise to ever bet against Matthew D'Elia.

The precocious 6-year-old could probably beat the most erudite scholar in a round of presidential trivia. Or at the very least, maybe one day Matthew will be unconquerable in "Jeopardy."

"We were watching 'Jeopardy' one night, and the final question came up. I ran and grabbed my camera and told Matthew to come over. The question was 'Who was the last president to never have a vice president?' " said Matthew's father, Scott, a senior lab coordinator at Middlesex County College's Visual Performing and Media Arts department. "And he answered quicker than the contestant. It was Chester A. Arthur."

The first-grader at Virgil I. Grissom School in Old Bridge has more than just a knack for memorizing material — he pores over topics, absorbing any and all knowledge he can get his hands on.

"He just develops a passion and goes with it," Scott D'Elia said. "He's always been interested in things."

Matthew's passion du jour is presidential history — he knows their terms, first ladies, vice presidents, political affiliation, homes and various obscure trivia.

A large amount of Matthew's information was gathered on the Internet. His parents, Scott and Jennifer, also bought him flash cards with the images of presidents, and books on presidents so he could learn more details. His current political endeavor is to learn about the first dogs of the White House.

But his appetite for the scoop on the nation's leaders started with a gift from his grandmother.

"My nana gave me a president machine last Christmas," Matthew said of his electronic learning tool. "That's how I started learning about all the presidents."

Matthew can spout off various facts at the drop of a hat: Inventor of ice cream? First Lady Dolly Madison. President who was also a Revolutionary War soldier? James Monroe. Rutherford B. Hayes' phone number? One. The only sitting presidents to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Barack Obama.

"He really blew me away when Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize," Scott D'Elia said. "I was watching CNN, and we were watching and talking about Obama. But all the while he's reading the captions at rapid fire."

Teacher John Tichio noticed his aptitude when Matthew was in his kindergarten class.

"Early on last year, we were going over the different coins," Tichio said. "And Matthew kept coming in with more and more information, telling me more and more different facts."

Tichio's class was only learning the basics at the time, so he arranged for Matthew to be further challenged by doing presidential reports. He completed about 15 throughout the last school year.

"He would do regular homework and then more work on top of that. He's just a machine," Tichio said. "He's so passionate that the other children started asking to do reports on the fiction Easy Reader books."

Matthew's parents also enrich his education with historical extracurricular activities like trips to George Washington's one-time headquarters in Middletown and the classrooms at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

But history and presidents aren't the only topics that interest Matthew. Last year he developed an interest in the Titantic and read books and watched YouTube documentaries about the ship. He can now recite the who, what, when, why and how regarding the Titanic's creation and demise.

Matthew is also partial to the late musician Elvis Presley. He knows the words to "Hound Dog" and "Return to Sender" by heart and can perform an uncanny "Blue Suede Shoes," complete with an upper-lip quiver.

"Did you know his favorite food was fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches?" Matthew asked.

According to his parents, Matthew began to read and comprehend by the age of 3.

"I would read every night with him and point to the words. Sooner or later he just picked up on it," Scott said.

"It just comes easy to him," Jennifer D'Elia said.

Currently, at Matthew's age, the only available enrichment program at Grissom School is the reading club. However, Principal Joseph Sgalia said that Matthew just completed the New Jersey diagnostic tests in reading, and the school was waiting for the score results.

"We do have a challenge program, but we're waiting to see how he fared on the tests," Sgalia said. "… We're trying to figure out how to further challenge Matthew so he can ultimately have more fun."

But aside from academia, Matthew has plenty of fun. He plays on a local recreation soccer team, is a Tiger in the Cub Scouts, and likes to watch the Disney Channel, play outside and on the playground, and ride his bike. He's also very interested in music and would like to learn the guitar and piano. Other than Elvis, Matthew said his favorite musicians are Jack Johnson, the Beatles and, perhaps most importantly, John Williams, composer of the epic "Imperial March."

"The last thing we want to do is impede Matthew's social development," Scott D'Elia said.

Scott has begun inquiring about gifted programs in the area and what steps to take with a child like Matthew.

"But Mr. Tichio has been excellent with nurturing his mind. He took it on himself, and we're very grateful for his initiative," Scott said.

And Tichio will be challenging Matthew throughout the school year as Matthew searches out and gobbles up more and more knowledge.