With a perfect score on the math section of his SATs, membership in the high school science and math clubs and plans to become a robotics engineer, it might be easy to put Drew Robert in a corner (with computers and sciencey things).

After all he says, “Reading and writing are not my forte. My mind works in binary.”

But the Old Rochester Regional senior and Mattapoisett native isn’t that easily pegged.

From the boys cross country team to Boy Scouts to the school play and, of course, academics, Robert says he likes to keep busy.

This year, he is one of two captains on the cross country team, where he takes on the role of the heavy.

“I like to joke around, but if people aren’t doing what they should be doing it makes me mad,” Robert said.

The son of David and Beth Robert, he started running his freshmen year and has continued throughout his high school career, doing all three seasons of track. He says it’s more the community than the running itself that keeps him coming back.

“We’re really close to each other. I like to say they’re my family,” he said of the team.

Having a little power doesn’t hurt either, and Robert isn’t one to shy away from an opportunity to lead.

This semester he garnered the role of the Duke of Theseus in the ORR Drama Club’s production of “A Midsummer Nights Dream”.

“I play a very powerful character, and I like being powerful,” said Robert.

Although he generally gravitates to the sciences, Robert caught the drama bug when, as a fourth grader, he got a part in an ORR play. Now he alternates between being part of the stage crew and acting.

“Once I get over the fact that I’m on stage, it’s nice,” said Robert.

Outside of school, he’s also taken on leadership roles, including a position as assistant senior patrol leader within his Boy Scout troop where he helps to plan events and keep everything in order.

The long-time Boy Scout said he originally joined the Cub Scouts because his friends were doing it, but he stayed with it “because I really like it. I like the intensity of hiking and camping.”

Becoming an Eagle Scout would round out his time with the organization. He must complete a community service project to get the designation. If approved, Robert will make flag retirement boxes that will be placed at the police and fire stations and Town Hall in Mattapoisett.

“A lot of people don’t know that you can’t just throw a flag away,” said Robert, who was inspired to do the project because his grandfather is a veteran. “I like to show respect for the country.”

He also plans to return to the Boy Scout’s Camp Cachalot for his fourth summer where he works as a camp counselor in the ecology conservation area. Robert helps younger scouts get merit badges related to the environment, and said he enjoys passing on his love of nature to them.

“I wanted to work there because when I first went to camp I loved nature, and I loved sitting out and looking at the stars,” said Robert.

That world may seem far away from academics, but Robert is not one to shirk his schoolwork.

After getting a 660 in the math section of his SATs on his first try, Robert retook it and got an 800, a perfect score.

“I knew I could do better,” he said. “Practice made perfect.”

Robert said he still has some work to do on the reading and writing portions of the test, but he’s always been a good student.

“It’s not like my family is pressuring me to get good grades,” Robert said. “It’s a personal thing. It’s a reward.”

Principal Mike Devoll says Robert, one of the top three students in the senior class, maintains a good balance, despite his many academic and extracurricular responsibilities.

"He’s one of the smartest kids in the grade and intelligent but he’s also down to earth," Devoll said. "He keeps it all together."

Robert's hard work puts him in good standing of getting into the college of his choice…when he figures out what that is.

Robert is beginning to work on applications but said he knows he wants to study robotic engineering.

Engineering runs in the family. Robert’s mother is a mechanical engineer, and he knew that was the path he also wanted to take. Choosing the robotic arm of the engineering discipline is a strategic move.

“I figured robots are changing the world, so why not get out in front of it,” he said.

Robert isn’t looking too far into the future, though. While he says he’s happy to go to college and start working on his major, Robert has a lot to do before he graduates. And that is the way he likes it.

“I get more work done when I don’t have a lot of time. I like to stay busy.”