Whiz Kid: Jordan Sarnoff

At first glance, Jordan Sarnoff seems like any other kid his age, but those who have talked with the four-foot-tall boy tend to leave with a different impression.

Described as “one of the smartest third graders,” Jordan is constantly looking to learn more. Every day he goes online to read articles, takes time to watch the news and even gathers as much information as he can about his town.

“I love the news,” says the boy who often attends town board meetings and routinely will ask questions.

“[Jordan] really has a strong sense of community and really enjoys Fort Lee,” his father David Sarnoff said.

But it doesn’t stop there. Jordan also enjoys researching the latest in technology and has even started to follow some stocks as well.

“I am a big economy follower, so I like to know how the stock market is doing,” said the nine-year-old, who already owns stock in one company. “I am thinking about trading before it goes down.”

Along with following the moving parts that build a nation, Jordan is also knowledgeable when it comes to construction and the tools necessary to build things.

Recently, Jordan worked with his uncle on creating a stage in his room to showcase his singing talents. What started as a smaller project two years ago has now blossomed into a larger one that  boasts the benefits of an 8' x 8' frame with steps, lights and a green curtain.

“I really love to listen to music, because it is very entertaining,” Jordan said. “Now, [the stage] is a one of a kind production studio.”

Very involved in projects, this Fort Lee Whiz Kid is always looking for the next task or the next project ahead. Jordan is already eyeing an Earth model that his classmates will be making in the near future at school No. 1, where he is also extremely active.

As a member of S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Jordan and his group assist the school with assemblies and work with the PTA.

“It’s a lot of fun, because we are the government of the school,” he said. “[We do] whatever else we can to prevent bullying and kids having drugs because today they are graffiti artists and tomorrow they are robbers.”  

This year, Jordan was able to combine a number of his interests into one of his largest projects to date. Working with the sport he loves most, baseball, the team he admires the most, the New York Mets, and the group that he means so much to in S.A.D.D, the third grader came up with an idea to combine all three.

He penned a letter to Mets owner Fred Wilpon and included a Powerpoint presentation, hoping to hear back from his favorite team.

Surprisingly, the Mets did respond, and Jordan spoke on the phone with the team’s marketing staff last fall.

“From there, we started working on this Mets project to sort of get them some good publicity and to raise some money for the school,” Jordan said.

The result was a $1,500 fundraiser as he saw the process through with school administrators and school board members. Now, a raffle-winning family will be able to attend a future Mets game with four field level tickets and a parking pass--a package valued at $800--thanks to Jordan.

“We were very proud at how the program developed,” said David Sarnoff. “He was always creative…and getting other kids involved. I am rarely surprised [of] the energy and passion he puts into projects that he wants to do.”

The Mets also donated tickets to the Sarnoff family in appreciation of everything that Jordan has done. They were scheduled to attend Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks but had to reschedule after the death of Jordan’s grandfather Murray, who took Jordan to his first baseball game in Brooklyn and helped him become the Mets fan he is today.

Jordan is very close with his other grandparents, grandma Lorraine and grandpa Jerry, and took the loss of grandpa Murray this week very hard, according to his father.

The family has rescheduled their plans to celebrate all that Jordan has done with a game in the future in what was already described as a “family event” with his parents, Paige and David, younger sister, Bella, and a few cousins and other family members expected to come as well.

Perhaps Jordan could himself be the owner of the New York Mets one day, and thanks to his grandfather, his family, his love of the game and his many talents, you probably shouldn't bet against him.