Whiz Kid of the Week: Budding Blogger Jared Sternberg

Whiz Kids is a weekly feature in which Patch profiles an outstanding youngster or youth group. This week's Whiz Kid is Jared Sternberg, who is awesome because he just might be the next great television critic.

Whiz Kid: Jared Sternberg

Age: 11

School: Elysian Charter School, 6th Grade

Elysian Charter School 6th grade student Jared Sternberg has already done some pretty cool things for an 11-year-old.

Jared's dad Steve professionally analyzes television ratings. Last year he was invited to see the unveiling of the Cartoon Network's new show lineup, and took Jared along. When they got home, Jared wrote a guest blog post about the trip for his Dad's website. Jared gave his take on each of the new shows, explaining which ones he liked or didn't like and why.

He did such a good job that the editors of Broadcast & Cable Magazine featured him in a profile in their April 2010 issue.

“It was fun," Jared said, "and I got my picture in a magazine."

Jared said he had such a good time that he looks forward to blogging again and might want to write when he gets older.

But Jared isn't just a budding television critic, he's also an on-camera star in his own right. With his class at Elysian Jared made two music videos to encourage kids to eat healthier. HBO later featured one of the videos in a documentary.

Jared sings too. He was featured three years in a row in the Elysian School's fundraising music album, including a solo in first-grade where he sang Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."

Jared also finds time to participate in sports. He's earned a brown belt in mixed martial arts, and he plays recreational league basketball. He starts at small forward, but moves all over the court.

“I can play a lot of positions,” he said.  

Do you know a Whiz Kid, or even a whole group of them? Send any and all nominations to alanskontra@hotmail.com, and check back every Wednesday afternoon to read about some outstanding youngsters in your community.