Gateway Young Achievers 2006

Jordan West mixes grades, sports and service

(Fifth in a Series)

Twelve-year-old Jordan West got his new school year off to a good start-sports wise. He and his Striker select soccer team were in Chicago in mid-September for a multi-state regional tournament.

Jordan was the leading scorer for two select soccer teams last year. But, he said he's going to concentrate on one team this year since he's moving to middle school.

He said he wants to make sure he gets off to a good academic start at Rockwood Valley Middle School. The 6th grader had a 4.0 grade point average at Chesterfield Elementary School.

This year, he said, "I want to make good grades and make new friends."

He said, "I want to get good grades because then I'll have a better chance of getting into Stanford University." The noted California school also has an excellent sports program, including a good soccer team.

His excellent grades, sports achievements and community service earned Jordan a Gateway Young Achievers of the Year award last spring. He was one of 12 St. Louis area kids who received the award, which includes a $1,000 savings bond.

(This article is the fifth of eight profiles by Young Saint Louis.com on the elementary and middle school awardees. If you'd like to read the four previous profiles, go to Past Stories and click on June, 2006; July, 2006; August, 2006, and/or September, 2006.)

Jordan's community activities include helping with programs at his church, Windsor Crossing Community Church. Last year, he helped collect supplies to set up a temporary housing shelter at the church for refugees of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans.

This year, he's signed up help church teachers with 1st grade kids on Saturdays and Sundays. "We help the teachers by playing with the kids," he said.

When asked about what he gets out of the community service work, he said simply, "It makes me feel good. And my Mom and Dad are proud of me."

His religious activities included attendance at the Kanakuk K-7 Christian Camp near Branson. He took part in the program both last summer and in 2005. He received both sports and character awards.

During 4th and 5th grade at Chesterfield Elementary, he was a straight-A student and took part in a variety of other activities. He took violin lessons both years. He also took a Chinese language class after school. He said they studied both written and spoken word.

He was a member of the school's Character Counts Committee in both 4th and 5th grades.

One of the committee's activities was to produce videos that explain proper etiquette that kids are to use in the halls and with other kids and teachers. Jordan said his part in the video making was usually as an actor.

The Character Counts Committee also did planning for various fund-raisers at the school.

In one fund-raiser, the committee raised about $1,000 for tsunami victims in Indonesia. "We sold bracelets for $2 to raise the money," he said.

Besides his soccer playing, Jordan has been active in other sports.

Last year, in a district cross-country meet at Marquette High School, he ran a 5:53 mile. As a 4th grader, he also won the outdoor mile championship in the spring of 2005

In soccer, Jordan plays forward, which puts him in the middle of the team's scoring efforts. When his team's on defense, he and the other forwards are usually trailing the action.

That way, if his team's defenders stop the other team, the forwards are in position to take a pass and start attacking the other team's goal.

He also does a lot of sports just for fun.

But, one of those activities-bike riding-has been slowed down some. "I would ride my bike along when my Dad did his running," he said. But, this summer, his father hurt his knee and hasn't been running as much.

Asked about his best experience in life so far, Jordan said the Young Achiever of the Year award ranks highest. He said the $1,000 bond is already in his college fund account.

Jordan wants to have a career in sports, either as a pro soccer player or as a sports announcer.