Highlights October 2019

Highlights Pattonville A top-tier district in Missouri and the U.S.

School news for parents, residents and staff of the Pattonville School District

October/November 2019

Inside

Homecoming 2019

Pattonville reduces residential tax rate for 2019-2020 school year - See page 7 for details

Pattonville community celebrates homecoming with fun activities

- See back page for details

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Andrea Glenn, President Dr. Brian Gray, Vice President Mindy Ridings, Secretary Mary Kay Campbell, Treasurer Ruth Petrov, Director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell, Director Jeanne Schottmueller, Director Clockwise from top: Pattonville High School’s varsity football team takes the field at the start of homecoming. Helen Nelson, center left, who was homecoming queen in 2018, congratulates the 2019 homecoming queen Tymani Jones.

The varsity drill team performs at halftime with the band. Alumni and middle school band students performed along with the Pride of Pattonville marching band at homecoming. Shown are, from left, Stephanie Bartram, Kylie Surratt, Maddison Leap, 1986 alumnus Doug Wick, Tashon Washington, Daniel Mamrenko and Alex Cunningham. More photos can be found on the back page.

Our Mission That ALL will learn.

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1 St. Ann, MO

Pattonville is an awardwinning public district in St. Louis County, Missouri. The district is fully accredited by the state and is recognized for academic success on the regional, state and national level.

Pattonville School District 11097 St. Charles Rock Road St. Ann, MO 63074-1509

Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent

From the Superintendent

The power of student voice provides lessons for Missouri school leaders R

ecently, school board members and superintendents throughout the state of Missouri converged on the Lake of the Ozarks for the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) and Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) Dr. Tim Pecoraro joint conference. This annual Superintendent event is a great opportunity for Follow on Twitter: school leaders to learn from @PattonvilleSupt each other, discuss statewide priorities and talk about the future of education.

The four-day event includes many breakout sessions on a variety of topics. This year, Pattonville presented during two of those breakout sessions (see story at right). One of the sessions was called “Leading with Students” and featured four Pattonville High School students who serve as officers on the Board Student Administration Action Committee (BSAAC). They were joined by their staff sponsor, Lori Cole, who is a social studies teacher at PHS, and members of the Pattonville Board of Education.

There’s no doubt our students stole the show.

Jailah Broadway, Lilly Buehrle, Loudin Cato and Grant Wedig talked about leadership, two-way communication and working alongside adults to improve our school district. The audience was amazed when they learned about the level of student voice that’s become an integral part of our district. BSAAC is not a new idea. In fact, the committee was created in 1986 by then Pattonville superintendent Dr. Roger Clough. Today, more than 30 high school students meet four times a year with board members, the superintendent and the high school principal to share their perspectives on school and community concerns. Representatives from BSAAC then attend Pattonville school board meetings to report on topics discussed.

After the presentation, I was approached by a member of the state board of education who attended the session. He raved about our students and the structure of BSAAC and stated it was one of the best sessions he’s ever attended. He has invited members of BSAAC to attend a state board of education meeting so they can share our story with more people.

He said more than once, “It’s always important to hear from kids.” I couldn’t agree more. BSAAC meetings have become one of the favorite parts of my job. Keep in mind, these meetings aren’t fluff.

Students bring tough topics to discuss with administrators and board members that are impacting our school district and community. I enjoy meeting with BSAAC because the committee is comprised of students from all walks of life. Students in the group have many different perspectives and ideas.

It’s so refreshing to watch and listen to students respectfully disagree with each other during the meetings. The rest of the world could learn a few things from our BSAAC students.

Student presenters at the Missouri School Boards’ Association conference are shown with staff and board members. They are, from left, front row, sophomore Lilly Buehrle, junior Jailah Broadway and board director Jeanne Schottmueller; middle row, high school teacher Lori Cole, sophomore Loudin Cato, board president Andrea Glenn, board secretary Mindy Ridings and board director Ruth Petrov; and back row, senior Grant Wedig, superintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro, board vice president Dr. Brian Gray and board director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell.

Students, board members and staff share successes with student leadership, cultural proficiency T

wo groups of representatives from the Pattonville School District shared their expertise with school board members across the state at the annual Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) conference held in conjunction with the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA).

Students, board members and staff representing Pattonville High School’s Board Student Administration Action Committee (BSAAC) presented a session titled “Leading with Students.” Students Lilly Buehrle, Jailah Broadway, Loudin Cato and Grant Wedig presented along with school Presenting a session on cultural proficiency were, from left, Dr. Tina board director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell, Plummer, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning; Dr. Cara BSAAC sponsor and teacher Lori Cole and Hiripitiyage, director of secondary education; Natasha Malone, third grade teacher at Bridgeway Elementary School; Dr. Jaime Welborn, educational superintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro. BSAAC consultant from Saint Louis University; Tamika Dukes, art teacher at is composed of approximately 35 high Remington Traditional School; and Dr. Don Furjes, principal at Remington. school students, board members and district and high school administrators. The committee provides opportunities for students to interact with board members and administrators to discuss what’s working at their school, current challenges and school improvement ideas. Presenters at MSBA shared how this structure improves communication, builds relationships and fosters student leadership in the life of a school and school district (see superintendent’s column at left).

A group of staff also presented a session titled, “Using Cultural Proficiency to Support Equity.” The session shared how Pattonville is using the tools of cultural proficiency to meet students’ and families’ needs through three areas of focus: increasing understanding in cultural proficiency, growing a better understanding of one’s own personal stories and biases, and working to support positive change in the district’s schools. The presenters of this session were Tamika Dukes, art teacher at Remington Traditional School; Dr. Don Furjes, Remington principal; Dr. Cara Hiripitiyage, director of secondary education; Natasha Malone, third grade teacher at Bridgeway Elementary School; and Dr. Tina Plummer, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. They were joined by education consultant Dr. Jaime Welborn, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Saint Louis University (SLU) and SLU’s director for the Building Leadership for Change through School Immersion program.

School board candidate filing opens Dec. 17

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iling for positions on the Pattonville School District Board of Education begins at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 17, and ends at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Persons interested in running for a position on the Pattonville school board may file in the superintendent’s office located at the Pattonville Learning Center, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann. Three positions are available with three-year terms during the April 7, 2020, election. Board members whose terms are expiring are Andrea Glenn, Dr. Brian Gray and Mindy Ridings. After opening filing day, filing will continue Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Except for the first and last day of filing, filing will not occur on days that the school district’s central offices are closed due to inclement weather. Candidates should call (314) 213-8001 to inquire if offices are open. Filing will also not occur on the following holidays and breaks, when the superintendent’s office will be closed: Dec. 23 through Jan. 3, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2020.

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Our Learners Spotlight on

News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Middle grade classes undergo transformation this year R

emington Traditional School’s middle-school classes are undergoing a transformation this year that includes improvements to the way students learn, a structural change to support students’ social-emotional development and modifications to the physical spaces where learning takes place. Changes that apply to students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades include the addition of an advisory class; flexible seating options and other classroom improvements; Students in middle school advisory groups take part in a cup-stacking activity in order to get alterations in the way math to know students at different grade levels. Above, shown are, from left, Cameron Wright, and English language arts Romy Wamhoff and Bailee Winslow. Below, shown are, from left, Maurice Huling, Hannah Fenton, Milo Mainquist and Auggie Wamhoff.

(ELA) are taught; and the use of learning progressions, which refers to mapping out a specific sequence of knowledge and skills students are expected to learn as they progress through a subject.

Students and teachers use the progressions to measure progress toward meeting learning standards in those subject areas and ensure students remain on track.

Seventh grade teacher Lisa Kraemer said teachers revamped several aspects of their middle school program after being inspired by a visit to a school in Wisconsin to learn more about personalized learning, which is a focus of Pattonville’s strategic plan.

This fall, the teachers instituted an advisory period learn. They painted their classrooms and added new furnithat meets three times a week. Students are assigned ture, decor and lighting to make the rooms more comfortan advisory teacher for their entire middle school exable for the hours students spend inside them. perience at Remington. Each advisory is a combinaThe biggest focus is the restructuring of ELA and tion of students from all three grade levels. Kraemer math instruction to better meet students’ individual said the advisories focus on helping students make needs.

In ELA, classes are a mix of students in sixth connections, build relationships and improve their through eighth grades. Instruction in those mixedsocial-emotional development. grade level classes is based on the students’ needs.

“Students are given the opportunity to interact The groups are flexible, so students can move to a new and work together for team-type projects or chalclass every six to eight weeks based on their progress lenges,” she said. Each advisory is developing their or needs.

Math is structured similarly, with a focus on own “house shield” made up of characteristics the getting students ready for algebra. Teachers are also students collectively value, such as honesty, acceppiloting a program to supplement their math instruction tance and happiness. The advisory groups are also called ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowlchoosing service projects they will complete together. edge Spaces), a web-based assessment and learning Kraemer’s class will partner with a class in Taiwan to system that uses adaptive questioning to determine focus on a global problem. Eighth grade teacher Eric what a student knows and doesn’t know in a course.

Johnson’s advisory will conduct a drive to support a The system then instructs students on the topic they are local animal shelter, and sixth grade teacher Lauren most ready to learn and helps them progress to the next Niewald’s group plans to upgrade an outdoor space at level.

The learning progressions teachers are now using Remington based on student interests. help report a student’s progress and provide feedback Teachers also paid close attention to transforming on specific standards. Students are also able to demontheir classrooms to provide a learning space that is better conducive to learning. They added flexible seating options strate their learning through artifacts of work they have so students could sit or stand where they are most ready to completed instead of simple grades on a test.

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PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Educators collaborate to improve lessons A

group of teacher leaders in a new Technology Vanguard program at Pattonville High School are engaging in targeted professional learning around using Apple technology to enhance instruction. They will share their learning at the PIRATE Rally staff development day in January and during staff Genius Hours, which provides teachers a choice in what they learn during training time on early release days. The teachers began their journey with two days of intensive, targeted training with an Apple professional learning specialist over the summer.

Social studies teacher Ryan Brueckmann recently worked with high school technology specialist Tammy Hasheider and the Apple specialist to improve a lesson in his Advanced Placement Government and Politics class.

“We did some planning with the teacher beforehand,” Hasheider said. “We asked things like, ‘What is the main point with this lesson?’ ” Brueckmann wanted his students to have a better understanding of federal laws, so through the instructional coaching model, he worked with his colleagues to improve his lesson. After studying some laws, he had groups of students use their laptops, iPads or phones to record themselves talking about how those laws apply to their school.

“It’s really powerful to listen to kids and have them talk about the content,” Hasheider said. The Apple specialist will be on campus five times this year and will also work with Hasheider and other teachers during professional development. “It is a shoulder-to-shoulder effort,” she said. “I’m there with teachers in the classroom all year when they want to take a risk and try something new and then we can reflect on that. I’m doing this also on weeks that (the specialist) is not here.”

She said this method is the best authentic learning strategy for teachers. “It’s the most valuable when it applies directly to what you’re doing in your content area with your kids on the day you want to do it with them,” Hasheider said. “That’s when you’re going to get the biggest bang for your professional learning buck.”

Advanced Placement Government students take part in a lesson improved as part of the Technology Vanguard program. Shown are, from left, Afina Fayez, Daniel Risher and Logan Olejniczak.

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Improved motor lab benefits young students T

he Superman pose isn’t just for superheroes. Students at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center are learning the exercise, along with a whole set of other activities, as part of the center’s updated motor lab. Created by occupational and physical therapy staff, the motor lab blends motor control, sensory integration and body awareness through activities. The students start the lab with the Superman pose (shown above with, from left, Elena Wideman, Kylie Hendel and Rhya Goodrich), where they lay on their stomach and lift their arms and legs, and the popcorn pose, where they lay on their back and bring their knees to their chest and lift their head. From there, students spin on boards and sing their ABCs, crawl like a snake around bean bags, pull and push a crate with weights and walk across a balance beam. They end with a calming sequence of laying on mats and taking deep breaths before going back to class. Students rotate through activities once a week for 15 minutes. The activities work on strengthening balance and motor planning, as well as skills like socializing with peers, directionality, taking turns, self-regulation and self-help. The motor lab activities target growth in the whole child which will help in their educational journey. During a pilot of 10 students last year, staff saw improvements in areas such as attention, self-regulation, motor skills and communication. Staff were able to add more activities to the lab this year thanks to a grant provided by the Pattonville Education Foundation.

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Lab time engages students in STEM topics J

im Gleason hopes to encourage students to develop a passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). With engaging lessons in his STEM lab classroom at Bridgeway Elementary School, the science paraprofessional is weaving the different subjects into his lessons. “We focus on the scientific method and really focus on making sure they’re having fun and are engaged.” Gleason works with all of the classes at the school, finding active ways to teach them about several topics they are already learning about in class. “With the second graders, we are learning about the beginnings of force and motion,” he said (shown above in a recent lab). “We’ll start talking about how force is a push and pull and how can (students) apply pushes and pulls to different things in order to add force and experiment with what that is.”

Gleason tries to minimize the amount of verbal instruction he does during the oncea-week, 40-minute sessions with students. “I really want to allow them to be learning hands-on with different models and experiments at their tables,” he said. Schools are investing in STEM education to provide students the skills they need to succeed academically and thrive in future careers.

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Students take lead in courtyard transformation

Author, artist visit promotes student literacy S A focus on literacy and reading at Drummond Elementary School brought a best-selling author and artist to campus and put a student author in the spotlight. On Sept. 17, Drummond welcomed New York Times best-selling author Shannon Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham to campus to share their new graphic novel “Real Friends.” The real-life best friends spoke about their books and careers with the fourth and fifth graders. During the presentation, Pham drew the school’s dragon mascot into a superhero as Hale worked with the students to build its tale (shown above). Drummond fifth grader Emani Stone was chosen to emcee the authors’ visit because she has published two children’s books.

“I wanted her to get the author presentation experience through a different lens because we will be hosting an author event for her books soon,” said library technology specialist Tammi Buckner, who worked with The Novel Neighbor bookstore to make the authors’ visit possible. The author presentation also tied into the school’s year-long focus on encouraging students to read. The school’s Read Across America Committee is planning monthly reading celebrations to promote the enjoyment of reading.

tudents are at the forefront of an effort to transform an unused courtyard into an outdoor learning space at Parkwood Elementary School. Art teacher Janel Maclean and paraprofessional Brandy Fowler are working with students in art classes and the Art Club to come up with ideas for making changes to the space and to create artwork to adorn it.

“Our mission is to take an empty, overgrown courtyard space at our school and turn it into an outdoor learning environment that will foster and encourage creativity, exploration and active learning,” Maclean said. The transformation began last year when fifth graders sold their artwork to hire local artist Cbabi Bayoc to paint a mural on the exterior door in the courtyard (shown above with fifth graders Chloe Rodgers and Cadence Barrale and Fowler). “They wanted the mural to showcase our school’s diversity but also their hopes for the future of this area to be a creative work space,” Maclean said. Other improvements have already been made: painting panels below the windows with chalk paint to create an art canvas for students and the creation of stepping stones, which now circle the tree in the courtyard. The space will eventually include gardens and mini-ecosystems designed for science learning, a movement maze painted on paved areas and spaces where students can perform. The space will also serve as another flexible seating option for classroom work.

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ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Rock wall enhances physical education

he three Rs at Rose Acres Elementary School are Reading, ‘Riting and Rock Wall. In Joseph Rehagen’s physical education classes, students are using the new climbing wall in the gym for a variety of activities. “Whether it’s doing some station work or if we’re doing some fitness work, it’s a great cardiovascular workout,” Rehagen said. Climbing activities go beyond physical education. Cross-curricular learning on the climbing wall gives brains an even heftier workout beyond the typical problem solving that is a natural part of rock climbing.

“Teachers are giving the kids a lot of brain breaks and fitness while they’re doing classroom work,” he said. “They’ve been jogging or walking outside or just doing some dancing and moving in the classroom, so it’s kind of reciprocal.” Rehagen developed ways to teach these lessons using the magnetic climbing wall panels. After students pick a math question from a bucket, they climb onto the wall and clip it next to a white erase board (shown above with, from left, first graders Phoenix Kostadine, Rehagen, Easton Henry and Gabriel Saccketti).

They then hold on to the wall using their non-dominant hand and use a marker to write down their answer. Rehagen also has magnetic letters that allow students to form words on the wall. Over the summer, every elementary school in the district got a climbing wall installed in their gyms as part of Pattonville’s updated physical education curriculum.

Students use original art to help others

class discussion on what artists do with their completed work turned into a cause-based activity for art students at Holman Middle School. As students in art teacher Montie Richter’s classes learned about why artists make art, they discovered how art can be used to raise funds for a cause or organization. They came to Richter with the idea to host their own art fair and donate funds back to the Holman community. That idea became reality when students sold their art during parent-teacher conferences in October. They volunteered in the sale booth (shown above) and donated funds to Helping Hands, a program at Holman where counselors provide services or items to students in need. Students created art using leaves, so the theme for the show was Art in Action, Leaf an Impression. The 2D classes made leaf sketches, painted on a leaf or created a leaf impression, while the 3D classes created leaves with clay. Many buyers donated above the suggested amounts, and the art sale raised nearly $500. Prior to the fair, Richter worked with students on non-art skills such as explaining how the pieces were made, encouraging people to buy and coming to a consensus on where the proceeds would go. Students enjoyed creating the art, but also knowing it helped their classmates. “Teaching students character, generosity and the power of art with a purpose is the aim of this project, and I am pleased that all students seem to understand through hard work and artistic efforts their work can impact the world around them,” Richter said.

School is first elementary to teach guitars

n their lowest, eeriest voices, the fourth graders sang “There was an old woman of skin and bones oh-oh-oh-oh.” As they sang, they strummed their guitars in an E minor chord to echo the creepiness of the song (shown above with, from left, fourth graders Mohammed Kareem, Eureka Kibombi, Jada Tucker, Minh Tri Nguyen and Kyleigh Lincoln). The classroom performance of “Skin and Bones” was part of Joanna Todd’s music unit on guitars.

This fall, Todd’s third and fourth grade classes at Willow Brook Elementary School became the first in Pattonville to use a set of guitars that travel around the elementary schools.

Students are learning correct guitar techniques as well as how to play simple melodies, chord patterns and scales. They are also incorporating singing to learn how to accompany themselves on the guitar. Students are learning diverse types of music, everything from folk songs to classical favorites to more popular music. Todd has even included a few Halloween songs in the mix. She loves giving students an opportunity to learn to play an instrument in elementary school, which is a rare occurrence, especially for such a popular instrument. It’s also a chance to introduce students to instrumental music and to see if they might have interest in playing more at the middle and high school levels. At the end of October, the guitars will move to another of Pattonville’s elementary school for students to learn.

Revamped advisory time supports students

attonville Heights Middle School set aside time in students’ schedules this year for something a little different than a traditional class period. “It’s an expanded version of what we did last year,” teacher Dr. Donna Burd said. “We used to have Pirate Time just on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 28 minutes, but now we meet every single day for about 20 minutes.” The Pirate Time committee members built a structure where every day has a different theme: Mindful Monday, Together Tuesday, What I Need Wednesday, Time to Read Thursday and Future Friday. “Besides the five days we meet which have obvious reasons, building relationships with teachers is the key idea,” Burd said. “To have a homeroom and a core group of people that you feel comfortable discussing issues with is great for them, and having a closer relationship with that teacher is good as well.” In a recent Pirate Time, students worked together to create a classroom chart of good habits after watching a Kid President video (shown above with seventh grader David Dunn writing on a “Good Habits” poster). At the end of every week, the lessons are related to Future Fridays.

“We do our Naviance (college/career) lessons during that time, but we also have lessons about digital literacy,” she said. “We study their digital footprint and how that affects their future, responsible uses of social media, and we’re doing some financial literacy stuff later this year. We also run our service learning program through Fridays.”

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Bragging Writes

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL National Merit Commended Students

Four seniors were named Commended Students in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. Kyra Correa, Ayana Griffin, Alexander Lopez and Ayana Griffin Alexander Lopez James Pieper James Pieper are among 34,000 Com- Kyra Correa mended Students throughout the nation being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. After the semifinalists, Commended Students represent 34,000 of the 50,000 highest scorers on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Approximately 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2020 National Merit program by taking the PSAT/NMSQT.

Opera Theatre Artists in Training

Five Pattonville students are among 20 chosen from the St. Louis region to participate in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ highly selective Artists in Training (AIT) program following competitive auditions. Pattonville junior Tony Washington was selected for the AIT program for the second year in a row. Also chosen for the program were junior Kristen Jones and sophomores Ja’nya Cruise, Grace Radican and Hannah Radican. Their choir teachers at Pattonville are Tracy Baker and Melynda Lamb. Students selected for the program participate in weekly college-level voice lessons and coaching, take part in master classes with professional singers and teachers from around the country, perform in recitals, compete for $12,000 in scholarship funds and receive college guidance. Students also participate in retreats and college tours and attend opera and musical theater performances in the St. Louis area.

Selected for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Artists In Training program were, from left, front row, Kristen Jones and Tony Washington; and back row, Ja’nya Cruise, Hannah Radican and Grace Radican.

MSBA student video contest

Pattonville juniors Chandler Fajardo and Rachel McCormick are the winners of the 2019 Student Video Contest sponsored by the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA). They produced a 60-second video related to the theme “Be Wise, Speak Up, Save Lives.” The theme was designed to encourage students to produce videos that emphasize the positive outcomes of reporting safety concerns at their schools, including getting help to those in need. Their winning video earned a $1,000 prize for the school district. Fajardo and McCormick’s video can be seen online at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DRTp-m6xlDk. They are both students in Karolyn Florence’s Advanced Production for Broadcast class.

Missouri School Boards’ Association president Rhonda Gilstrap, left, presents a check to video contest winners Rachel McCormick, center, and Chandler Fajardo.

DISTRICTWIDE

Shown at left are students from Remington Traditional School and Pattonville Heights Middle School who were accepted to attend the HonorFest at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago.

HonorFest at VanderCook College

Thirteen students from Remington Traditional School and Pattonville Heights Middle School were accepted to participate in the Middle Level HonorFest at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. They are Floyd Davis, Hannah Fenton, Kyle Manker, Andrew Reyes, Nicholas Rice and Staci Sutton, all from Remington; and Amelia Baugher, Isaiah Card, Melissa Condado, Samantha Condado, Marlaina Corson, Gavin Prater and Marques Rutlin, all from Pattonville Heights. The HonorFest is a one-day festival designed for advanced middle school musicians who spend the day working with a master clinician in a higher education setting. After rehearsing during the day with advanced musicians from other schools, the students conclude the event with an evening performance. The students were nominated to participate by their middle school band teachers Abigail Hall and Andrew Smith.

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BOARD PROFILE: Ruth Petrov, director School volunteerism leads to serving on school board S

chool board director Ruth Petrov was involved in the PTA while her children were growing up and attending schools in Pattonville. One day, a good friend suggested she run for the board of education.

“That was 16 years ago,” Petrov said. “I continue to run because I am passionate about public education Ruth Petrov and providing education opportunities for lifelong learning for every student.”

Her hope for Pattonville students is “to be inspired, take chances and learn from failure. Famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky said, ‘You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ My hope is that during your time in Pattonville you will have many shots to take: shots to inspire, shots to learn from and shots to be the best you can be.”

A longtime resident of Maryland Heights, Petrov and her husband, Larry, are the parents of four Pattonville graduates. Petrov has worked at SSM Health DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton for 38 years, the past six years as the critical care team leader. In her current role, she leads a team of more than 50 nurses, offers opportunities for professional growth, manages the unit operations, promotes continuous process improvement, reviews policy, identifies best practices and coaches and mentors all staff.

“My current job provides me with many real life experiences that relate to serving on the board of education,” Petrov said. Her experiences as a parent in the district and ongoing school board training have also help shape her leadership on the school board. In addition, Petrov teaches children’s church and Awana at Lighthouse Baptist Church and is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the St. Louis Chapter of Critical Care Nurses. She enjoys spending time with family, especially her six grandchildren, and working in her yard, caring for her flower gardens. A fan of football and hockey, Petrov can usually be found at the 50-yard line at the top of the Pattonville stadium cheering on the Pirates at home football games.

Petrov said people might be surprised to know she grew up on a farm helping her father bale hay and detassel corn. As a youth, she showed Polled Hereford cows at the county fair as part of 4H and won a few blue ribbons.

“I also held the track record in the 880 at my junior high school for a few years,” she said. “That was a long time ago.”

Petrov said she has many proud moments while serving on the board, including handing her own sons their diplomas and seeing the community support for the 2013 tax levy increase. But the one that stands out occurred shortly after civil unrest took place in St. Louis.

“I was so proud as I watched our football team walk out on the field at an away game,” she said. “They emerged walking out in fives, side by side, holding hands. Unaware of any differences, they were a team, sharing one common goal. While they didn’t win that game, they did go on to become the District 5 champion and place second in the state. I am proud of how Pattonville comes together as a family in good times, bad times and the tough times. I love being a part of the Pattonville family. We are PVille strong.”

Homeowner tax rate reduced over previous year T

he Pattonville Board of Education on Sept. 24 approved tax rates for the 2019-2020 school year which reduce the rate for residential properties more than 40 cents per $100 of assessed valuation from the previous year.

The new residential rate will continue to be lower than the rates for agricultural, commercial and personal property, as promised to voters when they approved passage of the Proposition P tax rate increase in 2013. The district promised to limit the residential tax rate increase to 35 cents for as many years as possible, a commitment it has kept for six years.

This year, the overall residential rate will be reduced by nearly $1 over what the district could have levied per state law. The reductions are the result of an increase in property values, combined with other voluntary rollbacks the district has chosen to take to lessen the tax burden on homeowners.

Approximately 86% of Pattonville’s revenue comes from local sources, which include taxes paid on property in the district. These taxes are based on the assessed value of the property, as determined by the St. Louis County assessor’s office. The value of existing property in Pattonville grew by 8.1%, however the district’s revenue growth is limited by law to the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which grew 1.9% this year. Pattonville reduced its residential tax rate to keep revenue growth from its existing properties in line with the change in the CPI. Two voluntary rollbacks are also included in the newly approved tax rate for homeowners (see chart below for more details).

• The district’s debt service levy, which is part of the district’s overall tax levy, remains unchanged at 49 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, as promised to voters when they approved zero tax rate increase bond issues in 2017, 2010 and 2006. Under the state’s formula for calculating tax rates and the district’s taxing capacity, the district could have levied 39 cents more.

• Over the past year, commercial property owners received $1.6 million in property tax refunds due to successful appeals of their property values to the state tax commission. Based on state law, these refunds could have led to more than $680,000 in additional tax burden to Pattonville’s homeowners and increased the residential tax rate by nearly 16 cents. In an effort to protect district homeowners, Pattonville chose not to access the additional residential levy in order to lessen the tax burden on district residents.

Following the passage of Proposition P in 2013, Pattonville has been able to approve balanced budgets for the last six years. Proposition P prevented the need to cut $10 million in spending after the district already cut $8 million in expenditures between 2007 and 2013. Proposition P was an overall tax rate increase of $0.9972 designed to maintain and protect Pattonville’s current instructional programs and staffing levels, but the residential increase has been limited to 35 cents, a rollback the district promised to keep for as many years as possible.

ALUMNI SUCCESS

Graduates in the news Find out more: alumni.psdr3.org

Kimberly Neil Zahner, center, is shown with her child and the Fuzzy’s corporate team after being named Marketer of the Year.

Kimberly Neil Zahner, Class of 2003 - Zahner was named nation-

wide Marketer of the Year at the Annual Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Conference at the end of August. The honor is awarded by the leadership at the Fuzzy’s Taco Shop headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The company has restaurants spread over 16 states and will have more than 200 locations open nationwide by 2020. Zahner is the director of marketing for the six Fuzzy’s Taco Shops in the St. Louis and Columbia areas, managing marketing, communications, social media, events, donations and fundraisers. “I’ve been with the company for four and a half years,” she said. “We do the Taste of Pattonville every year that I’ve been with the company and always work with groups from Pattonville for fundraisers and have been a part of the senior lock-ins. We love our community!”

Kate Greenwell, Class of 2015, and Taylor Grant, Class of 2016

- Greenwell and Grant were chosen to be members of this year’s Blue Crew. The Blue Crew takes part in various promotions both on and off the ice to help motivate fans during defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues home games and other Blues events.

Aric Hamilton, Class of 2019

Bond funds provide new library for Parkwood Elementary School Parkwood Elementary School students have a new library to enjoy, thanks to funding from the 2017 zero tax rate increase bond issue. The library was moved to the first floor and former classrooms were renovated to create the library. Shown at left, library technology specialist Dawn Kasper cuts the ribbon on the new facility and welcomes its first class of visitors.

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Kate Greenwell, left, and - Hamilton was selected as Taylor Grant were selected to one of four first-year senators be on the Blue Crew. for the Saint Louis University (SLU) Student Government Association.

Hamilton said his duties in representing SLU students are to “inspire and empower student voice in matters of student interest by working collaboratively with students, faculty, staff and administration; review current, Aric Hamilton changing or new policies of the university; act on legislation concerning the SLU community; serve as a steward for inclusion by working to ensure that every space on a SLU campus is safe, welcoming and inclusive; and serve on the Committee for Student Organizations by supporting chartered student organizations and developing student organizations as well as uphold the ideals and values of the Jesuit tradition.” Hamilton is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in secondary social studies/history education at SLU.

PATTONVILLE 2019

Homecoming Hundreds of Pattonville Pirate fans celebrated homecoming during activities on Oct. 4 and 5. The weekend included a football game, K-8 fun run, parade, food trucks, Jr. Pirate football and a student dance.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS: http://bit.ly/PSDhomecominggallery19 VIEW PARADE VIDEO: http://bit.ly/PSDhomecomingparade19

Clockwise from top photo: Pattonville High School seniors won the outstanding class float honor for their Honolulu-themed float. Pattonville Heights Middle School earned the outstanding theme award for its float featuring the town of Columbia, Missouri, and photos of Pattonville graduates who attend the University of Missouri-Columbia. The junior class float featured a New York City theme. The Pattonville Fire Protection District’s fire trucks, which provided rides to the Pattonville football team, earned the Green and White award for best community entry in the parade. Students at Remington Traditional School wear colorful masks as part of the school’s New Orleans-themed float. The Pattonville color guard marches in the parade. Holman Middle School’s Memphis-themed float won the traveling trophy for best elementary or middle school float. (Not shown, the Pattonville Thespian Troupe won Pete’s Pick for outstanding high school club/organization/sport float).

“Pattonville Highlights” is published six times annually for residents of the Pattonville School District by the Pattonville Office of School-Community Relations, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO 63074, (314) 213-8025. Website: www.psdr3.org. Email: mschoonover@psdr3.org. To sign up to receive a Pattonville newsletter by email, send your email address to PSDnews@psdr3.org.