Highlights Pattonville A top-tier district in Missouri and the U.S.
School news for parents, residents and staff of the Pattonville School District
December 2018
Inside
Pattonville marks Veterans Day with lessons, events - See page 2 for details
New robotics league promotes engineering among elementary students
- See back page for details
PERSONALIZED LEARNING
New classroom structure personalizes learning for Remington students
Pattonville is an award-winning 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.
Our Mission That ALL will learn.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Pattonville School District 11097 St. Charles Rock Road St. Ann, MO 63074-1509
Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent
n a recent Tuesday, teacher Danica Johnson (shown at right) sat on the floor with a small group of fourth- and fifthgraders discussing the book, “Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing.� Visible through an opening in the wall leading to an adjoining classroom at Remington Traditional School, fellow teacher Emily Cook (shown above) helped a student identify a text box in a book as part of a scavenger hunt to locate different features within a book. Nearby, other students worked independently, reading books or working on handwriting.
Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1 St. Ann, MO
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Jeanne Schottmueller, President Andrea Glenn, Vice President Dr. Brian Gray, Secretary Mary Kay Campbell, Treasurer Ruth Petrov, Director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell, Director Mindy Ridings, Director
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From the Superintendent
Partnership, support of community essential for Pattonville student success I
t’s hard to believe the first semester is winding down. As I reflect on my first five months as superintendent, I’m reminded how blessed each of us is to be a part of the Pattonville community. The results Dr. Tim Pecoraro we’ve achieved over Superintendent the years are a direct reflection of the partnership between Pattonville and the community we serve. Neither would be as successful without the other. I was reminded of this during our 55+ Club dinner theater this fall when I had the chance to talk with so many wonderful people who have supported Pattonville for so many years. The foundation of our success started decades ago. From all the leaders, support staff and teachers who called Pattonville home and made a difference in the lives of so many children. I was one of those children. I started kindergarten in the 19761977 school year at Bridgeway Elementary School. As I think about my time as a student during elementary, middle school and high school, I reflect on the countless individuals who supported me along the way. I was an average student, who grew up in a home with parents who wanted their three sons to have more success than they did. They trusted Pattonville to support them in making that happen. For some students, school comes naturally. They love to learn and are constantly soaking in as much information as possible. I wasn’t one of those students. I enjoyed school, but things didn’t come easy for me. Through my years in Pattonville, the adults that surrounded me were able to help me realize how my experiences in school connected to what I wanted to do in life. Purpose is a powerful thing. I believe this is one of the most important aspects of what we do. Through the process of building relationships with students, getting to know them and having a better understanding of how they learn and what they want to achieve, we can help them find their purpose in learning. That’s what education is ultimately about: connecting what we do in school to life during and after school. As we head into the holiday season it’s important to tell those around us how much we appreciate them. I want you to know how much I appreciate you, the Pattonville community. I consider it an honor to serve in my role as superintendent and together we’ll continue to make each other stronger.
Members of the Pattonville High School Student Council greeted and cheered veterans as they arrived for the school’s annual Veterans Day breakfast and ceremonies.
Pattonville marks Veterans Day with special events, classroom lessons P
attonville schools spent the weeks surrounding Veterans Day learning about and thanking local veterans for their service to the country. Several schools held special events. Drummond Elementary School hosted a Veterans Day Torch Run on Nov. 14. Current and veteran military members ran through the hallways as students and staff held up signs and cheered them on. Students who knew a veteran that ran were invited to run with that person. Following the run, participants were invited to speak to classes or be special guest readers. Drummond also adopted a local Air National Guard member and collected items for him to use when he is deployed Students in Erika Dietrich’s kindergarten class at Drummond Elementary School overseas in December. The school also col- hold up a sign they made to thank veterans as they passed through the halls during the school’s Veterans Day Torch Run. Shown are, from left, Frankie Fitzsimlected student-made cards to send to varimons, Gracie Reigle, Kenneth Havinga, Haylee Waters and Raven McAdams. ous veteran organizations. (See Drummond Pattonville Heights Middle School incorporated story on page 5 for more details.) At Parkwood Elementary School, fourth-graders per- Veterans Day into lessons at all grade levels. Sixthformed a vocal music concert during the school’s annual grade classes collaborated with library media specialist Julie Harder to learn about the day, and students took Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 8. Music teacher Sarah part in an activity involving the use of primary and Fee directed the performance which included songs for secondary research sources. Seventh-graders coneach branch of the military. At the conclusion of the ducted a visual analysis, writing activity and discusprogram, veterans lined up in the school hallway and sion around Veterans Day. Eighth-graders watched a students shook their hands and thanked them as they History Channel movie about the history of Veterans exited the assembly. Day, read an article and completed a quiz and writing Rose Acres Elementary hosted its Veterans Day prompt. Holman Middle School students also took part assembly to Nov. 28. Veterans and other special guests in classroom activities. were invited for a doughnut breakfast, followed by an Pattonville High School hosted its annual Veterans all-school assembly that included words of appreciaDay breakfast and program on Nov. 12. Members of tion and students saluting their guests as they entered the Student Council cheered veterans upon their arrival the school gym. The original date for Nov. 15 had to be and made them feel welcome, and participants enjoyed rescheduled due to a snow day. At Willow Brook Elementary School, several classes breakfast made and served by the culinary arts students while listening to the high school orchestra perform. incorporated writing “thank you” letters and cards into Afterward, guests moved to the auditorium to watch their lessons. In addition, the school hosted a special flag folding and missing man ceremonies conducted Veterans Day all-school assembly on Nov. 8 with local by members of American Legion Post 213. The high veterans serving as VIP guests. The veterans were then welcomed into classrooms for a short Q&A session or to school band also performed and a special “thank you” video was shown. read a story to students.
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Our Learners Spotlight on
News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville
PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Students travel the world via virtual reality S tudents at Pattonville Heights Middle School recently stood atop an Andes mountain and took in the 360-degree view of Machu Picchu in Peru, one of the greatest archaeological and natural treasures in the world. Or at least that’s the way it felt. Thanks to the magic of virtual reality (VR), social studies students at Heights made virtual visits to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu as part of their studies of the Incan culture. Machu Picchu is the site of a former Incan citadel and includes the ruins of temples, palaces, dwellings and architectural terraces. The students’ virtual field trips were made possible after the Pattonville technology services department repurposed about 30 old smartphones the district would have otherwise surplused and combined them with VR headsets purchased for $2 a piece on clearance. Technology personnel loaded the Google Expeditions app on the phones, and they were ready to go - all over the world. “You guys are taking a $2,500 field trip for free,” said Heights teacher Scott Hutson as he explained to his class what they were about to do. District technology specialist Randy Gindler was on hand to
set up the headsets and troubleshoot any issues. Classes also received support from Ryan Sullivan, system administrator in the technology services department. During the experience, teachers narrated the virtual field trip, explaining to students what they were seeing and the history behind it. Hutson’s classroom filled with audible gasps and squeals of delight as he moved between one scene and another. A section of what the students viewed on their headsets was projected on a large screen with dozens of swirling white circles denoting where students were looking in real time. Students could rotate in their seats and see any number of views - in front, behind, above and below them. “Many people never get the opportunity to travel to a place like Machu Picchu, and when students are learning about this Incan city, they can’t visualize its beauty,” Hutson said. “This VR activity was a way to take them there, to put them up on that mountain, without ever leaving their classroom chair. Their excitement and engage-
Above, students in Madeline Marren’s social studies class experience the wonder of Machu Picchu. At left, students in Scott Hutson’s class listen as their teacher narrates the virtual field trip.
ment was the justification of the lesson.” Fellow social studies teacher Madeline Marren said she couldn’t wait to use the VR sets again. “I was able to act as a tour guide and point out important key places as if we were actually there,” she said. “The VR goggles heightened their senses and gave them a feeling of actually being in this ancient Incan city. I was excited to do this lesson with the kids and loved hearing their excitement when we toured the city.”
Other teachers in the district also expressed interest in using the sets, including high school modern language teacher Steven Shaw who wants to help his students “travel” to foreign countries to better appreciate the culture they talk about in class. Gindler said students could continue taking world expeditions on their own. The Expeditions app is free and can be used without a VR headsets, or families can purchase inexpensive cardboard VR headsets online to work with their own phones.
ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Students take the lead in owning and sharing their progress during student-led conferences G one are the days of students sitting quietly during conferences while their parents meet with their teacher. At Rose Acres Elementary School, students lead the conference. Many teachers at Rose Acres have used student-led conferences for a while, but in the last three years, this type of conference began to be used in all classrooms, though the style may differ by class. Some students create a digital presentation to share, others show examples of their class work and data from a leadership binder, while some classes had students stop at subject-related stations around the classroom to complete an assignment so parents could see how their child approaches the task. The goal of this conference model is for students to self-reflect on their goals and accomplishments and enhance their communication skills. Students talked about their personal goals, shared data on their progress toward those goals and then gave an update on what they plan to accomplish following conferences. By talking about their own work, they are taking ownership of the grades they’ve earned and are in charge of explaining their progress to their family. “They are learning how to take responsibility for their
actions, set goals and make a plan to accomplish those goals,” said third-grade teacher Kim Zuccarello. “Their ability to self-reflect helps them continue to grow as leaders.” The model is also a leadership opportunity in that students are choosing what information to present and how to present it. The leadership piece fits into the Leader in Me (LIM) program at Rose Acres, which teaches leadership and life skills to students while creating a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader. “It empowers students to be leaders,” Zuccarello said. “They have found their voice and have become much more active in their own learning because they take ownership of it. Students begin to recognize that they have the power to decide how much they will learn.” And that comes through in their conferences. Teachers are present during the conference and serve as a facilitator, maybe adding a comment, asking a question or prompting discussion. But the student is the one in charge. “Student-led conferences provide a much richer, deeper experience than just looking at scores and assessment data,” Zuccarello said. “Through concrete examples that their child provides, parents actually get
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During November parent-teacher conferences, fourth-grader Allen Gwaltney (standing) shares his progress with his parents Chris and Stacia Gwaltney, seated on right, as teacher Mary Spitzmiller (center) looks on.
to see evidence of the learning that has taken place. Our students are very excited to take the lead at their conferences. They are proud of what they have accomplished and they like being able to decide what to share.”
PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM
Preschoolers take part in read for record P
reschoolers at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center were part the national Read for the Record Day sponsored by Jumpstart. On Oct. 25, the center welcomed members of the Educators Rising group from Pattonville High School to read to students. These aspiring teachers were part of an effort to set a world record for the number of kindergartners and preschoolers who hear the same book on one day. Students read the book “Maybe Something Beautiful” by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell. The book reveals how art can inspire transformation - and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. The high school students also read to students at Parkwood and Willow Brook elementary schools. Shown above, Pattonville senior Aric Hamilton reads to Pattonville preschoolers.
Let Me Run program teaches more than running T
his year, Parkwood Elementary School introduced the Let Me Run program to students, where boys not only practice to run a 5K race, but work together to develop confidence, self-expression and interpersonal skills. Let Me Run is a national running program for boys in fourth- through eighth-grade and, at Parkwood, it complements the school’s Girls on the Run program, a similar program for girls in third- through eighthgrade. Eight boys participated in the fall season, including one student in a wheelchair. “We combine exercise with fun activities and lessons to help boys learn to build relationship skills, grow emotionally, amplify their self-esteem, empower themselves and others and live an active lifestyle. The goal is to inspire boys to be themselves, be active and find a sense of belonging,” fifth-grade teacher and sponsor Kristen Buescher said. The boys met for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday before school and followed a comprehensive curriculum that incorporated running activities and strategies to develop the boys’ social and emotional health. Practice began with a quote related to a theme, and the team then ran a unity lap and discussed the quote and what it meant to them as individuals and as a group. Next up were stretches and the running workout, which could either take the form of an individual run, a partner run or a relay run. Students finished with cool-down stretching and a strategy mini-lesson, team discussion about the day’s theme or a game to reinforce the day’s topic. Practice always ended with students writing a positive statement card to a teammate and the Let Me Run motto: “Let me be me! Let me reach out! Let me run!” The season ended for the boys on Nov. 10, when all of their hard work culminated in the Race for Home 5K in Tower Grove Park.
BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Fluid reading groups help students progress S
chool reading specialists work one-on-one or in small groups to teach students who need extra support in reading. At Bridgeway Elementary School, the reading specialists created fluid reading groups to better customize learning to their students’ needs. The new groups allow students to flow through the learning structure at a pace that fits the student’s individual needs as well as the needs of the group. Every six to eight weeks, the teachers review student performance data, their reading progress and reading test data. Using this information, students are moved to another group or a different program, whether it be decoding, vocabulary or comprehension, if they are ready. Fluid reading groups helps students not only get help at their current levels, but also prevents them from plateauing when they are too comfortable with a group. Having these fluid reading groups is not only beneficial to the student, but to the teachers in creating lessons. Reading specialists (such as Lori Yudovich shown above) tailor lessons to specific needs, and, when there is an identical need in the group, they can make a deeper impact. The groups fit student needs more efficiently and the reading specialists are seeing more students closing the reading gap and building a love of reading at the same time.
PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Students research Holocaust, host museum S
tudents in Honors English 2 at Pattonville High School recently turned the school’s writing center into a museum as part of their Holocaust research project. After reading the book “Night” by Elie Wiesel, touring the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center in St. Louis County and meeting Holocaust survivor Mendel Rosenberg (shown above, sitting), students were inspired to share their knowledge. Honors students served as docents of their own museum at school and presented their research to visiting students and staff. The Honors English 2 students are taught by Katie Funderburk and Beth Moritz.
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HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Innovators imagine products to benefit society E
ighth-grade English language arts classes are a bit complex at Holman Middle School. That’s because each year teachers Maegan Bowersox and Jessica Smith lead students through an Innovators thematic unit that culminates in an after-school Innovation Showcase to highlight their students’ work. The project-based learning (PBL) unit involves students brainstorming possible issues to address and then inventing, designing and marketing a product that benefits society. During the unit, students worked in small groups to develop a proposal for an innovative new product. They followed a design process to develop, refine and market their idea to others. After a few weeks working on the project, students’ projects were assessed in class using a rubric, and finalists groups were chosen from each class to present their ideas during the Oct. 23 Innovation Showcase in the school library. The audience included judges, fellow classmates and other members of the school community. The winning product at the showcase came from the team of Madison Leckrone, Mattie Ohlsen and Talisa Prabhu (shown above from left). The students designed an allergy detector that could be used to detect allergens in food. Students imagined the device as a portable, compact stick linked to an app that could be inserted into food to detect potential allergens before they are ingested. The device would come with protectors that could be disposed of after each use to keep it allergen-free. Students said in their presentation that the product is a “one of a kind” device that would help put an end to a universal problem associated with allergic food reactions that cause thousands of visits to the emergency room each year and can be fatal in some cases.
REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL
Story continued from front page
DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Torch run, other events honor veterans M
ore than a dozen current and veteran military members ran through the hallways at Drummond Elementary School on Nov. 14 in recognition of Veterans Day. Students and staff lined the halls, held up signs and cheered them on as they ran. Students who knew a veteran that ran were invited to run with that person. Woody Woodard, a Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War and is an Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring volunteer at Drummond, led the run and carried the torch (shown above). Following the run, participants were invited to speak to classes or be special guest readers. To make the event more special, students wrote cards or drew pictures to hand out as a thank you once the runners finished. The leftover cards were given to local veteran organizations. Various grade levels played a part in the success of the run, including kindergartners creating murals in the hallways, first-graders painting poppy flowers for pins for participants and fifth-graders reciting the Pledge of Allegiance throughout the week. First-grade teacher Nicole Dye said honoring Veterans Day is a way for students to interact with those who are or who have served and learn more about what that entails. Drummond also adopted a local Air National Guard member who is being deployed overseas in December. The school hosted a change drive, asking students to bring in any spare change they could find. Using the funds, the school was able to purchase some basic need items like shampoo, shaving gel, sunscreen and other items not readily available while deployed.
WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
After about 30 minutes, students put away their reading materials and got ready for math instruction. Some stayed where they were. Others changed rooms, including some who walked across the hall to the adjoining classrooms of Ben Johnston and Karrie Peters. The new structure for the fourth- and fifth-grade students at Remington is anything but traditional. That’s because these teachers changed the way their classes are structured and how they teach in order to better personalize learning for their students. The classes now make up Team 4-5, a learning configuration that combines fourth- and fifth-grade students into four classrooms, with students changing core classes (English language arts, math, science and social studies) as needed to best meet their personal learning needs and strengths. Each morning, students report to homeroom with one of the teachers. Throughout the day, students are engaged in learning the core subject areas based on their individual academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs. The students have different teachers for the core subjects based on their levels of need. Prior to the new arrangement, all four teachers had at least one year of teaching both grade levels. “All four teachers are familiar with the academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs of fourth and fifth grade,” Johnson said. “We saw this as a unique opportunity to create something new and different that will help reach students on a personalized level.” Teachers instruct students in small groups based on their individual needs. In the future, they plan to incorporate project-based learning (PBL) as a component of their program. With PBL, students learn and reinforce core subject learning and critical thinking skills by working through a long-term project or problem. “The students will begin to have more voice and choice surrounding their learning as the year progresses,” Johnson said. “Our goal is for our program to be a studentcentered approach to learning as opposed to teacher-centered. The students will be in charge of setting their own goals and tracking their progress as aligned to the state standards. The students will show what they have learned in a variety of ways: presentations, written reports, projects and utilizing apps on their iPads.” The personalization extends even to the classroom seating. All Team 4-5 classes offer a variety of flexible seating options, including futons, yoga balls, bean bags, pillows, stools and more, in addition to traditional options such as desks, chairs and tables.
Kindergartners build literacy, community K
indergarten can be a daunting experience for young students who have never been in school before. For that reason, Willow Brook Elementary School kindergarten classes this fall took time to create classroom communities while also emphasizing learning and behavior expectations. In addition to using a social skills curriculum, teachers incorporated reading into the “get-to-know you” activities. “We have worked on skills such as using kind words, acting responsibly and helping others,” said teacher Samantha Stuppy. “To learn each others names, we read some very popular books such as ‘Chicka Chicka Boom Boom’ by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault as well as ‘A, My Name is Alice’ by Jane Bayer” (shown above). To practice each others name and their own names, students built Chicka Chicka Boom Boom trees, clapped the syllables in their names, made predictable sentences with each others names and counted the letters in their names.”
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Bragging Writes
Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff
PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
National Merit Commended Student
Senior Gage Menk was named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program for outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who took the PSAT. Although Commended Students will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some may be candidates for special scholarships offered by corporate sponsors.
Opera Theater Artists in Training
Pattonville senior Micah Lee and sophomore Tony Washington were among 22 students in the St. Louis region selected for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Artists in Training program. This is Lee’s third year being selected for this honor. The Artist in Training program provides educational outreach through the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Selected students take weekly private voice instruction from professors from Washington University, Webster UniMicah Lee, left, and Tony Washington were chosen to participate with an Opera Theater of St. versity, the University of Missouri-St. Louis program for promising vocal artists. Louis (UMSL) and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE). In addition, participants attend master classes with professional singers and teachers from around the country. Students will perform two recitals each year, the second of which is a scholarship competition. They also participate in retreats and college tours and attend opera and musical theater performances in the area. Melynda Lamb is the students’ choir director at Pattonville.
The 2018 Echo staff celebrates after learning the 2017 yearbook was selected to be included in the Jostens Look Book, a publication that celebrates the best-of-the-best in yearbook design and coverage.
All-Missouri yearbook recognition
The Pattonville High School yearbook, Echo, earned AllMissouri recognition from the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association, placing it among the top yearbooks in the state. Members of last year’s yearbook staff include Alyssa Brazzil, Madison Brown, Alisa Durham, Callie Farrar, Alonna Gibson, Brooke Guiot, Brooke Jenkins, Nicole McDaniel, Helen Nelson, Madison Pearia, Clarissa Sunderman, Trinity Wessler and Natalie Wildberger. They are sponsored by English teacher Brian HeyAlyssa Brazzil man. To achieve the award, Echo had to receive high scores in five areas of judging – theme, coverage, design, photography and writing and editing.
Marching band invitational honors
The Pride of Pattonville marching band and color guard was named overall grand champion and earned a number of awards after competing at the 38th annual Francis Howell Marching Invitational on Oct. 6. During the preliminary round, the band and color guard won the division championship, as well as best music performance, best visual performance, best general effect and best percussion. In the finals, the band and guard earned grand champion, best musical performance, best visual performance, best general effect and best percussion. Denny McFarland is the band director and assistant directors are Sara Deutschmann and Anna White. Additional marching band staff include Mark Ishman, Herrie Pullon and Steve White. Charlie Bourrage is the color guard director with additional support from Dale Robinson and Erin Shaul. Shown are members of the Pattonville High School choir who were chosen to be part of regional honors choirs. They are, from left, front row, Alyssa Van Hooser, Camryn Porzelt, Kasey Yancey and Tony Washington; and back row, Cory Williams, Kyle Craig and Journee Bond.
Honors choirs, selection to audition for All-State
Five Pattonville High School students were selected to audition for the All-State Choir after participating in the St. Louis Suburban choir competition. They are Micah Lee, Madelyn Radican, Andrew Schmitz, Cory Williams and Kasey Yancey. These students were also selected to the St. Louis Suburban District 9-12 Mixed Honor Choir. Other students chosen for the 9-12 choir were Emily Barton, Journee Bond, Kam Ren Brown, Kyle Craig, Julia Drake, Alayna Hopgood, Taylor Knight, Zeresh Lewis, Connor Lorino, Ruth McCarron, Joshua McNeary, Michael Nelson, Michael Pirrie, Camryn Porzelt, Grace Radican, Hannah Radican, Christopher Tobar, Mackenzie Voss, Tony Washington and Taylor Wooten. In addition, the following students were selected to the St. Louis Suburban District 9-12 Women’s Honors Choir: Elmira Aladinova, Alexus Blount, Madison Branson, Haley Brown, Jaelynne Cauldwell, Caitlin Coddington, Alonna Gibson, Chelsey Laughlin, Lydia McCullough, Lily Reynolds, Xmiena Rogers Stamps, Peyton Smith, Alyssa Van Hooser, Brianna Voss and Sophia Zegar. They are coached by choir teacher Melynda Lamb.
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From left, drum majors Abigail Twyman, Savanna Wooten and Leslie Azwell are shown with four out of the 10 trophies the Pride of Pattonville marching band earned during preliminary and final rounds of the Francis Howell Marching Invitational.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
High school thespians stage annual fall play, dates set for spring musical “Hairspray” T
he Pirate Players at Pattonville High School wrapped up a successful run of their fall play, “Play On!” in October. The comedic “play within a play” about a murder mystery was staged for the Pattonville community over three nights at the high school Community Auditorium. Shown above is a scene from the play, which was directed by theater teacher Lara Corvera. Students shown are, from left, Rachel McCormick, Kyle Craig, Emily Barton, Alayna Hopgood, Journee Bond, Alonna Gibson, Michael Nelson and Lacey Harder. Mark your calendars now for the spring musical, “Hairspray,” which will be performed Feb. 14 through 17, 2019. To view a photo gallery from the fall play, go online at events.psdr3.org.
DATES TO REMEMBER
GIFTED EDUCATION
Judge’s visit gives students real-life look at government
F
ifth-graders in ALPHA, Pattonville’s elementary gifted education program, had the opportunity to learn about government from a circuit court judge. John Newsham, an associate circuit court judge in St. Louis County, visited students in ALPHA teacher Amanda Clark’s “We The People” government and law class. Students have been studying the basic concepts of government and the Bill of Rights. The judge’s visit was part of their learning. Several students shared their thoughts about the visit and what they learned. “Today our class met Judge John Newsham is shown with fifth-graders in Pattonville’s elementary gifted education program. Judge Newsham,” said Emily Erickson-Karanja. “He is a judge that works on criminal cases. From him I learned that you have to be a the trial that went on for weeks. A thing I still want to lawyer before you become a judge. You go to law school learn is what was the weirdest trial he ever took. Judge for three years and college for four years. He told us that Newsham taught me a lot about court, and I can’t wait whatever path we take in life, always be fair.” to learn more.” Tabitha Derry-Coulter said, “I also learned that the Zoe Click said, “I still need to learn about laws and I amendment of the Constitution that (Newsham) feels learned that it can be stressful to be a judge but also fun. is the most important is Amendment 6, the right to a It sounded difficult to represent the people that were trial by jury and an advocate to speak for you in court. not guilty but had no proof that would work for helping Finally, I learned that when Judge Newsham was a them with the case. Judge Newsham said that it was fun municipal judge, he studied law part time, but now as a to be a judge and a lawyer and I should be a lawyer if circuit judge, he doesn’t study law anymore. I feel like I want to be. I am going to tell my mom and dad that I this was a fun experience for me.” know what I want to be when I grow up.” “From him we learned that there has been all sorts of “This was an experience that I will never forget,” crazy trials,” said Spencer Mitchell. “My favorite was Erickson-Karanja said.
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Calendar DECEMBER
• 19-21 - High school final exams (dismiss at 10:30 a.m.) • 24-31- Winter Break (no school)
JANUARY • • • • • •
1 - Winter break (no school) 2 - School resumes for elementary and Remington 2 - No school/report day for middle and high school 3 - School resumes for middle and high school 18 - No school for staff development day 21 - No school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday
FEBRUARY
• 1- No school/report day for elementary schools and Remington • 1- Middle schools dismiss at 11:10 a.m. • 13 - Parent-teacher conferences for elementary and Remington (school in session) • 14 - Remington dismisses at 11:10 a.m., elementary schools at 11:55 a.m. for parent-teacher conferences • 15 - No school for elementary and Remington following conferences • 18 - No school for Presidents Day holiday
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ALUMNI SUCCESS
Paula Brown, Class of 1982, and Doug Clemens, Class of 1986 - Brown and Clemens were elected to state office during the mid-term elections Find out more: alumni.psdr3.org on Nov. 6. Brown was elected as Missouri representative for District 70. Since 1986, she has worked as an elementary school teacher, middle school librarian and an administrator for the Hazelwood School District. Clemens was elected as state representative for the 72nd District. He works with a company installing live captioning phones in the homes of the hearing impaired through the Americans with Disabilities Act at no cost to the recipients.
Graduates in the news
Major Angela Hawkins, Class of 2003 - Hawkins was recently sworn into the Brentwood Police Department as assistant chief for the department. Her job title is bureau of community polic- Major Angela Hawkins, left, is shown with Brentwood Police Chief Joseph Spiess Jr. ing commander. Previously Hawkins worked as a St. Louis police officer and detective for 13 years and received several department awards including the Distinguished Service Citation and the Missouri Medal of Valor award. She also served two years as a detective on the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. Hawkins earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice/law enforcement administration from Lindenwood University. Anise Glenn, Class of 2015 - Glenn was crowned homecoming queen at Lindenwood University on Oct. 20. Glenn, 2014 alumnus Lindsey Purviance and 2016 alumnus Samantha Byrnes were also on the Lindenwood dance teams that earned Anise Glenn is shown with the Lindenwood Lion after being crowned homecoming queen. back-to-back national jazz championships. All three received national champion rings during a ceremony during Lindenwood’s homecoming. Kaleb Eleby, Class of 2018 - A freshman at Western Michigan University, Eleby threw a touchdown on his first pass as a college football player in a game against the University of Toledo on Oct. 25. Eleby was called to make his first college career appearance on field after the team’s starting quarterback suffered an injury. According to WMU Sports information, he “performed well throwing for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Eleby completed his first eight pass attempts and finished the game going 23-for-28 with a QB rating of 193.6.”
From left, Kai Lewis from Bridgeway Elementary School and Max Fetter (kneeling) and Mia Baczynski from Holman Middle School work together in a team alliance match during the Pattonville elementary robotics league competition.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Pattonville promotes engineering, problem-solving with first elementary robotics league T
he Pattonville School District fostered an early love of robotics and problem solving by offering its first elementary Vex IQ Robotics League for students in third through fifth grades this fall. Approximately 70 elementary students from throughout the district participated in a six-week robotics league and took part in the culminating league competition on Nov. 3 at Holman Middle School. The district scrimmage included 14 teams from Bridgeway, Parkwood, Rose Acres and Willow Brook elementary schools, Remington Traditional School, PEGS (Program for Exceptionally Gifted Students) and the fifth-grade STEM class at Holman. Students enjoyed meeting weekly to construct, code and drive a robot in preparation for the challenge. Meetings included assembling a game board and game structures; constructing the robot to run the game; practice running the game and working to improve their scores; and recording each meeting’s progress and ideas in a team engineering notebook. The student-built robots had to meet certain criteria to compete, including size and number of motors included. The competition at Holman included 56 team alliance matches during which two teams are on the board at the same time and work together to earn points. Teams also had to present their team engineering notebooks and take part in interviews with judges. Several teams also participated in optional robot skills matches that included tests of both driver-operated and autonomous robots that ran on code only. Holman fifth-grade STEM teacher Cheryl Gragert led the efforts to start the league. She secured a grant from the Pattonville Athletic and Activities Foundation (P2AF) to pay for robotics equipment, game boards and competition sets to start the elementary league for any interested Pattonville elementary school. The Pattonville community education department registered students for the program and funded coaches for the league as well as the competition. Holman eighth-grade Epic students and members of the Pattonville High School Robotics Club served as judges and referees at the Pattonville scrimmage. “It seemed like the kids and families were excited and engaged and having a great time all morning,” Gragert said of the competition. “The kids learned so much about engineering, problem solving and teamwork. Hopefully, some will be excited enough to continue on with robotics.” Several teams were recognized for their work during the competition. The Rubber Bandits of Wang Jangle and The Savage Robots, both from Willow Brook, earned the Teamwork Champion Award, which is given to two teams that collaborated to earn the highest points in the team alliance finals. The Savage Robots also won the Robot Skills Award for being the team earning the greatest number of points in single-team driver rounds plus any points earned in autonomous rounds. The Design Award was presented to the Ro-bits from Holman and was based on the team’s demonstration of the engineering process through their engineering notebook and team interview. Team Max Rules! from Rose Acres was selected for the Excellence Award which recognizes a team that is a contender in all competition areas and additionally shows exceptional sportsmanship, teamwork and enthusiasm.
“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.