Highlights December 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

December 2019

Inside

State report shows Pattonville performing at high levels

- See page 7 for details

Kiwanis spearheads project to provide Buddy Benches at all schools

- See page 7 for details

Top STEM High School Pattonville High School named one of Newsweek’s best STEM schools in U.S.

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

Pattonville High School has been named one of Newsweek’s Top STEM High Schools in America, honoring its excellence in teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Pattonville is ranked in the Top 8% of public high schools nationally. The high school also recently hosted a Project Lead the Way Showcase (PLTW) to demonstrate to Missouri educators its rigorous computer science program. Shown above, sophomores Tihira Muhammad, Sarah Murphy and Kadie Murphy take part in a lab during Nathan Jones’ Chemistry 1 class at the high school. Shown at left, sophomores Keilah Wilkes, left, and Matthew Reese work on a project in Jon Saettele’s College Credit Principles of Engineering class. See back page for more details on the Newsweek recognition and the PLTW showcase.

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

Professional learning day equips staff to better support student success O

ur students have done a lot of learning during the first four months of the 2019-2020 school year. Projects, tests and assignments are all part of the life of a child as they progress through school. These tasks are part of the building blocks from one concept to the next with the ultimate goal of preparing students for the next phase of school and life. Our stuDr. Tim Pecoraro dents are not the only ones who are constantly Superintendent improving their craft. Our teachers and supFollow on Twitter: port staff participate in professional learning @PattonvilleSupt throughout the year in an effort to learn new strategies, review current research and collaborate and learn from each other, all in the spirit of supporting the needs of our students.

I want to give you a glimpse into one of our most recent professional learning days, which took place on Nov. 1. All certified staff members gathered at our high school for a fantastic day of training. We kicked things off with a panel discussion focused on personalized learning. As you know from my previous columns, this is a focus area from our strategic plan. The panel discussion was a special event because it was all about highlighting our teachers who have been brave enough to try something new. Change in education is not easy. Accountability and expectations to perform better each year are at all-time highs. Fortunately, we have many teachers willing to embrace personalized learning because of the potential benefits for our students. Several schools shared short videos of their classrooms followed by a discussion of what’s working well along with existing challenges. Teachers in the audience had a chance to submit questions about what they saw and heard. There’s something powerful for colleagues to see each other leading. The panel discussion definitely achieved that.

Teachers then spent the next several hours attending different training sessions tailored to their needs. One of the themes for the day was social-emotional health for all students. Some of the sessions staff members attended addressed compassion fatigue, burnout and self-care, perfectionism and student stress, equity, access and inclusion through cultural proficiency, strategies for supporting students with trauma, de-escalation practices, restorative practices and mindfulness and meditation, among others. Taking care of the emotional health of our students and staff is critical.

The other theme for the day was personalized learning and instructional strategies. Teachers had an opportunity to learn more about innovation by design, experiential learning, new learning spaces, standards of mathematical practices, meeting the needs of students at-risk for dyslexia, supporting our gifted students and much more. These topics correlate with the work we’ve been doing for the past year.

While the certified staff was at the high school, our support staff was at Pattonville Heights Middle School learning strategies aimed at connecting with others, including colleagues and those we serve. The conversations that took place were compelling. Our support staff play such an integral role in our organization and this training was specifically designed to provide them with additional strategies so they can continue to do their jobs at a high level.

I was very proud of our Pattonville staff during this professional learning day. I witnessed hundreds of people who are responsible for supporting our children work together, learn new ideas and demonstrate their own love of learning and self growth. I’m confident our staff walked away from this day recharged, refocused and full of new strategies that will help in their everyday mission to support our students’ success.

High school administrator named Missouri Assistant Principal of the Year P

attonville High School assistant principal Dr. Jon Fitzgerald was surprised on Nov. 13 with the news he was chosen as Missouri Assistant Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MoASSP). He is now Missouri’s nomination for the National Assistant Principal of the Year.

Clark Mershon, MoASSP executive director, announced the news during a special gathering of students in the POSITIVE School, an alternative proDr. Jon Fitzgerald, center, was named Missouri Assistant gram at Pattonville High School.

Principal of the Year. He is shown with, from left, Missouri AsFitzgerald was a social studies teacher sociation of Secondary School Principals (MoASSP) director of programming Doug Mirts, Pattonville High School principal Dr. and administrative intern at Pattonville Joe Dobrinic, MoASSP executive director Clark Mershon and High School before being named as an Pattonville superintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro. assistant principal in 2012. He previously served as a middle school social studies teacher in the Saint Louis Public Schools. Fitzgerald holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in social studies from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in educational administration from Lindenwood University and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Maryville University.

His administrative duties at Pattonville High School include working with the career and technical education department, iLearn lab, Project Lead the Way programs and the POSITIVE School.

BOARD PROFILE: Jeanne Schottmueller

School volunteerism evolves into role on school board B

oard director Jeanne Schottmueller prepare Schottmueller for her role on the felt a big responsibility when she board. was elected to the Pattonville Board “At some point in each organization, of Education 10 years ago.

I was eventually president of each one.

“When I took the oath of office It taught me a lot about working with for the first time, I became the our community and how to best serve mother of all 5,800 students (in the students in our district,” she said.

Pattonville) and although I may Schottmueller is in her 30th year as a not know them by name, I care for Jeanne Schottmueller paraprofessional for the Special School them deeply,” she said. Her hope District (SSD). She also worked five for Pattonville students is that “they live happy, years in a residential treatment facility. safe and productive lives. Also that they give “My job is to get the best I can out of each stuback to their community.” dent I work with to assure that they will become The mother of twins who graduated from productive citizens who will contribute greatness Pattonville in 2012, Schottmueller has been to our world,” she said of her current job. involved in her children’s schools since they were When she’s not working or representing the in kindergarten. That volunteerism eventually school board at meetings or events, Schottmuelevolved into a seat on the school board. ler enjoys spending time training her golden “It is so important to be connected to your chil- retriever. She said people might also be surprised dren’s school,” Schottmueller said. “As time went to know that she is the youngest of eight siblings on and my children got into high school, I became - seven girls and one boy. And her proudest mointerested in how the district ran. I went to every ment as a board member? board meeting for over a year. I got to know how “Graduation day,” she said. “Seeing those kids things ran. I decided to throw my hat in the ring.” cross that stage and knowing what struggles they Volunteering on the PTO, school improvemay have overcome or the perseverance they had ment teams and other parent organizations helped to get to that day.”

School board candidate filing closes Jan. 21

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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

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Cultural identity project enables students to deepen understanding of self, each other A

project at Pattonville Heights Middle School allowed creativity and culture to work hand-in-hand as students learned about identity and each other. Seventh grade English classes on the East and West teams took part in a month-long unit about cultural identity that included discussions, reading relevant short stories and students creating a project about their own identity.

English teachers Tara Rice and Sarah Slane started the unit with discussion on the us vs. them mentality and how it impacts social groups. They also discussed different types of cultural groups a person can belong to and where students felt like they belonged in areas including age, disabilities, family dynamics, gender, race, religion and traditions. They grouped topics into four categories: personal, school, community and national. As they discussed different topics, they added more cultural differences to an ever-growing list. While students at first felt like they had to tip-toe around certain difficult or controversial topics, as discussions continued, they felt more comfortable sharing and asking questions.

“It’s amazing how emotionally mature the students are,” Slane said. “I was particularly impressed with how they engaged with each other, especially in the difficult discussions. They know more than we give them credit for.

They see and observe everything and are aware of what’s going on in the world.”

To show that cultural identities aren’t a new idea, the classes watched videos about people who have been persecuted across time, including those during the Holocaust and in Rwanda. They also investigated ongoing current issues, such as the caste system in India. Students read short stories featuring various cultures, including what it was like growing up as a Muslim after 9/11, celebrating quinceaneras and bar mitzvahs and other tales about growing up. The teachers tried to pick stories that represented students in their classes, but also cultures students had little or no experience with.

Students finished the unit by creating a product to share with classmates that explained who they are. Each student had to pick eight aspects of their cultural identity and explain why each was important to them.

Students started out with a chart with different ideas of cultural differences they could explore and had to fill in information about themselves. In addition to more obvious qualities, there were also aspects like hobbies, appearance or clothes, birthday, ceremonies, health, goals, hometown and food. After picking eight, they explained why those aspects were important to them. Students then put together their project to share their eight aspects.

Teachers gave students free rein on how to create their projects, allowing them to personalize their projects to fit their learning style. One student created a cooking show video, with ingredients representing aspects of her identity, like ballet and piano. Another student created a lifesize poster of himself and added his eight aspects into the poster. One student taught her classmates to write their name in Korean. Students also created games, assembled a stop-motion video and hand-drew a comic.

“Students were excited to share what they were working on,” Rice said. “We were really impressed by their willingness to help each other and to collaborate as students worked through the ideas of their projects with their classmates. This is the only project in my four years of teaching that everyone turned something in. They were engaged and interested in what they were working on.”

Students spent two days doing gallery walks of the finished projects. Each day, half presented their projects one-on-one with their classmates. They had three minutes to introduce themselves and share their eight facts.

As students listened to their classmates, they had to fill out a paper on what they learned about their classmate, as well as overall thoughts on the project.

Students completed a reflection on what they learned

Above, Jessica Bae, right, teaches Antania Pratt how to write her name in Korean. Bottom photo, Taylor Volmert, right, and Kaycee Carman react while playing a game made as part of the cultural identity project.

overall and provided feedback for the following year.

“It was a chance for them to showcase themselves in a judgement-free area and it was a chance to get to know things about each other, even people they knew really well,” Rice said. “It was nice to see that they could still assess and understand what they’ve learned throughout the unit and seeing it impact their everyday lives.”

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Co-teaching offers students added support

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uring a lesson Alex Buerck’s fourth grade class at Bridgeway Elementary School, he and English learner (EL) specialist Keri Gleason sat back-to-back as Buerck’s students watched with interest. Gleason gave instructions for Buerck to draw and after the last step, Buerck’s students saw his finished art and laughed. Gleason’s steps on how to draw a unicorn resulted in an outcome she did not expect. After the example, students were tasked with writing their own set of instructions, then paired up with a classmate and tried the experiment themselves (shown at left with Brody Schaumberger, left, and Omar Lopez Encarnacion). The activity was an example of co-teaching happening in a number of classrooms at Bridgeway. During weekly writing time, instead of pulling EL students out of the class for instruction, Gleason partners with a classroom teacher to create lessons that all students in the class benefit from. Educators work collaboratively with everyone in the class, giving students the opportunity to receive twice as much support as they normally would. This allows students who normally receive EL services to be with their peers and not miss classroom instruction, while still receiving any special instruction they need. Each week, the co-teaching instruction can look different. One day, one teacher might instruct the majority of the class while the other quietly monitors understanding with individual students. Another week, the teachers might divide the class in half and each work with a group to allow for more participation.

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DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Hanna Stensby, age 4, of Bridgeton takes part in a free developmental screening offered

by Pattonville’s Parents as Teachers program at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center.

Parent educator Christie Hogg leads the screening.

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

PAT supports families starting at birth O

ne of the goals of Pattonville’s early childhood program is to help children develop skills starting soon after they are born. This is done through a program called Parents as Teachers (PAT), which focuses on the early development of children before they enter school. PAT is most known for its home visits, where parent educators visit a family’s home and work with them on things like child development, family stressors and enriching children’s lives and education. While home visits are the core of the program, they may not be right for everyone, and thus Pattonville provides additional resources to help families through the Connections Components program. This PAT program is open to all families and consists of three areas: development screenings, group connections and family resources.

1. Developmental screenings: All children in Pattonville from 3 months to kindergarten age are able to participate in free annual screenings through PAT. The screenings, which last around an hour and a half, look at the child as a whole. It assesses the child’s development in the areas of vision, motor skills, language development, concepts and cognitive focus, behavior and self-help skills. Parent educators are then able to provide strategies for that individual child to keep them on target or share resources that might help them advance in specific areas.

2. Group connections: The goal of these events are parent education, connecting families with each other and increasing interaction between parents and children. Throughout the year, early childhood offers parent workshops and parent/child interaction programs for families with preschoolers of all ages. Parent workshops include presentations on topics such as parenting issues, strategies for helping with challenging behaviors and how to prepare for kindergarten at every age. Parent/ child interaction programs share information similar to the parent workshops, but also devote time for families to spend time together practicing skills or working on an activity or craft while socializing with other families.

3. Family resources: PAT staff know that sometimes families just don’t know where to look for information and simply need resources or ideas on where to start. This support is as simple as a call or email requesting information about a topic such as what to look for when choosing a day care, how to navigate WIC, where to find a food pantry, activities to help a child struggling with autism, where to find languages classes and more. Parent educators share tips and resources with families to help point them in the right direction.

To sign up for more information, families can visit the Pattonville Early Childhood website at ec.psdr3.org and click on the Parents As Teachers tab.

Once enrolled in PAT using the online form, families will receive email notifications about events and other resources. PAT is here to support a family’s needs, including getting families connected to each other and to Pattonville.

For more information, call the Pattonville Early Childhood Center at (314) 213-8100.

Teachers provide weekly online storytime T

he Building Community Committee at Drummond Elementary School came up with a new idea to have staff members record themselves reading a bedtime story and sharing the original video every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the school’s Facebook page (shown above with English language paraprofessional Mallory Noble). “The response from teachers signing up to read books has been overwhelming,” committee member and third grade teacher Kathleen Dolan said. “From the kids’ standpoint, they get really excited to see who will read them a book.” Staff members get to choose whatever story they would like to read as their bedtime story. In Week 1 of the new series, second grade teacher Lindsay Williams read “The Monster at the End of This Book.” The committee members wanted to bridge the school-to-home connection and make sure that students are getting a bedtime story read to them at least once a week.

“We’re really trying to support the importance of spending time reading every night,” Dolan said. “The students are loving the idea of having a familiar face read them a book and connecting with them at home.” Committee member and third grade teacher Jessica Robbins said ideas are already being discussed of how to expand this project.

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

School promotes healthy minds and bodies

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iggles, giggles and “Monster Moves” were on display at Parkwood Elementary School when counselors Catherine Eaton and Kendra Worsham visited classrooms with a brain break activity (shown above with, from left, Nathan Biruk, Zion Lane, Kennedy Ashworth and Eaton). The dance to “Monster Moves” by Koo Koo Kanga Roo was designed to promote exercise as a healthy way to stay away from drugs during the school’s Mental Health Month in October. Parkwood sponsored the month to remind students about the importance of self-care in promoting a healthy mental state. “The overall goal is to introduce the students to and teach them how to use different strategies to make healthy choices, not only for their bodies, but their minds and relationships as well,” Eaton said. “The month of October celebrates many different themes so we focused on one topic each week.” Students did mindfulness activities to promote healthy minds; worked on building exercise into their daily routines for healthy bodies; held a Unity Day where everyone wore orange to promote healthy relationships and being bully free; and focused on Red Ribbon Week activities to encourage drug-free lifestyles.

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WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Students, staff create school garden

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Business, creativity mix at open air market S T

he Open Air Market at Rose Acres Elementary School was part farmer’s market, part craft show and part opportunity to raise money for fifth grade camp (shown above with, from left, shopper Gabrielle Prather and merchants Bryce Clancy, Caleb Olsen, Lexi Schmid, Madison Roberts and Shannon Li). The market was organized by students in the fifth grade classes and open to all students and staff at the school on Oct. 9. All items sold were made by students since the school year started. Students in Gina McKelly’s class created a company named Blooming Zinnias. “We were selling some plants that we made for a science project and we had necklaces, clay projects, painted rocks and some bracelets that we made,” fifth grader Haley Mesey said. Students learned the importance of marketing, sales and money management while preparing for the market.

“We definitely had to learn money skills,” fifth grader Joshua Mahler said. “We didn’t know how much money we would get and what kind of bills customers would give us so we had to learn how to calculate it all.” Other skills students gained were more artistic. “Some of us had to learn origami skills and painting skills in order to make our items,” Mahler said. “We made everything we are selling by hand.” The students raised $2,125.61 to be put toward the cost of camp.

tudents and staff at Willow Brook Elementary School transformed a corner on the side of their school into their own garden haven. Led by school nurse Roxanne Comens and counselor Yue Buss, they designed and built an outdoor learning space that includes picnic tables, standing tables for activities such as potting plants and doing artwork, sand pits, chairs, raised planters and more. Comens coordinates work in the garden and recently led a group of students through winterizing tasks (shown above with Maria Farmer’s fifth grade class). “Many students have been instrumental in building the garden,” said principal Dr. Marla Wasserman. “We are planning to plant vegetables and install weather instruments in the future that tie to our curricular standards.” The garden provides several learning opportunities, including plant science; sensory experiences such as moving soil; character education, such as patience and perseverance in waiting for plants to grow; and emotional grounding and well-being.

“Our school garden is also used for students to help calm anxieties and fidgeting, as well as when they need movement breaks,” Wasserman said. “In the garden, grieving students can find comfort in nature. For example, our district technology specialist (Stephanie McCreary) hosted a special tea in the garden for several students who lost moms while their classes were making Mothers’ Day cards.” The garden is a welcome addition. “We are very excited about it,” Buss said. “So are the kids.”

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

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Students brainstorm ideas to better society App challenges promote student creativity

ighth grade English language arts teachers at Holman Middle School challenged their students to create a product that would benefit society. The students presented their inventions to classmates through an Innovation Challenge where they were judged on their design, concept and presentation (shown above with, from left, Paul Pakdaman, Tyler Mingo and Weston Vlahiotis). “We came up with a pair of shoes that’s controlled by an app and can change colors,” Ceniya Smith said. “We’re making an AI (artificial intelligence) robot that can help you with chores,” Alexandria Nunn said. “I’m creating a car that will keep you safe,” Javan Zikpi said. Groups advanced to a final stage of presentations after being selected by classmates as the winners in each of Maegan Bowersox and Jessica Smith’s classes. The winning group developed a surgically implanted contact lens to help with forgetfulness, public vulnerability, timeliness and staying on task. The teachers are striving to make learning personal. “We really want to focus on who they are first and foremost as a learner,” Bowersox said. “Instead of just pushing them through this lock-step system where we’re moving on whether they’ve got it or not, we value them and we would like to give them an opportunity to show us what they can do, to show us what they need help in and how they prefer to learn so we really emphasize voice and choice for students.” The teachers conference with each student, checking on their concept and progress so they can coach them on next steps. “The students really learn how to manage and drive their own learning,” Bowersox said.

tudents are often asked to show what they’ve learned by presenting their knowledge to their teachers or classmates. At Remington Traditional School, district technology specialist Stephanie McCreary is challenging students to be more creative in these presentations by issuing an app challenge to sixth through eighth graders three times this year. She encourages them to try a new app to create a product that visually shows their creativity or learning. The first challenge involved using an iPad app called AR Makr to create a video that features augmented reality (AR). AR refers to technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a live view, photo or video of the real world. For the first challenge, students are creating an image in the Keynote app, then superimposing it on a real-life video scene. McCreary first’s challenge involved sharing a positive message. “How would you encourage people when they face challenges?” she said. “They could be small challenges, like math. It can be a life challenge. Now, how do you represent that message using specifically the AR Makr app?” Students can do the challenges on their own or as part of a class or advisory period. On a recent afternoon, students in Lisa Kraemer’s advisory drew mountains, stairs and even dragons to illustrate challenges as they worked on their projects (shown above with, from left, Mackenzie Cain, Andrew Reyes and Hannah Fenton). At the end of each challenge, participating students are invited for a special viewing of the projects in the school library.

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BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

PHS senior wins ACT Scholarship Giveaway S

Bridgeway Elementary School reading specialist Erica Parsell is shown at the International Literacy Conference.

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Space Station Ambassador

Erica Parsell, a reading specialist at Bridgeway Elementary School, was recognized as an outstanding Space Station Ambassador and invited to attend the 2019 International Literary Conference as an honored guest of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. Parsell’s contributions to the Space Station Ambassador community earned her the invitation to the conference, where she showcased ISS National Lab education initiatives at the Space Station Explorers booth. More than 600 adult educators, leaders and life-long learners from across the United States serve as Space Station Ambassadors, gaining access to educational tools and a means to connect with like-minded space enthusiasts. Parsell’s experience with the ambassador program allows her to connect science to a love of reading for students at Bridgeway.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Fred Saigh Leadership Program

Junior Jaxon Luraschi was one of 20 students selected to attend the Fred Saigh Leadership Program. During the year-long program, students visit places and meet leaders throughout the metropolitan area that make the community vital and effective in meeting the needs of its citizens.

Students also work with their teachJaxon Luraschi ers on leadership activities. The program’s curriculum introduces, fosters and develops leadership skills through involving students in issues that face the community. At the completion of the program, the students are equipped to campaign for school offices, manage school projects and assume leadership positions.

State archery championship Junior Tyler Wright earned the 2019 Best Barebow Archer award in the junior male category at the Missouri Archery Association’s (MAA) State Championship.

This is the third consecutive year Wright has held the state title in this category.

He was also named the MAA Junior Male Archer of the Year.

Tyler Wright

Pattonville High School student Brenden Reynolds, second from right, and Special School District staff, from left, Carrie Gausling, Frances Blizzard and Victoria Carlson-Casaregola safely evacuated students from a bus after a mechanical failure caused a fire.

Safe response in emergency

Students riding a Special School District (SSD) bus arrived back to school safely after quick thinking by a student and staff members. When an SSD bus experienced a mechanical failure that caused a fire, Pattonville student Brenden Reynolds, the SSD bus driver Frances Blizzard, SSD speech-language pathologist Victoria Carlson-Casaregola and SSD special education teacher Carrie Gausling quickly evacuated students from the bus and made sure everyone was safe. Fortunately, no one was injured.

UMSL Bridge Program

Students who completed the 2019 Bridge Program Summer Academy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) were Sheriyah Allen, Zion Bradsher, Cornel Childs, Amaris Kirksey and Jazara Word. As part of the Cornel Childs program, students attend daily classes and workshops at UMSL, focusing on college planning.

Beyond the Best

Assistant principal Dr. Rosalyn Manahan was recognized as a 2019 Beyond the Best honoree for St. Charles County. She was recognized on Nov. 7 at the Beyond the Best Awards Gala and received a state proclamation. Honorees are leaders chosen Rosalyn Manahan for being advocates and activists for the community and making significant, positive changes to their neighborhood.

Manahan is a 1994 graduate of Pattonville High School.

tudents aren’t allowed to talk during the ACT test, but Pattonville High School senior Gavin Alicea was still speechless when he received a call on Nov. 11 from the nonprofit organization to let him know that he won a scholarship giveaway and was awarded both a $15,000 scholarship and a $5,000 technology package to celebrate ACT’s national test dates.

“I was in iLearn and I was getting ready to take a quiz in Algebra 3 which I was not excited about and (college and career counselor Michelle Luraschi) called me down here (Luraschi’s office),” Alicea said. “I thought it was just a meeting with her to talk about what college I wanted to go to, but she’s on the phone and then she puts it on speakerphone and I’m just listening because I thought it was her own business. Then they started talking to me and told me I won a $15,000 scholarship to any college I want to go to. I’m speechless, I’m just so happy.”

He’s never won anything like this in his life.

“I’ve never won a scholarship before,” he said. “I’ve never won any raffle before, and to think it’s out of 400,000 students, too? Wow, this is such a surprise. I’m just blessed and very grateful.”

A total of 14 students will be awarded prizes during the 2019-2020 school year. To be eligible to win, students must be a sophomore, junior or senior in high school. Students who register to take the ACT on a national test date beginning with the October test will automatically be registered for the drawing.

Luraschi was notified a week earlier that Alicea’s name was randomly drawn.

“When I got the email, I was like this is a joke,” Luraschi said. “I actually went to the ACT website to find out more about the giveaway because I didn’t think it was real.”

The scholarship money may be used at any Title IV-eligible postsecondary institution in the U.S. The technology package includes a laptop computer, tablet, monitor, keyboard, mouse and other accessories and software, as well as a cash gift card to help fund any other technology or software needs as the winners prepare for life after high school.

Find out more.

View a video of the surprise on Pattonville’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PSDR3.

DISTRICTWIDE

NSPRA Award of Merit

Pattonville’s school-community relations team earned an Award of Merit for internal/external print newsletters from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

Pattonville was the only school district in the U.S. to earn an Award of Merit in this category after submitting samples of the “Pattonville Highlights” district newsletter to NSPRA’s Publications and Digital Media Awards competition.

Staff who contributed to the newsletter include Mickey Schoonover, director of school-community relations; Bob Burns, photo/AV specialist, who retired in June; and Kelly Gordon, community relations specialist and secretary to the board of education. Brian Heyman joined the team as a multimedia communications specialist in June and also contributes to the publication.

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Pattonville High School senior Gavin Alicea is shown after he received a surprise call informing him he’d won a $15,000 scholarship and $5,000 technology package through the ACT Scholarship Giveaway.

Revamped annual state report shows Pattonville performing at high level T

his year’s Annual Performance Report (APR) issued by the state of Missouri indicates that Pattonville continues to perform at a high level on criteria related to students’ academic achievement.

Each year, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) releases APRs for each school district across the state as part of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP). The APR is comprised of several metrics DESE deems important for school success. They include student performance on state standardized assessments, both as a whole and for subgroups of students; college and career readiness indicators such as how students perform on the ACT, ACT WorkKeys, and other assessments that prepare students for life after high school; how students perform on Advanced Placement (AP) exams and the number of college credit classes students take; and what students do after high school, such as attending college or entering the workforce, military or vocational school. Attendance and graduation rates are the other standards that are assessed.

The chart at right shows how Pattonville performed on the 2019 APR report in the area of “status,” which indicates whether all students in a district are achieving at high levels.

“In Pattonville, continuous improvement drives everything we do,” said superintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro. “This data is helpful when analyzing what we’re doing well and in which areas we can do better. These results wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our staff and the great partnership we have with our families.”

For the past several years, each of these criteria were worth a number of points and each district re-

Pattonville’s Annual Performance Report (APR) The state’s new model for APRs focuses on performance using four colors that represent how districts performed in specific areas: orange (Floor), yellow (Approaching), green (On Track) and blue (Target). The goal is for school districts to perform in the green (On Track) or blue (Target) areas on each standard.

State Standard Area

2019 Results

Academic Achievement

English Language Arts

On Track

Math

On Track

English Language Arts

On Track

Math

On Track

ACT, WorkKeys, ASVAB Tests

On Track

Advanced Placement (AP), College Credit

Target

Post-Secondary Placement

Target

Attendance

Attendance Rate

Target

Graduation Rate

4-Year Rate

On Track

5-Year Rate

Target

6-Year Rate

Target

Subgroup Achievement College/Career Readiness

ceived an APR score based on the percentage of total points earned. As an example, in 2018, Pattonville earned an APR score of 96.6%, meaning the district received 96.6% of the total points possible. For the 2019 APR, DESE has eliminated the percentage of points possible format and replaced it with a new model (see above for details).

Bridgeton Kiwanis collects plastic, money to provide Buddy Benches at all Pattonville schools A

total of 13 Buddy Benches After collecting 2,750 made from recycled plastic are pounds of plastic lids on the playgrounds and campuses and caps, six memof all the Pattonville schools. The bers of the Bridgeton Bridgeton Kiwanis Club began Kiwanis Club loaded collecting plastic bottle caps a rented truck and and lids to convert into Buddy transported the caps to Benches, which is a simple idea Green Tree Plastics in to eliminate loneliness and foster Evansville, Indiana. friendships on the playground.

This project startEach elementary school received at ed with the Builder’s least one bench and the Pattonville Club students at Early Childhood Center, middle Remington Tradischools and Pattonville High tional and spread School, each received a bench. throughout the com“We picked up the first two munity. Caps, lids From left, Willow Brook Elementary School first benches last December,” said Mary graders Nadia Ibrahim, Kallie Prichard and Lailah and money donations Kay Campbell, who is a member of Poole enjoy the new Buddy Bench at their school. were collected at the Kiwanis and also on the Pattonville City of Bridgeton school board. “They were placed at Remington on Parks and Recreation, World Wide Technology the playground near the field and at the Early ChildInc., Hussmann Corporation, Busch Stadium, hood Center.” The other 11 were recently placed at SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis and at all the schools including two benches at Willow Brook Pattonville schools. Additional monetary donations Elementary School located near the running track and to help purchase the benches were made by the one at the high school outside of the stadium.

Pattonville Education Foundation (PEF) to honor It takes 250 pounds (or about five full 55-galpast superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton and State Rep. lon trash bags) and $300 to create an 8-foot bench.

Jill Schupp to honor her father.

•7•

ALUMNI SUCCESS

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

Dr. Patrick Brown, Class of 1997 - Brown is an educator,

speaker and author. He has written three books about teaching and student learning and has been featured on the National Science Teaching Association’s (NSTA) Top 25 bestsellers list. His newest book, “Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 3-5: Explore Before Explain,” was released in October 2019 through the NSTA Science Store. Brown currently serves as the executive director of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and career education for the Fort Zumwalt School District.

Taylor Bailey, Class of 2014 -

Bailey began a new job in August as a producer for the Washington Redskins NFL football team, located in Washington, D.C. In her new role, Bailey is responsible for all video content for any and all Redskins media, including social media. Bailey graduated from the University of MissouriColumbia in 2018 with a double major in communications and digital storytelling. She interned with the Charlotte Hornets NBA team for the 2018-2019 season before taking on her new role in Washington.

Taylor Bailey

Rachel Kerwin, Class of 2016 -

Kerwin was voted University of Charleston 2019 homecoming queen in October. She has also been voted co-captain of the university’s women’s lacrosse team all four years. She will graduate in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in radiology.

Upon graduation she plans to attend graduate school.

Rachel Kerwin

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA A

great way to keep up on Pattonville news is by following the district on social media. Facebook users, make sure you never miss a post from Pattonville by following a few simple steps. After liking our Facebook page, click the down triangle next to “Following.” Select the “See First” option to see Pattonville news at the top of your news feed. You can also find great stories on Pattonville’s website at www.psdr3.org.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PSDR3 Instagram: @PattonvilleSD Twitter: @PattonvilleSD YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PattonvilleR3

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Pattonville named among Newsweek’s Top STEM High Schools in U.S. P

attonville High School has been named one of Newsweek’s Top STEM High Schools in America, honoring its excellence in teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Newsweek announced its top schools on Nov. 8 to coincide with National STEM Day. The list includes schools in every region of the country that offer skilled teachers who keep up with developments in these fields and who create dynamic learning environments to engage their students.

Overall, Pattonville is ranked No. 2,793 in the Top 5,000 public and private high schools for STEM education in the United States. When looking at just public and charter schools (which are indepenent public schools), Pattonville was named in the Top 8% nationally out of more than 21,000 public high schools in the country.

In Missouri, only 81 public and private high schools made Newsweek’s list. There are 584 public and charter high schools in the state, and Pattonville is ranked No. 16 out of the 45 Missouri public/charter schools to receive the recognition.

The Top 5,000 schools were curated from STEM.org Educational Research (SER) using a proprietary scoring logic that took into consideration a broad set of quantitative and qualitative data inputs collected from 2015 through 2019. The purpose was to determine which primary/secondary institutions in America best offer students experiences in STEM - as defined by the Congressional Research Service - while preparing them for post-secondary outcomes. Additional factors, including affluence and median household income, were taken into consideration in compiling the rankings.

Pattonville High School is home to robust STEM programs, including four-year pathways in biomedical science, computer science and engineering that lead to capstone courses working with mentors or leaders in related industries. The biomedical science program is nationally certified through Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national organization that provides STEM education programs. The high school piloted PLTW’s four-year computer science program, helping PLTW develop curriculum that is used across the nation. Pattonville High School has earned recognition as a national PLTW Distinguished School for providing broad access to transformative learning opportunities for students through PLTW courses.

In addition, Pattonville students who meet certain requirements can also graduate from high school with certificates that enable them to work in related industries right out of high school. These certifications include a certified nurse assistant (CNA) and life science laboratory assistant (biomedical science). Pattonville also enables students to take part in extended learning opportunities (ELOs) with community partners to advance their learning and earn high school credit.

Pattonville High School computer science students work on an assignment in Jeremiah Simmons’ cybersecurity class. Shown are, from left, Deandre Thomas, Riley Smith, Matthew Fassler and Bryan Burns.

Pattonville High School math teacher Brooke Callan uses mobile whiteboards in her classroom to enable students to practice and demonstrate their algebra knowledge. Shown are Emiliano Ruiz Moraila, left, and Tamara Alexander.

Find out more.

View a video about the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) showcase on Pattonville’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PSDR3.

Pattonville invited to host STEM showcase for Missouri educators P

attonville High School hosted a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Showcase on Oct. 30 with students in Jeremiah Simmons’ computer science classes sharing their knowledge and successes with Missouri educators and business partners. PLTW asked the school to host the event based on its successful history with PLTW courses and its model computer science pathway. PLTW is a national organization that provides STEM education programs for schools across the United States.

“We’re showcasing high school computer science today and there’s really no better place to do that in Missouri, in my opinion, than here at Pattonville High School,” said Ashley Benne, the PLTW director of school engagement for western Missouri. “Jeremiah Simmons is an exemplary teacher. He’s a master teacher for us in three of our four computer science courses, his students have won so many accolades for their computer science abilities and he just does a really fantastic job of teaching our curriculum in a way that’s helping students be more successful with the world of computer science.”

Simmons is grateful for the opportunities the Pattonville School District provides him and his students.

“I think one thing that Pattonville really does is that they really just believe in the program that we’ve got here and they just kind of open it up and say, ‘Hey, run

Pattonville High School computer science students speak with visiting educators during a computer science showcase. Students shown are, Jayne Herter, left, and Deandre Thomas, center.

with it, create opportunities for kids,’ ” Simmons said.

“I think what we do a good job of is just creating the opportunity for kids to learn. We create the space and the time for them to come in, and we really just let them come in to learn and grow and work with each other and collaborate.”

At the end of the computer science pathway, students can enroll in a capstone course which challenges them to create a software program to benefit the school.

“So when we do these projects in here, we talk about building an app to solve a problem,” Simmons said. “We always start with the brainstorming process, and ask ‘Hey, what’s the problem?’ Specifically like what bothers you about the day and then they get the chance to think about that and then develop a solution toward it.”

In the past, students have developed the district’s mobile app for Android and iOS and have also created a school messaging system.

“The capstone class is essentially an independent experience where we work fairly independently on a year-long project,” senior William Skaggs said. “This year, we built a school voting system that was used to vote for a homecoming queen.”

Simmons said there’s a lot of voice and choice in what they’re doing.

“They’re making an app that they can use right there on their phone and they make it a program that they can use right there on the computer.”

The students are learning in class, but not by just sitting and listening to a teacher the whole time; they’re getting an opportunity to take the information and apply it.

“These kids have talents. What they can do is amazing,” Simmons said. “They just need to have the opportunity to show that.”

“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.