Highlights December 2022

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

Academic programs website launches

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Planning for Prop S projects underway

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On a turkey hunt

Students in the Cheetah class at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center went on a hunt around the building searching for different colored turkeys. When they located a turkey taped on the wall, they used a marker to color in the corresponding turkey on their worksheet. The activity was a way for students to learn how to follow directions, identify colors and transition in the hallway. After all nine turkeys were found and colored in, they had to find early childhood director Dr. Greg Cicotte who was wearing a turkey tie. Top photo, Cheetah students Shayaanali Ahmed, front left, and Jayce Allen, front right, hold onto their worksheet as they walk through the halls searching for turkeys. They are followed by, from left, speech/language pathologist Stephanie Sliefert, paraprofessionals Tariq Faruqi and Jeni Heeren and teacher Jennifer Sidy. Middle left, Sliefert points out a blue turkey to Ahmed. Middle right, Sidy helps Allen color his gray turkey. Bottom left, Allen shows off his finished worksheet. Bottom right, Cicotte shows off his special turkey tie after the early childhood students finished their turkey hunt.

From the Superintendent Pattonville marks Veterans Day with events, lessons

District developing strategic five-year plan

Effective planning has been a hallmark of the Pattonville School District for many years. The planning of high-quality educational programming in Pattonville is a result of the collaborative work by the community. The community is delivering once again with the development of the 2023-2028 district Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP).

School-based teams composed of parents, community members, staff and some students met on Sept. 20 to provide input and feedback regarding a draft district plan that will direct district areas of focus and improvement for the next five years. The goals and targets of the plan focus on increasing student achievement/citizenship, developing school-based improvement plans and addressing critical issues. Each goal has specific action steps with an evaluation strategy and timeline. Highlights of the draft district plan include creation of individual learner profiles at grades K-12 and a portrait of a graduate, the implementation of a student mentoring program, an expansion of Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) at Pattonville High School, growth of career and technical education programming, expanded after-school programming, improved school safety, enhanced cyber security and programs to develop staff leadership.

Community feedback from the September meeting was reviewed and a revised district plan was shared at the Nov. 15 meeting. In addition to reviewing the district plan, the timeline related to construction work that will be taking place over the next five years as a result of our community passing Prop S in April was reviewed (see back page for details) along with planning for use of federal COVID-19 funding for the 2023-2024 school year. The updated district plan will be reviewed by the board of education at an upcoming meeting.

During the meeting in November, schools also began the development of their building plans to guide local areas of focus for the next five years. While the specific action steps that each school identifies to drive improvement are different, all schools have the same goals and targets as the district plans to increase student achievement and citizenship and address critical issues.

A final districtwide meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2023, to finalize the development of the school-based plans and outline implementation and evaluation strategies.

We are excited about the direction of the district for the next five years, and I know that Pattonville will continue to be a place for all to learn and grow.

Happy holidays and thanks for all you do to support your children’s education in the Pattonville School District.

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.

Students in early childhood created Veterans Day crafts and designed a wall display of signs with the names of veterans they know.

Drummond Elementary School hosted its second annual Veterans Day Torch Run on Nov. 8. Current and veteran military members walked through the hallways as students and staff held up signs and cheered for them. Following the run, students were invited to tour a military vehicle and hear presentations from current reserve member John Wood and Garrett Biginelli, an active Marine, Bridgeton police officer and former Drummond student. Additionally, students in kindergarten through second grade attended a Veterans Day assembly and members of the Drummond Choir performed a song for service members.

Fourth grade students at Parkwood Elementary School spearheaded a Veterans Day concert. They chose jobs, including: ushers who directed people to their seats and designed the concert program; a set crew that helped design and construct the backdrop; a set up crew; script writers; and dancers, who learned a choreographed dance created by another student. First graders also participated in the performance. Additionally, all students were assigned a state in art class and designed a poster to hold during the “Fifty Nifty United States” song at the concert. To learn more, see the story on page four.

Rose Acres Elementary School invited veteran family members to have lunch with their student. Students also wrote letters to send with care packages that were mailed to veterans through Operation Gratitude and completed other activities.

At Willow Brook Elementary School, several classes created Veterans Day banners to send to local posts of the American Legion, AmVets (American Veterans) and VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). Staff also created hallway displays honoring those who served or are currently serving, including family members of students and staff.

Pattonville High School hosted its annual Veterans Day breakfast and program on Nov. 11. Members of the Student Council cheered veterans upon their arrival and made them feel welcome, and participants enjoyed breakfast made and served by culinary arts students while listening to the high school orchestra perform. Afterward, guests moved to the auditorium to watch flag folding and missing man ceremonies conducted by mem-

bers of American Legion Post 213. The high school band and chamber choir also performed and a special “thank you” video was shown.

Filing opens for positions on Pattonville school board

Filing for positions on the Pattonville School District Board of Education begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6, and ends at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Persons interested in running for a position on the school board may file at the Pattonville Learning Center, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, Missouri. Candidates will be placed on the ballot in order of filing. There are three positions available on the April 4, 2023, election ballot, each with a three-year term. Board members whose terms are expiring are Dr. Brian Gray as well as Lisa Kickbusch and Ruth Petrov who were appointed in 2022 to fill open positions. Their appointment lasts until the April election, but because both are filling terms that were set to expire in 2023, all open positions will be for a three-year term.

Candidates may file during the district’s regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Dec. 27, filing will be open from noon until filing closes at 5 p.m. Hours are subject to change. 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 or other unforeseeable reasons. The district may not open on the first and/or last day of filing if weather conditions make it unsafe for staff to travel. Filing will also not occur on the following dates when the district’s superintendent’s office will be closed: Dec. 23 through Dec. 26.

For more information or to confirm if offices are open for filing, contact the secretary to the board of education at (314) 213-8025 or kgodon@psdr3.org.

Dr. Barry Nelson Superintendent

Follow on Twitter: @Barry_NelsonPSD

At Rose Acres Elementary School, students invited their veteran family members to have lunch with them at school. Fifth grader Isabel Ruscheva, center, shows a photo of her dad, Ivo Ruschev, left, on one of his first days in the Bulgarian Army. Classmate April Sullivan, right, listens.

Students at Pattonville High School welcomed veterans, including Marine Carl Ramsey who saluted as he entered, for the school’s annual Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11.

Fifth grader Calvin Holloway, left, salutes Army veteran Master Sgt. Mark Lacey during Drummond Elementary School’s Veterans Day Torch Run. Following the run, Lacey talked with students about his military experience and shared photos, displays and awards. He also gave out paratrooper parachute toys and autographed pictures and writings the students made about the Torch Run.

Our Learners Spotlight on

News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Schoolwide caddies give students tools needed to regulate their emotions

Whenever a student at Willow Brook Elementary School is experiencing big feelings, they know they have a place in their classroom to go to regulate their emotions. A bucket of items called calming caddies are available to all students throughout the school. Students can request to go to the calming caddies if their feelings are making it difficult for them or others to learn.

The idea for the calming caddies started because staff were seeing an increase in big emotions, like fear and anxiety, with students. With the support of principal Kim Dannegger and administrative intern Taylor Koenig, counselor Christy Newsham floated the idea of creating the caddies during a staff meeting.

“We really wanted to have this universal structure of knowing that there’s a space where, if you’re having a big feeling or if you’re feeling distracted or uncomfortable with something, you could go to and kind of reset yourself,” Newsham said.

To determine the types of items to include, Newsham also spoke with staff to see what types of concerns they were seeing and used that information to determine items that could help a calm students. Once the caddies were completed, they were delivered to every location students visit in the school, from classrooms to the library to the cafeteria to the front office.

“Kids are dysregulated in many spaces, so we wanted them to have those tools available to them anywhere, wherever,” Newsham said. “We wanted the caddies to be universal so that the kids know whatever room they go to in the school, they would have access to these tools.”

All of the caddies have the same materials. They include things like noise-canceling headphones, a tower with liquid beads that flow down when flipped, a Rubik’s Cube, a finger stretcher, a squeezy ball and a marble mesh finger toy. Each box also has signs that can be hung up including a feelings identification chart and a graphic that reminds students of breathing strategies.

“I like the headphones,” first grader Anthony Allison Jr. said. “The calming bucket helps me get the noise out of my ears so I stay calm. I breathe when I have the headphones on.”

One of the most important pieces in the caddie, though, is a timer. The time is meant to be a quick reset, so the caddies include a three- and five-minute timer

“We discussed with the students that if they need a few more minutes, they can talk with their teacher and ask for additional minutes if they need them,” Newsham said. “But we feel like within three to five minutes, you should be able to kind of figure out your emotions and feel more calm. Then we talked about, if not, you can come and visit the counselor or talk with your teacher.”

Newsham visited every classroom and talked to each class about the caddies and

emotions. For younger students, Newsham even talked with them about how to identify their emotions and explained that emotions have different levels and different things can cause those emotions and at different levels.

“I use the calming bucket when I am sad. It’s OK to be sad,” first grader Keymond Penn Jr. said. “I love using the Rubik’s Cube to help me calm down so I can learn.”

Newsham also talked about the benefits of not waiting until students are at the top level of their emotions. By each child knowing themselves and recognizing the signs of when they’re starting to have big feelings, they can take the steps they need to help, whether it be breathing strategies or an active or mental distraction.

“We all have different needs,” Newsham said. “For some of us, we may never need to visit the calming space, but we know that we can. And for others of us, we may visit it more frequently. But we’re each going to get what we need and that’s OK. That’s what matters.”

Newsham also suggested that families can even add a calming caddy at home, since students can have big emotions there as well.

“The kids have been really excited and the teachers are excited and so far, the feedback has been really positive,” Newsham said. “Kids are using the space and I’m hearing teachers ask students if they need to visit the calming corner. I think for kids, they know it’s an option that can alleviate some of that anxiety or dysregulation. It’s a feeling that if something happens, students know they have this tool they can use.”

These skills can translate later into their life, including education and into a career and life in general.

Leader in Me program kicks off year with annual school photo, meeting of ships

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he Leader in Me (LIM) program, based on the framework model created by Stephen Covey, is being reignited at Rose Acres Elementary School. The school’s past work in the program resulted in its selection as one of 600 schools worldwide to earn Lighthouse status.

“Every student and staff member at Rose Acres draws a colored ball out of our treasure chest and is randomly placed in one of six ships,” principal Dr. Adam Crnko said. “This is the ship that each student and staff member will remain on for their entire time at Rose Acres. Our ships meet throughout the year and all students can get to know each other, participate in leadership activities, do service projects and celebrate accomplishments while interacting with staff and students outside of their grade level.”

The first ship day this year took place on Oct. 21 and

kicked off with students receiving a T-shirt matching their ship’s color. Wearing their new shirts, everyone headed outside where the word “LEADER” was written in large chalk letters on the playground blacktop. Each ship took a letter of the word and filled the lines to capture the annual leader photo, which will be framed and added to a hallway with the photos from previous years. Afterward, the six ships met with their shipmates to meet new members and learn about their ship. Each color of the rainbow is represented by a ship at the school: blue for Pacificae, meaning peace; orange for Viribus, meaning strength; green for Spero, meaning unity; red for Animo, meaning courage; purple for Statera, meaning balance; and yellow for Felix, meaning happiness. Each ship also has its own motto and positive habit to focus on.

“I like ships because it helps me recognize people in my ship,” said fourth grader Gabriel Saccketti. “They can be in my class or in a different class but it’s really cool to know them and see them around school.”

First grader Keymond Penn Jr. sits outside of teacher Mary Florence Goding’s room to use the class calming caddie at Willow Brook Elementary School. Items in the caddie include timers, noise-canceling headphones and a shakable glitter bottle.

Students from different ships come together to share discuss their group. They are, from left, fifth graders Chloe Prevedel of Felix, Isabelle Dingler for Pacificae and Zaida Bean for Spero.

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL

SCHOOL

Halloween-themed obstacles thrill students

On a dreary October day, students walked into the Remington Traditional School gym and weaved their way through a haunted house, faced the challenges of the frightening cave, traversed the spider pit and had to walk like zombies. It was all part of a large obstacle course set up with a Halloween theme for all of the school’s PE classes.

“We started out with just doing regular obstacle courses throughout the year and then decided to start including a few decorations because kids get really excited about it,” PE teacher Denise Grimshaw said. “It’s an uphill battle sometimes to get kids excited about fitness, but we’re trying to incorporate fun and fall and fitness all together.”

For Halloween, PE teachers Grimshaw and Mike McKeon put up lights and spiderwebs, and to make it even spookier, they turned out the gym’s main lights and had students participate in the dark.

“It was fun because you got to run around to all the different activities,” fifth grader Jacobi Schmidt Weicht said. “My favorite part was the rope because you had to jump over the spider pit, except there were spiders in it and I have arachnophobia which is the fear of spiders, but it was OK because I knew they were just plastic.”

The obstacle course was designed with the goal of students being physically active.

“You have to switch things up sometimes,” McKeon said. “This is more individualized than a team-based thing so you’re reaching the kids that don’t want to play soccer and you get to see some other students really thrive.”

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Students exceed food drive goal

The Pattonville Early Childhood Center hosted a food drive to support local food pantries. Director Dr. Greg Cicotte challenged the students to collect 300 cans or boxed food items and promised that if they topped that goal, he’d let them hit him in the face with a pie. Needless to say, he underestimated his students who collected more than 800 items.

“We did something very kind for our community,” he said to the students who were gathered in the cafeteria for their first schoolwide assembly. “We were doing something super awesome and we were collecting food for people who may not have as much as they need.”

The goal was set for 300 items — one for each student and staff member in the school — but they ended up receiving almost three times that amount.

“So I’m going to take three pies in the face!” Cicotte said.

Nora Scott was the first student who was randomly selected to pie Cicotte in the face.

“We were helping our friends,” she said. Scott’s name was added to the lottery because she donated corn, macaroni and cheese and baked beans. “I smushed the pie in his face and turned it,” she said. “I’ll remember this and it’s something I’m going to tell my family and my friends all about.”

Classroom teachers used the community service project as an opportunity to reinforce counting, graphing and sorting skills.

“We used it as a chance to talk about being helpful and serving others, but we also tied it into a lot of academic skills as well,” teacher Lindsey Jones said. “We were counting the cans and sorting them and made it a sensory activity by carrying the heavy cans down to the cafeteria.”

Student-led assembly honors veterans through songs, choreographed dances

Parkwood Elementary School celebrated Veterans Day with a special performance by first and fourth grade students. The performance was held in the school gym, with veterans, families and students from the other grades in attendance.

As guests entered, a slideshow with pictures of veterans from families in Parkwood was shown on stage. Students in first grade kicked off the show with three songs. Their second song, “Heart of America” by Teresa Jennings, included dancing choreographed by Elena Bernstein’s first grade class and featured four soloists: Mina Coleman, Destiny Howard, Sophia Ward and Sophia Youngclaus.

Fourth graders then performed three songs, each featuring instrumental accompaniment. A fourth song, “Fifty Nifty United States” by Ray Charles, also

featured choreography. As each state was named in the song, a different student lifted a poster of that state’s name.

Under the direction of vocal music teachers Jamie Blaylock and Katie Hernandez, fourth grade students led the preparation work for the show. In addition to rehearsing the songs, students wrote speaking parts, planned decorations and practiced choreography.

To close out the show, first and fourth graders came together to sing “Grateful Nation” by Patrick Thomas Hawes. Then Parkwood principal Melissa Yount-Ott asked veterans in attendance to stand and receive applause, then invited them to line up outside of the gym as everyone exited so students and other guests could wave, say thank you and interact with the veterans.

Early childhood student Nora Scott, right, gets ready to pie director Dr. Greg Cicotte, left, in the face after students donated more than 800 cans and boxed food items during a food drive.

Students at Remington Traditional School traverse a Halloween-themed obstacle course in PE. From left, they are fifth graders Sasha Francis, Chance Williams and Rodniese Randall, who are jumping over then diving under ropes decorated to be an electrical fence. Also as part of the course, Wudasie Zelealem, second from right, and Lennon Herrell hop in sacks across the gym.

Parkwood Elementary School first and fourth grade students sing and dance to the song “Grateful Nation” at the end of the school’s Veterans Day assembly.

FACS students practice fire safety

The Pattonville Fire Protection District conducted fire extinguisher training for family and consumer sciences (FACS) students at Pattonville High School. Hands-on training such as this one can prove priceless during an actual emergency.

“We’re teaching kitchen safety in class and we were just thinking about how we take this further, how we expand this and make it more hands-on and practical for these kids,” FACS teacher Madison Avery said. “In just one phone call, we were able to get everything set up with the fire department and they were here to help.”

The firefighters set up a transportable stovetop and ignited a fire for each student to extinguish. After students demonstrated their ability to put out a fire, they each received a Pattonville Junior Firefighter sticker.

“I never knew how to use a fire extinguisher before and now I do,” sophomore Phi Nguyen said. “I thought it would be a lot heavier but it wasn’t that bad.”

Students also received instructions in the classroom on what to do if they ever experience a house fire.

“The most interesting thing I learned was if you can’t get outside, throw something like a pillow out of your window if you are on the second floor or higher,” junior Dylan Leedle said. “That way, it will get the firefighter’s attention and they will know there’s someone still inside.”

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Band students teach parents to play instruments, perform in concert

Holman Middle School turned into the school of rock on Oct. 19 when parents took the stage during the sixth grade parent/student concert. Encouragement and support at home is important in education, especially for band students learning how to play an instrument. Band teacher Steve White said this event is a way for parents to help students learn how to play an instrument in a roundabout way.

“It gets the parents more involved with what their kids are doing in school,” White said. “In turn, it helps the kids play better because they are the instructors teaching their parents how to play an instrument.”

Sixth grader Alex Barr plays the trombone and taught his parents how to play the songs “Cuckoo,” “Half Note Rock” and “Hot Cross Buns.”

“I think it was harder for me to learn than to teach my parents,” he said. “It was a lot of fun and they sounded great, too.”

White said preparing for the concert is a way for students to work on things at home that they are learning in class.

“I teach the students here and then the students in turn teach their parents and it makes them think more about what they’re doing individually,” he said. “They say, ‘You’ve got to make sure you’re tapping your toes’ or ‘Hold your instrument higher.’ They’re paying more attention to those details.”

Parents performed three of the six songs on the concert set list that also included “El Camino,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

“The parents get a chance to appreciate what the kids are doing because they know there’s more to it than just blowing air and moving your fingers,” White said.

Band teacher Adam Hall said it was the first time sixth graders played an instrument at a concert.

“Parents are experiencing that learning process together with their kids,” he said. “We did music trivia before the concert with the sixth graders while the parents were practicing with Mr. White in the band room. We also had some seventh and eighth graders performing with them as back-up.”

Seventh grader Esmeralda Vargas, right, shows parent Shawn Vance how to play the flute before Holman Middle School’s parent/student band concert. Students taught parents how to play instruments before taking the stage.

Sixth grader Mateo Vance taught his dad how to play the flute, an instrument he is learning for the first time this year.

“If I had to give a tip to someone trying to learn how to play, I’d say make a circle with your mouth and just blow out,” he said. “Just keep trying it and you’ll get it.”

DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Students break records during annual school run

ADrummond Elementary School fifth grader broke the Dragon Run all-time record when he finished the race in 5 minutes and 25 seconds. The next two boys across the finish line, both fifth graders, also ran the mile course under the previous top time of 5 minutes and 50 seconds. Khaleb Bills won with a time of 5:25 and Kyle Sanders (5:36) and Dash Aitken (5:40) finished second and third, respectively. Bills said participating in sports prepared him for the race.

“I used to do track when I was younger,” he said. “Now I play soccer and my coach makes me run up and down hills a lot and that has gotten me stronger and faster.”

All third, fourth and fifth graders participated in the annual Dragon Run throughout the day on Oct. 21 and received a ribbon for participating in the run around the campus. The top 10 boy and girl finishers for each grade also received a medal during a closing ceremony. The run was organized as part of the PE curriculum by teachers Windy Cushman, Kevin Hughes and Natalie Otten. Parents and several St. Ann police officers lined the course supporting the students and many also participated in the race. Drummond’s school resource officer (SRO) Kevin Couty said it’s great to be part of school community events like the Dragon Run.

“The duty of a police officer nowadays, especially SROs, is to enrich our youth because they’re going to be the next leaders,” he said. Couty, finishing his third run of the day, paced Bills across the finish line.“I didn’t have much left in the tank but I knew he needed a little push at the end because he broke another school record during a cross country meet. I knew he could do even better on this run so I just wanted to be his little extra push.”

Hughes said all of the runners stepped up to perform at their best ability on race day.

“They all did amazing,” Hughes said. “We broke some records, but more importantly, we promoted fitness and goal-setting.”

The Pattonville Fire Protection District trained family and consumer sciences (FACS) students how to extinguish a fire. Students in teacher Mary Favazza’s class watch as captain Mark Barnhart, left, and firefighters Scott Crow, third from left, and Kyle Hanford, right, show sophomore Estrella Vanegas how to use a fire extinguisher.

Fifth grader Khaleb Bills, right, crosses the finish line with a record-setting time of 5 minutes and 25 seconds during Drummond Elementary School’s annual one-mile Dragon Run. He is cheered on by St. Ann Police Department and school resource officer (SRO) Kevin Couty.

Disc golf offers students new opportunity

Middle school students in Pattonville School District are getting first-hand experience with a sport growing in popularity — disc golf. As part of the district’s initiative to offer more activities to elementary and middle school students, the disc golf program is open to sixth through eighth graders at Holman and Pattonville Heights middle schools and Remington Traditional School.

Practice and competitions take place at Heights and Jason Payne, district technology specialist at the school, coaches all of the players. Each week, Payne develops a new nine-hole course, map layout and score cards.

“My goal from the beginning was to create a competitive team that hopefully helps grow the sport of disc golf in St. Louis,” Payne said. “Asking new players to do this can be intimidating, however emerging them into competitions has motivated them on the skills training side of things. They can see why we are doing certain drills and how perfecting their craft helps their scores each week.”

As a group, practices focus on not only the playing and etiquette side of disc golf, but also the mental side, including focus, patience, positivity and confidence. They also talk about how playing against others makes them better. One thing the students are always excited to learn is how to select the best disc. Like golf, different discs serve different purposes, including distance and control. Scoring is also similar to golf, with each throw under or above par adding up to determine the score of that match.

In its first year, 17 students from Holman, Heights and Remington signed up to participate. About half of those students had never played disc golf before. Twice a week, participants met at Heights for practices and matches. The season’s competitions included a doubles tournament called the Fee Fee Dubs Championship and a three-round Pattonville Tour Series, where the student with the best score over the three competitions is the season’s winner.

“The disc golf team really enjoys the matches we host,” Payne said. “They seem to really love the competition. Not only do they compete against each other, they are also competing against themselves to get better scores from the week before.”

Next year, Payne hopes other school districts will create teams and Pattonville students can play against other teams from across the area. He’s also encouraging students to practice outside of playing at Heights; there are a number of disc golf courses in the St. Louis area and Payne hopes that as younger adults start playing, additional courses will be made focusing on beginners and young disc golfers.

“Anyone that has played or met disc golfers knows this sport is about supporting the community,” Payne said. “Not only are we getting students out for physical activity, we are bringing them up in a sport that does something positive for the community around them.”

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Students create personal rhythm

What originally sounded like a jumble of random sounds, instruments and noise became a beautiful rhythm. Fourth graders at Bridgeway Elementary School were creating their own ensembles. They worked together in groups of four to plan, test and practice a four-beat alternating melody. As each group created and practiced their tunes, the music room filled with a mixture of all sorts of sounds. But when it came time to perform, the chaos became a practiced performance of blended sound.

Student-led ensembles are an opportunity for students to transfer their music performance skills into music composition skills. Students in second through fifth grades do student-led ensembles in music class, but as they learn more skills, they have more options and freedom to choose from when they are creating their pieces.

In one class, music teacher Shannon Senzig challenged the students to create arrangements using Orff instruments such as resonator bells, chime bars, glockenspiels, metallophones, xylophones, bass bars and timpani. Their melodies had to be in a minor key and include ostinato, or repeated rhythm, and percussion accompaniments.

“Any of the music-making skills we are working on in class can become the subject of a student-led ensemble,” Senzig said. “Sometimes the purpose is to experiment with a specific musical element such as form, dynamics, chord progressions or working in a minor key. Other times, the students have less ‘rules’ for their project and are free to utilize any musical elements they like.”

Older students also get to experiment with writing their rhythms and creating sound and video recordings of their pieces that they can share with family and friends. One of the most fun things for the students is getting to play a variety of instruments they don’t always get to play. Senzig is always looking for new experiences for the students, especially ones that give a pop and rock sound like electric guitars and drum kits, which students really enjoy since it’s a more authentic sound and gives them a chance to experience the different styles of music they learn in class. In the future, Senzig would also like to add a small karaoke machine so students can amplify their voices when they add lyrics to their instrumental creations.

“I love student-led ensembles because they allow the students to utilize their own creativity and build social ensembleship skills, while still working on musical concepts and performance skills,” Senzig said.

New website promotes high school academic programs, opportunities for students

With a wide variety of programs and activities offered at Pattonville High School, there’s now one site to go to see the various opportunities available. Pattonville’s Map Your Journey website was built to provide a clear, comprehensive picture of the options available to students at the high school and helps Pattonville continue its journey of ensuring that students are college and career ready. Families with students in elementary and middle school can also use this resource as an opportunity to discuss future areas of interest or see what classes or activities might serve as a precursor to them before entering high school. To learn more, visit bit.ly/PSDMapYourJourney

Students in Sarah Galbreath’s fourth grade class create their own ensembles in Shannon Senzig’s music class. They are, from left, Delilah Howell, Falon Jacobsen and Sophia Mason.

Members of Pattonville’s disc golf team compete in the Fee Fee Dubs Championship. They include, from left, Pattonville Heights Middle School sixth graders Ava Jones, Ellen Slocum and Javon Griffin. Slocum’s disc landed in the basket on this throw.

BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Science teacher award

Sarah Carter, a fifth grade teacher at Rose Acres Elementary School, was selected to receive the Science Teachers of Missouri (STOM)

Excellence in Elementary Teaching Award. The award was given at the STOM conference on Nov. 11 at Jefferson Middle School in Columbia, Missouri. STOM’s mission is to empower science teachers to advocate for excellence in science teaching and learning.

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL Student fundraiser

Ruhi Raval, a first grader at Remington Traditional School, organized a fundraiser over the summer selling fresh juice. She helped design a flyer to advertise her stand to her neighborhood and walked around with her sister distributing the flyers. They used a slow juicer to make fresh juice in front of their customers. Raval collected $200 and donated the money to a classmate undergoing cancer treatment.

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Orchestra honors

Sixth grade students at Holman Middle School were selected to the sixth grade All-Suburban Orchestra. They are violinists Emily Arana, Alyssa Nicholson and Vivian Truong. Their director is Irena Goren-Scheer.

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Orchestra honors

Seventh grader Clare Derhake was selected to the AllSuburban Middle School Orchestra for violin. The orchestra is directed by Marie Brown and Carlye Feeney.

ALUMNI SUCCESS

Susan Trautman, Class of 1977Trautman, CEO of Great Rivers Greenway (GRG), was named as one of St. Louis Magazine’s 100+ People Shaping St. Louis. She is recognized for her work connecting St. Louis. One of GRG’s current projects, the Brickline Greenway, will connect Forest Park, Fairground Park and Gateway Arch National Park and 14 city neighborhoods with 10-plus miles of trails. GRG has held more than 300 com-

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Student leader award

Senior Maliyah Harris was nominated as Pattonville High School’s 2022 Outstanding Student Leader. The student leadership program provides training and recognition to youth in St. Louis County and assists them with developing skills they need to be effective leaders and citizens. One senior from each county high school is nominated annually by their principal for participation in a leadership conference and recognition ceremony.

Art honors

Senior Talisa Prabhu’s colored pencil drawing, titled “The Mangos,” was selected for display in the 2022 Young Artist Exhibition “Unfolding Identities” in the St. Louis Art Museum’s student gallery. The exhibit began in August and will be on display through January 2023. Prabhu completed the artwork in Drawing 1, which is taught by Beth Kathriner.

Officer of the Year

Mike Mooney, a hall monitor at Pattonville High School, was recognized by the Maryland Heights Police Department as its 2021 Officer of the Year for his outstanding dedication to duty. A ceremony was held on Oct. 12 to honor award recipients for the past three years. Mooney retired from the police department in July 2022 after 35 years of dedicated service, including serving as the high school’s school resource officer (SRO) from 1996 to 2022. He started as hall monitor the high school at the beginning of the school year.

munity meetings each year since 2017 and currently features 128 miles of greenways.

Mikala McGhee, Class of 2012McGhee, Miss Missouri USA 2022 winner, competed in the 71st Miss USA competition on Oct. 3 in Reno, Nevada. She placed in the Top 16 but did not advance to the Top 12. The national event featured women representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia in multiple categories, including private interview, swimsuit, evening gown and onstage question.

Kaleb Eleby, Class of 2018 - Eleby was selected as a member of the Houston Roughnecks after the XFL allocated its quarterback pool on Nov. 15. Each of the XFL’s eight head coaches announced their team’s

DISTRICTWIDE

Middle school band honors

Students from Pattonville middle schools auditioned for the All-Suburban Middle School Band. Students selected from Holman Middle School are seventh graders Raymoen Goodrich Jr. for clarinet and Ann Russell for flute and eighth graders Olivia Monroe for clarinet and Edgar Toledo Avalos for trombone. Holman’s band is directed by Adam Hall and Steve White. Students from Pattonville Heights Middle School who were selected to the All-Suburban Middle School Band are seventh graders Anna Click for flute and Olivia Hurd for alto saxophone and eighth graders Kaylee Dyer for alto saxophone and Taylor Gray for clarinet. The band at Heights is directed by Abby Hall and Elizabeth Pace.

Lindenwood Hall of Fame

Anise Glenn, a kindergarten teacher at Willow Brook Elementary School, and Lindsey Schaefer, a fourth grade teacher at Parkwood Elementary School, were inducted into the Lindenwood University Athletics Hall of Fame with the 2016-2017 Lindenwood Lionettes Dance Team. The team of 20, which included Glenn, who was a sophomore, and Schaefer, who was a junior, competed at the NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship in Daytona, Florida, in April 2017 and won the Jazz Division II title. It was the first national championship win in program history. Both currently serve as coaches for the Pattonville High School drill team, with Schaefer as coach and Glenn as assistant coach.

quarterbacks that day. Eleby was a four-year starter for Pattonville and led the Pirates to the state title game in 2017. In his senior season, he was the Suburban XII South offensive player of the year and was named all-state first team by the Missouri Football Coaches Association. He signed with Western Michigan University and enrolled in January 2018.

“Kaleb Eleby is an exciting quarterback that will be playing at the professional level for the first time,” Roughnecks coach Wade Phillips said in a press release. “His talent is obvious, and we look forward to helping him develop his skills and experience at the next level.”

The XFL’s season will start in February. The teams will train and practice in Arlington, Texas, during the week, but games will be played in the home team’s city. St. Louis will see the return of XFL action when the Battlehawks kickoff the 2023 season.

Sarah Carter

Ruhi Raval

Maliyah Harris

Talisa Prabhu

Mike Mooney

Mikala McGhee

Kaleb Eleby

Susan Trautman

Students selected to the All-Suburban Middle School Band include, from left, Ann Russell, Taylor Gray, Kaylee Dyer, Olivia Hurd, Anna Click, Raymoen Goodrich Jr. and Edgar Toledo Avalos.

Planning underway for Prop S improvements, timeline of building project phases set

lanning is underway for Prop S, Pattonville’s $111 million no-tax-rate-increase bond issue, and construction on some projects is expected to begin at the end of the school year. Prop S passed with a 79.4% favorable vote on the April 5 election ballot and funds projects at every school in Pattonville, including adding classrooms to address growth in student enrollment; providing safety and maintenance improvements; and updating school facilities to meet teaching and learning needs. Prop S will not increase the district’s tax rate.

On May 11, the Pattonville Board of Education awarded the first round of bids to begin Prop S work. S.M. Wilson & Company was selected as the construction manager and Cordogan Clark, formally Ittner Cordogan Clark, was selected to provide architectural services. Pattonville worked with both companies in past bond issues, including Prop K that was passed by voters in 2017. Cordogan Clark was also involved in helping Pattonville develop its facilities master plan leading to Prop S.

Prop S work will be broken into three phases and projects for each phase will take about a year and half to complete. Each phase includes three stages — design, bidding and construction. During the design stage, district administrators and Cordogan Clark representatives work with building staff on projects at that location. Once complete, projects will be sent out for bid for construction work. Currently, Pattonville is in the final design stage and beginning the bid stage of phase one.

In the past decade, district enrollment has grown by nearly 10% and future enrollment projections indicate the district may need additional capacity for approximately 300 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As shared this spring, school additions to help with student growth is the focus of the first phase. Also included in the first phase are projects that impact work at other buildings.

Projects included in phase 1 are building additions and improvements at Bridgeway, Parkwood and Willow Brook elementary schools and construction of the new gym and improvements to the main gym at Holman Middle School. Building code requires that educational facilities with more than 50 occupants have a safe room to protect students and staff from tornado hazards and thus, the additions at these locations will be storm shelters and have enough space for all students and staff. Construction on these additions is expected to begin in June 2023 with building of exterior framework so work can continue throughout the year and during inclement weather conditions. Projects are projected to be completed by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

Phase 2 includes projects at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, Drummond and Rose Acres elementary schools and Holman and Pattonville Heights middle schools as well as select projects at Pattonville High School. Additional work will occur to transform Holman’s Gym B for use by the Pattonville printing and transportation departments and to make improvements to the maintenance building. Following completion of this work, the current printing building will be demolished to create additional parking at Heights.

Phase 3 includes projects at Remington Traditional School and remaining projects at the high school. Due to increased construction costs and projected costs for projects, some items from the original districtwide facilities master plan, such renovating classrooms for collaborative teaching, will be completed using district operating funds or added to a future bond issue.

To see a current timeline of phases and a breakdown of the projects in each phase, see the images below and at right. To learn more about Prop S and see updates about bond projects, visit https://bit.ly/PattonvillePropS.

Phase 1:

• Bridgeway addition and improvements

• Parkwood addition and improvements

• Willow Brook addition and improvements

• Holman Gym B replacement

Phase 2:

• Early childhood improvements

• Drummond improvements

• Rose Acres improvements

• Holman remaining projects

• Heights improvements

• High school science labs

• Gym B transformation (printing and transportation)

• Maintenance updates

Phase 3:

• Remington improvements

• High school remaining projects

Prop S Project Timeline

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Assistant superintendent announces retirement at end of 2022-2023 school year

After more than 30 years in education, Dr. Tina Plummer, Pattonville’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, will retire at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Plummer joined Pattonville in 2018 and has been instrumental in expanding personalized learning and implementing learner profiles to ensure students are learning at their pace. She has created unique opportunities for students through programs like Pirate Academy. Currently, Plummer is leading the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) process to create a strategic plan for the next five years.

“It has been an honor and privilege to be part of the Pattonville community for the past five years. The students, staff and community here will always hold a special place in my heart,” Plummer said. “All staff in Pattonville truly believe in Pattonville’s mission ‘That ALL Will Learn.’ I see that every day in their work supporting students and their development academically, socially and emotionally. It has been wonderful working with such caring and dedicated staff and terrific students.”

Prior to her time in Pattonville, Plummer served as the assistant superintendent of curriculum, assessment and professional development and a principal in the Mehlville School District. Previously, Plummer was a principal in the Belton School District, an assistant principal at Academy School District and in Belton and a classroom teacher. Plummer earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Missouri State University and master’s degree and doctorate in educational leadership and administration from Missouri State and the University of Kansas, respectively.

“While we are sad to see Dr. Plummer retire, we are excited for what the future holds for her and wish her well and wonderful journeys ahead,” said superintendent Dr. Barry Nelson.

Dr. Tina Plummer

Shown above are renderings of phase 1 projects. Shown left to right and top to bottom are additions at Bridgeway, Parkwood and Willow Brook elementary schools and the gym addition at Holman Middle School.