Highlights April 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

APRIL 2019

Inside

PHS teacher earns $15,000 grant for Applied Science hydroponic project - See back page for details

Students, staff co-author chapter in newly released education book

- See page 7 for details

CREATING SOLUTIONS Students win $10,000 and first place at World Wide Technology STEM Student Forum

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Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent

Our Mission That ALL will learn.

Top photo: Pattonville High School’s computer science team poses with its first place trophy and prize check of $10,000 at the World Wide Technology STEM Student Forum. Bottom photos: Pattonville’s team members presents their technology solution to help support the usage of Pirate Pete’s Closet, a program and site in their school that offers donated clothing and other items for students in need.

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Pattonville is an award-winning public district in St. Louis County, Missouri.

The district is fully accredited by the state and is recognized for academic success on the regional, state and national level.

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

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Jeanne Schottmueller, President Andrea Glenn, Vice President Dr. Brian Gray, Secretary Mary Kay Campbell, Treasurer Ruth Petrov, Director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell, Director Mindy Ridings, Director

team of computer science students from Pattonville High School earned first place and the top prize of $10,000 at World Wide Technology’s (WWT) fourth annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Student Forum Hackathon held on Feb. 23 at WWT’s global headquarters in Maryland Heights. The students were tasked with developing and building a technology in five weeks that brought people together to promote positive social change.

Pattonville’s team competed against nearly 200 students from 19 schools. WWT provided each team with professional mentors who volunteered to help the students refine their ideas and connect them with WWT resources to complete their projects. Teams were judged on how

From the Superintendent

Keeping the spark of learning and curiosity alive in our students I

t’s spring and that means we’re headed down the home stretch of the 20192020 school year. After many long winter days, it’s refreshing to look back at where we started in August and evaluate the progress we’ve Dr. Tim Pecoraro made so far. School districts Superintendent spend a lot of time looking Follow on Twitter: back and looking forward, @PattonvilleSupt but not enough time relishing the present. We’re constantly evaluating how we performed “last year.” Did student academic performance increase? Did the new programs work?

We also spend a lot of time looking ahead to “next year,” making adjustments based on previous results or putting together plans to implement a new curriculum.

While it’s obviously important to reflect on our past and plan for the future, we can’t forget about what’s happening today. Author Ken Robinson said, “All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds and a willingness to take risks with what they think.” It’s our job to make sure these feelings don’t change for our students as they progress through our system.

We have some amazing students in Pattonville, students of all ages who continually impress me with what they’re able to accomplish. Recently I spent some time at one of our elementary schools talking with a student. This student was a perfect example of the Ken Robinson quote above. She had a great imagination and was willing to take risks. I watched as she attempted to solve a complicated math problem several times. Each time she was close to solving it correctly, but couldn’t quite get all the steps right. Instead of getting frustrated, she took a step back and attacked the problem differently and eventually got the correct answer. I remember the look of satisfaction on her face, the little nod she gave herself, like “I knew I could do this if I kept working at it.” The student showed grit. You could tell, this is the type of person she is, the strength of her character. I was reminded how important it is for us as educators to instill this characteristic in our students.

As adults we know things don’t always go as planned. Teaching our students strategies to deal with these life lessons is critical. When things get hard, it’s sometimes easy to quit, but we know that’s not the way to navigate through school or life. Having the courage and resolve to “find a way” builds confidence and makes a student capable of accomplishing anything they want.

A few hours after leaving the elementary school, I was back in my office working on a project. I was struggling to get it completed. My mind drifted to the classroom I was in earlier that day and the girl who wouldn’t let a math problem beat her. Adults can learn a lot from kids too.

Two selected for administrative roles in Pattonville P

attonville announced the selection of two individuals to leadership roles in the district.

Odetta Smith was selected to serve as Pattonville’s director of innovation and life readiness and will begin her new role on July 1. Smith has been an assistant principal at Odetta Smith Pattonville High School since 2014 and was an English teacher at the school for five years. She previously served as head of school at The Freedom School in University City and as an English teacher at Clayton High School and Lange Middle School in Columbia. She also served as an advisor at the Massachusetts Institute for New Teachers and was a curriculum coordinator for an after-school program in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education and a master’s degree in education leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also earned a master’s degree in school leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

As the director of innovation and life readiness, Smith will be responsible for setting the vision, direction and strategic plan for innovative programs throughout the district. Smith will work with schools

to implement evidence-based, innovative school and program models to ensure all students have access to learning environments that meet their needs.

She will also work to engage internal and external stakeholders in innovative school models and educational practices throughJames Troxel out the community. In addition, she will provide leadership and support to K-12 library media specialists, English learner teachers and online educational programming in planning, professional development and implementation.

The Pattonville Board of Education approved the selection of James Troxel as the new director of transportation. He began his new role on April 1. Troxel has served as the director of transportation at the Ferguson-Florissant School District since 2006. He previously worked as the assistant director of transportation for the Hazelwood School District and as the accounting/branch manager-transportation for Laidlaw Transit. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration accounting from Harding University and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in management from Lindenwood University.

WWT STEM Student Forum, continued from page 1

well they articulated their solution or product; the overall creativity of their project and core values; and how well the team displayed humility, teamwork, collaboration and attitude.

Pattonville’s team consisted of students in Jeremiah Simmon’s Computer Science Capstone class at Pattonville High School: Eli Card, Yasaman Mostafavi, William Skaggs, Sam Vaclavik, Jacob Wilfong and Kyle Wright. Their mentors from WWT were Benny Henderson, tecnical solutions architect, and Ashland Tate, global order operations manager. The team’s winning creation involved producing an online cataloging system for Pirate Pete’s Closet.

“Pirate Pete’s Closet is an area where students can take donated items when they need it,” Mostafavi said. “The closet is full of coats, shoes, shirts and other basic necessities. We wanted our project to help reduce the stigma of taking donated items, validate the process of taking items off of racks and help us track the needs of the community.”

The team’s website catalogs each item in Pirate Pete’s Closet and allows students to make requests so that they can retrieve their bundle of requested items in a nondescript package.

“Our simple website only uses a barcode scanner and barcodes attached to each item,” Mostafavi explained. “By having a ‘checkout’ process, we hope to alleviate the feeling of stealing and validate the process of taking items from the closet. We hope to work with various student groups at the school to do the cataloging and packaging process. We plan on expanding this website to not only every student in the high school, but every student in the district, to ensure every student’s needs are met.”

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Gift from the Masons

Families in the Pattonville School District got a clean slate on their student lunch debt in February after several Masonic lodges in the region donated $11,008 to cover their outstanding lunch balances. Half the donations came from the Bonhomme Masonic Lodge No. 45, Bridgeton Masonic Lodge No. 80, Noble Masonic Lodge No. 684 and St. Louis Masonic Lodge No. 1 and they were matched by donations from the Masonic Home of Missouri through its Creating-a-Partnership (CAP) Program. Masonic representatives are shown here presenting the check to Pattonville administrators and school board president Jeanne Schottmueller (second from right).

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News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Personalized learning approach sets individualized course for fifth-grade classroom

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aria Farmer no longer stands at the head of her classroom at Willow Brook Elementary School to teach her 22 fifth-graders at the same time. Her students are rarely at their desks at the same time working on the same thing. That’s because Farmer has restructured her teaching methods and class schedule to Above, Willow Brook Elementary School fifth-grader Kevin personalize learning for Sanchez Pintor ponders as he develops a new goal and steps each student, taking into he will take to achieve it. At right, Willow Brook teacher Maria account where they are in Farmer, right, holds a goals conference with Erin Greenblatt. their learning on different I meet with them in small subjects and how they learn best. groups or individually, Students receive daily personalized instruction in math and reading. Fridays are set aside entirely for goal- teach the lessons that they need and assign assignsetting. Students meet with Farmer one-on-one to set ments and independent work all based on that.” weekly, monthly and trimester-long goals and discuss English language arts (ELA) is handled in much the progress. Discussions are very specific about steps students will take to reach a goal and why they are working same way. ”They all have their own reading level and I meet on that specific goal. individually with every student to discuss their read“That’s a big conversation we have all the time,” ing of books, and I use the STAR (test) data and the Farmer said. “I don’t want you to tell me what you ELA data to develop skill groups for all kids,” she said. want. I want you to tell me why you want it. Because if “We’re looking at content that’s expected of fifth grade you don’t have a purpose, you’re not going to fight for that they struggle in and then I meet with them about it. That’s just a wish.” twice a week. I meet individually with every student Other times throughout the week, students work two or three days a week on their independent reading independently with the over-arching goal of meeting or and their personal growth as a reader.” exceeding grade-level learning expectations.

Moving to a different way of teaching and engaging “Every child is doing something different based on students requires a great deal of work, but Farmer said their needs,” Farmer said. “In math, I have eight math it’s worth it. groups and students are working at a level from foun“It’s very different, but to see the growth of the kids dational skills all the way up through sixth-grade math.

this year in comparison to the past is astounding,” she said. “I do this because I want what’s best for the kids, and every kid is different and not everybody can learn the same. And standing in front of the class wasn’t successful. It was, but it wasn’t as successful. This takes time. It takes patience. It takes organization, but in the end, I think it’s worth every heartache and every tear and everything that I’ve gone through.”

She said her students have embraced it as well.

“We had a big conversation at the beginning of the year of why I wanted to do this,” she said. “I did a lot of surveys of learning styles and learning preferences and things like that. The kids at first were a little nervous, but, quite frankly, when they realized that I was doing this for them, they flew with it. They are so appreciative and so hardworking. They love it.”

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Children ages 3 and under learn via PICL groups W

Pattonville parent educator Kathy Webber, left, works with 2-year-old Dominic Harrison and his mother, Angela Harrison, during a PICL (Play, Imagine, Connect and Learn) Group on brain development.

hen you hear the word pickle at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, parents and staff aren’t talking about a crunchy cucumber that has been steeped in pickling ingredients. They’re talking about PICL Groups, which stands for Play, Imagine, Connect and Learn. These are groups designed for parents and their children birth to 3 years of age to play, connect and learn together. The monthly sessions are led by a certified parent educator in the Parents As Teachers (PAT) program and focus the play and learning around different topics, such as brain development, family culture, discipline or potty training. The group meetings usually begin with an opening activity, such as playing “Ring Around the Rosy,” followed by book sharing, learning and discussion on the topic of the day and activities with the children. A recent group focusing on brain development included an activity where preschoolers crumpled tissue paper and pushed it into a water bottle to work on motor and cognitive skills. Group meetings are held in the PICL room at the new Early Childhood Center. Parents interested in participating can sign up on the Parents as Teachers (PAT) page at ec.psdr3.org.

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BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ridgeway Elementary School spent a month spreading kindness, intent on making it contagious all year long. The counseling department spearheaded the Kindness Challenge to promote kindness during February and every day thereafter. The program included several activities. With kindness bingo, each class received a set of bingo cards, and students marked spaces by completing random acts of kindness. The class with the most completed bingo cards received a popcorn party. The school also built a kindness community chain. Each class received paper links for students to document something kind they did for someone else or when someone did something kind for them. The links were collected and assembled to build the chain, which lines the school hallway. Fifteen classes also encouraged parents and families to send kindness letters to their students.

Letters from parents and other VIPs were delivered to students on Valentine’s Day. Fifthgrade Student Ambassadors worked with counselors Taylor Adams and Kendra Worsham to help promote kindness month (shown above, they include, from left, Josie McCoy, Michael Seals, Rand Khalid Al Yuwali, Joana Tena-Gaona, Helen Kbrom, Allannah Fleck and Rasheed Hogan). In addition, the Kids in Capes after-school club created a video to encourage their classmates to continue spreading kindness even after the month ended.

This club has also completed multiple service projects to help the community.

eter H. Reynolds’ visit to Drummond Elementary School was equal parts literary event and motivational speech. A New York Times bestselling children’s book author and illustrator, Reynolds visited Drummond the day before his new book “Say Something” was released nationwide (he is shown here signing his books with first-graders Erielle Whitted, left, and Henry Linan). The book shows readers how to use their voice to make a difference in the world. Reynolds read from several of his books, demonstrated how he illustrates a story and discussed the inspiration behind his books. He also answered students’ questions. His presentation gave students insights into the writing process, but also provided words of encouragement. “Everyone has an amazing brain, and we need your help to make the world a better place,” he told students. Students in the audience were selected to attend after completing projects in their class related to the author’s books. In addition, the school prepared for Reynolds’ visit by creating a word wall that began in the library and wrapped into the hallway. It was a collaborative mural inspired by Reynolds book, “The Word Collector.” Several students also dressed in clothing with polka dots in honor of his book “The Dot,” which reminds readers to “make your mark, and see where it takes you.” Staff at Drummond live streamed Reynolds’ visit for other classes at the school. In addition, Reynolds visited students at Remington Traditional School later the same day.

School focuses on kindness for entire month B

Children’s author inspires young readers P

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Week highlights student, professional authors Author visit gives insight on writing thrillers W O HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

f all the authors in Holman Middle School’s library, there is a definite favorite – one whose books are almost always checked out. That popular and best-selling author is April Henry. In January, Henry visited her fans at Holman, gave an author presentation for more than 125 students and answered questions. One thing that makes Henry such a popular author is the realism in her stories. She told students she accomplishes a realistic tone through research and doing the things her characters face. She’s tried everything from running through a park in handcuffs to participating in emergency response classes. She also participated in crisis role-plays such as being “kidnapped” and trying to escape. During the presentation at Holman, she emphasized the importance of research in writing, even in fiction. Many of Henry’s stories come straight from the news.

“Her books appeal to students because she writes about characters who are real teens with problems and concerns our kids share. Her research is comprehensive so all of the details ring true, and her situations are just really intense and exciting,” librarian Diana Rasmussen said. Following Henry’s presentation, students asked questions and took a photo with the author (shown above). Henry’s newest book, “The Lonely Dead,” came out the day after her Holman visit, but students were able to get a signed advance copy.

They were also treated to a few little teases about the story in Henry’s presentation.

riters of all ages and varieties took to the Pattonville High School stage to share their works and words of wisdom during the school’s second annual Writers Week.

The week is a celebration of writing organized by the school’s English department.

Published authors, students, administrators, teachers, alumni and staff members shared their writing and discussed the writing process. The organizers described the event as a way to excite and inspire students to write their own truths; provide a platform for the diverse voices of Pattonville High School; foster a more accepting and compassionate school community; and remind students that writing is not limited to the walls of the classroom. Sessions alternated between published authors and students and staff from across the district (shown above, from left, are student writers Brittany Strasburger at the podium, Anthony Ashby, Anya Wharton, Kathryn Wentz, Joseph Ayers and Marisa Ruggiero). Students in the audience learned from and asked questions of published authors, poets, musicians and journalists, known in the region and across the nation. The week began with a panel of Pattonville alumni discussing writing in college and/or their professional lives. Other professional writers who presented were freelance journalist/biographer Peter Ames Carlin, novelist Sarah Angleton, author Brian Cohn, poet Brendan Constantine, novelist Chris Crutcher, poet Tongo Eisen-Martin, storyteller/poet Joel Francois, poet/artist Ashlee Haze, graphic novelist Gareth Hinds, St. Louis PostDispatch food writer Daniel Neman and singer/songwriter Todd Sarvies.

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PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

very January, students across the planet take part in The Great Kindness Challenge, a world-wide initiative to empower students to create a culture of kindness. This year, Parkwood Elementary School’s student council brought the challenge to their school.

Students and staff spent a week focusing on ways to spread kindness. Each day during the week, students watched a video and learned a kindness tip. They were then encouraged to complete a related challenge, such as doing random acts of kindness or writing a note of appreciation. To spread kindness outside Parkwood, students were also challenged to practice kind acts at home. Students recorded kind acts they completed on a paper chain. The chains were linked together to create a long chain of kindness at the front of the school. To create a lasting reminder of the positivity of kindness week, the student council decided to do a project that would help create new friends - a buddy bench, which is designed is to eliminate loneliness and foster friendships on the playground. To pay for the bench, student council members hosted spirit days where students donated $1 to participate (shown above are, from left, Tanish Dorasani, Scott Chrostowski and Aurora Christmas working on advertisements). Parkwood has raised more than $300 towards the bench, with the goal of having it completed by the end of the school year.

attonville Heights Middle School teachers found a new way to connect with their students: reading a picture book out loud to their students as part of World Read Aloud Day. Library media specialist Julie Harder brought the idea to her school after hearing about the work of Remington Traditional School educators in connecting students with authors and illustrators. Harder sent out an invitation to teachers at Heights to read a picture book to their students. The book could be related to their content or just a book they loved. She offered resources and whatever support teachers needed, including information on the benefits of reading aloud to middle schoolers. “Our students are the social media generation and love anything visual,” Harder said, adding that pictures also enable an emotional connection.

Math teacher Lauren Jordan (shown above) praised the experience. “It was great, especially as a math teacher who doesn’t usually get that time to sit down and read with the kids,” she said. “They weren’t expecting it, my seventh-graders in particular. We laughed about it, but when it came down to it - I enjoyed myself and so did the kids. It’s amazing no matter how old we get, sometimes it’s nice to sit back and hear a great story.” Harder was also pleased with the response, saying, “I’ve been excited about the fact that teachers are now asking me to order more picture books that they can read aloud to their students in the future.”

Kindness initiative includes buddy bench E

Teachers and students connect with books P

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Sensory walk gets school active mentally, physically U

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Students take lead at JA annual fundraiser R

ose Acres Elementary School students took on leadership roles at the 30th annual Junior Achievement (JA) Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser. Fourth-grader Riley Dye and fifth-grader Cameron White (shown left and second from left respectively) were among four students serving as masters of ceremonies. They attended rehearsals and used a teleprompter to address guests at the event. “Their execution was flawless and the poise they displayed speaking to the 160 businessmen and women who attended the event was so impressive,” said Rawn Ford, director of advancement for JA of Greater St. Louis. Two other students served as greeters: fourth-grader Allen Gwaltney and fifth-grader Noah Suvansri (shown right and second from right respectively). Individuals from 40 companies bowled for two hours during the event to raise $420,000 for student programs. JA invited Rose Acres students to help at the fundraiser after they impressed business leaders at the school’s Leadership Day last December. During this event, the school hosted JA’s board of directors meeting. Business leaders attended a meeting, and many stayed after to teach JA in a Day sessions. Rose Acres includes JA units in its second-, third- and fourth-grade social studies curriculum. Students in fifth grade participate in JA BizTown, spending four weeks learning about how communities function. At the end of these lessons, students spend a day at BizTown, a simulated small town. Students have jobs, get paid, manage a checking account, shop and more.

sing simple materials such as construction paper, tape and vinyl, the staff at Remington Traditional created sensory walk for students to regain their energy, get moving and improve their focus. A sensory walk is a path that leads students through high-intensity activities such as jumping, bending, hopping, crawling and walking on a zig-zag line to help students focus. The path can be modified for any ability level, so all students can take part.

The walk is a great break for students to either work out some energy or for students who need to build up some energy through activity. The movement from the walk benefits everyone (shown here with first-graders Leah Ayele, left, and Rylan Wattler). It’s good for physical health but it also helps improve focus, regulates emotion and increases oxygen to the brain.

In addition to the physical aspect, which gets students moving, the walk includes academic pieces that stimulate thinking, like crawling across the alphabet. The sensory walk originated from a need for the school’s students with Autism to have a structured movement break, but the benefits for all students quickly became clear. For this reason, all students - and even the teachers - at Remington are able to use the sensory walk. There is no limit to who can work through the path, so entire classes or just a few students can move through the walk at a time. Teachers have even taken classes through the sensory walk on the way to or from a special class like music. Students can move through the sensory walk once or twice in a short amount of time and build up needed energy to help them through the day.

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Bragging Writes

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff Eagle Scout

Tyler Wright, a sophomore at Pattonville High School, earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Wright completed a beautification project at John Calvin Presbyterian Church and has earned 24 merit badges and served in leadership roles within his troop.

The Pattonville High School varsity cheerleading team took fifth place at the national competition.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Cheerleaders national honor

The varsity cheerleaders earned fifth place at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) national competition in January. This was the team’s first trip to nationals. Team members are: Alliah Allen, Maddie Ambrosecchia, Lexi Blount, Makayla Harden, Quincie Howard, Kesley Kobielusz, McKenzie Massey, Nicole McDaniel, Tori Miniex, Skylar Monnig, Hannah Rodgers, Sofia Serra, Peyton Smith, Amaya Washington and Kathryn Wentz. The cheerleaders are coached by Kalli Hunt, Freddy Shatto, Amy Tran and Audrey Masek.

The Pattonville High School varsity drill team placed eighth in hip hop and 16th in poms at the national competition.

Drill team national honor

The Pattonville varsity drill team team took 8th in the nation in the medium hip hop division and 16th in the medium pom division after competing at the National Dance Association (NDA) national competition in Orlando, Florida. Members of the team are Kinzi Boyer, Allison Brown, Molly Hanford, Amaris Kirksey, Renee Neal, Summer Parker, Zoie Redfern, Emily Reyes, Katie Ridings, Hannah Schamber, Hailey Sparacio, Lacey Swanson, Izzy Tucker, Kasey Yancey and Kamauri Younge. They are coached by Rose Acres Elementary School teacher Grace Burgos.

Master Journalism Educator

Brian Heyman, the journalism and yearbook teacher at Pattonville High School, passed a National Journalism Education Association (JEA) certificate exam to become a Master Journalism Educator (MJE). This is the highest level of certification with the JEA. The exam helps determine Brian Heyman if the applicant has the ability to help other journalism educators, advise students working on a specific project, design or adapt journalism programs to meet specific needs and serve as a spokesperson representing journalism teachers on the local, state and national levels. Heyman was also approved to work on a project titled Building a Multimedia Studio Using the PBL (Project Based Learning) Method. The pre-approved project shows how journalism expertise from the exam is demonstrated.

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY High school thespian honorees include, from left, front row, Lacey Harder and Kyle Craig; and back row, Kaitlyn Kelly, Seth White and Aeeda Talukder.

State thespian honors/performances

Pattonville Thespian Troupe 1934 attended the Missouri State Thespian Conference in January. During the competition, Lacey Harder was named a Theatre for Life Scholarship finalist and competed in the Tech Challenge and group acting event. Two students were selected to perform during the All-State Opening Number. They are Emily Barton, who also auditioned for the 2020 All-State Show and competed in the duet musical theater event, and Alayna Hopgood, who also competed in the duet acting event. Many students also competed in challenges during the conference. Students who competed in the improv intensive event were: Kyle Craig, who also competed in the duet acting event and auditioned for an acting scholarship; Kaitlyn Kelly, who also competed in the monologue individual event and auditioned for an acting scholarship; Jarred McCormick; Lydia McCullough, who also competed in the duet musical theater event; and Brittany Strasburger, who also competed in the short film event. Other students who competed in the Tech Challenge were Aeeda Talukder, Elise Thompkins and Seth White, who both participated in the group acting event. Alonna Gibson participated in the solo musical theater event. Teacher Lara Corvera directs the thespian troupe.

Vantage Grant Award

Students at Willow Brook Elementary School can now extend their art class beyond the school day, thanks to a little help from Vantage Credit Union. Art teacher Dawn Lynn received a grant from Vantage for $1,000, which she is using to create approximately two dozen takehome art kits for her students. “I want my students to be creative in the way that they want,” Lynn said. “Some students like building with Legos. Some like painting or drawing or sculpting with clay. I’ve gotten some great feedback with the few kits I’ve put together so far, and I’m so excited that they’re spending their time at home creating art instead of glued to the television or video games.” The grant was part of Vantage’s Impact Education grant program. Educators had to submit 60-second videos explaining how they would use the funds to positively impact their school, their students or their professional development. The public was then able to vote on their favorite submission. Lynn’s grant was one of five awarded in the region.

Scholastic Art and Writing honors

Two seniors earned regional honorable mention awards in the 2019 Scholastic Art and Writing program. Celia Friedrich submitted an eight-piece art portfolio and Randy Hartmann submitted an etching for the printmaking category. Submissions were judged by a juried panel on originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Beth Kathriner teaches these students.

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Dawn Lynn, center, an art teacher at Willow Brook Elementary School, was awarded a grant from Vantage Credit Union to create take-home art kits for her students.

Recognized by Special School District A student and several staff members working in Pattonville were chosen to receive some of the highest honors awarded by the Special School District (SSD) Rosemary Zander Award

Mavrick Altman, a senior at Pattonville High School, was selected as a winner of SSD’s Rosemary Zander Award. The award recognizes the success of students who receive services from SSD in areas including academics, arts, athletics, employment and community service.

Key to the Classroom Award

Terri Lyell, an SSD teacher who works at Parkwood Elementary School, was recognized with one of the district’s Key to the Classroom awards. The award recognizes the achievements of dedicated educators in SSD. One Key to the Classroom recipient will be selected as the SSD’s Teacher of the Year.

Mavrick Altman

Pattonville students, staff co-author chapter in education book T

Lasting Impression Award

Michelle Miletic, an SSD social worker at Pattonville High School, was recognized with a 2019 Lasting Impression Award from SSD. The award recognizes SSD staff members whose extraordinary efforts make a difference in the lives of students, both within and outside of the classroom.

From left, director of secondary education Dr. Cara Hiripitiyage, seniors Will Polster and Aric Hamilton share information on Pattonville’s chapter in a new education book.

Terri Lyell

Special Ambassador Award

The administrative team at Pattonville High School was selected to receive a Special Ambassador Award, the highest honor given by the SSD. The award is presented to community members who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the students and staff of Michelle Miletic SSD. The administrative team includes associate principal Bob Thompson; assistant principals Dr. Dana Burns, Dr. Jon Fitzgerald, Gene Grimshaw and Odetta Smith; and activities coordinator Bob Hebrank.

Pattonville High School’s principal is Dr. Joe Dobrinic, who received SSD’s Special Ambassador Award in 2016.

wo students and three staff members from the Pattonville School District collaborated to write a chapter for a newly released education book titled “Designing Successful Systems: Stories of Change, Volume 1.”

The Pattonville chapter was titled “Reshaping the Success Narrative” and was written by Pattonville seniors Aric Hamilton and Will Polster; Dr. Cara Hiripitiyage, director of secondary education; Dr. Tim Pecoraro, superintendent; and Mickey Schoonover, director of school-community relations. The book is a Connected Learning project edited by Dr. Robert Dillon, a 1992 Pattonville alumnus. Hamilton, Hiripitiyage and Polster presented on Pattonville’s chapter during a book release party on Feb. 20.

Pattonville’s chapter describes improvements made in Pattonville to ensure student success for all, Hiripitiyage said.

“In the early 1990s, Pattonville faced challenges that required a new paradigm for reaching success,” she said. “District leadership committed to the promise ‘That ALL will learn’ and began making academic and cultural changes to be more responsive to the needs of their students and families. These changes helped Pattonville become a leading school district and learn a new value: schools must always shift and grow to serve students best.”

Connected Learning’s “Stories of Change” is a three-part series designed to share the hard work and dedication of teachers in classrooms, schools dedicated to modern learning and school districts striving for a greater definition of success. Two additional volumes will be published later this year.

Pattonville students sign commitment letters to play college athletics D

uring National Signing Day on Feb. 6, five student athletes from Pattonville High School signed letters of intent to play college-level football while continuing their academic studies. Chandler Mann signed to play football for Missouri Baptist University. Four students will re-team to play football for the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. They are Peyton Boji, Shawn Brooks, Donovan Prott and Sam Sanderson. Later in February, senior Niya Danfort signed to play basketball for Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois.

The Pattonville High School administrative team at Pattonville High School was honored with a Special Ambassador Award, the highest honor given by SSD. The team includes from left, associate principal Bob Thompson; assistant principals Dr. Jon Fitzgerald, Dr. Dana Burns and Odetta Smith; activities coordinator Bob Hebrank; and assistant principal Gene Grimshaw. The school’s principal is Dr. Joe Dobrinic, who received SSD’s Special Ambassador Award in 2016.

Signing to play college-level football are, from left, front row, Chandler Mann, Sam Sanderson and Peyton Boji; and back row, Donovan Prott and Shawn Brooks.

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Pattonville senior Niya Danfort, seated center, signs a letter of intent to play basketball for Rend Lake College as her family and coaches look on.

Pattonville teacher expands greenhouse initiative with $15,000 Monsanto Fund grant L

ast year, Amy Schwendemann led her Applied Science students as they built a greenhouse and garden at Pattonville High School. The facilities provide fresh food for students in need through the school’s backpack program. But the nature of the growing season meant most of the produce was unavailable during the school year. That’s no longer the case thanks to a $15,000 Food and Nutrition Grant Schwendemann received from the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Bayer.

Schwendemann used the grant funds to buy and install hydroponic wall towers in the E wing and cafeteria at the high school. Hydroponics refers to growing plants without soil. The towers help bridge the typical growing season gap from October through April. Students cultivate and harvest different fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in the towers. The Applied Science class also collaborates with a Food Science class to find creative ways to package the produce so that it appeals to students and has a longer shelf life. Some methods they have learned include dehydrating and canning.

“Installing the towers enables us to continue to grow and provide healthy produce for our backpack program here at school,” Schwendemann said. “I’m so thankful to the Monsanto Fund for providing these funds to support our efforts to grow this program and provide meaningful, real-world learning experiences for our students.”

Some funds will go toward improving the greenhouse constructed by students and staff.

Plans include installing electricity for heat and light and adding another layer of plastic to the canopy for insulation. This will enable the structure to grow plants for the majority of the school year.

The Monsanto Fund provides grant funding for projects in communities where Bayer employees live and work. The grants focus on the company’s priority giving areas of food and nutrition, education and community development.

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ALUMNI SUCCESS

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

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Jim Usry, Class of 1986, was named assistant chief of the Pattonville Fire Protection District.

Jim Usry, Class of 1986 - Usry was promoted to the rank of assistant chief of the Pattonville Fire Protection District, effective Jan. 28. He previously served as battalion chief. Usry is a lifelong Pattonville resident. He joined the Pattonville fire district as a paramedic-firefighter in 1990 and has served in several other ranks, including captain, training officer and public education coordinator. He has also served as chief instructor of the St. Louis County Fire Academy.

“It is my responsibility in my new position, along with the men and women of Pattonville Fire District and our board of directors, to keep you safe,” Usry said during a meeting of the Bridgeton Kiwanis after his appointment. “This is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.”

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Bob Behnken, Class of 1988 - Behnken was featured in a story by St. Louis Public Radio which detailed his work in helping NASA usher in a new era of commercial space flight.

An astronaut who has already been on two space shuttle missions, Behnken is part of a crew that will conduct the first human test flights for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This is a joint venture between NASA and entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Corporation. Read the article at: bit.ly/BehnkenArticle2019.

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4 Photos clockwise from top: 1) Senior Daylen Hawthorne plants seeds in a container as a first step for planting in the hydroponic towers. 2) Teacher Amy Schwendemann, left, assists her students in spacing out seedling plugs in the Matrix Media that will serve as the foundation to grow plants in the towers. The students are, from left, Evan King, Ty’jule Worthy and Chandler Mann. 3) Schwendemann and her students insert the Matrix Media into the metal tower frame. Joining them in this step is Jaclyn Deterding, center. 4) Schwendemann and her students insert a planted post into a frame on the wall in the E wing of the school. Shown are, from left, Warys Soler Soto and Mallorie Beezley. 5) Hydroponic towers now line a wall inside the cafeteria at Pattonville High School.

Astronaut Bob Behnken, Class of 1988, is preparing for his mission on one of the first commercial space flights in history. (Photo credit: NASA)

“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.