Highlights April 2021

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

APRIL 2021

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

Inside

Pattonville hosts mass vaccination event for all staff members - See back page for details

Pattonville begins facilities master planning

Music in the Cove

- See page 2 for details

BOARD OF EDUCATION

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

March was Music In Our Schools Month, and on a recent a nice weather day, Pattonville High School orchestra director Michael Dunsmoor took his chamber orchestra students outside to rehearse. While in-person students performed in small ensembles, Dunsmoor worked with Villemade Virtual Academy students on their solos using his laptop (shown left, bottom photo). Top photo, sophomore Kenedi Jenkins practices with a small group at the front of the school. Above right, junior Justin Bowers, left, and freshman Sydney Hoynacki practice in a quiet corner behind the auditorium.

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

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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.

Our Mission

From the Superintendent

Two PHS seniors earn National Merit Finalist status

Moving forward in a challenging school year A

s we can begin to see the finish line to the most complicated school year in our lifetime, plans for next year are already underway. Although many Pattonville students Dr. Tim Pecoraro have continued to excel Superintendent in their learning this Follow on Twitter: year, we know others @PattonvilleSupt have struggled academically and with their social-emotional health. A summer session of learning is not enough to make up for the months of learning challenges some of our students have experienced. Over the next few months, we’ll finalize new strategies and programs designed to support our students wherever they are at in their learning. We have the resources, dedicated staff and supportive families to address this challenge head on.

Each week of the 2020-2021 school year has brought new challenges, but also new growth. In the face of obstacles, we’ve continued to move forward as a school district. This is perhaps what I’m most proud of this year. Even as our staff juggle working with our students remotely or inperson, they have continued to plan for a better tomorrow. They’ve adapted and done what it takes to ensure our students are connected, learning and feel part of a community that cares deeply for them. Every organization must always strive to improve, regardless of the current circumstances.

Getting better every day, week and month is what makes Pattonville the outstanding school district it is.

In a school year marred by COVID-19, we have continued to focus on the future while simultaneously addressing the here and now. We’ve established a new partnership with the St. Louis Community College that will allow us to implement our first early college program next year. The early college program allows interested students an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree while still in high school at no charge. Our teachers at Holman Middle School have had a successful first year implementing our new Pirate Academy. The academy is an extension of our personalized learning initiative and provides students with a unique opportunity to explore learning. These are just a few examples of programs we’ve recently created in an effort to continue to provide our families with choices within the school district. I’m hopeful the final weeks of the school year will go smoothly for our students and staff so we can continue to build on our successes for next year.

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attonville seniors Maya Blumenthal and Jordyn Lodes were named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highestscoring entrants in each state. To become a finalist, a semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.

Maya Blumenthal

Jordyn Lodes

Pattonville begins planning to address future facility needs

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he Pattonville Board of Education on March 9 approved a contract with Ittner Cordogan Clark Group, an architectural firm, to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of district buildings and assist Pattonville in developing a new, district-wide facilities master plan. The contract was approved for $86,400 plus reimbursable expenses.

Pattonville selected Ittner after the district’s facilities committee reviewed proposals from several architectural firms. Ittner has assisted other school districts in the St. Louis region and across Missouri with school facilities planning.

Ittner outlined a process for developing a new facilities plan for Pattonville. The process will include an assessment of the condition of

Pattonville buildings along with a space needs analysis before the end of the current school year. Ittner representatives will also meet with planning committees, building staff, parents and students to help develop the plan. Project lists, cost estimates and conceptual designs will be developed for presentation to the school board next fall.

Pattonville has been able to address a number of critical needs in the district via zero tax rate increase bond issues and recent upgrades of mechanical and lighting systems.

However, future enrollment projections indicate the district may need additional capacity for approximately 300 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Depending on the outcome of the 2021 facilities planning

process, the district may ask voters to approve another zero tax rate increase bond issue in 2022.

Every five or six years, Pattonville updates its facilities plan in order to address building needs for learning purposes and to keep its aging facilities maintained and in good repair.

The last facilities master plan was completed in 2016, and a zero tax rate increase bond issue was approved by voters in April 2017 to fund updates and improvements included in the plan. As promised to voters during bond issues in 2006, 2010 and 2017, Pattonville has maintained its debt service levy - the portion of its tax rate that can only be used for paying off bond issue debt - at 49 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Pattonville selects director of student services

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he Pattonville Board of Education on Feb. 9 approved the selection of Dr. Tori Cain as director of student services, effective July 1. She will replace Teisha Ashford, who will was named as principal of Pattonville High School, also effective July 1.

Cain currently serves as principal of Parkway North High School. She previously served as an assistant principal at Parkway North, Park Hill and Lee’s Summit West high schools. Prior to her administra-

tive roles, Cain worked as a science teacher at the middle and high school level. Cain holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and general science and a master’s degree in general science, both from the University of ArkansasPine Bluff. She earned an education specialist degree in educational administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a doctorate degree from Saint Louis University.

“Dr. Cain brings a wealth of leadership experience and a deep commit-

ment for helping all children succeed,” said Dr. Tim Pecoraro, superintendent. “With her strong instructional and administrative Dr. Tori Cain foundation, she will do an excellent job supporting Pattonville students, families and staff in her new role.”

Pattonville earns Excellence in Risk Management award

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he Pattonville School District was selected as recipient of the 2021 Dr. Gary VanMeter Award for Excellence in Risk Management for the large enrollment category of Missouri United School Insurance Council (MUSIC) members. Pattonville was selected for its efforts in establishing a safe educational and work environment for its students and staff. The efforts and success in these areas demonstrate the excellence in risk management the organization encourages all of its members to pursue.

The evaluation criteria utilized in the selection process

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included analysis of claims severity ratios, reduction in work comp severity, reduction in work comp indemnity frequency, training completions of staff and participation in the MUSIC Annual Membership Meeting and other safety training opportunities. The award also includes a $1,000 contribution from MUSIC intended to support future safety and risk management initiatives.

The MUSIC Program membership includes 482 Missouri public school districts, community colleges and educational support organizations.

Our Learners Spotlight on

News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: Theater troupe pivots to online due to global pandemic T

he theater doors are closed, but the show must go on. And it did. Twice this year, Pattonville High School theater students pivoted to the online arena to showcase their performing talents. Over three days in March, the Pirate Players aired videos of their performance of “Wonderland,” a fun adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” complete with hip-hop music and an upbeat, coming-of-age story.

“We were determined to provide a performance opportunity for our Pirate Players this year,” said director Lara Corvera. “While the musical is always a huge collaborative project, this year we have learned how to collaborate while being separated. Our production process was a new adventure for everyone in the company.”

Sophomore Sarah Nelson, who played Red Pawn and Rose, liked the new process.

“Doing everything individually at home also gave me a greater appreciation for every aspect that goes into making a show come together,” Nelson said. “Seeing everyone every day on Zoom, sharing input on everything, was nice and I think helped us bond even more than if we did this show like normal.”

The performers rehearsed on Zoom, recorded their vocal tracks independently and then recorded the dialogue both on Zoom and independently while following

During the virtual production of “Wonderland,” Red Queen actor Julia Drake, top center, sings “Checkmate” with Maddie Branson playing Alice (bottom, center bottom) and the Red and White Pawns. The Pawns are, from left top corner, clockwise, Rachel McCormick, Sydney Hoynacki, Jessica Keutzer, Sofia Boughton, Lily Chirwa and Sarah Nelson.

a storyboard created by Corvera. The pit orchestra rehearsed and recorded while spread throughout the auditorium. The tech team met, planned and prepared on Zoom and then edited the videos independently.

“We wanted this to maintain the spirit of live theater,” Corvera said. “We did not re-shoot every time something was less than perfect - we don’t get that opportunity on stage.”

For senior Lily Chirwa, the process

gave her a whole new perspective.

“It was a great experience getting to dance from the comfort of our homes,” said Chirwa, who played Red Pawn and Daisy. “We especially had fun getting to watch ourselves perform.”

“It was amazing to see what we all could do when we put our talents together,” said junior Meredith Stroud, who played Proper Authority No. 1 and Humpty Dumpty. “I love that we still got to do

something, even if it wasn’t the same.”

Some of the cast and crew had experience with a virtual show after they participated in the fall play, a show they created and titled “Shake It Up: An Evening of Shakespeare.” The Pirate Players selected Shakespeare because it is in the public domain. Over the course of about a week, the company of 16 students reviewed the entire canon of Shakespeare to create 21 scenes and monologues for the performance.

The “Wonderland” musical took that experience to a new level. Sixteen participated in the fall play, but the musical required a company of 41, including a cast of 23, four tech team members, 12 musicians in the pit orchestra and two stage managers.

“We have had a lot of fun creating this show in a way none of us have ever created theater before,” Corvera said.

“While doing the musical virtually was not what I had pictured for my senior year and last musical at Pattonville, I am really proud of us for what we accomplished,” said senior Mackenzie Voss, who played Tweedle Dum and Tourist. “This year, it has been hard to have motivation to do pretty much anything. However, I’m glad our passion for music and theater was able to bring us together despite the challenges we continue to face.”

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Recreational games unit provides fit options for a lifetime T

he students in fourth-hour PE couldn’t wait to take a look at their bracket.

When they ran into the gym, they quickly looked to see who they were competing against and started guessing how well they could do against the opposing team, and how far they would make it in the competition. But it wasn’t a basketball bracket for their own March Madness that had them excited. It was badminton.

The tournament was part of the seventh and eighth grade recreational games unit at Pattonville Heights Middle School. During the two-week unit, students learn to play badminton, pickleball, ping-pong, shuffleboard, eclipse ball, four-square, spikeball and cornhole.

“In most cases, the students are learning these games for the first time, so we cover all rules for each game,” PE

teacher Carrie Dixon said.

The students are encouraged to keep an open mind when they are first introduced to the unit, as they are often apprehensive because they perceive the activities to be easy or boring. But once they start playing and competing, they quickly become excited and enthused.

They realize there are challenges to each game, including games like pickleball and badminton that require a great deal of hand-eye coordination.

The goal of the unit is to introduce students to new activities they probably haven’t played before and give them options for activities they can play their entire lives.

“We are teaching our youth the importance of leading an active and healthy lifestyle as they grow older,” PE teacher

Matt Hahn said. “They are learning that there are several games that can be played for a lifetime that offer many physical benefits.”

The games are also relatively easy to access in the community.

Jeremiah Jackson, left, and Kate Bockhorst play shuffleboard.

“It is important for us to do this unit because all it would get, and there was such a positive of these are lifelong games,” PE teacher response the teachers decided to expand Travis Williams said. “These are all it to all of the in-person classes. Even games and activities that can be played at Sammie Bezzole and Katie Puller, who a local park or at home and can be a great are teaching PE to virtual students, came way to get exercise at any age.” down to help and cheer on the teams.

The badminton tournament was anThe competition was optional, but nearly other way to build excitement for the unit. 100 students, or 16 teams of two playHahn originally hosted a tournament for ers, signed up for all three class hours the his class last year to see what engagement competition was played.

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BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Program celebrates student, staff history J

Pattonville early childhood teacher Christie Buchek, left, works with a student at one of the new playground communication panels.

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

New panels offer student voice Y

oung students at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center have an easier way to make their voices heard thanks to new installations on the playground. Attached to the fence on each playground are new communication panels that enable non-verbal students to communicate with school staff and friends. The panels are customized to each playground so students can point to pictures of a specific piece of play equipment they may want to use on that playground.

“Some children have difficulty using spoken words and may need another way to communicate during play,” said Dr. Mary Krekeler, director of early childhood. “The panels will help children to understand what is being said to them, communicate their wants and needs and introduce them to new words. They are a great addition to our program and our playgrounds.”

Classroom teacher Janna Zaitz came up with the idea to add the panels, which mirror communication boards used in early childhood classrooms. She worked with the Early Childhood Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) to secure funding to pay for the weatherproof signs. Early childhood speech and language therapists Kate Schneider and Ellen Serio designed the panels.

“Many of our students with special needs have social language delays,” Schneider said. “Things like initiating play, responding to peer questions, appropriately protesting and getting wants and needs met can all be difficult tasks. We use visual supports throughout our classrooms all day long to help the children communicate with a variety of people and for a variety of purposes. Visual aids make children less reliant on verbal prompts and get them closer to verbal independence. So, we thought the playground should be no different, as that is where a lot of social communication occurs.”

Schneider said teachers created a unique panel for each of the playgrounds, including the sandbox, courtyard and action room. The pictures used to make the boards were consistent with the pictures the children use within the school to communicate.

“We envision children communicating with each other and with adults to encourage social communication, trying new things on the playground and getting their wants and needs met without having to bring their assistive technology device out to the playground with them,” Schneider said. “For many of our students, symbols such as pictures or technology is their ‘voice’ while they learn to talk, and we want to make sure their voices are easily accessible. Plus, all kids can access this support and grow in their language skills.”

osie Chapman, paraprofessional at Bridgeway Elementary School, was seeking a way to change the school’s annual Black History Month presentation to allow in-person and virtual students to participate.

But as she thought more about it, she determined the change wouldn’t be just the format.

“I was thinking about all of the different people we have at school and that we don’t have a program for all of those groups Bridgeway Elementary School fourth grader Omma Oyeilumi shared informaand decided to celebrate everytion about famous musicians and sang during her school’s history celebration. one’s history and culture,” she dances to traditional music. Chapman worked with said. “Instead of doing one heritage, we’re celebrating the students to help communicate their ideas and all of the heritages. We all are proud from where we learn their performances. come from so we didn’t want to focus on one particuA group of students and teachers read Maya Anlar race or culture so we created our own history.” gelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” half in English The result was the first virtual Bridgeway Hisand half in Spanish. Other students sang “Tomorrow tory Month. Bridgeway students represent a dozen (A Better You! A Better Me)” originally recorded by different countries, so the event included celebraQuincy Jones, while a trio of students performed a tions for Irish Americans, Arab History, Asian flags routine during the instrumental portion of the American and National Latino-Hispanic months, song. A section was also dedicated to self-portraits as well as Black and women’s history, Constitucreated by students in Mollie Ahlers’ art class. tion/Citizenship Day and teacher appreciation. To Chapman added pictures of historical and curallow everyone to participate, students shared their rent famous figures that represent each featured pieces through video recordings from school or group so students could see them represented by home. Parents were able to participate by recording people they know from popular culture. She even presentations and getting creative, including using included some familiar staff faces as well. fun backgrounds for their students’ portion.

At the end of the presentation, a slide with a Fifth graders Benjamin Brenner and Brody special message from Chapman appeared. It read: Schaumberger kicked off the program, which “Always love yourself first and celebrate yourself included a variety of presentations by students and every day because you were created for greatstaff. Students talked about their culture, including ness. Keep your head to the sky to allow the sun to its history, attire, food and language, and performed brighten your path and make history.”

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Virtual visitor inspires students to dream “N

ever give up on a dream or let anyone tell you you can’t do it. Work hard and believe in yourself, and it will happen.” That was the message students in Kate Ackman’s third grade class at Willow Brook Elementary School heard from guest speaker Ashley Tate, founder and artistic and executive director of Ashleyliane Dance Company (ADC). Ackman invited Tate to speak as part of Black History Month. In addition to learning about historical and current African American figures, Ackman wanted her students to see that they interact with changemakers every day and that anyone can make a difference.

“I thought that she was very amazing in what she did because she loved to dance and she shared it with other people,” third grader Olivia Darling-Haven said. “That is why she is a role model for everyone, children and grown-ups. We need more people like this in the world.

People like that can help make a difference in the world.”

Tate formed ADC to give adults opportunities to continue dance. She spoke about the challenging journey to becoming a non-profit organization that can now pay dancers. Students were also able to ask questions, which led to a conversation about expressing one’s true self, which impacted student DJ Mitchell.

“She helped me find myself and just be who I am as a person,” he said. “Because before I didn’t like

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Dance company founder Ashley Tate, second from right, second row, shares an inspirational message with third graders at Willow Brook Elementary School.

dancing, but now that I know it can be stories, since I do a lot of stories, I think it’s fun!” That resonated with him after Tate explained how each dance is like telling a story and she found ideas in books as a kid. Seeing her students interact with Tate and the spark it created in her students, was everything Ackman hoped for.

“The most fun part ... was witnessing the electricity between my students and Tate,” Ackman said. “We were captivated. You can see it in a kid’s eyes when they have that spark, that deep-seeded belief that they can do anything they want to do in this world.”

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Fun Friday activities motivate virtual students F

un Friday activities get students involved and reward them for a week’s worth of hard work and Villemade Virtual Academy teachers at Parkwood Elementary School have come up with several different ideas of how to do it.

For first grade Villemade teacher Mallory Hamilton, it’s reading.

“Through Scholastic Book Club sponsors, I am able to provide every one of my students free books that they pick up in the school front lobby and get to keep at home,” she said. “On Fridays, they get to pick something out and listen to each other read.”

She said giving students an opportunity for choice and to talk to each other in breakout rooms is important.

“They don’t get recess or other times to just talk to friends,” she said. “This gives them a chance to read and just talk about their books with another classmate.”

Third grade co-teachers Kelley Chestnut and Jennifer Gross have been figuring out how to combine classes and collaborate to support students through virtual learning. They are finding success by creating opportunities for students to

build peer relationships weekly in breakout rooms.

“Friendly Chat Friday came about because we were noticing the kids were really lacking a chance to just kind of hang out and talk to their peers,” Chestnut said.

Third grader Nayeli Harmon said it’s basically a way to connect with other people.

“See, I can’t just shout out to Natalie right now, ‘I like your writing story from yesterday.’ I can’t just shout that out because we’re all together,” she said. “But when we are in breakout rooms, if Natalie is in my breakout room, I can say, ‘Natalie, from yesterday, I liked your story.’ ” In Elle Irons’s fifth grade Villemade class, only students that have completed all of their work for the week get to participate in their Friday Fun activity.

“It helps motivate students to complete their work, and keeps everyone on track,” Irons said. “It also helps me observe my students socially to see who needs help making friends or starting conversations with others.”

Irons and her students have come up

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Living history museum goes virtual T

he annual Black History Month Living Museum event at Remington Traditional has been held for more than 20 years. Second grade teacher Libby Hilker did not want to see the tradition end due to the pandemic, so the second-grade team transformed it into a virtual event.

Remington Traditional School second grader Benjamin “We have been Masokano, left, records his segment on Supreme Court Jusresearching famous Afri- tice Thurgood Marshall with the help of teacher Libby Hilker. can Americans for a few Working with district technology weeks now using Pebble Go, Epic specialist Stephanie McCreary, stuand Ducksters, and the students have dents learned how to use iMovie and prepared and memorized a speech,” replaced the green background of their Hilker said. “This project is always video with an image that represents good for bringing up inequality and their person and also added music. representation and why it matters and The Virtual Living Museum was I didn’t want to miss a chance to teach shared on Seesaw with the school and them all about it.” families at the end of February with Each student in second grade links to 31 different videos. studied a famous Black person and “We can’t all get together physilearned when they were born, what cally this year, but it’s nice that we they accomplished and other interestare going to be able to share it with ing facts. All of the students also had more people,” Hilker said. “Doing it to memorize a quote. Students in Em- virtually will allow all of their friends ily Cook and Hilker’s class individuand relatives that couldn’t make it to ally stood in front of a green screen to the school a chance to see all their record their part. hard work.”

Parkwood Elementary School first grade teacher Mallory Hamilton meets with virtual students for Friday Fun Day activities. Shown are Khalil Johnson, top row, left, and Nathan Biruk, bottom row.

with a variety of games, but two favorites are Pictionary and the emoji game.

“For Pictionary, I chat an idea to a student who has to draw it while others guess,” she said. “The emoji game involves one student finding a string of five emojis and sending it through the chat.

The other students see who is the fastest at finding those emojis. It is a great time

for students to laugh and be silly with their peers.”

She said motivation in fifth grade during virtual education is hard, and she’s found that Friday Fun helps push them to stay focused.

“They really look forward to having down time with their peers where they can socialize.”

DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

School staff, volunteers make sure shoe fits S

teps to Success (STEPS) is a philanthropic program of the Assistance League of St. Louis. Through this program, STEPS provides new athletic shoes and socks for children in local public schools.

“They have given shoes to our school for the past couple of years and would not let a globDrummond Elementary School counselor Carla Robertson takes al pandemic stop them from helping students,” shoe measurements for a student to receive a new pair of shoes.

Drummond Elementary measuring and ordering of the shoes for School counselor Carla Robertson said.

75 kids,” she said.

“However, it looked different this year since At Drummond, each kindergarten most of their volunteers are considered high through fourth grade in-person teacher risk.” was able to recommend three students for During the 2019-2020 school year, the program. Once a parent permission Assistance League members and Shoe form was returned, the counseling departCarnival employees visited a total of 38 ment measured their feet and submitted an schools in eight school districts and proorder for their correct shoe size. vided about 4,000 St. Louis-area students The Assistance League ordered the with new shoes and socks after personshoes directly from Shoe Carnival, and ally measuring the feet of each one. when the shoes arrived in March, the Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Robcounseling team distributed them to the ertson and other staff members walked students after spring break. around the school with a wagon filled “It’s important to have kids come to with new socks, plastic gloves, Clorox school prepared to learn, and that means wipes and a foot measuring tool to do the from their heads to their toes,” Robertson work themselves. said. “If they aren’t comfortable, they “We, the counselors, are doing the won’t be able to focus, work and learn.”

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HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Virtual clubs keep students connected D

Rose Acres Elementary School second grade teachers Amy Christensen, standing left, and Rebecca Caldwell, seated center, collaborate on a math lesson for in-person and virtual students.

They are shown with second graders, from left, Ashton Stewart, Maci Foster and Cooper Beste.

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Virtual, in-person classes collaborate O

ver the past several months, teachers at Rose Acres Elementary School have developed creative ways to co-teach their in-person and Villemade Virtual Academy classes together. Collaborative teaching, sometimes called cooperative teaching or team teaching, involves educators working together in the same space to lead, instruct and mentor groups of students. Teachers from the same grade level may team teach to target multiple levels of learning or provide a greater variety of supervised activities for students to practice skills.

Villemade teacher Grace Burgos worked with fellow fourth grade teacher Mary Spitzmiller to develop a writing unit that incorporates virtual and inperson students learning together. After teaching mini lessons as a whole group using Zoom and face-to-face instruction, Burgos and Spitzmiller have students spread out in their classrooms and in the hallway to work with writing partners.

“They’ll be mixed with virtual and in-person kids and work in breakout rooms,” Burgos said. “They’ve been able to give partner feedback, go through the revision process and the editing process, and so they’ve actually gotten to hang out and talk and collaborate with each other a lot this year.”

Rose Acres began the year fully virtual, and as students started to return to the classroom, they wanted to find a way to continue the camaraderie the classes had.

“When we were fully virtual, we were sharing kids and kids were jumping from her Zoom to mine and they were mingled already,” Burgos said. “Then, when they started to make the transition back to inperson, the virtual kids didn’t get to see those kids any more.”

That’s when the teachers who co-taught last year decided they should do something to bring the students back in the same space.

“They really did enjoy getting to see new faces when they could and it was just exciting to be able to switch it up sometimes,” Burgos said.

In second grade, Rebecca Caldwell and Amy Christensen were working before the pandemic to start co-teaching this year and adjusted those plans.

“Ms. Caldwell ended up being the virtual teacher, and we still wanted to make co-teaching work,” Christensen said. “We tried to work it out with schedules to do as much as we could so our plan now is that we do Number Corner together and we co-teach that every day.”

Christensen said it was a challenge at first to figure out how to bring the virtual and in-person students together.

“There are some days that we are using four devices,” she said. “We have an iPad going, we have our laptop going, we have Ms. Caldwell’s phone going and then we have a big screen TV to project the kids on. We thought it was important that the kids in person could see the kids at home and be able to connect with them.”

Christensen said they wanted to make sure every student knew they were part of a caring classroom environment.

“We wanted to give those virtual kids at home a chance to be with other kids who are in person and kind of feel a part of things and be a part of Rose Acres instead of feeling totally disconnected from the school,” she said.

That mindset was also a goal for Burgos. She said the nice thing about it is everyone gets to be a part of the Rose Acres family.

“Being a part of the community is something that the kids really missed whether they were coming to school or whether they were virtual,” Burgos said.

“Trying to bridge that community piece was huge for us.”

uring the stay-at-home orders last spring, several people spent more time in their own kitchens, so when Holman Middle School introduced three virtual clubs this year, it made perfect sense to have Cooking Club as an option for students. STEM Club and Gaming Club are the other offerings.

After teaching students about social studies all day, Matthew Loyet goes home and becomes a “celebrity” chef who hosts a live Zoom meeting twice a month.

“I give students about a week’s notice of what we’re cooking and they decide whether they want to make it or not,” he said. “That gives the families time to get to the grocery store and buy the supplies they need.”

An adult needs to be at home with the students for safety reasons, but it’s the middle schoolers who are doing all the cooking. They have made several things including tacos, homemade pancakes, chili, brownies and bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches.

“We meet on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and the kids log onto Zoom and cook along with me,” he said. “My goal is to teach them how to follow directions, and hopefully they learn something in order to actually make dinner for their family and maybe prepare breakfast in bed for their parents.”

The STEM Club has partnered with the Studio: TESLA student organization from the McKelvey School of Engineer-

ing at Washington University in St. Louis for several years, and this year the club pivoted to meet online.

“What I like seeing is these kids who are really interested in the material getting to work with college students who are passionate about it,” science teacher and club sponsor Teresa Hutti said.

Studio: TESLA (Teaching Engineering to St. Louis Adolescents) aims to provide underrepresented and low-income students access to STEAM initiatives by bringing design-based science projects to middle schools.

“We have been doing a lot of online games that teach students about coding and science, and they’ve made paper airplanes at home,” Hutti said. “After spring break, WashU is going to start bringing me kits for the kids to pick up and they’re actually going to do some neat stuff.”

Another offering is Gaming Club hosted by David Klaus. This club met in-person last year, but transitioned to virtual this year. For him, it’s the community feeling that is important.

“It gives the students a place to be and to socialize and not be on mute the whole time,” he said. Club members may play together or individually.

“We might not all be playing the same game all the time, but we’re all in the same space and these kids are connecting with each other,” he said. “Right now, that’s what they need. A place to get together safely and share similar interests.”

Students in Matthew Loyet’s (shown right, middle row) after-school virtual cooking club show off their baking creation on a club Zoom. Shown are, from left, top row, Blake Meriwether; middle row, Eli Sandheinrich and Ally Cruz; and bottom row, Olivia Monroe and Zarhiya Hayes.

HEALING THE COVE

Pattonville hosts online wellness series

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he Pattonville Community Action Team (PCAT) is offering Healing the Cove, a series of free online sessions designed to provide Pattonville families, staff and community members with information and support on topics related to mental health and well-being. Each month during the school year, PCAT offers two or three online sessions on topics facing local families. The sessions are free, but require pre-registration. For more information or to register, go online at bit.ly/healingthecove.

PCAT is a community problem-solving group comprised of Pattonville staff and community organizations, including state and local governments, religious organizations, local charities and more. The group meets regularly with the goal of providing a system of community support for Pattonville families and students. The team looks at issues facing students and families and collaborates to develop or connect them to needed services.

Sign up at: bit.ly/healingthecove •6•

BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

State wrestling qualifier

SHC Scholar, Intern

After delivering a national qualifying speech for debate about the politics of Black hair, senior Mya Harris was offered a summer internship with the Simmons Hanly Conroy (SHC) law firm.

She is the first high schooler to Mya Harris earn an internship with the law firm and was also chosen as the first SHC Scholar. As an SHC Scholar, she has been awarded a four-year, allexpense paid scholarship to the college or university of her choice. Harris plans to pursue her dream of becoming a biomedical engineer or bioethical attorney with hopes of paving a new path for girls of color.

Cultural Leadership

Junior Bryant Ewing was selected to be part of the Cultural Leadership Class 16 cohort. Cultural Leadership is a youth leadership and education program that works with high school students from across the St. Louis region, developing them into civic leaders and social justice changemakers.

Sophomore Samantha Heine qualified to compete in the Missouri girls wrestling state championships in Independence. She competed in the 195-pound class after going 4-1 this season.

UMSL Bridge program

Senior Tyler Wright was among 107 seniors to complete the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Bridge Program’s Express Scripts Saturday Academy this year. He served as the master of ceremonies at the 35th annual Award Recognition Ceremony held virtually and was featured in a story on the UMSL Daily website.

Samantha Heine

Bryant Ewing (district champion) in original oratory; and senior Bell Tucci in U.S. extemporaneous speaking. In addition, Harris was voted Eastern Missouri Student of the Year and is in the running for National Student of the Year; assistant coach Lance Allen was named Assistant Coach of the Year; and English teacher Jennifer Raymond was selected as Coach of the Year. The Eastern Missouri District consists of schools in the eastern half of the state including Columbia and Jefferson City. State qualifiers were Maichi Nguyen in radio speaking and Tucci in U.S. extemporaneous speaking. The state tournament will be held virtually in April, and the national tournament will be held virtually in June.

Tyler Wright

All-District Honor Choir

Bryant Ewing

Athletes of the Week

Seniors Alijah Carter and Logan Williams were selected by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as Athletes of the Week in February and March, respecAlijah Carter Logan Williams tively. Carter was chosen after leading the Pirates boys basketball team to a pair of wins in the previous week. A three-year starter who was named to the all-tournament team at Washington in January, Carter helped his team to become the undefeated conference champions and district champions, ending the season with a 22-2 record. Williams was chosen after leading the Pirates to a come-from-behind 23-20 win over McCluer in their football season opener in March. A second-year starter at quarterback, Williams passed for 890 yards and six touchdowns in 2019.

The following students were chosen for the St. Louis Suburban All-District Honor Choir: Kam Ren Brown, Julia Drake, Patrick Ferguson, Kenedi Jenkins, Jahlil Johnson, Kristen Jones, Taylor Knight, Zeresh Lewis, Ethan Massey, Daniel McCoy, Skylar Monnig, Venz Oberg, Hannah Radican, Devin Scharer, Christopher Tobar and Tony Washington for soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB); and Madison Branson, Ja’nya Cruise, Miranda Lopez, Sarah Nelson, Grace Radican, Peyton Smith, Brianna Voss, Mackenzie Voss, Hannadey Yezza and Sophia Zegar for treble. They are directed by teachers Tracy Baker and Melynda Lamb.

Pamela Mensah

Jacob Silverstein

Mya Harris

Bryant Ewing

Maichi Nguyen

Bell Tucci

Jennifer Raymond

Lance Allen

State drill team champions

The Pattonville varsity drill team won the Division 5 state championship in hip hop. Members of the team are Kaylee Cofer, Callie Farrar, Amaris Kirksey, Alyssa Mobley, India Reed, Katie Ridings, Niya Shockley, A’mari Smith, Shakyah Smith, Isabelle Tucker and Sabrina Vargas. Kristin Riggs coached the team with the assistance of Grace Burgos, Katie Greenwell, Katie Funderburk and Lindsey Purviance.

Zora Umana

State DECA qualifiers

Three students qualified for the state DECA competition after earning recognition at the district DECA contest.

The students and their district honors are: Zora Umana, second place in entrepreneurship series; Pamela Mensah, third place in entrepreneurship series; and Jacob Silverstein, third place in principles of marketing. The DECA club sponsor is Holly Martinez.

National, state speech/debate honors

Kelly Hill

Eliana Johnson

Maite Tena Gaona

St. Louis Artists Guild exhibit

Seniors Kelly Hill, Eliana Johnson and Maite Tena Gaona were accepted into the juried exhibit at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild. The showcase highlights some of the most talented high school artists in the St. Louis area. The exhibit was displayed virtually this year on the St. Louis Artists’ Guild website. The students’ AP Art and Design 2 teacher is Beth Kathriner.

Pattonville senior Jailah Broadway earned the National Speech and Debate Association’s (NSDA) Academic All-American Award, which recognizes academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success and personal excellence. From more than 141,000 NSDA student members, fewer than 1% earn the Academic Jailah Broadway All American Award every year.

In addition, four Pattonville students qualified for the NSDA national tournament after competing at the Eastern Missouri District NSDA tournament: seniors Broadway and Mya Harris in public forum debate; junior

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The state champion varsity drill team are shown with their coaches.

State cheerleading champions

The Pattonville varsity cheerleading team won the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association coed small division state championship. The following students were named All-State: Alliah Allen, Ian Bailey, Amonnie Carter, Tate Holt, Riesen Riley, Lauren Turner and Amaya Washington. Additional members of the championship team are Bianca Appleton, Lauryn Berry, Caraline Guetschow, Isabelle Hatfield, Skylar Monnig, Peyton Smith and Mya Washington. Kalli Hunt coached the team with the assistance of Brittany Schnake, Freddy Shato and Lydia Smotherman.

COVID-19 Resources

Where to pre-register for a vaccine or set up an appointment St. Louis County Department of Public Health stlcorona.com

ONLY for county residents without internet access

Above left, Pattonville High School nurse Heidi Lanham, left, takes the temperature of Elizabeth Brisch, elementary gifted education teacher, prior to her vaccine appointment. Above right, Pattonville High School English teacher Kent Booth, center, receives his COVID-19 vaccine. Below, Pattonville High School math teacher Mandy Gossett, left, sits for her vaccine. Pattonville partnered with members of the Urban League of St. Louis and the Missouri National Guard for the mass vaccination event for Pattonville staff.

DPH county hotline: (314) 615-2660

Missouri Vaccine Navigator

covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator

Pattonville hosts mass vaccination event for staff

Other links for signing up for vaccines bit.ly/PSDReturns2020web

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he Pattonville School District hosted a mass COVID-19 vaccination event for its staff members on March 17 through a partnership with the Urban League of St. Louis and the Missouri National Guard. Held in the Pattonville High School gym with support from Pattonville nurses, secretaries, custodians and administrators, the event was open to Pattonville staff, Special School District (SSD) staff working in Pattonville, as well as substitutes and student teachers working in Pattonville. Leftover doses were made available to staff spouses and Pattonville retirees on an extremely limited basis. Approximately 450 individuals received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose. Every staff member who wanted a dose of the vaccine was able to receive one. Prior to the event, many Pattonville staff members had already received at least one dose of a vaccine through a collaboration with community partners as well as staff members working independently to secure a vaccine for themselves.

New devices will enhance air quality in schools, fight spread of illness

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he Pattonville Board of Education on March 9 approved the purchase of special devices that will add another layer of safety in air quality at Pattonville schools.

In addition to the advanced filtering systems already in place, the district will install needlepoint bipolar ionization systems at each school to further enhance air purification in each building.

Testing has shown that needlepoint bipolar ionization systems reduce airborne amounts of SARSCoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, by more than 99%, and significantly reduces the spread of other viruses like the flu or common cold. A needlepoint bipolar ionization system was piloted at Bridgeway Elementary School before being expanded districtwide.

Over the last five years, Pattonville has spent nearly $25 million updating heating and cooling systems districtwide. The updates were done based on the standards established by ASHRAE (American

Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), which are now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These upgraded systems use the newest technologies and are integrated with a building control system that monitors their performance in real time. This ensures fresh outside air is brought in continually throughout the day, provides greater filtration within the building and makes certain that components such as fans and filtering systems are working correctly. System operation and ventilation are continually monitored (24/7) by an advanced control system and updated based on CDC and ASHRAE guidance.

The needlepoint bipolar ionization systems will be integrated into each of Pattonville’s school HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. The only exceptions are some classrooms at Holman Middle School, which have new, electrostatic dynamic air filtration systems, making a needlepoint system redundant.

On March 9, the board approved paying $332,277.54 to purchase Global Plasma Solutions IAQ Patho-

gen Abatement and Remediation Systems from Thermal Mechanics.

This purchase and previous purchases of the systems earlier in the year were possible due to federal COVID-19 relief funds Pattonville is receiving. The new systems will be installed as soon as possible, with a goal of completion by early April.

Needlepoint bipolar ionization systems are incorporated into HVAC or chiller systems, using specialized tubes that take oxygen molecules from the air and convert them into charged atoms that are sent back out to cluster around microparticles by surrounding and deactivating harmful substances like airborne mold, bacteria, allergens and viruses. The charged atoms also attach to expelled breath droplets and dust particles that can transport viruses, enlarging them so they are more easily caught in filters. This process increases the efficiency of the air filter. It is an active process that provides continuous disinfection. Essentially, the system is constantly cleaning the air because it is constantly sending ions into the building to neutralize harmful substances in the air.

Online resources Missouri’s vaccine plan

covidvaccine.mo.gov

Pattonville COVID-19 information

bit.ly/PSDReturns2020web

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov

Federal COVID-19 relief funding supports mitigation efforts

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attonville is receiv- COVID-19 expenses/losses ing a second round Declining state revenue $510,000 of federal COVID-19 Lost interest income $910,000 relief funds to supNeedlepoint bipolar $370,000 port schools being ionization systems operational during Classroom furniture $140,000 the global pandemic.

PPE, medical supplies, $575,000 Pattonville is using physical barriers and the federal funds to sanitizing equipment/supplies support its health Loss of food services $425,000 and safety mitigation revenue and federal efforts in its schools. reimbursement During the initial Additional phase 1 staffing $230,000 round of COVID-19 Total $3,160,000 funding last summer, Pattonville received $570,000. This initial round of funding was used to upgrade student devices at the high school a year earlier than anticipated to ensure students had reliable technology for the virtual start to the school year.

The newest round of COVID-19 funding provided Pattonville with $3.2 million for its health and safety efforts as well as the extraordinary expenses and lost revenues the district has seen due to the pandemic. As Pattonville prepared to return to phase 1 (in-person learning, five days a week), district leaders reached out to school administrators to seek their needs to assist with safety measures and enhance the schools’ ability to maintain smaller class sizes and physical distancing. Additional teachers, paraprofessionals and long-term substitute support is being added to address school-specific staffing needs during phase 1. In addition, the district is also adding classroom furniture that supports physical distancing. The district is also using federal funds to purchase needlepoint bipolar ionization systems to enhance its ability to purify and disinfect air in its school buildings (see story at left). A summary of additional expenses and lost revenues the district has experienced is shown above.

“Pattonville Highlights” is published throughout the school year 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.