Highlights April 2023

Writing is for everyone

Pattonville High School’s Writers Week is an annual celebration of writing during which published authors, students, administrators, teachers and staff members share and discuss their writing and writing processes. To kick off this year’s event on March 6, fourth graders from Rose Acres Elementary School shared original work to an audience of high school students in the auditorium. Throughout the rest of the week, attendees heard from published authors, poets, musicians, journalists and more. Students from the 55th Verse, a slam poetry team at the high school, also performed and shared their work. Top photo, 55th Verse member senior Jhavier Perryman presents. Above, high school senior Jasmine Gordon recites her poem. At right, Rose Acres fourth grader Lucas Meyer shares a story during Writers Week.

From the Superintendent

Celebrations from MSIP 6 data

On March 7, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released data regarding school district accreditation status across the state of Missouri. (See story at right.) These data are part of a three-year cycle that will determine each Missouri school district’s accreditation status. The results from the 2021-2022 school year mark the first year of the MSIP 6 accreditation cycle. Based on the district’s Annual Performance Report (APR), Pattonville earned 140.8 points out of a possible 180 points, which sets Pattonville at 78%. This score places Pattonville in the accredited classification for year one. Of 553 districts in Missouri, we are one of 435 districts across the state to earn this classification. There are four districts that earned enough points to be considered accredited with distinction, 112 districts that were provisionally accredited and two districts that were unaccredited.

Missouri moving to new accreditation system meant to spread district performance ratings

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) uses the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) to review, accredit and recognize school districts for academic performance. In order to determine accreditation, DESE uses information from a district’s Annual Performance Report (APR). An APR demonstrates progress in meeting MSIP standards.

MSIP 6, DESE’s latest iteration of MSIP, is designed to distinguish the performance of schools, districts and charters. MSIP 5 only awarded points on performance standards. MSIP 6 divides points by performance and continuous improvement, with performance accounting for 70% of points and continuous performance for 30%. In MSIP 6, the performance standard, points are allotted for academic achievement overall and in student groups (Black, Hispanic, students with disabilities, English learners and low income students); success-ready students related to college and career readiness (CCR) assessments and advanced credit; graduation rate; and graduate follow up. In the area of continuous improvement, indicators include: continuous improvement plans; climate and culture survey data; attendance; success-ready students related to Kindergarten Entrance Exam (KEA), Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) and attendance; and response to standards.

Each standard is assigned a specific point value. The total possible points for Pattonville is 180. Some education agencies have fewer points, such as K-8 districts that don’t have high school ratings. Districts earn accreditation status based on how many points they earn. Pattonville earned 140.8 points, which is 78%, putting Pattonville at accredited status.

two-thirds of the way through the second year of accreditation data, it’s unclear how much improvement can be made this and next year.

Because MSIP 6 is a new system with different scoring, it is inaccurate to compare a district’s current APR score to previous years. The way MSIP 6 is designed, nearly all education agencies lost points and a district’s score and rating will most likely be significantly lower than scores under MSIP 5. There are four different accreditation ranges: accredited with distinction, accredited, provisional and unaccredited. Under MSIP 6, the number of districts that were labeled accredited with distinction under MSIP 5, including Pattonville, dropped from 319 to four. Additionally, the number of districts labeled provisional went from six to 112. (See the chart below.)

In reviewing our data, there are areas of celebration I would like to point out, including:

• Kindergarten entry assessment administration

• Eighth grade student completion of an Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP)

• Third through eighth and English II student achievement in English language arts

• Third through eighth and algebra students have above-average growth in mathematics academic achievement

• Fifth, eighth and biology student achievement in science

• High school student achievement in government

• High school students completing one or more advanced credit courses

• High school graduation rate

As determined by Niche.com, Pattonville is considered the most diverse district in Missouri. No district with the same level of diversity as Pattonville scored higher on APR data. Pattonville students represent 57 countries and 42 languages. This is a testament to the dedicated staff and families in Pattonville.

Pattonville School District just adopted a new Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) that will guide our work over the next five years. The implementation of this new plan, along with our school facility improvements, will continue to support us in our mission “That ALL Will Learn.”

The scores released use data from the 2021-2022 school year. Three years of data collected under MSIP 6 will be taken into account before DESE can change a district’s accreditation. The accreditation and classification of schools under MSIP 6 will begin after the 2023-2024 school year. At this point, the total number of points will increase to 200 to accommodate additional data that is not currently available, such as progress in assessments and response to standards. Based on the district’s current scores, Pattonville will remain accredited. As data is released for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, all districts’ scores, including Pattonville’s, may change based on district performance. Additionally, Pattonville is making changes to internal reporting systems that will lead to an increase in points in some categories. However, because districts are now

Status Measures

Despite the overall lower APR scores, the findings from this and other data sources affirm what the Pattonville community already knows — Pattonville is a high-achieving district. The work being done is leading to student learning growth.

State data confirms that no district in Missouri with Pattonville’s level of diversity can match the achievement of Pattonville’s students. Pattonville is the most diverse district in Missouri based on data from Niche.com. No district with the same level of diversity as Pattonville scored higher on APR data.

Additionally, in reviewing MAP data from 2021, the all student and student group results in achievement is at the same level of performance. Pattonville has been working to implement strategies to close the achievement gap between the student group and all students categories. This data shows significant gains have been made in this area.

To see a breakdown of Pattonville’s results, see graph at bottom.

Floor Approaching On Track Target

Dr. Barry Nelson Superintendent Follow on Twitter: @Barry_NelsonPSD

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News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Art show celebrates student art, creativity

ridgeway Elementary School went from being an elementary school to an art gallery on Feb. 9. Classroom doors were hidden behind ceiling-high banners featuring student artwork from throughout the school. The transition only lasted an evening for the school’s first art show, but left a resounding sense of accomplishment for the school’s students.

The event was created by Bridgeway’s art teachers Mollie Ahlers and Michelle Petke. Each student had two or three pieces of art on display to show that all of their artwork is worthy of being shared. That meant more than 2,000 pieces of art were featured, including collages, drawings, paintings, sculptures and sewing work. Seeing the variety of art media offered to students was a highlight for Ahlers.

“Parents couldn’t believe all of the opportunities that students are given in our choice art program to express their creativity and ideas,” she said. “Our vision for the art show was to create a huge and colorful celebration of art and our Bridgeway artists. Mrs. Petke and I also wanted to showcase the diverse choices, creative thought and independent explorations encouraged and supported by our choice art program at Bridgeway.”

Choice art gives students the creative freedom to choose what type of art they want to create during art class based on their own interests. All of the artwork on display was created between August and December of this school year. The students got to select which of their artwork would be in the art show.

“We didn’t want this art show to be a competition,” Ahlers said. “We simply wanted it to be a celebration of every artist. I have such fond memories of my own art shows through childhood and into adulthood. They were an important time for me to

share my ideas and creations and gain validation and confidence in my abilities as an artist. As I headed into school the morning of the art show, I was so excited to see the pride and joy that I knew my students would feel that night as they were able to share their own work with an audience.”

The joy was shared with the more than 700 people who attended the art show When it started at 5:30 p.m., a line had already formed. Guests entered at the far end of the school and were greeted by hanging artwork that lined the halls from the entrance to the gym. In the gym, tables were set up to display students’ sculptures, including realistic-looking plaster donuts and cardboard food replicas, and more hanging art — from paintings to sewing projects — lined two walls.

The festivities also extended beyond looking at art. When they arrived, guests received a program that included ways for parents to see their child’s art digitally as well as a scavenger hunt with the art that featured things like a rocketship, black cat and the Eiffel Tower. Near the end of the first hall, staff members offered to take family photos at an “I am an Artist” photo station. Decorative frames hung from the ceiling for people to stand behind and the backdrop was filled with a collage of studentcreated artwork featuring different colored circles. Also in the gym, each student received a 4x6 print of one of their art pieces and a blank mat they could color on.

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Community group volunteers to read to students

Twice a month, Pattonville’s Early Childhood Center is visited by volunteers from the Bridgeton Kiwanis Club for guest reading sessions. A typical visit involves four Kiwanis members who each read to two classrooms.

“The kids get excited to see who the reader is and to see if they know them from the last time they read,” said teacher Jillian McDonnell. “When our students have the same reader two stories in a row, they are excited to see them again and welcome them back.”

To prepare for a visit, early childhood director Dr. Greg Cicotte organizes a schedule for the classroom stops and early childhood coordinator Dr. Melanie Fitzgerald selects options of developmentally appropriate and engaging stories for the

visitors to read. In addition, Fitzgerald has been creating interactive storyboards to be utilized with each story. The storyboards include pictures of characters or items from the story that have been laminated with velcro on the back. The guest reader hands out these storyboard pieces to every child on the carpet. As the volunteer reads and gets to a part of the story that involves an image that one of the students is holding, that student gets to stand up and stick their piece to the corresponding part on the storyboard.

“Storyboards are a pretty effective engagement strategy to use with young children,” Cicotte said. “In addition to listening and enjoying the story, each child also has a small part to contribute.”

A family attending the Bridgeway Elementary School Art Show has their picture taken by school staff at the “I am an Artist” photo station. Shown are, from left, fourth grader Delilah Howell, Alyanah Howell, who is in Pattonville’s early childhood program, and second grader Cohen Howell.

Left, Bridgeway Elementary School second grader Bennett Reynolds, left, shows off a piece of art to his mom, Lauren Wilson, center, and first grade teacher Emily Lerman. Right, fourth grader Eliana Seyoum, right, holds her donut made of plaster while her mom, Tigist Gebru, left, and sister third grader Bethany Seyoum look at it. All Bridgeway students had at least two pieces of art on display at the school’s art show.

Early childhood students in teacher Sharon Wood’s class listen as Bridgeton Kiwanis Club member Kathy Bowden, left, reads “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do you Hear?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. Members of Kiwanis read to early childhood students every other week.

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Run challenge part of activity initiative

The Gateway Arch is about 25 miles away from Rose Acres Elementary School. That is the distance that students will cover as part of a schoolwide fitness goal of completing 23,600 laps for the PACER test.

“This was a collaborative post-pandemic staff decision because we know during the pandemic, physical activity really declined for a lot of people,” PE teacher Joe Rehagen said. “We also know that students need to feel good and healthy if they are to do their best learning.”

The objective of the PACER is to run as long as possible while keeping a specified pace. Students run back and forth across a 20-meter space at a pace that gets faster each minute. A lap is scored for each 20-meter distance covered. In September, students had a schoolwide total of 3,821 laps, the equivalent of going to Aquaport.

“They recognize that that is pretty close to our school, but we can go farther,” Rehagen said.

Teachers have allowed Rehagen and PE teachers Hannah Cooper and Mike McKeon to come into their classrooms so students can do some personalized goalsetting work and not miss out on valuable physical activity time when in PE.

“Some students in my class at the beginning of the year were doing 12 or 13 laps, so in January, they made a goal of maybe completing 20,” first grade teacher Katelyn Thompson said.

The goal-setting is a part of the school’s Leader in Me program and one of the adult action teams made a wall-sized goal tracker. An interactive chart is located in the gym hallway to show student progress after PACER test trials and, in January, they benchmarked 11,648 laps which gets them close to the Saint Louis Zoo.

“(Rehagen) does a great job adding the totals and moving our little pirate ship across the map to show them how far we’ve gotten,” Thompson said. “It’s more visual for students to see how far they’ve run as a school opposed to a bar graph.”

Rehagen said practice opportunities are available to students such as the school’s running club, running at recess or working at home with their families.

“We really have a focus to give students a concrete goal-setting experience from start to finish,” Rehagen said. “All of these action steps along the way can help them meet their ultimate goal by the end of the year.”

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Heart health education leads to fundraiser

Students in all grade levels recently learned that their month-long participation in the Kids Heart Challenge, a fundraiser that benefits the American Heart Association (AHA), raised more than $12,500. That was almost $4,000 higher than the school’s goal.

“I have been doing this event for 18 years, since I started working at Willow Brook,” paraprofessional Jennifer Haub said. “This was a very successful year monetarily, but also from an involvement standpoint.”

Over 260 students registered and 25 students took Finn’s Heart Challenge by signing up for two online lessons: one that teaches them how to do hands-only CPR and another that shares the symptoms of a stroke.

Haub, who is responsible for the school’s service learning projects, said students gained a lot of knowledge through the program.

“They get lessons on heart health, heart disease prevention and the warning signs of strokes and heart attacks,” she said. “AHA has videos that can be shared, but they also learn during PE the health aspects of fitness and how healthy habits lead to healthier lives.”

First grader Osciea Whatley was this year’s top fundraiser for the Kids Heart Challenge and was recognized during the event celebration on March 10.

The top 10 students in grades three through five were invited to participate in a students and staff basketball game that was attended by fourth and fifth grade classes.

“The game was live streamed to lower grade levels and the top 10 students in kindergarten through second grade got a VIP courtside seat at the basketball game,” Haub said. She also said the students enjoy the annual challenge. “It’s all about getting them to understand the importance of helping others and learning about making good life choices,” she said. “Our students are always trying to find different ways to help people and I’m big on finding ways for kids to help other kids.”

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Black History Month celebrations highlight culture

To honor the Black excellence at Pattonville High School and beyond, the African American Achievers Society (Triple-A) hosted the sixth annual Black History Month showcase on Feb. 24. The program included performance arts such as a poetry slam and step show.

“I always try to utilize what Pattonville has to offer, so I asked other clubs, staff and outside community members to be a part of the show,” said high school secretary Tamika Duncan, who sponsors Triple-A with school social worker Kristian Hines.

Senior Rana Qasem is the club’s president and said about 30 club members had a hand in organizing the event that made its return after cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was stressful to put together, but seeing the outcome of all our hard work put into it was really exciting to see,” Qasem said. “To bring this event back and not to have the Black culture overlooked was really important and it was great to have the community come out and be able to see the showcase.”

Drummond Elementary School held its Black

History Month assembly on Feb. 23 to celebrate the accomplishments and the history of African Americans. Two groups from the high school participated. The 55th Verse, a slam poetry team sponsored by English teacher James Simpson, recited three pieces of work and members of Triple-A demonstrated a step dance.

“Mary Sosman (Drummond English learner teacher) reached out to me to see if we would like to perform at the event,” said Duncan, who started in Pattonville as a student and then returned as a secretary at Drummond.

“It was the first time our step team was able to perform in front of a group and we were given another opportunity during Writers Week.”

Qasem said introducing the elementary students to step and highlighting Black traditions is important.

“It was nice to show them that when they get to middle school or high school, the opportunity to showcase their culture is available to them,” she said.

Other appearances at the Black History Month showcase included crowned pageant winners junior Cyan Kelley (Teen Miss Princess) and senior Sasha

Grant (Junior Miss Missouri Princess), permanent substitute Corey Lewis speaking about historically African American fraternities and sororities and successful transition instructor Chaun Tate playing piano for senior Abriana Blue’s performance of “Lift Every Voice.”

“Pattonville is a great place to learn, and the Black History Month program was another teaching opportunity,” Duncan said. “It was a fun, educational event for the students involved and for those that attended.”

Students from Willow Brook Elementary School who helped raise funds for the American Heart As sociation (AHA) hold up the amount of money they raised: $12,559.89.

Willow Brook Elementary School fourth grader Maddox Ellis tries to score while principal Kim Dannegger defends during a basketball game honoring students who raised the most money for the Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser.

Fourth graders in Kirstie Hummert’s class at Rose Acres Elementary School participate in a schoolwide fitness running goal. On the left, Lidia Tagesse, left, and Anastasia Gura move the pirate ship to show progress the school has made. On the right, students in Hummert’s class practice running laps to add to their goal.

Members of Triple-A, a group from Pattonville High School, perform a step dance during Drummond Elementary School’s Black History Month assembly. Shown are, from left, junior Alana Franklin and sophomores Akira Kendrick, Nikyla Webb Shannon, Mia Cunningham and Anyiah Pitchford.

Math, writing are focus in fantasy sports lab

The Fantasy Sports explore lab at Pattonville Heights Middle School isn’t a class to play video games. It’s a curriculum-based opportunity for students to learn and practice math, writing and presentation skills on a topic they enjoy — sports.

“The whole purpose of this class was to take something that kids are already interested in and get them to write and do audio/visual in a way that they’re going to enjoy it and get competitive and actually have fun learning,” said science teacher Hunter Drew

Fantasy Sports is part of an explore lab. Two days a week are spent focusing on sports, two days are an academic lab and one day is a bit of a hybrid. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students use time to work on homework or other projects. On Mondays and Tuesdays, they’re working on their sports team. Each sports day has a different focus.

Monday is math day. That’s when students pull their players’ statistics to find out how they did and determine if they won that week’s match. Each week, two students compete head-to-head. To determine which team won, they look at each player’s stats to determine their overall score and the team with the most points based on player performance wins.

Each type of stat accrues, or loses, points and students have to do math to determine their scores. For example, in a basketball matchup, baskets are worth 1 point, rebounds are 1.2 points and assists are 1.5 points, but turnovers and steals lose points. The point scale was set based on the type of stat; an assist is more points because it’s more rare than turnovers. Students have to find the statistics for each of their eight players and then do the math to determine points for each.

The math they do on Monday is also shared with the whole class by hanging their finding sheets on the wall. Students enjoy seeing how other teams are doing and seeing them each day allows them to be a little more strategic as they’re looking at what they might want to do. It is also an opportunity for them, and their classmates, to check their math.

On Wednesdays, students work on their website, that is essentially a team website, which combines graphic design and writing. Each site lists all of their team’s players and each week they update it with their stats and talk about their best and worst player of the week, how overall play went and what they would have done differently or wanted to do but couldn’t accomplish, such as a trade. Students can make trades at any point during the week, but when they do, they have to complete a trade offer document, which asks them why the trade is good for both teams.

“A lot of it is strategic thinking,” Drew said. “It forces them to actually process and think and solve problems and communicate with other people and make arguments. They have to rationalize why they’re making trades or why they’re doing what they’re doing.”

The fantasy season lasts for 10 weeks and then there are three weeks of playoffs. Because there are so many students, there are two leagues. The championship will see the winners of each league compete for top honors. And while only the top four teams go to the playoffs, the rest of the class stays engaged by creating a bracket.

“I would like to win a championship,” said eighth grader Ty’Son Gaines. “I already know I’m gonna make the playoffs. There’s only one person that could beat me. I beat him the last time we played. So that’s exciting.”

The students do a lot of research. They spend time outside of class on ESPN researching players’ stats. They also know which teachers are interested in basketball and will ask them for advice.

“It’s getting them excited to come to school,” Drew said. “That’s a win. And if we can get them to learn using something they’re already interested in, that’s also a win. The kids really love it. I’m getting emails at random times a day asking to swap a player.”

The class also incorporates current events and careers. Last semester, the class focused on football. During the season, a player pushed a cameraman down. Drew had the students write a statement from the NFL and decide whether it was going to hand out a suspension or fine and they had to defend why or why not. This semester, the students are making an argument as to whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the greatest of all time using statistics and other areas they consider to be important. They have to write out their reasoning, put together a slideshow and present their argument to the class. They’ve also learned about other sports related careers, like physical therapists and coaches.

“My favorite part of class is the competitiveness and strategy because you have to draft the team and make trades that will help your team,” Gaines said. “It’s a lot about strategy because you have to pick the players that will fit with your team.”

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Students guide new class choices

Remington Traditional School students have an opportunity to explore a variety of elective interests at the end of each school day with Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs). ELOs started with students filling out an interest survey. Combined with teacher input, those surveys were used to develop their first round of ELOs.

“In one of the surveys, the students wanted to research different cultures,” said eighth grade teacher Heather Williams. “So, we designed the ELO ‘Keeping up with Culture,’ and students helped lead that ELO. Student input and choice is the most successful aspect of the ELO.”

About every six weeks, new classes are offered. The most recent cycle at Remington offered classes centered around yoga, coding, art, walking, academic support and learning a language. Eighth graders Aisha Maigyara and Madelyn Stevenson were active in the yoga class, where the students learn and practice yoga movements. They were working together in a partner activity and shared that the yoga class has been one of their favorites so far.

“It’s a time where we get to do something we really want to do and we get to unwind,” Stevenson said.

Choice is a large component of ELOs, and teachers strive to create a variety of unique opportunities for students each six weeks.

“The mission of ELOs would be to give our middle school students elective choices similar to those they might see at a bigger school,” Williams said. “Our biggest hope is that the students have choices and options as well as being exposed to a variety of content.”

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Mindfulness activities help students focus

Advisory is a part of every student’s schedule at Holman Middle School and is used to promote strong relationships and community with other students and staff. School counselor Holly Berends is using that time for a new program allowing eighth graders to practice mindfulness.

Holman Middle School eighth graders have the opportunity to participate in meditation activities, such as coloring, during advisory. Shown are, from left, Jayda Lee, Haylie Johnson and Samara West.

“Students can choose to come here instead of staying in their assigned advisory classrooms,” she said. “This is something they can opt into if they need time to calm down or just get away.”

Mindfulness is a term given to a range of practices and strategies. It includes meditation, yoga, stretching and coloring. All of these activities are stress and anxiety reducing practices and Berends said it helps students focus, improve physical well-being and support social-emotional growth.

“We talk a lot about the psychoeducation and why we do mindfulness, but we noticed a lack of actual opportunity to practice it and try it out during the school day,” she said. “I purposely made this available to any eighth grader who wants to come as a chance to work on some of the things I preach.”

Samara West said participating in the weekly group makes her feel better.

“My advisory class can be really loud and I get distracted,” she said. “It makes me happy I can come here and be with friends and take my mind off other stuff.”

The activity for the day was mindful coloring. With calming music playing, the students worked very slow and deliberately coloring an outlined picture.

“We’ve also done meditation,” Jayda Lee said. “We sit and close our eyes and listen to mindfulness instructions on the TV and that helps me calm down.”

This is the first semester the program has been offered to students.

“We did a site visit and learned about how other schools are providing opportunities for students to practice mindfulness,” Berends said. “That made me want to start this and have a space where we can effectively practice these strategies.”

Left, Remington Traditional School sixth grader Aphomya Fantahun works on an art project during her Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO). Right, sixth graders Ellen Mae Young, left, and Daphne Woelfel practice partnered yoga movements during their ELO.

Left, Pattonville Heights Middle School teacher Hunter Drew, center, works with eighth grader Colin Rutlin, right, on his weekly player stats during the Fantasy Sports explore lab while seventh grader Adrian Gray works on determining his points. Right, eighth grader Kirubel Samson, left, listens as eighth grader Ty’Son Gaines pitches a player trade.

DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL

Student-created assembly thanks custodians

Imagine the beat to the song “We Will Rock You,” but change the words to “You will, you will, be great. You will, you will, clean up.” That was just a few lines in the revised song that students at Drummond Elementary School sang to their custodians during a surprise appreciation assembly in February.

Fifth graders Kameron Grundy and Hannah Guetschow had the idea to show appreciation to custodians Harry Cima and Mike Williams, the two daytime custodians at Drummond. They completely organized the assembly, including a performance by the school choir and orchestra, with their revised lyrics.

“We’re hosting a surprise for the custodians because, at the start of the school year, we thought that we want the custodians to get recognition,” Grundy said. “Then we wrote the essay about why we want a celebration assembly for the custodians. And now it’s turning into a real thing.”

They shared their essay with principal Jason Van Beers who gave them the go ahead to organize the assembly.

“Hannah wrote a letter to me asking to host a thank you assembly for our custodians,” Van Beers said. “I wrote Hannah back and scheduled a meeting with her and Kameron. We discussed how to go about planning an event like this. Both Hannah and Kameron took that and ran with it. They contacted our music teacher Mr. (Jacob) Johnson, orchestra teacher Mrs. (Irena) Goren-Scheer and their peers to schedule the event to say thank you to Mr. Harry and Mr. Mike. It was a really cool way for them to say thank you.”

Both Grundy and Guetschow, who are in Jami Miller’s class, are members of the school orchestra, and Guetschow is in the Drummond choir.

“We just thought it would be fun,” Guetschow said. “I talked to my choir teacher, Mr. Johnson, and he suggested that we sing ‘We Will Rock You’ because that’s the first thing we learned on the violin. So I changed up the lyrics for the choir to sing.”

The performance took place during lunch one day, since Grundy and Guetschow knew both custodians would be there at that time. It took three months of planning, but they said it was completely worth it.

“I wanted to do this for the custodians because they clean up the bathrooms and the classrooms and also the cafeteria which is loved on by 700 kids,” Grundy said.

After the choir and orchestra performed their rendition of “We Will Rock You,” Grundy and Guetschow invited Cima and Williams on stage.

“Thank you for taking the time to clean up the school every single day,” Guetschow said. “You guys pick up our lunch with a perfect smile.” And to the students, she said. “If you don’t clean up after yourself, I’m just gonna tell the custodians to go on vacation for a year!”

ALUMNI SUCCESS

Graduates in the news

Sarah Hasekamp, Class of 2018 - Hasekamp returned to her middle school alma mater to speak to band students, much like she experienced as a seventh grader herself. Hasekamp visited Holman Middle School in November to perform and talk about her experience

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Before-school program energizes students

Students at Parkwood Elementary School are excited for the mornings when they spend time before school with the Rise and Shine workout group, organized by PE teacher Kyle Schaper.

“During this time we have workouts created for the students to do, games to play and drills and other activities to get them active early in the morning,” he said. “The goal is to help kids who have a ton of energy in the classroom burn a little bit of it off, activate more of their brain with exercise, which research shows increases learning capacity, and start their day off right with exercise and activity.”

Each third through fifth grade classroom teacher gets three Rise and Shine passes for each weekly session to give to their students, which can be selected for a variety of reasons. Some teachers set up a rotation within the class, some follow a first come, first served request system and others may have some specific students they know will benefit from the activity whenever it’s available. Teachers will often look for students who are typically energetic in the classroom and might benefit from extra physical activity to help them focus during school. They might also identify students who could benefit from additional play time as this space allows them to have positive social interactions with other students, participate in open activities outside of the classroom and can help alleviate stress and anxiety

There are also many students who participate due to their own interest and enjoyment in the workouts. Schaper said that in addition to giving students some extra play and extra time, “they’re also learning basic exercise concepts along with some more advanced exercises and techniques they may not otherwise learn until middle or high school.”

Fourth grader Milan Staples and fifth grader William Woerheide both agreed that they enjoy coming to the Rise and Shine club because it helps them get stronger. Schaper has received a lot of positive feedback from classroom teachers in regard to the impact they’ve seen in their students who participate.

“There has been overwhelming thanks from classroom teachers as we’ve been able to have positive effects on classroom behaviors,” he said. “We’ve gotten thanks from some of the coaches at school as we’ve been able to reinforce things taught at practice and allow for extra repetitions. Having extra time with students has also allowed for more one-on-one teaching of techniques, sportsmanship and gameplay which has helped mine and Mrs. (Karri) Merseal’s PE classes.”

in music. She performed a solo on the snare drum and marimba, played a marimba duet with band teacher Adam Hall and demonstrated an instrument from Zimbabwe called the mbira.“I was that person in their seats and now to be on the other side of it, it’s just the cool part of music and teaching,” she said. “My teachers have always been an inspiration to me and I hope to be that for someone else.” Hasekamp graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music education from Murray State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in percussion performance at Mizzou.

Brittany Brown Glaesman (nee Harris), Class of 2004Brown Glaesman was recently named a partner at Carmody MacDonald P.C. Brown Glaesman graduated from Truman State with a bachelor’s degree in justice systems and political science in 2008 and earned her law degree from Saint Louis University in 2011. She began as an attorney at Cordell and Cordell in 2011 and started as an associate attorney at Carmody MacDonald in 2018. Since 2014, Brown Glaesman has annually been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers.

Members of the Drummond Elementary School orchestra and choir perform during an assembly to appreciate the school’s custodians.

Drummond Elementary School fifth graders Hannah Guetschow, left, and Kameron Grundy share their appreciation of school custodians during an assembly they organized.

Students from Parkwood Elementary School do jumping jacks as part of the Rise and Shine workout group. They include, from the left, fourth graders Noah Ruffin, Ronzell Boatner, Milan Staples and Deshaun Wortham.

Sarah Hasekamp

Brittany Glaesman

BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

DISTRICTWIDE

MLK Essay-Poster Contest

Students

from Rose Acres

Elementary School and Remington

Traditional School participated in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay-

Poster Contest sponsored by the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA). The theme for this year’s contest was “Fulfilling Dr. King’s Dream: Reading to Lead and Transform.” Four students placed in the state competition after winning at the district level. From Rose Acres, the following students earned recognition. Second grader Maxwell Schneider placed third in the Grades 2-3 category. In the fourth and fifth grade category, fifth graders William Purnell placed second and Donald McCullough placed third. They are taught by Program for Exceptionally Gifted Students (PEGS) teacher Robin Chang. At Remington, eighth grader Lakshita Raja placed second in the Grades 6-8 category. She is taught by eighth grade teachers Diane Langston and Heather Williams.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

National Youth Leadership Forum

Junior Sai Dorasani participated in the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF), an organization that offers career exploration programs for students. She attended an eight-day engineering program hosted at Rice University in Houston, Texas, during the summer of 2022. At the program, participants learned from industry experts, experienced site visits and simulations and worked on a Capstone Impact Challenge.

Eagle Scout honor

Senior Benjamin Wallace received his Eagle Scout rank. His project was to create a raised wooden garden bed for the Mound Ridge Retreat Center. Wallace was responsible for the planning, design, supply procurement and building of the garden bed.

Project Pave

Freshman Sophia Luraschi was selected to represent the I-270 Project Pave program at Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State Address to the Missouri General Assembly in Jefferson City on Jan. 18. Luraschi was recognized during the speech and visited the governor’s office where she met Gov. Parson, first lady Teresa Parson, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and several directors from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). MoDOT and its contracting team leaders created Project Pave as a program that mentors and supports students attending St. Louis County high schools near the I-270 North project and aims to support students with an interest in highway design, engineering and construction careers.

UMSL Bridge Program

The University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Bridge Program offers students enrichment opportunities in math, communication skills, career research, personal and professional development and other activities that support planning for college. Five students were among those selected to participate in the 2022 Bridge Program Summer Academy where they attended classes and workshops on UMSL’s campus. The following students completed the program: sophomores Jabari Coleman, Demetrius Johnson, Daniel Rose and Brianna Washington and junior Jerl Huling Jr.

Youth Advisory Board

Four students were accepted to Missouri State Sen. Brian Williams’ Youth Advisory Board. The group consists of two monthly meetings with Sen. Williams where students from across the St. Louis region meet to discuss relevant issues. The students also work on a long-term project focused on food insecurity and create and grow partnerships in the St. Louis region to address the issue. On March 27, the students visited the state capitol to watch an in-person legislative session. The students accepted to the Youth Advisory Board are: sophomore Carlos Sandoval Pina, juniors Cyan Kelley and Nia Warren and senior Matthew Kliethermes.

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

The following Pattonville student-athletes recently made a commitment to play a sport at the collegiate level. They are: Emma Artelt, girls tennis, Illinois College; Ian Bailey, cheerleading, Lindenwood University; Britini Benedict, girls soccer, St. Charles Community College; Charlie Burns, baseball, William Woods University; J’nylah Curtis, girls basketball, Harris-Stowe University; Karmen Daniels, softball, Fontbonne University; Jasmine Gray, girls basketball, Washburn University; Camryn Hubbard, track and field, Iowa State University; Megan Hughes, girls soccer, William Woods University; Kyle Kaemmerer, boys soccer, William Woods University; Austin Kirton, baseball, Culver-Stockton College; Madison Leckrone, softball, William Woods University; Jordyn Maryas, girls soccer, Missouri Baptist University; Mattie Ohlsen, girls soccer, Lindenwood University; Jackson Podmore, baseball, St. Louis Community College; Allison Schrumpf, girls soccer, Lindenwood University; and Rebecca Simpkins, girls soccer, Roosevelt University (Chicago).

Registration open for summer activities

Pattonville School District students can participate in summer activities through Pattonville’s community and staff engagement department. Activities begin in June and July, depending on the program and include aquatics, band, baseball, basketball, dance, field hockey, soccer, softball and volleyball. For more information or to register, visit https://bit.ly/PSDSummerCamps2023

Ian Bailey

Charlie Burns

Karmen Daniels Camryn Hubbard

Kyle Kaemmerer

Madison Leckrone

Jackson Podmore Allison Schrumpf Rebecca Simpkins

Emma Artelt

Britini Benedict J’nylah Curtis

Jasmine Gray Megan Hughes

Austin Kirton

Mattie Ohlsen

Jordyn Maryas

Sai Dorasani

Sophia Luraschi

Students who graduated from the UMSL Bridge Program include Jerl Huling Jr., left, and Daniel Rose.

Youth Advisory Board participants include Cyan Kelley, left, and Carlos Sandoval Pina.

Shown are the students who earned recognition through the MLK Essay-Poster Contest. They are, from left, front row, Maxwell Schneider and Lakshita Raja and, back row, William Purnell, Donald McCullough and teacher Robin Chang.

Benjamin Wallace

Pattonville High School senior signs with City SC, plays in soccer season opener

Pattonville High School senior Miguel “Miggy” Perez can say something that no one else at school can — he’s a professional soccer player. In February, Perez signed a three-year Major League Soccer (MLS) homegrown contract to play on the St. Louis City SC team as a midfielder. A MLS homegrown contract allows teams to sign local players from their development academies.

“It’s always been my dream to play professional soccer, but playing for my hometown, it’s even more special because I can inspire little kids and keep letting them know that it’s possible,” Perez said.

At the time of publication, Perez has played in all three of the team’s games, including the St. Louis home opener on March 4. He’s logged a total of 99 minutes, including starting in the game on March 11 against the Portland Timbers in Oregon. City SC is currently undefeated and is only the second expansion team in MLS history to start 3-0. Perez also has a record that’s all his own — he is the first St. Louisan to play for the team and, as of the game on March 11, he’s the first St. Louisian to start for City SC.

Perez started playing soccer in kindergarten at Holy

SEE THE INTERVIEW

Miguel Perez, who was a student at Remington Traditional School, sat down with Remington second grader Evan Barth ahead of City SC’s first home match. To watch the interview, visit https://bit.ly/PerezInterview2023

Spirit and played for local clubs JB Marine Academy and St. Louis Scott Gallagher. He was part of the soccer club at Remington Traditional School and played with the high school team for two years. During his freshman year, the team won districts. His sophomore year was cut short due to the pandemic. By junior year, he was playing with City.

In 2021, as a junior, Perez was one of the first players named to St. Louis City SC’s academy teams, part of the MLS NEXT program. At the time, he was identified as one of the area’s top athletes and was accurately predicted to be a player who could be on the team’s first MLS roster. He made history by scoring the club’s first goal during its first game, with the team beating the Chicago Fire, 4-3. Perez also made seven appearances for the academy’s UPSL (United Premier Soccer League) squad, including a two-goal performance in the team’s 5-4 loss in the conference playoff semifinals.

While he hasn’t scored with City SC just yet, he’s given thought to what he’ll do when he does score his first goal – run to the corner and knee slide.

“I watch a lot of professional games,” Perez said. “(Cristiano) Ronaldo. (Lionel) Messi. You watch those guys play and then I try to take their skills and implement them in my game. That’s what I tried to do.”

St. Louis has welcomed the introduction of professional soccer to the city, with the first home game selling out all 22,500 seats. Perez, who’s been featured on various news outlets and whose picture is on Apple

TV’s MLS banner, gets noticed when he walks down the halls at Pattonville High School. He’s had people come up and ask if he’s the pro MLS City SC soccer player. And while Perez is just 17 years old and still attending high school classes, when he goes to training, he is surrounded by players, some who are almost double his age.

“After school, I go to training and then they all make fun of me, saying things like, ‘You gotta go back to school,’ ” Perez said. “But this is just going out there and working hard to try to get on the roster and make a spot, that’s all I do really.”

And, after training, Perez indeed goes home to complete homework. That is until he graduates this May.

CSIP: Board approves updated strategic plan for 2023-2028

The Pattonville Board of Education on Feb. 14 approved an updated strategic plan for the district following a months-long process involving parents, students, community members, staff and area leaders. The plan, or CSIP (Comprehensive School Improvement Plan), focuses on ensuring all students become success-ready graduates and planning for and addressing any critical issues that may arise in the areas of facilities, finances, safety and staffing. Each school provided feedback on the district CSIP plan and met independently to create a building plan, which was completed at the Feb. 21 district CSIP meeting. Below are the goals and objectives for the 2023-2028 CSIP plan.

Goal 1 - Student Learning

Students demonstrate significant improvement in their understanding and application of state academic standards.

Objectives:

• All students are proficient in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

• Students are responsible citizens.

• Career and technical education is an integral component of the education program.

• The district designs elementary and middle school after-school programming to prepare students for high school academic and athletic options; supports community programming meeting specific criteria that supports Pattonville student participation in athletics and activities; and improves and enhances supports for programming.

Indicators:

• All students score proficient or higher on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) and internal assessments. All students meet the equity targets of high school course content readiness and success ready graduates.

• Attendance rate (annually) 90% of students attend school 90% of the time.

• Graduation rate (annually) is 92% or higher.

• Student responsibility indicators increase annually.

• Community service involves 100% of students (K-12).

• Increased number of career and technical education approved programs.

• Increased participation in career and technical student organizations.

• 90% of graduates will meet the MSIP 6 standard for post-secondary placement.

• Types of after school programming offered and number of students participating at the elementary and middle levels will increase annually.

• Elementary and middle school after school programming supports high school MSHSAA options.

• Program satisfaction survey results from students and parents will increase annually.

Goal 2 - Align Goals

Develop and implement building-level school improvement plans consistent with CSIP.

Objective: Building improvement plans improve structure, instruction and climate that supports improved student achievement and responsibility.

Indicators:

• Schools accumulate 90% or more of the possible points on MSIP 6 standards.

• Climate improves annually or maintains a 90% satisfaction level.

• All teachers participate in professional development that directly supports the plan.

• Teams composed of at least 50% or more community/parents/student representatives who are not employees of the district.

Goal 3 - Critical Issues

Develop a plan that addresses critical issues.

Objective: Funding, staffing, safety and facilities.

Indicators:

• Facilities plan supports student application of state standards.

• Maintain at least MSIP “desirable” student-teacher ratios and facilities within a balanced budget (with 26% balances).

• Provide a safe learning environment for the Pattonville community of students and staff.

Find out more

Review a copy of Pattonville’s newly approved Comprehensive School Improvement plan at https://bit.ly/PSD-CSIP-2023-28

Pattonville High School senior Miguel Perez signed a Major League Soccer (MLS) homegrown contract with City SC. As of publication, he has played in all first three games of the season.