Highlights May 2019

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

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

MAY 2019

Inside

Pattonville named to U.S. News’ Best High Schools list for sixth time - See page 3 for details

PHS junior earns rare perfect score on ACT college entrance exam

- See page 3 for details

AUTHOR INVASION

Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent

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

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

Our Mission That ALL will learn.

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rummond Elementary School hosted a major author event for approximately 1,000 students in third through fifth grades from Bridgeway, Drummond, Parkwood and Willow Brook elementary schools. Twenty-two award-winning, bestselling middle-grade authors took part in the OMG Book Festival, a celebration of books aimed at readers ages 7 to 12. Students from the different schools attended one of three sessions. Each started with a pep rally that introduced the authors, as shown at right with author Tui Sutherland greeting students. Next, students divided into classrooms with authors to create a story or participate in other story-related activities, as shown above with authors, from left, Adele Griffin and Angela Dominguez.

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

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

22 middle grade children’s authors engage in activities with 1,000 Pattonville students

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1 St. Ann, MO

BOARD OF EDUCATION

From the Superintendent

Helping children find their passion and path in life S

pring is one of the busiest times of year for our schools. Students are preparing to take state standardized tests, Advanced Placement exams, the ACT, etc. There’s another reason spring is busy. It’s typically Dr. Tim Pecoraro the time of year for many Superintendent school performances. StuFollow on Twitter: dents have been working all @PattonvilleSupt year to show everyone their talents in playing musical instruments, singing, performing on stage or showing off their work on a project they’ve been creating for many months. That’s why it’s one of my favorite times of year too.

Each of us has a “why,” something that drives us. For our students, some have already identified what their “why” is. For many others, they’re still exploring, trying new things. which is one of the most important parts of childhood.

We’ve become a country of specialization at a young age. Whether that’s related to sports, the arts or academics, we seem to be in a rush to find what each child’s passion is and then put a heavy emphasis on focusing solely on that skill.

I realize this approach can work, but for many children, they need to experience a variety of choices before they decide their path in life.

One of the great things about Pattonville is our students have the opportunity to explore many of these options. Starting in elementary school, we strive to provide students with exposure to extracurricular clubs so they can explore their talents. For many students, this might be the first time they’ve had a chance to be in a play or try building a robot. These experiences are critical not only because students might find a passion, but also because they may discover things they thought they liked weren’t for them after they tried it. As students transition to middle school, the academic offerings during and after school expand. Students have the chance to try more things and go deeper with their exposure.

One of our primary goals during elementary and middle school is to help students get connected with multiple paths as they head to Pattonville High School. A benefit to having a comprehensive high school is we virtually have something for everyone. The challenge is making sure students clearly understand all their options and what they entail. This brings us back to the importance of allowing students to explore many possibilities as they move through our school system. Allowing them to identify which paths they enjoy and are good at help them better prepare for life as a high school student. This is where they can truly start dedicating more time to areas that are possible paths beyond high school. Every child has their “why.” We just need to be patient until they discover what it is.

Pattonville school board members sworn into office

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eturning board members Mary Kay Campbell and Ruth Petrov were sworn into office during the April 9 meeting of the Pattonville Board of Education. Both were elected to three-year terms during the April 2 general municipal election.

The board also voted on officers and annual appointments to various organizations. The officers are as follows: Andrea Glenn, president; Dr. Brian Gray, vice president; Mindy Ridings, secretary; and Campbell, treasurer.

Campbell was also appointed to the Pattonville Education Foundation. Jeanne Schottmueller was appointed as a delegate to the Missouri School Boards Association, with Glenn appointed as alternate. Petrov was appointed as the board member to represent Pattonville on the Governing Council of the Special School District, with Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell as alternate.

Re-elected school board members Mary Kay Campbell, center, and Ruth Petrov, left, are sworn into office by Jeanne Schottmueller.

BOARD PROFILE: Andrea Glenn, president Family history inspires work on behalf of all students A

ndrea Glenn’s decision to serve on the school board grew out of a historic family legacy which emphasized the importance of education and equality. Glenn is the first African-American member of the Pattonville Board of Education and first African-American president of the board.

“My decision to serve is based on a few reasons: to continue my extended family’s legacy of the importance of education, which has been instilled in me at a very young age, and my involvement with the Pattonville Prop P campaign as a co-chair resulting in my desire to continue Andrea Glenn serving and supporting the Pattonville School District and the community,” she said.

Part of Glenn’s family legacy is her link to the landmark Supreme Court case Brown vs (Topeka) Board of Education, which struck down segregation in American schools in 1954. The schoolgirl at the center of this case was the late Linda Brown, Glenn’s cousin. Both lived in Topeka, Kansas, and Glenn grew up there. “(Brown) along with my parents were very influential persons in my life regarding the importance of equality and education,” she said. “This early foundation made a difference in my personal and career aspirations, choices and achievements.”

Glenn moved from Boston, Massachusetts to the Pattonville community 20 years ago. She is in her sixth year serving on the board and works at Pfizer Inc. as a human resources business partner/human resources site leader “responsible for implementing and building effective people solutions to deliver business growth.”

She and her husband, Carl, are the parents of two

Pattonville graduates. She also serves as vice chair of the EducationPlus Board of Directors and as a life/career mentor to young adults. She is involved with several metro St. Louis charities.

Glenn said she has countless proud moments from serving on the board.

“Whenever I attend any Pattonville school event and see first hand the diverse talent and potential of all students, I beam with pride,” she said. She is also proud of the district’s academic accolades, Pattonville’s multiple Top Workplaces awards and “knowing that the work of the Pattonville Board of Education is not only impacting current students at all levels, but also students five, 10 and 15 years from now.”

She is an advocate for children of all ages.

“All students have the right to a quality and equal education that caters to their individual educational, cultural and developmental needs in a safe, healthy environment resulting in socially responsible young people,” she said. “My hope is that all Pattonville students have the same opportunities to be prepared for the 21st century and get the knowledge, skills and abilities they need to succeed in society.

“I wholeheartedly value public education,” she added. “As a board of education member, I serve the community, administrators, teachers/staff and students since I believe that public education is tied to the vitality of our Pattonville community.”

When she’s not working or volunteering, Glenn enjoys traveling, scrapbooking, theatrical productions, music and relaxing with family and friends.

Pattonville offers free summer meals for children C

hildren ages 18 and under can access free summer meals through Pattonville’s participation in the federal Seamless Summer Program. Offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the program is designed to ensure students have access to meals during the summer when school is not in session.

Meals will be available at Holman Middle School as follows: 8:30 to 9 a.m. for breakfast and 11 a.m. to noon for lunch, June 10 through July 26, Mondays through Fridays (except July 1 through 5). Adults may also purchase meals for $1.80 for breakfast and $3.35 for lunch. No reservations are necessary. For more information, call (314) 213-8054.

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Pattonville High School named among Best High Schools in U.S. for sixth time P

attonville High School has been ranked among the top high schools in Missouri and the nation on U.S. News and World Report’s 2019 Best High Schools list.

Pattonville ranked as No. 36 out of 596 high schools in Missouri, placing it in the Top 6% of high schools in the state. Nationally, the high school was ranked in the Top 12% of high schools. This is the sixth time Pattonville earned a spot on U.S. News’ Best High Schools list in the last seven years.

“Congratulations to our entire staff for continuing to provide superior educational opportunities and teaching our students each and every day,” said Dr. Joe Dobrinic, Pattonville High School principal, in a note of thanks to high school staff. “It is because of your expertise and dedication that PHS consistently achieves terrific results and recognition.”

Pattonville superintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro echoed his thoughts.

“For six years, U.S. News has recognized what we already know - our high school is a top tier place for students to learn, grow and become prepared for their next step in life,” Pecoraro said. “Our staff is committed to creating personalized, meaningful learning experiences that prepare our students for college and careers. That begins in preschool and elementary school and remains constant through middle and high school. Thanks to our entire school family for all they do for our students.”

The U.S. News Best High Schools rankings include data on more than 23,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 17,000 schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.

Find out more at www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/missouri/districts/ pattonville-r-iii.

Dr. Jon Fitzgerald, center left, is shown with representatives from the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals who surprised him with the news of his recognition.

Pattonville junior earns rare perfect score on ACT college exam P

attonville High School junior Matthew Samuel earned a rare perfect score on the ACT. He received a 36, the highest score possible.

Only around two-tenths of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2018, only 3,741 out of more than 1.9 million graduates who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1 through 36. A student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

In a letter to the Samuel recognizing his Matthew Samuel achievement, ACT CEO Marten Roorda said, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. Your exceptional scores will provide any college or university with ample evidence of your readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.”

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. According to ACT, students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in core subject areas. ACT scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and universities across the US. The last time a Pattonville student earned a perfect score was in 2007.

PHS senior chosen as Scholar Athlete P

attonville High School senior Kendall Battle was chosen to represent Pattonville as a St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scholar Athlete. In its 53rd year, the Scholar Athlete program honors a student from every high school in the area who participates in athletics and excels in the classroom.

Battle was selected by nomination and vote of Pattonville’s coaches. She was honored with her biography published in the May 9 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and online at STLToday. com. She was also recognized during a St. Louis Cardinals game. Battle is a four-sport athlete who is excels academically and athletically. She played Kendall Battle basketball, field hockey and soccer and was on the track and field team.

Athletic recognitions include numerous All-Conference honors in each of her sports, as well as Second Team All-State and All-State Offensive Player of the Year for soccer. She was also part of the girls track team that placed second overall at the state championship in 2018. She earned All-State honors and was part of the 4x400 relay team that placed second at state, setting a new school record that year. Academically, she also qualified for state in javelin. Battle is also active in the DECA marketing education organization at Pattonville. In the category of sports and entertainment marketing, she was a district champion, placed second at state and qualified for nationals.

Board approves selection of assistant principal T

Pattonville administrator chosen as High School Assistant Principal of the Year P

attonville High School assistant principal Dr. Jon Fitzgerald was selected as 2019 High School Assistant Principal of the Year by the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals (SASSP). On April 11, he was surprised with the news of his recognition and a check for $250 to use to award a scholarship to a Pattonville senior.

SASSP is a district within the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MoASSP) and covers about 70 school districts and private schools throughout the St. Louis metro area. Each MoASSP district selects one individual to be recognized as High School Assistant Principal of the Year at the annual fall conference. One of those individuals will be selected as the MoASSP Assistant Principal of the Year and will be entered in the national Assistant Principal of the Year award program.

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he Pattonville Board of Education on April 9 approved the selection of Dr. Rosalyn Manahan as assistant principal at Pattonville High School. She will begin her new role on July 1. Manahan currently serves as the assistant principal of Hazelwood East High School and previously worked as an assistant principal at Hazelwood Central Middle School and as a science teacher at Kirby Middle School. Manahan earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University, a master’s degree in educational administration from Lindenwood University and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Maryville University.

Rosalyn Manahan

Lunch-time event gives PHS students glimpse of prom dresses available to borrow I

n the week prior to this year’s prom, Pattonville High School students got a glimpse of prom dresses they could borrow for the big event. Students staged a short prom fashion show in the school cafeteria during lunchtime to model dresses available at Pirate Pete’s Closet. This is a room at the high school where students can pick out and keep donated items such as coats, shoes and shirts as needed. The prom dresses are only available to borrow, but there are approximately 100 dresses in stock.

Students in Mary Favazza’s Clothing and Textiles and Advanced Clothing and Textiles classes emceed the fashion show and modeled the dresses on a red carpet while upbeat music played in the background.

Pirate Pete’s Closet is organized by Special School District (SSD) teacher Lynn Wynen-Chamberlain. Wynen-Chamberlain worked with Favazza and her students on the special event to make sure students knew the dresses were available.

Bridgeway Elementary School third grader London Bell shows visiting authors her dance moves during one of the opening author pep rallies of the OMG Book Festival at Drummond Elementary School.

OMG Book Festival, continued from front page

The sessions concluded with students choosing a book to keep for free and getting it signed by the book’s author.

“Our mission (in hosting the festival) is to spark a lifelong love of reading in every student,” said Drummond library technology specialist Tammi Buckner and instructional specialist Angie Huesgen.

In addition to the previously mentioned guests, other authors and illustrators visiting Drummond included: Tracey Baptiste, Max Brallier, Michael Buckley, Julia DeVillers, Marcus Emerson, Elizabeth Eulberg, Stuart Gibbs, Karina Glaser, Vashti Harrison, Gordon Korman, Kekla Magoon, Sarah Mlynowski, Eliot Schrefer, Courtney Scheinmel, Liesl Shurtliff, Ronald Smith, T.R. Simon, Christina Soontornvat and Booki Vivat.

The festival was sponsored by the Novel Neighbor bookstore. The private event at Drummond was part of a series of events in St. Louis celebrating books. Other activities included “The Author Circus,” a public event at the Ladue Fifth Grade Center, and a special educator and librarian event to allow authors to meet the people who are essential in the mission of connecting children with books. Several Pattonville educators attended this event as well.

Pattonville High School students stand on a red carpet after modeling prom dresses available for their classmates to borrow from Pirate Pete’s Closet.

Students raise funds to support weekend food backpack program at Pattonville High School S

tudents in the Student Quest Christian Club at Pattonville High School recently presented a check for more than $1,300 to Dorsett Village Church to support a program that assists Pattonville students in need.

Student Quest sold wristbands that read “PHS Cares For Its Own” to raise funds for Dorsett Village’s Fuel Pack Backpack Ministry program, which provides food for Pattonville students on the weekends. The church partners with Grace Church St. Louis to supply the food. The Board Student Administration Action Committee (BSAAC), Key Club and Student Council at Pattonville High School also held fundraisers to collect money for the cause. Funds raised will be used by Dorsett Village to purchase food for the backpack program. The outreach program has been providing non-perishable food items for children with food needs in Pattonville for the past seven years.

“This year, Fuel Packs has sent out over 150 bags a week, which equates to over 40,000 meals for students in need,” said Sue Hartley, who leads the program at Dorsett Village. For the past several years, Student Quest members and adult volunteers have put bags of food from Dorsett Village and others donors into book bags, which are picked up by students to take home each Friday. Fee Fee Baptist Church also provides food to the school about twice a month.

“This started out as a small project but very quickly grew as there were more families in our school district that needed food over the weekend,” said teacher Twila Harris, who organizes the backpack program at the high school. “We’re very grateful for the support of our community in providing for our students’ needs. It’s been wonderful to see our students take a leadership role in meeting those needs as well.”

For more information or to make a donation, contact Hartley at sue_hartley@att.net.

Author Vashti Harrison, left, signs a book as, from left, Drummond Elementary School third graders Janika Boutelle and Zion Norman look on. They are assisted by Drummond district technology specialist Heather Klein, standing center.

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Members of the Pattonville High School Student Quest Club present a check to representatives from Dorsett Village Church for a program that supplies food for the weekend for students in need.

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Our Learners Spotlight on

News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

PECC celebrates Week of the Young Child I

n April, the Pattonville Early Childhood Center (PECC) celebrated the Week of the Young Child, an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to spotlight early learning, young children, their teachers, families and communities. In honor of this week, the PECC celebrated with a different theme for each day of the week: Music Monday included a dance party; Tasty Tuesday featured freezer pops; Working Together Wednesday included fun, collaborative motor activities (shown below); Artsy Thursday involved students making creative art; and Family Friday concluded the week with students and staff showing their Pattonville Pride and wearing spirit wear or green and staging a school-wide parade.

Students in Jessica Smith’s English language arts class work on their Genius Hour passion projects. They are, from left, Hayley Buschmann, Kyle Kaemmerer and Jahlil Johnson.

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students pursue learning about what interests them W

hile checking in with eighth-graders in her English language arts class, Holman Middle School teacher Jessica Smith encountered a student who changed his mind about what passion project he would pursue in her class. He was worried about how his classmates would react to his original project idea because it involved sharing something personal, something he created.

While acknowledging his concerns, Smith encouraged him to stay true to his passions and to be himself.

The check-in was part of a unit Smith and fellow teacher Maegan Bowersox called the Genius Hour Project.

“You get to work on anything you want,” Smith said, describing the unit. “There’s two feelings (students) have - absolutely scared or absolutely excited.”

Bowersox and Smith developed the Genius Hour Project as a way to personalize learning for their students. The main idea of the project was to give students the opportunity to pursue something that interested them, to learn more about something they were passionate about. Students chose a goal, activity, event, interest or concern; set measurable goals to monitor their progress, along with a method for demonstrating their progress (such as a website, blog, video or podcast); found resources and research on their topic; and created a final presentation and/or product to demonstrate their learning, show how they’ve grown and outline next steps to continue learning.

Students had total control over what they learned, Bowersox said. They planned, managed and paced their own learning with weekly reflection and check-ins with their teachers.

“This project is about you learning something you’re passionate about and who you are as a learner,” Bow-

ersox told her students. Each week during the project, students reflected on what they learned, what challenges they came across and what they accomplished. They shared these updates in a format of their choosing for teacher and peer feedback.

A quick survey of students in both classes exposed a wide range of passions and interests: acting, becoming a rapper, coding, creating a YouTube channel, fashion and the different styles Holman students wear, food and culture, gaming, growing your own fruits and vegetables, the history of athletic shoes, the history of basketball and the origins of soccer and “how it became famous.”

Eighth-grader Kamryn Jones said he wanted to investigate megalodons, an extinct species of shark, because he wanted to “explore all the places no one has been, the deepest parts of the ocean.”

Another student wanted to learn how to be a nail technician. Smith said one way she could demonstrate her learning was by creating “a website and it could be her practicing her nail techniques each week.”

The culmination of the project involved students creating a product to showcase and explain their learning journey. Students presented their product to their class at the end of May. The product was an original, creative piece that explained, demonstrated or showed what the students did, made or learned. Students could choose a physical representation, such as a magazine, essay, poster, infographic or physical product, or a digital presentation, such as a video/movie, Google slides, online diary or vlog or business plan.

Smith said the whole process has been scary and exciting for her as a teacher, too, but in a good way.

“It’s sparking creativity in me, too,” she said.

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Sign up for summer activities

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attonville’s community education department offers a variety of summer camps and programs, including topics ranging from robotics and space to mathematics and band. Pattonville High School also offers several athletic camps for boys and girls in elementary and middle school. Download brochures and registration forms for these programs at bit.ly/PSDsummer2019.

In addition, Pattonville High School invites all high school students/athletes to take part in improving their overall athletic performance by attending one of its free summer strength and conditioning sessions. Find out more at bit.ly/PHSsummerconditioning2019.

Keep updated on youth activities and athletics by signing up for Pattonville’s Youth Activities and Athletics newsletter. Subscribe at www.psdr3.org/subscribe.

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Publishing parties elevate student writing B

ridgeway Elementary School third grade students learned the art and value of positive feedback during publishing parties this year. Following units on fiction writing and opinion writing, teachers Vicki Martin, Natasha Malone, Cathy Selleck, Rebekah Stabenow and Miranda Wilkes hosted the parties in their individual classes. In most classes, students placed their final writing sample on their desk along with a sheet of paper for positive comments from peers and teachers. Students rotated through the desks, reading the samples and leaving comments (as shown above with, from left, Nyia Johnson, Ja’Mya Thomas and Antonio Condado in Martin’s class). “We create a ‘cafe’ like atmosphere with quiet music and a light snack,” Martin said. A writing unit on informational writing concluded with a slightly different activity, in which students picked how they could present their information.

Some chose to do a movie using the Clips app on their iPads, while others used Keynote or Google Slides. Opinion writing was the final writing unit of the year, and students chose a variety of topics to research and formulate a written opinion on. Selleck’s class provided verbal readings and feedback during its publishing party, and students easily offered their thoughts, such as “you did a good job of saying why daylight should be longer” or “I liked the additional detail you used.” Selleck also shared her positive feedback, modeling the type of specifics they were looking for: “I liked that you kept a little sense of humor in your story,” she said. “That draws a reader in. I like that.”

DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Volunteers provide shoes, books for students L

ast year, the Assistance League of St. Louis donated 100 pairs of shoes for students at Drummond Elementary School. More than 30 volunteers came to campus and fitted students with shoes that matched their shoe size and their personality. When they came this year, counselor Carla Robertson told them about Bob Drummond, the school’s namesake, and his wish that every child could have his or her own library.

Following the discussion, the Assistance League volunteered to return and give books to students, which is also part of their programming designed to serve the specific needs of children and adults in the St. Louis community. At Drummond, volunteers brought two books for every student in kindergarten through second grade to take home with them and worked with students to help pick out books based on the student’s interests. In addition, the Assistance League volunteers also read with students (shown above) and staged a puppet show for them in the school kiva.

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

STEM Night offers fun family activities Kindergartners showcase learning via Job Fair R K PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

indergartners at Parkwood Elementary School learned about the people in their community and how they help others during a unit on community helpers. To begin, students enjoyed visits by community helpers, such as nurses and police officers, who shared information about their jobs. Students chose a helper to learn more about, then researched and compiled facts about those individuals and the goods and services they provide to their communities. Students chose a variety of professions to study, including bus drivers, coaches, construction workers, doctors, farmers, firefighters, hair stylists, paramedics, teachers and veterinarians. To conclude the unit, the kindergartners showcased their knowledge at their Kindergarten Job Fair in the school cafeteria (shown above with, from left, kindergartners Matthew Gallardo Aquilar and Koopyr Yates, second grader NaShawn Hawkins, paraprofessional Jarrett Harrison, kindergartner Joseph Cleveland Jr. and second grader Jackson Rumph). They dressed up as the community helper they chose to research and shared what they learned about that job. When visitors rotated to each student, the student shared their knowledge and answered questions. Their teachers are Amanda Castile, Christina Livingston, Audrey Masek and Denise Overman.

ose Acres Elementary School’s annual Family STEM Night enabled families to participate in hands-on activities together (shown above with teacher Rebecca Caldwell, students Sydney Martin and Samuel Martin and parent Angela Martin). “All the exhibits were designed to be interactive and allow families to join their students on their journey to learn more about science, technology, engineering and math,” said Rungsee Suvansri, science paraprofessional. Eleven different stations were staffed by parents and volunteers from Best Buy, the Challenger Learning Center, Pattonville High School and Washington University, as well as staff from Rose Acres and other schools in Pattonville. Participants could try their hand at flying a drone simulator, watch 3D printers in action, check out virtual reality equipment, learn how circuits work and drive a student-built robot through an obstacle course. Attendees learned about force and motion by building Hot Wheel ramps, used math to figure out which candies would sink or float and created jewelry based on their DNA. Other popular activities included a construction station, where students were given random construction challenges to build with Lego bricks, and the rocket design station, where families created and tested paper rockets with a custom-built rocket launcher using compressed air from a bicycle pump. First grader Kylan Watson seemed to enjoy it all: “I liked that it was interesting to see the technology that you can do,” he said.

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REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Tiger Troupe success continues to grow A

fter moving performances to Pattonville High School last year, Remington Traditional School’s Tiger Troupe experienced another first this year - staging two performances of its annual show. After last year’s performance filled to capacity, paraprofessional and Tiger Troupe club sponsor Jen Schmidt decided on two performances of this year’s show, “Aladdin,” both of which also sold out (shown above). When choosing shows, Schmidt considers the students she thinks will try out as well as which shows will interest students. Most students are familiar with Disney, as are their families and the community, which helps drive attendance. “Aladdin” was even more popular because it was also staged at the Fox Theatre this past winter. To prepare, students practiced for up to two and a half hours twice a week.

The leads also periodically rehearsed their songs, lines or choreography before school. In its sixth year of performances, the Troupe continues to find ways to make each year better. Currently, the group is working on cultivating its own collection of sets, costumes and props. To make the performances more sustainable, the Troupe is using sets and materials that can be reused each year. Schmidt also leads theater groups at Drummond and Rose Acres elementary schools, and costumes are being shared between those schools as well. In addition, parent and staff support continues to grow, as does the number of high school students who return to help with painting, stage crew or acting support.

Students partner with St. Louis Ambush on video S

tudents in Jason Payne’s digital media class at Pattonville Heights Middle School got to promote the St. Louis Ambush soccer team, while also spending time with the players. What started out with the students trying to help a local business led to a unique partnership with the professional soccer team. During the hour-long visit in March, students filmed the players doing trick shots, like kicking a soccer ball between the field goal posts. They also got to interview the players. In addition to learning production skills, students were learning how much work goes in to creating a quality video for YouTube, including planning, practice, visualizations and impromptu thinking and reacting. The students also learned about ways to reach outside of their networking area and how to grow beyond people they know to attract more viewers and collaborators.

After editing the video, it was shared on the Ambush’s Facebook page and Heights has shared it around the school and on its YouTube channel. The students received the satisfaction of helping a local business, while also getting to build relationships with professional soccer players. “We are just lucky the St. Louis Ambush were willing to step up and help us achieve this goal of making an entertaining video for them and their fans here in St. Louis and all over the world,” Payne said. “We feel as if we got to play a small part in the Ambush’s marketing this year.”

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Robot programming builds students’ skills W

illow Brook Elementary School third grade teacher Emily Forsythe is showing students that coding isn’t just a science and math skill - it can be used across the curriculum. Using a grant from the Pattonville Education Foundation, she bought 14 Spheros, which are spherical robots that can be programmed and controlled by a tablet to roll around, change colors and run programs. She introduced programming to her students because companies seek employees with skills related to coding, critical/creative thinking and effective communication, and coding teaches all of these. In a recent geometry unit, students chose a polygon, determined the attributes of its shape and coded the Sphero to trace the polygon’s shape (shown above with, from left, Jada Tucker and Kyleigh Lincoln). Then students turned the controls over to another student, who was challenged with running the code to trace the shape and name and describe the attributes of their partner’s polygon. “I like that you can code the Spheros, but it is hard to find the right blocks to make it do what you want it to the first time,” third grader Sophia Goldsmith said. “It’s a good challenge for me. It’s also fun to just drive the Sphero.” Forsythe plans to make the Spheros available to the whole school and embed them within more lessons and activities. “Students have been ecstatic about the Spheros as they are highly engaged when we are working on them,” Forsythe said. “I have also noticed that students are more resilient when they are coding and it is not working the way they want it to, compared to when they are struggling with their other classwork.”

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

CNA program prepares students for healthcare jobs S

even Pattonville High School seniors recently earned certification as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) after completing their CNA training at Pattonville and passing the state certification exam. Passing the Missouri State Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) exam were, shown above, from left, Karen Rosales, Christina Trinh, Emily Reyes, Danielle Eckhardt, Carmela Lee, Tyler Martin and Maggie Zumwalt. Their teacher is Anjie Stendeback. The CNA/Health Science class is a one-year course designed to increase students’ interest in health care by introducing them to the variety of opportunities and benefits of the industry. The first semester of the course consists of foundation and skills curriculum to prepare the students to function safely and competently in clinical areas. Students are taught the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) curriculum during their classroom time, including CPR training. Students also participate in 100 hours of on-the-job training via clinical experiences three to four days a week in area hospitals and skilled nursing facilities during second semester. Students can use their certification to obtain work in health and medical fields.

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Bragging Writes

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Basketball accomplishments

Third grader Donovan Irving is a member of the Let it Fly Elite 2029 basketball team that is ranked No. 1 in the country based on coast-tocoast prep in its age group. The team qualified for the Amateur Athletic Union National Tournament and was the champion of the Coach T Classic in March. In addition, Irving was Donovan Irving named the second/third grade boys division MVP of the Reebok Presents Snoball Classic.

about litter and discourage littering. The contest encourages students to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative mediums. Remington earned $200 for winning the grade 3 through 5 category and $600 and a trophy for taking the grand prize. Students who contributed to the entry were: Caleb Bonner, Aliyah Brown, Alexis Burroughs, Daniel Clifford, Devin Garner, Yosef Granillo, Donald McCullough, Jackson McCullough, Will Purnell, Nicholas Shao, Melissa Small, Harrison Vandernoot and Alexander Willingham. Their teachers are Robin Chang and Tracey Robinson.

Students honored in the HOSA Future Health Professionals state competition include, from left, front row, Melanie Rivera Nunez, Sarah Etwaroo, Ponon Masokano and Chloe Kerwin; and back row, Griffin Wick and Loudin Cato.

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL Missouri Law Day Contest

Fifth grader Daniel Clifford placed second in the fourth and fifth grade category of the Missouri Law Day Essay Contest. His essay focused on the powers, checks and balances and origins of the three governmental branches. The contest was sponsored Daniel Clifford by the Missouri National Education Association and the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers Section.

NPR Podcast Challenge

Seventh grader Floyd Davis earned an honorable mention in the firstever NPR Student Podcast Challenge Contest for his podcast on “Drugs and the Brain.” NPR invited students in fifth through 12th grades across the U.S. to submit a podcast on any topic they wished. Nearly 6,000 entries were submitted from schools across the United States.

HOSA international qualifiers

Newspaper sponsor Glenn Changar, left, back row, is shown with members of the award-winning student newspaper.

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

National newspaper contest

Floyd Davis

The Holman Pirate Times student newspaper was among the top-scoring middle school student publications in the American Scholastic Press Association’s Scholastic (ASPA) Newspaper Awards for 2019. This is the fourth consecutive year that Holman topped this national list of award-winning middle schools. Holman earned second place, the highest award for a middle school in 2019, and tied with three other middle schools in the U.S. The contest includes categories for middle school, high school and college publications. Holman’s newspaper is produced by the after-school Newspaper Club. Members are Nolan Ballard, Grace Burke, Syeda Urooj Fatima, Sydney Hoynacki, Matt Jacobi, Breon Jones, Gabrielle Kellner, Romero King, Gavin Lingle, Talisa Prabhu, Donmonique Simpkins, Sophia Tabers and Jessika Williams. Their sponsor is Glenn Changar.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Speak Hard conference PEGS teachers Tracey Robinson, second from right standing, and Robin Chang, right, are shown with the students who created the award-winning anti-littering entry for a state contest.

State litter awareness campaign

Students in the PEGS (Program for Exceptionally Gifted Students) class at Remington Traditional School won the grade 3 through 5 category and the grand prize in the 2019 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter Free” trash can-decorating contest sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). The class won for its “Grumpy Cat Says No More Trash and Memes It - Litter-ally” trash can entry. The contest is part of Missouri’s “No MOre Trash!” campaign to raise awareness

Sophomore Kayla Anderson was invited to attend Speak Hard, a day-long conference where students collaborate with their peers and learn more about issues such as bullying, suicide prevention and Kayla Anderson teen dating violence. Following the conference, students return to their communities ready to educate adults about these issues. Anderson used her knowledge about House Bill 270 to speak to legislators about nicotine and the possible impacts of vaping on school campuses. She was chosen for Speak Hard because of her leadership, advocacy interest and interest in developing public speaking skills.

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Sixteen students competed in the state HOSA Future Health Professionals competition, and nine advanced to the international competition. Will Polster was named an international qualifier after placing first in the researched persuasive writing and speaking event. Loudin Cato, Sarah Etwaroo, Chloe Kerwin and Ponon Masokano placed second in the original medical innovation event and will advance to the international competition. The final group that advanced to the internationals included Teidrick Banks, Mario Jauregui, Sam Vaclavik and Griffin Wick, who placed third in the HOSA Bowl. In addition, seven other students advanced to state. Mikayla Bridges and Melanie Rivera Nunez competed in the prepared speaking event. Marisa Ruggiero competed in the human growth and development event. Teryn Battle, Richa Boara, Becky Giang and Haley Swift competed in the HOSA Bowl. Teacher Jamie Jobe is their advisor.

Young Artists’ Showcase juried exhibit

Two students had art selected for the juried Emerson Young Artists’ Showcase. Senior Sydney Beins had a watercolor titled “Spiffy Pom” chosen and senior Celia Friedrich had an acrylic painting titled “Hanging by a Thread” selected. Around 370 students submitted artwork and less than one third were accepted.

Sydney Beins Their artwork was on display at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild in March. These students are in teacher Beth Kathriner’s AP Studio Art 2 class.

Jazz band festival honors

The jazz band and jazz ensemble from Pattonville High School placed third at the Jazz at the Meadows festival, a large festival comprised of around 100 performing ensembles from the Midwest. Five students earned Outstanding Musicianship awards for their performance. They are Chad Jones, for trombone in a jazz combo and Thomas McFarland jazz ensemble; Daniel Mamrenko for percussion in jazz ensemble; Thomas McFarland for vibes in a jazz band and percussion as part of the jazz ensemble; Alex Newett for trumpet in jazz band; and Simon Wacker for bass as part of the jazz combo. They are directed by Denny McFarland, Sara Deutschmann and Anna White.

Bragging Writes

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff Missouri Scholars 100

Two seniors at Pattonville High School were recognized by the 2019 Missouri Scholars 100 program. Will Polster was selected for the program Will Polster, left, and Victoria Lofland were recand Victoria ognized in the Missouri Scholars 100 program.

Lofland was selected as honorable mention. Missouri Scholars 100 is a statewide program sponsored by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals that honors 100 of Missouri’s top academic graduating students.

Selection is based on a formula that uses a student’s GPA and ACT or SAT score and an academic decathlon that consists of 10 events, including being an exemplary citizen, taking upper-level courses and being ranked in the upper 10% of their class.

UMSL Bridge Program

Students who completed the University of Missouri-St. Louis Bridge Program are Richard Dunbar, Jaylen Greenlee, Amiya Holmes, Jeffrey Kircus, Kevaughna Nelson, Ayiana O’Neal, Kendall Perine and Tyler Wright. The Bridge Program offers classes in subjects like math, writing skills, career and personal development and college preparation.

Jeffrey Kircus

Students who competed in the Holocaust Museum Art and Writing contest were, from left, Josie O’Dell, Kelly Hill, Beth Adler and Bryan Lopez.

Holocaust Art and Writing Contest

Kelly Hill, Bryan Lopez and Josie O’Dell were among 24 winners of the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center’s 17th Annual Art and Writing Contest. Nearly 500 submissions came from California to Florida for the contest, with winners representing six states, including 13 winners from Missouri. Lopez won second place and a $200 cash prize in the high school visual arts division for his “Life in Auschwitz” painting; Hill placed third and earned $100 with her “Suffer the Innocent” painting; and O’Dell earned honorable mention and a $25 cash prize for her “Work Sets You Free” painting.

Beth Adler also submitted work for the contest. Their art teacher is Marcia Mueller.

Aspirations in Computing Awards

Junior Ayana Griffin and senior Yasaman Mostafavi each won an Aspirations in Computing Award from NCWIT (National Center for Women and Information Ayana Griffin, left, and Yasaman Mostafavi Technology) earned the Aspirations in Computing Award.

Aspirations in Computing (AiC), a community for female technologists that encourages persistence in computing at each stage of an individual’s educational and professional development. The award serves to build a talent pool for the growing technical workforce and helps academic and corporate organizations celebrate diversity in computing by honoring young women for their computingrelated achievements and interests. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, leadership ability, academic history and plans for post-secondary education. Jeremiah Simmons is their computer science teacher.

Kappa League Student of the Year/ Facebook Young People Summit

Senior Aric Hamilton was chosen to receive the Kappa Alpha Psi Inc. 2019 Kappa League Student of the Year Award for the Middle-Western Province (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma).

He is one of eight national qualifiers for the Kappa League Student of the Year competition Aric Hamilton in July in Philadelphia.

He was also selected to serve on the Youth Leaders Council and have a leadership role in the State of Young People Summit hosted by Americas Promise Alliance and Facebook in June at Facebook Headquarters in Menlo Park, California. The State of Young People Summit will provide a platform for young people to share their real-time perspectives, lived experiences and ideas for change with adult thought leaders. Through this experience, a shared vision will be created for what authentic youth leadership and engagement can look like. This gathering will be a kick-off of a year-long initiative to put youth voice, action and leadership at the center of everything.

Girls basketball honors

Senior Niya Danfort was named All-Conference First Team and junior Kelsey Mack was named All-Conference Honorable Mention. They were coached by Doug McGhee with the assistance of Corey Lewis.

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Members of the historic first girls wrestling team at Pattonville High School included the following honorees, from left, Lucy Ndungu, Autumn Otis and Da’viona Bonner.

Girls wrestling honors

Eight students on the girls wrestling team earned AllConference honors. Junior Autumn Otis was a state qualifier and named All-Conference First Team. She is the school’s first girls wrestler to qualify for the Missouri state championships. Other wrestlers named AllConference First Team included Da’viona Bonner and Esther Gbloesse. Bonner is the first girls wrestler from Pattonville to wrestle at the college level. She signed a letter of intent to wrestle for Central Methodist University’s inaugural women’s wrestling team.

Pattonville wrestlers named All-Conference Second Team were Mikayla Bridges, Lucy Ndungu, Brittany Strasburger, Isabella Tucci and Camilla Wilkerson.

Brent Mueller coached the team with the assistance of Paige Mueller, Jake Kim, Mike Moeller and Michael Oosdendorp. This is the first year for girls wrestling in Pattonville. Missouri added girls wrestling to the list of sanctioned sports this year, and Pattonville’s team had nearly 20 wrestlers.

FAST swim sectionals

Students in the FAST swim team participated in the 2019 Speedo Region VII Spring Sectionals. Chaska Cox-Potter, Chris Tobar and Philip Tso competed in two events at the Students who competed in the Speedo event in Columswim sectionals were, from left, Philip Tso, bia. Of more than Chaska Cox-Potter and Chris Tobar.

70 teams from seven states, the boys finished 56th in the 200 medley relay and 61st in the 400 medley relay.

Boys basketball honors

Senior Julius Erby was named All-District and All-Conference Second Team. Freshman Kellen Thames was named AllDistrict and All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Sophomore Alijah Carter was also named AllJulius Erby, left, and Kellen Thames earned conference Conference Honorable honors in basketball.

Mention. The team was coached by Kelly Thames with the assistance of Antonio Bryant, Travis Harris, Jason Ohlsen and Dominic Varner.

Pattonville honors “Most Valuable Pirates”

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aculty members at Pattonville High School recently presented their MVP (Most Valuable Pirate) Awards to nearly 140 students in grades nine through 12. Each staff member selected one outstanding student to receive an MVP medallion based on criteria of their own choosing, such as academics, effort, positive influence and/or rising above adversity. The MVP Awards program was sponsored by the school’s Renaissance Shown are students who earned multiple MVP awards include, program, which recognizes academic performance, atten- from left, front row, Sarah Johnson and Josie O’Dell; and back row, Molly Hanford, Helen Nelson and Leslie Azwell. dance and citizenship.

Josie O’Dell received her fourth consecutive MVP award during the ceremony, and Kendall Battle and Summer Davis received their third MVP awards. Twenty-eight students were recognized with a second MVP award. They are: Leslie Azwell, Lauren Brewer, Slena Caldwell, Marquise Cousins, Rafael Crumpton, Celsey Davis, Aric Hamilton, Molly Hanford, Mya Harris, Deonna Heard, Sarah Johnson, Adrian Killingsworth, Micah Lee, Jefferson Lopez, Helen Nelson, Grace Ohlsen, Steven Patnaude, Megan Reese, Emily Reyes, Brenden Reynolds, Erika Sanchez, Terrell Sanderson, Nathan Schiermeyer, Wesley Spitzmiller, Tony Washington, Mae Lin White, Rachel Williamson and Reece Wolz.

The following students were also recognized with their first MVP Award: Aliza Ahmed, Demisha Anglin, Sydney Bampton, Lauren Barton, Sydney Beins, Kaeli Benedict, Casey Birk, Alexus Blount, Autumn Blue, Lucy Bodde, Da’viona Bonner, Ricky Brooks, Allison Brown, Christian Brown, Lilly Buehrle, Aaron Caldwell, Kyle Campbell, Eli Card, Emily Carlyon, Madisen Carr, Amonnie Carter, Loudin Cato, Lilian Chirwa, Makenzie Clay, Anthony Costa, Jaclyn Deterding, Cole Dunsford, Joshua Engelhardt, Julius Erby, Kevin Estrada Lopez, Courtney Faasen, Becky Giang, Ayana Griffin, Mycah Hall, Lacey Harder, Logan Harder, Evonna Harris, Demetrius Hart Jr., Terrell Henderson, Jessie Hendrix, Robert Hoffmann, Adam Horwitz, Joshua Howe, Marius Ignat, DeAndre James, Brooke Jenkins, Bianca Johnson, Kayin Jones, Elizabeth Keefer, Roma Khurana, Kesley Kobielusz, Alexis Lambros, Eric Lee, Carleigh Lindsay, James Lyerla, Karla Martinez Vargas, Jacob Mathews, Emily McDowell, Thomas McFarland, Cameryn McGee, Karlton McGee, Erin McMahon, Taylor Monroe, Abigail Moody, Jeffrey Morgan II, Mason Murphy, Rida Niazi, Christopher Nichols, Kristen Nichols, Oneyda Johana Nolasco, Adrian Ortega, Kyle Pilkinton, Michael Pirrie, William Polster, Hameed Qasem, Madelyn Radican, Cara Raftery, Chloe Reeves, Ha’Niya Reid, Diamond Richardson, Karen Rosales, Joshua Ryan, Amna Saeed, Harrison Sauer, Hannah Schamber, Charlee Sharpe, Steven Smith II, Kaitlyn Spalding, Miles Staten, Abigail Surlet, Mi Joi Swaby, Christina Trinh, Valentin Vargas, Autumn Varner, Carlos Vasquez, Zoe Wallace, Imani Warren, Azaan White, Seth White, Emma Wigginton, Sydney Witherspoon, Savanna Wooten and Sophia Zegar.

View a photo gallery from the ceremony at events.psdr3.org.

Performance contracting, rebates combine to support improvements, savings O

ver the last few years, the Pattonville School District has used a tool known as performance contracting to improve its school buildings and reduce energy consumption and utility costs. With this process, an energy service contractor is required to guarantee that the cost of its work will have a 15-year (or less) payback to the district through energy and operational savings.

Typical improvements completed under these contracts include lighting, heating and cooling, and water consumption projects. By tying the construction cost to a guaranteed payback, Pattonville is able to complete construction projects without any cost to taxpayers while also decreasing the district’s energy consumption and impact on the environment. In addition, Ameren Missouri and Spire offer rebates to fund projects like these, and total rebates to Pattonville are expected to be around $750,000.

Pattonville has $21 million in projects underway districtwide and expects to reduce energy consumption by at least 30%.

“For perspective, the projects underway at Pattonville High School will save the equivalent of nearly 500 average households’ electricity usage each year,” said Ron Orr, Pattonville’s chief financial officer.

A team from Remington Traditional School took fourth place in the book battle.

Pattonville hosts 13th annual Area-Wide Middle School Book Battle A

team from Remington Traditional School won fourth place in Pattonville’s 13th annual AreaWide Book Battle. More than 300 students from 38 middle schools throughout the St. Louis area converged at Pattonville Heights on May 2 to compete in the event.

The book battle is a trivia-night styled event in which teams of students answer questions based on a pre-designated list of 20 books they have read.

Jan Gangsei, author of “Zero Day,” was on hand to greet students, autograph books and help kick off the competition.

A team from Parkway Southwest Middle School Author Jan Gangsei welcomes participants to the won first place at the event. Second place went book battle. to Hazelwood West Middle School and STEAM Academy from the Ferguson-Florissant School District won third place. Pattonville’s two other teams also fared well out of the 38 competitors. Holman Middle School’s team placed seventh, and the team from Heights placed 14th.

The Area-Wide Book Battle is organized by librarians and teachers at Holman and Pattonville Heights middle schools and Remington Traditional School. The event originated with a competition among the Pattonville schools and grew over time. The book battle gives middle school students the chance to meet and discuss current books of interest that include a variety of genres and reading levels. The competition was supported by Main Street Books, Scholastic Book Fairs and the St. Louis County Library.

Book battle committee members who organized the event were Pattonville staff members Julie Harder and Tara Rice from Heights, Trina Cornell and Diana Rasmussen from Holman and Diane Langston and Allison Stout from Remington.

View a photo gallery from the program at events.psdr3.org.

Attention parents of PHS students: MSHSAA activities participation forms moving online P

attonville High School will be going online with all forms needed to compete in Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) sponsored sports and marching band.

Any students who will participate in any athletic team tryouts or marching band where a physical is necessary must register on Healthy Rosters. Healthy Rosters will be the school’s online site for all forms that were previously included in the activities participation packet. Physicals, emergency contact, concussion information, insurance information and all necessary signatures will now be done through Healthy Rosters. The activities department will no longer accept participation packets or paper copies of any information. For more detailed information visit the Pattonville High School athletics and activities website at pirates.psdr3.org.

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ALUMNI SUCCESS

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

Shown are students who completed the Pattonville College Academy. They are joined by Michelle Luraschi, Pattonville’s college and career counselor (seated bottom row, left).

Pattonville College Academy celebrates participants

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everal Pattonville High School seniors celebrated completing their participation in the Pattonville College Academy, a program that gives first-generation, college-bound students support and knowledge about the college planning and search process.

Each student who graduated from the College Academy received a $100 sponsorship funded by the Pattonville school-business partnership office, Naviance and several business partners.

The school-business partnership department also supplied funds for an annual scholarship for a College Academy participant. Senior Bryan Lopez won this $500 scholarship through a drawing of all participants.

The Pattonville College Academy covered goal setting, college resume writing, how to compare colleges, how to start the college search, college admissions, scholarships, financial aid, letters of recommendation, essay-writing tips and ACT test-taking tips. On the final day of the academy, students visited area college campuses. Sponsors of the program were Commercial Bank, Fred Weber Inc., James Hutchison Forth and Snyder P.C., Jostens, Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital and SSM DePaul Health Center. For more information about the College Academy or preparing for college, call Michelle Luraschi, college and career counselor, at (314) 213-8051.

Honoring Pattonville’s parent leaders O

fficers of organizations that support Pattonville schools were honored at District Appreciation Night on May 6. They include, from left, front row, Shelli Greenblatt, second vice president of the Willow Brook PTO, Kara Corson, Willow Brook PTO first vice president, Pamela Kirkwood, secretary and volunteer coordinator for the High School PTO, Tyra Austell-Jones, High School PTO hospitality coordinator, Heather Wolz, treasurer of the Pattonville Orchestra Parent Student Organization (POPS), Angela McCormick, POPS president, and Jennifer Lipscomb, president of the Early Childhood PTO; middle row, Andrea Snowden, secretary of the Pattonville Heights PTO, Shannon Leonberger, treasurer of the Drummond PTO, Kelly Monroe, Drummond PTO president, Paula Schneider, president of the Pattonville Alumni Association, Pat Bryant, Alumni Association secretary, Cheryl Sprengel, president of the Pattonville Education Foundation (PEF), and Laurie Lambros, PEF vice president; and back row, Laura Wick, Early Childhood PTO treasurer, Dean Linhardt, Alumni Association vice president, Monika Trejo, membership coordinator for the Pattonville Association of Gifted Education (PAGE), Heather Gallagher, secretary of the Bridgeway PTO, Jackie Wasser, Bridgeway PTO president, Jamie Wasser, Bridgeway PTO vice president, and Rachel VanDernoot, Bridgeway PTO treasurer.

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Mary Jane Aydelott, Class of 1983 - Aydelott received the Life Saving Award from the East Central Region EMS of Missouri for administering life-saving CPR to a man in medical distress while off duty. A paramedic/firefighter with the Pattonville Fire Protection District, Aydelott performed CPR on a man on the side of Highway 141 until paramedic/firefighters from the Monarch Fire Protection District could arrive on the scene and take over patient care. The patient was revived.

Kris Henry, Class of 1990 - Henry was recognized with a national award for best writing in a competition sponsored by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE). Henry was the national runner-up in the breaking news category for the 2018 competition sponsored by the APSE. He is a sports reporter for the Mail Tribune in Medford, Oregon and has covered high school and college sports in southern Oregon for more than 20 years.

Corey Tate, Class of 1992 - Tate made his NCAA debut as assistant coach of the Saint Louis University (SLU) Billikens mens basketball team.

SLU earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title on March 17 by defeating St. Bonaventure 55-53.

The SLU team earned a No. 13 seed in the 2019 NCAA Division I basketball championship, but fell to Virginia Tech 52-66 in the first round. The trip to this Corey Tate is shown with the Atlantic 10 conference tournament trophy. year’s NCAA contest marked SLU’s first trip to the national tournament since 2014 and Tate’s first time at nationals since joining the team as assistant coach in 2016.

Blake Strode, Class of 2005 Strode was chosen to receive the 2019 Focus St. Louis Emerging Alumni Award. Strode is executive director of the ArchCity Defenders, a civil rights law firm in St. Louis. Strode Blake Strode (Photo courtesy of Focus St. Louis) came to the firm in 2015 as a staff lawyer and Skadden Fellow. He is a Harvard Law School graduate and has previously played on the professional tennis circuit. Strode completed Focus St. Louis’ Youth Leadership St. Louis program while at Pattonville and is a current member of the Leadership St. Louis cohort.

Nadia Maddex, Class of 2018 - Maddex was chosen to sing backup for renowned Broadway musical star Patti Lupone during her May 11 performance at Lindenwood University. “Patti was extremely sweet to all of her backup singers and she sang beautifully,” Maddex said. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime and a very memorable experience.” Maddex attends Lindenwood and is pursuing a degree in vocal music education with a minor in musical theater.

District Appreciation Night

Honoring service to Pattonville students

TEACHER OF THE YEAR & SUPPORT STAFF OF THE YEAR

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eremiah Simmons, shown left, was named Pattonville Teacher of the Year. He is a computer science teacher at Pattonville High School and was named his building Teacher of the Year.

Ida Cothrine, right, was named Pattonville Support Staff of the Year. She is a secretary in the human resources department at the Pattonville Learning Center and was also named District Services Teacher of the Year. Finalists for Teacher of the Year were Laura Lancaster, a counselor and Pattonville Heights Middle School Teacher of the Year, and Ed Stevens a social studies teacher and Holman Middle School Teacher of the Year. Finalists for Support Staff of the Year were Tracy Cook, a library clerk and Drummond Elementary School Support Staff of the Year, and Rungsee Suvansri, a science paraprofessional and Rose Acres Elementary School Support Staff of the Year.

Others honored as Building Teachers of the Year were: Meredith Keough, early childhood teacher, Pattonville Early Childhood Center; Mollie Ahlers, art teacher, Bridgeway Elementary School; Amanda Starwalt, first grade teacher, Drummond Elementary School; Kristen Buescher, fifth grade teacher, Parkwood Elementary School; Nicole Mikel, kindergarten teacher, Rose Acres Elementary School; Barb Klepner, reading specialist, Willow Brook Elementary School; and Allison Grigone, first grade teacher, Remington Traditional School. Others honored as Building Support Staff of the Year were: Cindy Brooks, paraprofessional, Early Childhood Center; Susan Peroutka, Special School District speech-language pathologist, Bridgeway; Kim Sims, English learner paraprofessional, Parkwood; Roxanne Comens, nurse, Willow Brook; Florida Jenkins, secretary, Remington; Bertha Doyle Sneed, secretary, Holman; Kim Upson, secretary, Pattonville Heights; and Donna Sellers, secretary, high school.

Find out more online: bit.ly/PSD-TOY-SSOY2019

PRIDE OF PATTONVILLE

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ndividuals honored with the Pride of Pattonville Award in recognition for outstanding service to Pattonville students and schools were, from left, front row, Denny McFarland, band director at Pattonville High School, Elizabeth Brisch, lead teacher at the ALPHA Center (elementary gifted education) at Holman Middle School, Mary Kay Bovier, Cub Scout volunteer at Drummond and Parkwood elementary schools, and Irena Goren-Scheer, orchestra teacher at Holman Middle School; and back row, Dr. Bill Casner, principal of Bridgeway Elementary School, Blake Carrigan, lieutenant with the St. Ann Police Department, Mindy Campbell, counselor at Pattonville High School, Cynthia Hall, AV clerk at the high school, and Doug Newton, social studies teacher/department leader at the high school.

SCHOOL BELL AWARDS

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etirees honored with School Bell Awards and their years of service in Pattonville include, from left, front row, Robin Porzelt, second grade teacher at Bridgeway Elementary School, 31 years; Jeannie Derhake, food service supervisor at Holman Middle School, 29 years; Phyllis Pasley, music specialist/lead resource teacher at Willow Brook Elementary School, 29 years; Michael Jenkins, technology support specialist at the Pattonville Learning Center, 19 years; Sandy Weis, counselor at Parkwood Elementary School, 49 years; Pamela Rasmussen, math teacher at Pattonville Heights Middle School, 20 years; Debbie Bicket, library technology specialist at Rose Acres Elementary School, 22 years; and Doug Newton, social studies teacher/department leader at Pattonville High School,18 years; Second row, Judith Vitale, reading specialist at Drummond Elementary School, 29 years; Mary Webb, bus driver, 14 years; Linda Stuckey, high school custodian, 15 years; Denise Kuse, fifth grade teacher at Drummond Elementary School, 31 years; Lisa Kickbusch, second grade teacher, Drummond Elementary School, 31 years; Mindy Campbell, high school counselor, 24 years; Kimberly Miller, high school user support specialist, 28 years; Pamela Otto, high school secretary, 22 years; Kenneth Jordan, maintenance journeyman, 40 years; and Dr. David Miller, director of assessment at the Learning Center, 26 years; Third row, Lisa Entwistle, special education occupational therapist at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, 17 years; Rosellen Knapp, early childhood paraprofessional, 16 years; Tammy Davis, parent educator in the early childhood Parents as Teachers (PAT) program, 26 years; Susan Mathis, high school math and engineering teacher, 11 years; Vicki Robben, high school math teacher/department leader, 22 years; Dianne G’Sell, early childhood occupational therapist, 15 years; Gwendolyn Walker, Parkwood reading specialist, 13 years; Jaycyn Schnell, Parkwood second grade teacher, 31 years; Debra Bonner, Parkwood second grade teacher, 28 years; Twila Harris, high school child development teacher/playschool director, 19 years; and Pam McConnell, Bridgeway special education teacher, 14 years; Fourth row, Linda Tyahla, early childhood speech-language pathologist, 17 years; Dorothy Nix, early childhood special education psychological examiner, 17 years; Annie Staebell, early childhood paraprofessional, 17 years; Kathryn Fogarty, early childhood special education educational diagnostician, 17 years; Anne Kloeckener, early childhood/PAT nurse, 21 years; Mary Ellen Sievers, early childhood teacher, 17 years; Teresa Jercinovic, Drummond secretary, 34 years; Bernie McCanless, Bridgeway cafeteria manager, 29 years; Ruth Ronecker, Holman and Learning Center clerk, 26 years; Charlene Mair, high school secretary, 30 years; and Pamela Davenport, second grade teacher at Remington Traditional School, 21 years; and Back row, Dennis Aubuchon, bus driver, 12 years; Bob Burns, Learning Center photo/AV specialist, 30 years; Sue Boswell, high school secretary, 12 years; Walter Chambers, Remington custodian, 10 years; Karen Laws, Parkwood special education teacher, 13 years; Kimberly Sims, Parkwood English learner paraprofessional, 17 years; Paul Berglund, Learning Center hardware tech specialist, 13 years; Sara Deutschmann, high school band director, 24 years; and Becky Middendorf, high school physical education teacher/department leader, 20 years.

Find out more online: bit.ly/PSDhonorees2019

VIEW MORE ONLINE Photo gallery: events.psdr3.org District Appreciation Night booklet: bit.ly/PSD-DANprogram2019

“Pattonville Highlights” is published six times annually for residents of the Pattonville School District by the Pattonville Office of School-Community Relations, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO 63074, (314) 213-8025. Website: www.psdr3.org. Email: mschoonover@psdr3.org. To sign up to receive a Pattonville newsletter by email, send your email address to PSDnews@psdr3.org.