Highlights May 2023

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

Inside

Fourth grader designs

District Teacher, Support Staff of Year

Glow Day Activities

Students at Remington Traditional School had a bright day when they participated in Rock Your School’s Glow Day festivities. Rock Your School is a nationwide initiative that brings student engagement to schools. At Remington, classrooms participated in themed activities, students wore neon colors and were given glow sticks to wear and there was a building-wide assembly that included Heads or Tails, a coin toss game. On the left, students competed in rounds of Heads or Tails. Top left, from left, second graders Camden Stokes, Lola Kelley, Zoey Davis, teacher Katelyn Strickland and second grader Sofia Rosas Rodriguez celebrate after selecting the winning coin toss. Middle left, second graders Maddie Wood, left, and Kat Stevenson participate in Remington’s school-wide assembly. Bottom left, students react to the Heads or Tails coin toss. They are, from left, fourth graders Garrett Kintz, Hiro Lewis Lapin, Colten Hearn, Leyla Oleksa and Gwen Skouby. On the right, students also participate in glow-themed learning activities. Top right, Elizabeth Ruffus, left, and Janiah Benjamin, students in Heather Williams’ eighth grade class, try to solve a worksheet. Middle right, second grader Cade Petti works independently during Glow Day. Bottom right, fifth grader Sawyer Sumner plays a math card game.

Climate survey data shows support in Pattonville

Dr. Barry Nelson

Superintendent

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@Barry_NelsonPSD

This year, the Pattonville School District participated in the Missouri school climate and culture survey as part of the district accreditation process (MSIP 6). This survey gathers feedback from students in grades 3 through 12, parents/guardians and staff regarding their perceptions of and experiences in the district. Individual survey questions were organized by key feedback categories. Parents, staff and secondary students (grades 6 through 12) provided feedback using a four-point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Students in grades 3 through 5 provided feedback using a three-point scale that included yes, sometimes and no. Parents submitted responses in the areas of school climate, communication and respect, value and recognition. Questions at all student levels focused on climate and social skills and secondary students also answered questions in the areas of situation response, respect for students, self efficacy and student-teacher relationships. Examples of student and parent questions included:

For Students in Grades 3 through 5

• I actively take part in class.

• My teachers let me know when I am doing a good job.

• I like going to this school.

• I know how to report bullying at my school.

For Students in Grades 6 through 12

• My teachers encourage students to learn.

• My teachers think all students can do challenging school work.

• I feel safe at school.

• In case of an emergency, I know what to do.

For Parents

• I receive communication about the school system’s progress toward meeting its goals.

• I am comfortable talking to teachers at this school.

• This school sets high expectations for all students.

• This school provides the technology (devices, connectivity, support) necessary to promote student learning.

Your feedback and suggestions for improvement within Pattonville is valued and appreciated. These data are being used at the district and building levels to evaluate current practices and to identify specific action steps to address areas of concern. To date, the district has engaged with members of our Parent, Support Staff and Teacher advisory committees to get feedback on areas we can continue to improve in. By the end of the year, each school principal will share individual building findings with their staff and work with them to continue areas of success and improve areas that need additional support. Additional parent meetings will take place at schools throughout next school year as part of regular School Improvement Team (SIT) meetings.

We look forward to continuing practices that are working and improving where the survey data suggests that improvement is needed. Thanks for all that you do to support your children’s learning in Pattonville.

A summary of the survey feedback by category is below.

Three sworn in to district school board

Three Pattonville residents were sworn into office to serve on the Pattonville Board of Education. Returning board members Dr. Brian Gray and Lisa Kickbusch and past board member Dr. Amanda Lienau were elected to the board during the April 4 election and will serve three-year terms. Gray is serving his third term on the board. Last year, Kickbusch was appointed to the board to fill a one-year position after the resignation of board member Mindy Ridings. Lienau previously served a three-year term from 2018 to 2021. All three were sworn into office on April 11 by board vice president Mary Kay Campbell.

The school board also voted on officers and annual appointments to various organizations. The officers are as follows: Campbell, president; Jeanne Schottmueller, vice president; Dr. Dan Wentz, secretary; and Brandon Wilkes, treasurer.

Campbell was also appointed to the Pattonville Education Foundation (PEF). Kickbusch was appointed as a delegate to the Missouri School Boards Association, with Lienau appointed as alternate. Lienau was also appointed as the board member to represent Pattonville on the Governing Council of the Special School District (SSD), with Campbell as alternate.

The board of education and superintendent Dr. Barry Nelson also thanked leaving board member Ruth Petrov for 19 years of service on the board. Petrov’s most recent term ended in April 2022 and, in July, she was appointed to fill a one-year position after the resignation of board member Andrea Glenn.

Three administrators named, start July 1

On May 9, the Pattonville Board of Education approved the hiring of three people for administrative positions in the district. They will begin their new roles on July 1.

Dr. Jada Bell has been selected as the director of student services. Bell is an assistant principal at Parkway North High School, a role she started in 2017. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal in St. Louis Public Schools for three years. She also taught English in the Hazelwood and Riverview Gardens school districts. She began teaching in 2007. Bell has a bachelor’s degree in English from Tennessee State University, a master’s degree in special reading and administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a doctorate in school leadership from Maryville University.

Danielle Beyer will become an assistant principal at Pattonville Heights Middle School. Beyer is currently a social studies teacher at Heights. Prior to joining Pattonville in 2018, Beyer was a social studies teacher at Southeast Middle School in the Hazelwood School District for two years. She also was a substitute teacher in the Pattonville, Ladue and St. Charles school districts during the spring 2016 semester. Beyer earned her bachelor’s degree in middle school education from Missouri State University and her master’s degree in administration from William Woods University.

Andre Redden will join Pattonville High School as an assistant principal. Redden is currently a business teacher and coach at Bayless High School, a role he started in 2019. Previously, he was a business teacher at Gateway STEM High School and Francis Howell Central High School for a year. Prior to becoming a teacher, Redden had a more than decade-long career in banking, serving as a branch manager at Regions Bank in Bridgeton for eight years and as an assistant branch manager at Wells Fargo for four years. Redden has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi State University, master’s degrees in business administration and education from Lindenwood University and a specialist degree in education leadership from Maryville University

Left, retiring board member Ruth Petrov is recognized for 19 years of service on the board. Right, board vice president Mary Kay Campbell, right, swears into office, from left, Dr. Amanda Lienau, Dr. Brian Gray and Lisa Kickbusch. After the swearing in ceremony and during the reorganization of the new board, Campbell was voted by the board to serve as board president.

Dr. Jada Bell

Danielle Beyer

Andre Redden

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News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students experience new cultures, places without leaving school hallway

Imagine being a sixth grader walking along the Great Wall of China, running with the bulls in Mexico or snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. For sixth graders at Holman Middle School, these are things students get to experience through the use of virtual reality. Social studies teacher Matt Loyet had an unused Oculus virtual reality headset he wasn’t using and brought it in for his students to experience new places and cultures without ever leaving school.

“One night I decided to see if I could find anything on YouTube VR to enhance my social studies lesson and I found a lot of interesting videos that had 360-degree views and made me feel like I was there,” Loyet said. “So I brought it into class the next day and projected it to my TV and let kids take turns seeing the world’s tallest waterfall.”

Eventually Loyet had built a playlist of scenes from South America and started letting one group of students each day take turns in the hallway using the Oculus for

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

a few minutes to explore far away places. He was able to get more devices through a grant from the Pattonville Education Foundation (PEF) and DonorsChoose. With more devices, each student gets around 15 minutes of VR time each week. And, just like the amount of time to use the headset has increased, so has the collection of VR experiences. Loyet is in the process of creating a playlist focusing on each unit from class.

“Since I teach world geography, the kids get to feel like they are physically there,” Loyet said. “For example, when we learned about the Sahara Desert, they got to travel there virtually. When we covered the Great Barrier Reef, they got to go scuba diving and swim with sharks. I cover culture a lot, too. The kids are able to visit factories and watch cell phones being made or sit in a classroom in different countries and compare and contrast our classroom to those of other places.”

A popular experience for students is an African stampede, or really anything that involves interacting with animals.

“A lot of times we watch videos based off whatever we’re learning or basically you get to see really cool things about animals or things that you don’t get to experience a lot,” sixth grader Anyi Eguizabal Salazar said. “My favorite is probably the one video where you get attacked by the lions, elephants and a hippo.”

Not only do students get to see places they’ve likely never experienced, it’s also a great way to enhance learning for visual learners.

“It’s fun and entertaining to witness their reactions as they explore places around the world,” Loyet said. “My favorite part about integrating these devices is giving students an experience that we never had. Most of us will never get to visit these places around the world, but wearing the headset sure makes it feel like you are there. I doubt I’ll ever walk around somewhere like

Tokyo, but it feels like I have. I love giving them the opportunities to experience other cultures and places.”

Loyet looks for videos that are good quality 360-degree videos that cover geography and culture. For students, seeing how people from other countries, or even time periods, live is an eye-opening experience.

“My favorite has to be that one with the little shuttle bus with the kids on the outside,” sixth grader Ember Blechle said. “There wasn’t enough room (inside) so they were on the top and all that. That was pretty fun to watch because they were just outside of the car.”

In addition to the geography and culture-related videos, there is also a playlist titled Calm and Relaxing. It features videos with nature backgrounds, such as sitting on the beach, by a creek in the forest or at a campfire. Loyet created this as a way for students to escape reality for a few minutes and refocus.

On Fridays, if students have completed all of their work, there is a job simulator game they can play. They are given a task or job and must complete the given objectives for things like owning a gas station, fixing cars or working in an office. Not only do the students enjoy a Friday game break, they are also learning what life is like as they advance into adulthood.

Loyet shares the devices with his sixth grade team teachers when they have a need as well. The dream for Loyet is to have enough for every student to wear a device at the same time so they can watch a video together. But, for now, he’s happy to have what he currently has.

“Here at Holman, we are putting 21st century learning to work and are ahead of the game,” Loyet said. “Many of us grew up with a boring social studies class, reading out of a textbook and answering questions. Here at Holman, we bring history and geography to life in meaningful ways.”

Alphabet theme days present students with learning, hands-on letter connections

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lassrooms at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center are commemorating the end of the school year with themed days dedicated to each letter of the alphabet. Each day is an opportunity for classrooms to focus on learning letters and letter sounds in creative ways and keeps the students engaged as summer approaches.

“The alphabet countdown to summer gives the students a chance to learn through play by dressing up or trying new foods that start with letters of the alphabet,” early childhood teacher Janna Zaitz said.

The themed days inspired by each letter started in April. The first day was animal day, where students brought their favorite stuffed animals and teachers conducted a stuffed animal parade. Zaitz’s classroom recently celebrated T day by wearing tiedye or ties. The idea of dress ties was a nod to early

childhood director Dr. Greg Cicotte’s infamous collection of ties of all colors and with all themes.

Some days have encouraged students and staff to match their outfit to a theme, such as green day for the letter G, and some days have focused on interactive activities based on the theme, such as when staff organized outdoor exploring time on nature day for the letter N. Each letter is incorporated in the students’ activities all day long, from identifying objects that start with a letter to themed foods.

“They have not only been able to dress up, have fun snacks to go along with the letters and do cool activities, but they have also sung a song for each letter of the day as well,” early childhood paraprofessional Brittany Stevens said. “They also enjoy showing their fun outfits and items off to their classmates.”

Sixth graders in Matt Loyet’s social studies class enjoy different 360-degree videos on the classroom’s set of Oculus virtual reality headsets. They are, from left, Brooke Klein, Anyi Eguizabal Salazar and Ember Blechle.

Left, early childhood student Ilijah King blows bubbles to celebrate the letter B as students count down to the end of the year using the alphabet. Right, paraprofessional Brittany Stevens, left, poses for a photo with Rocky the lizard and students Nora Mullins, center, and Ilijah King for the celebration of the letter L.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Volunteers participate in cleanup at Cards game

On Friday, April 14, students from the Pattonville High School Key Club boarded a school bus and rode to a Cardinals’ game, only they would not be joining the fans in assigned seats. The Key Club members were on their way to volunteer with the Cardinals Green Team, a group that increases recycling and encourages sustainable practices at Busch Stadium. The program is coordinated by Pattonville Board of Education president Mary Kay Campbell, who was there to instruct and guide the students on their responsibilities that evening.

“The Cardinals have an amazing program through the hard work of Mary Kay Campbell,” said Key club co-sponsor MaryClare Stoker. “Our students love attending the games. For a lot of them, it is their first baseball game.”

The students took part in a training session before the game and learned about the aluminum and plastic materials they would be collecting. With Green Team vests on, the students walked to their assigned sections in the lower bowl of the stadium. Between innings, they quickly made their way up an aisle, collecting recyclables from fans in the seats. When the game started up again, the student and staff volunteers were able to enjoy the game themselves from the standing-only sections in the stadium, which made it a win-win for everyone involved.

“The atmosphere was electrifying with ballpark food and fans cheering and we are volunteering while experiencing it,” Stoker said “We even had some good photo ops with FredBird.”

The event allowed students to have a unique experience at a local baseball game and serve their community at the same time.

“When I think about the experience, what comes to mind is all the recyclables we have kept out of the landfills over the past six years,” Key club co-sponsor Danielle Adams said. “The kids are always really happy to be there and excited to help save their planet.”

Fifth graders raise funds to support camp trip BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Student committee looks at safety

Agroup of students at Remington Traditional School is doing everything they can to keep the school safe. They formed the school’s Student Safety Committee and are using their meetings to help brainstorm ways to improve school safety, and even take on a few safety pieces themselves.

“It was created to give our students the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding safety at school as well as provide possible solutions to any concerns,” seventh grade teacher Danica Johnson said. “They are also the voice of every student in the building. Each homeroom has someone that students can go to if they have concerns. They are a wonderful group of leaders.” Johnson oversees the group with support from kindergarten teacher Julia Gray and first grade teacher Allison Grigone.

Twelve students in grades 3 through 8, participate in the Safety Committee. Each homeroom selected one student, and classroom teachers decided how to make the selection, whether it was selecting an interested, responsible student or randomly pulling a name from a hat. The committee meets monthly during the school year for about 40 minutes.

“I like to serve on the Student Safety Committee because it allows me and my friends to give input to help make this school safer,” seventh grader Gruxton Hartley said. “Being on the Student Safety Committee means being responsible and helpful.”

The committee’s first meeting took place in November. The students discussed the things currently happening at Remington that help them feel safe, as well as things that they thought could be improved on. They took that back to their classrooms and led a meeting there to get their classmates’ thoughts on school safety. That information was shared at the committee’s December meeting. All of that information came together for the January meeting, where the group took those concerns and made a list of things they could fix, suggestions for solutions or issues that needed to be taken to the district Safety Committee. That information was again shared with their classrooms.

F

ifth grade camp is an annual tradition in the Pattonville School District. This year, students, staff and parents at Bridgeway Elementary School worked together to raise funds to cover some of the costs for this year’s camp experience. Their hard work led to a successful trivia night fundraiser.

“The idea for the trivia night came from a Project-Based Learning (PBL) project we did a few years ago that focused on raising money for fifth grade camp,” fifth grade teacher Dan Derby said. “We had that group pitch us ideas and budgets in a ‘Shark Tank’ like session. The trivia night was one of many fundraisers that group put on.”

Fifth grade teachers put together a flyer to promote Bulldog Family Trivia Night and encouraged families and staff to reserve a table for trivia. Staff collected donations for raffle baskets and students helped create the questions and categories for the camping-themed trivia night.

“Our Bridgeway colleagues and PTO were also incredibly supportive,” Derby said. “They volunteered time and money to help, as well as helping to put together raffle baskets.”

While trivia night preparations commenced, fifth graders operated a candy gram business with the help of their teachers as an additional method of fundraising. Students could purchase a candy gram for $1 to be sent to a friend. The fifth graders collected the money, helped students fill out their cards and delivered the candy grams at the end of the day.

On March 30, the trivia night took place and students had a role to make sure the event went smoothly. Twenty students volunteered that evening, assisting with questions, speaking as an emcee, judging trivia answers, selling raffle tickets or working the concessions table.

Derby said the night was a success. The event raised more than $1,000 to assist expenses for fifth grade camp. After all of the fundraising, they were able to take $25 off of the cost for each of the nearly 100 students that attended the camp.

“Being on the committee means a lot to me because I feel that there are a lot of things that need to be talked about and when I’m on the committee, I can have a voice,” eighth grader Eian Linenbroker said. “School safety is very important because when you go to school, it should be a place where you can relax and not have to worry about safety issues.”

In order to engage students in kindergarten through second grade, members of the committee created a safety presentation to share. The students decided the information they wanted to provide and outlined their presentation. Each grade level was responsible for providing one slide and notes for the speaker. Presentations took place in April, with seventh and eighth graders presenting to second graders, fifth and sixth graders presenting to first grade and third and fourth presenting to kindergartners. The presentation included safety tips and who to talk to if they had safety questions or concerns.

“Serving the committee is my pleasure, I love keeping my classmates safe and I want them to have the ability to feel comfortable,” sixth grader Mary Lako said. “The Student Safety Committee means everything to me, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

In addition to their monthly meetings, the committee members actively help keep Remington safe — they regularly check to ensure exterior doors are closed and locked when they walk by.

“The students hold the responsibility of this committee very seriously and enjoy having a voice in the operation of our school and how we can improve,” Johnson said. “We are very lucky to have a responsible group of leaders who care about the safety of our school.”

Fifth grader Tyler Waheed reads questions at Bridgeway Elementary School’s trivia night to benefit students going to camp.

Members of the Pattonville Key Club volunteered at a Cardinals game to help with stadium recycling. At left, from left, sophomores Rebekah Carnie and Angela Gomez Rodriguez and senior Emely Gomez stand with their bags ready to collect cans and bottles between innings. At right, junior Michelle Lopez Ramirez collects recyclable materials at the end of the game.

Remington Traditional School eighth graders Ethan Giltner, left, and Eian Linenbroker present to a second grade class as part of their work on the Student Safety Committee.

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Middle schoolers create kindergartner-designed toys

There was nothing scary about the monsters that showed up at Willow Brook Elementary School. Kindergartners saw their ideas come to life when they received stuffed animal likenesses of their hand-drawn monsters.

Pattonville Heights Middle School family and consumer sciences (FACS) teacher Elizabeth Stockmann collaborated with Willow Brook kindergarten teachers Kristen Gartland and Samantha Stuppy on the project.

“In January, our students all drew their own monster pictures and gave them a name and shared some interesting things about their monster like what it likes to eat, its favorite color and what it likes to do,” Stuppy said. “They were so excited to have the middle school students visit and personally present their monsters to them.”

Kindergartner Easton Simril named his monster Racecar and it was eighth grader Jose Alvarado Armenta that brought his vision to reality.

“I drew wheels on my monster because it can drive around in an invisible car,” he said. “Can you see them right here?” he said when holding his new stuffy.

The FACS 3 students had to interpret the drawings students made and create a real-life version of it.

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

“The students had to think about colors and patterns and about adding anything to it like yarn for hair or maybe a pipe cleaner in order to get the legs or arms to bend and move,” Stockmann said. “Last year, we worked with Bridgeway (Elementary School) students and this year, we were able to partner with Willow Brook.”

Armenta said he went layer-by-layer coming up with a strategy to make Racecar.

“I had to sketch my design based on the original drawing and come up with a plan to make it,” he said. “I’m just glad he liked it.”

Kindergartner Nala Augustine said her monster, Mimi, likes the color pink and enjoys dancing.

“I love it,” she said. “I am going to sleep with it tonight and cuddle with it and put it under the covers with me,” she said.

Kindergarten students gave thank you notes to the middle schoolers for making their special gift. After the presentation of the monsters, students read with their monsters as part of the school’s Read-a-Thon.

“The kids are just amazed at how their pictures came to life,” Stuppy said. “The middle schoolers created them exactly the way they designed them.”

Teachers work collaboratively with all students in third grade co-teaching class

o-teaching has been a learning style utilized in the Pattonville School District for a number of years, but the third grade team at Parkwood Elementary School has built a team-teaching style that spans all three third grade classes. In their shared class, 65 students participate in large group instruction, then separate into small groups and work on their own to continue learning. The team consists of three teachers: Kelley Chestnut, Brittany Flachs and Jenn Gross. In addition, interventionist teacher Melissa Leedle supports the classroom throughout the day.

“Schools are working hard to be responsive to students’ needs in new and unique ways,” Flachs said. “We have attempted to think outside of the box to meet student needs socially, academically and emotionally. The greatest success of this method of teaching would be our students’ growth in these areas. We feel that all students are responding very positively. All of our students have made growth this year, with many students exceeding growth expectations.”

Each teacher is responsible for leading the whole group for one core subject and the other educators support the learning in a full-grade large group. Each teacher leads a whole group lesson every day. Outside of large group lessons, they each meet with small groups of students to help assist learning and also are available to respond to students individually to ensure that learning is ongoing.

“We truly feel that the learning never stops in this

classroom,” Gross said. “We believe that we have the unique opportunity to group students in ways that may not be available in a ‘traditional’ classroom.”

When it comes to small group work, the decision on which teacher works with which students is dependent on a variety of factors, such as student needs, subject content, teacher strengths, relationships with students and the needs and abilities of the group.

“We feel strongly that this approach provides our third grade students at Parkwood an equitable learning experience and allows their student needs to be met in a way that feels personalized and meaningful,” Chestnut said.

The teachers decide whether to do learning as a whole group, small group or independently depending on where they are in the learning process for a given unit.

Learning occurs in cycles: introduction to content and skills, practice, review and individual assessment. This format allows students to move through the cycles at either an individual pace or together with classmates.

“It’s pretty nice because you have a lot of friends and learning together is pretty nice,” third grader Mckenna Turner said. “I usually have Ms. Chestnut but then it’s usually like every single teacher. I like that I get to learn from every teacher because you can just interact with other people instead of just one base teacher.”

The walls separating the three individual classrooms were removed, so third grade has one large space to

work in. One of the original classrooms was turned into a meeting space where all of the students can participate in large-group instruction, read aloud times, Mindful Moments and other full-group time. The rest of the space is taken up by desks and small group spaces. The teachers integrated flexible seating, including risers to create a stadium-seating feel, tables with individual chairs and carpets for those sitting directly on the floor. This allows for students to get a better view of the person teaching as well as provide an alternative seating arrangement.

“We wanted student learning to be able to happen in multiple places throughout our large space,” Leedle said. “Students have the opportunity to learn and work in as many as four or five different locations each day, considering students meet in small groups for reading, writing and math. The setup of our space was a really important piece to making all of this work to best support student learning.”

While that is a well-oiled machine now, it did take the teachers time to find creative ways to move students into the larger space. They incorporated smaller groups, timers and other movement flow techniques to create what is now a quick, quiet and smooth transition of a large group of students.

“I like having a lot of space,” third grader Avery Cantrell said. “You can make more friends. And if you don’t really know the answer, and somebody answers it, then you know a little more.”

All third graders learn together in a co-teaching setup at Parkwood Elementary School. At left, teacher Kelley Chestnut, second from left, and third graders, from left, Avery Cantrell, Amani Grace Moore, Mylah Sheaffer, Shane Bittick and Justus Midkiff take part in a full-grade lesson. Middle left, interventionist teacher Melissa Leedle, right, assists Nathan Biruk, on independent work. Middle right, students Zoe Valladares Esquivel, left, and Charlie Kaniewski, center, work on an a worksheet with the assistance of teacher Brittany Flachs. Right, teacher Jenn Gross, second from right, asks a small breakout group consisting of, from left, Jackson Sartors, Chace Parker, Kayden Davison and Caleb Bailey, to solve a math problem.

Top photo, Pattonville Heights Middle School eighth grader Carli Seymour, left, presents Willow Brook Elementary School kindergartner Fabrizio Lujan with his monster. Above, kindergartner Amelia Shanayev reads to her monster.

event

What looked like an arts and crafts part of the school day was actually students creating items to sell in their student-led market. Each year, fifth graders at Rose Acres Elementary School set up a market for other students to shop at. Market Day is a student-led shop where fifth graders sell handmade goods and services to others to raise money for a parting gift to the school.

“Market Day is a day where you sell stuff,” fifth grader Victoria Goodrich said. “It gives us an opportunity to make money and it’s also about businesses and starting your own business. It’s really fun to do Market Day because it really teaches you a lot about how to start your businesses and why you need to do all this stuff.”

Market Day allows students to live out their social studies economics unit. In social studies, the fifth graders are learning about areas of supply and demand and scarcity market. Using what they’ve learned, they work together in small groups to create their own store.

“This is another way that our students can apply those economics skills that they learn from that unit to be able to put into play with their own store,” fifth grade teacher Nicole Youngquist said. “They set the prices and they make the fliers to hang up in the hallway so that other students can see what’s available and when to shop. They do it all.”

Popular items include bracelets and necklaces, fortune tellers, art, planted flowers, squishies, comics, short stories, pillows, clay jewelry, sensory bottles and things that explode and make a mess.

“My favorite part is getting to make the products,” fifth grader Garrison Parker said. “It’s just fun standing

here and putting a bunch of rubber bands around your fingers and kind of making them cut off your circulation but in the end it actually looks cool and that’s the coolest thing. I’m really excited to show everyone what we made and people actually like coming and buying it. That makes us proud because we did that and people actually like it.”

An important part of the lesson is supply and demand. Fifth grade teacher Gina McKelly noted that students have to consider the amount of time that goes into making an item and what an appropriate cost for that item is. Her example to students is a pillow that takes four hours to make should cost more than a quarter.

“They’re not used to as much demand as there’s going to be on their items,” Youngquist said. “That’s always my favorite part to see. They make 10 little things and then those 10 things are gone within the first half hour and they’re panicking because they don’t have anything to sell the rest of the day. We’re trying to teach them that they have to have enough to meet the demands of everybody in the school.”

The students were able to decide what they wanted to make and how many of those things to sell.

“Some of my businesses have four things and some have 10,” fifth grade teacher Sarah Carter said. “I talked to the students about how many they are making and to make sure they’re the same quality. For example, you can’t make 100 if they’re not good quality. You want to make good things that people want to buy.”

Some groups are even offering services in addition to products. One group is providing violin lessons and another is setting up a basketball training session. While products are more common, services mean more planning. Students have to create what they are going to do, make a list of what materials they need and all of the other details. They have to think about the teaching aspect of it, such as what other students will do while they work individually or with small groups. However, the majority of things are products because students enjoy the act of making things.

“They have a voice in what they do,” McKelly said. “I have a group of boys that really want to do these little clay things. I think they like it because it’s on their own, but they’re still very focused. They’re very excited about it. They love that they get to pick the items they made and they like to earn money. This group is also very creative and very artistic and they all have really good

ideas for things that they want to make. They’ve already tried to sell them.”

Youngquist said that was the biggest challenge for the students: not buying all of their own — or their classmate’s — inventory.

“For our service learning project, fifth grade and kindergarten painted rocks to put out in our garden area,” Carter said. “One of my groups brought in rocks and they painted them based on our ship colors (each student is assigned a group they stay in throughout their Rose Acres career). One girl is decorating them now with Sharpie markers. That’s really cute because the kids that are on those ships are really going to want to have those.”

In addition to economics, Market Day ties into various other parts of the fifth grade curriculum. For science, students are growing plants to sell. Writing is a big part of the advertising process. When the market opens, math will be used to help find sale totals and provide change.

The students have set a goal of raising $450, plus the necessary funds to pay back their teachers for product supplies, something the teachers hope they are considering when pricing their items. The revenue will go back to Rose Acres.

“This year our goal is going to be $450 because that’s how much a banner is and we’re going to get a big banner for outside the school,” fifth grader Azlan Webster said. “It’s gonna be there 24/7, all the time. The plan the whole time was to get something that shows our school spirit.”

On May 22, each business will have their own table to set their store’s products on. Each kindergarten through fourth grade classroom will have a scheduled time to shop. The market is usually open all day, or until students run out of items. In the past, McKelly said, people have been generous; many people will overpay for an item, like giving $10 for a $1 bracelet.

“This is a very good project that promotes working together,” Youngquist said. “This is a really good thing for that, like social skills. In the future, if they work at a company or a business, they will have a team and will have to work with others.”

One of the sales teams in Sarah Carter’s fifth grade class work to market their hand-made bracelets that will be for sale during the annual Market Day event at Rose Acres Elementary School. They are, from left, Maria Santoyo, Kayla Newsome, Chelsey Perez Valdez and Emma Egbert.

Top photo, fifth grader Victoria Goodrich decorates the outside of a potted flower that will be sold during Rose Acres Elementary School’s Market Day. Above, fifth grader Pierce Graves, left, shows the paper fortune teller he made to sell at Market Day while classmates Azlan Webster, center, and Bentley Lodato place seeds into flower pots to sell. They are students in Sarah Carter’s fifth grade class.

Students learn economics, practice math, get crafty for school’s Market Day sales

Families create art together

The Drummond Elementary Fine Arts Night was better than fine.

“It was fantastic,” art teacher Carolyn Elliott said. “It really was a fun evening.”

Students in all grades showcased their artistic talents for the school’s annual event. Elliott said the night was a celebration of achievements for the students at Drummond.

“Every student gets a chance to be represented,” Elliott said. “I think they take more accountability and ownership in their work when they know it’s going to be up on a wall or displayed for people to see.”

Throughout the evening, students and their families and friends walked around the school’s hallways viewing the various pieces of art and also participated in activities.

“We had stations for face painting and had high school students volunteer to help, we offered a cake walk and sold Fine Arts Night T-shirts that a fifth grader designed and students were able to tie-dye.”

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Day of volunteering gives students chance to serve

Service learning is an educational experience, typically extended beyond the classroom and into the community, where students encounter realworld problems and learn how to problem solve.

On Friday, April 28, more than 200 Pattonville Heights Middle School eighth graders participated in the school’s fifth annual Service Learning Day and had the opportunity to go off campus and visit different locations.

“It’s important for students to volunteer their time and efforts to impact their community in a positive way,” assistant principal Dr. Amie Bemke said. “It’s really about just interacting with community members and providing our students an opportunity to give back.”

Some classes went to local parks to clean the facilities or to other schools within the Pattonville School District to support teachers in classrooms, read books to younger students or perform other tasks. Students in music classes went to Autumn View Gardens to perform for residents at the senior living community.

“Leadership embodies service and our students were able to showcase their talents,” principal Dr. Mark Houston said. “Our eighth graders were at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, several elementary schools, local parks in Maryland Heights and at the Maryland Heights Community Center.”

Eighth grade students were also involved in writing welcome notes to incoming sixth graders, picking up trash around campus or helping in the school library.

Every student had the opportunity to give back, help the community and learn valuable life skills

and lessons, including eighth grader Nava Shai Douglas.

“I went to Vago Park and helped clean up the trash we found on the ground,” she said.

She knew the Service Learning Day was something all eighth graders participated in annually.

“To be honest, at first, I didn’t want to do it, but afterward, I felt good because we did something nice for other people.”

Eighth grader Isabella McCarthy went to Aquaport and helped clean up the area.

“I pulled weeds and cleaned the bathroom,” she said. “It made me feel great because I’ve been to Aquaport before and when I go back, I’ll know I helped make it look good.”

Sixth and seventh graders had the opportunity to make a difference from their classroom. They were involved in a variety of projects within the building during the afternoon. A donation of more than $300 and more than 200 cards were created by sixth graders to send joy to Gwendolyn’s Gifts. Seventh graders made fleece blankets that will be donated to Loaves and Fishes later this year. A total of 53 blankets were made. More than 200 staff appreciation notes were written for staff members and 55 placemats were made for Aging Ahead. In total, approximately 1,856 hours of community service took place in that one day.

“I saw great collaboration, conversations about the importance of giving back to our community and tons of smiles. I think that was the best part,” Bemke said. “Kids and adults were genuinely enjoying themselves and working toward a common goal.”

In addition, a scavenger hunt was part of the night’s activities and food trucks were available outside.

Another feature of the evening was the various performances from members of the school’s music programs, including an orchestra performance directed by teacher Irena Goren-Scheer. What was on display was a representation of what the students can do at Drummond.

“The art department and music department coordinated with each other on this event and we had music performances every 30 minutes,” Elliott said. “The fourth graders played the recorders, we had the ukulele club perform and also had performances from the Drummond choir and orchestra.”

This opportunity to highlight their learning and abilities each year has become an essential part of what the event has become.

“It keeps getting bigger and better every year,” Elliott said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without the classroom teachers and volunteers. It’s a great experience for parents to come out and see what their students are doing in school.”

The event is coordinated by art teachers Josie Cammarata and Elliott and music teachers Jacob Johnson and Kori Phillips.

Left, early childhood student Vanessa Piper, left, rides on a tricycle while fellow students Nora Scott, second from left, and Scott Dierker, right, are pushed on the swing by Pattonville Heights Middle School eighth grader Landon Heinz as part of Heights’ Service Learning Day. Top right, Pattonville Heights sixth grader Kennedy Franklin works on coloring pictures for Gwendolyn’s Gifts. Bottom right, seventh graders Penny Vandernoot, left, and Gabe Mueller make fleece blankets that will be donated to Loaves and Fishes.

Top, Drummond Elementary School kindergartner Mckinley Avant-Moore, left, has her face painted by art teacher Carolyn Elliott during the school’s Fine Arts Night. Above, second grader Annabelle Hulsey, right, walks with her mom, Julia, to create her tie-dyed T-shirt.

BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Scholastic Reporting the News Contest

Scholastic News accepted submissions from fourth through sixth graders across the country for their Reporting the News Contest. Rose Acres Elementary School fifth grader Will Purnell was selected as a runner-up in the national contest for his article, “What Does the Groundhog Say?” He was recognized for demonstrating creative initiative in the article by presenting his topic as a debate. Purnell is taught by Rose Acres PEGS PEGS teachers Allison Bennett and Robin Chang.

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Student Community Art exhibition

Students from Willow Brook Elementary School were selected to have their artwork showcased in the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum at the Botanical Gardens in an exhibition titled Urban Garden Dreams: Student Community Art. Their art will be on display until March 31, 2024. Students whose artwork was selected for display are: first grader Declan McCue for his seasonal artwork using Sharpie, watercolor and tempera; third grader Henry Kelly for his planet garden made with Sharpie; fourth graders Kylie Cash for her Sharpie and colored pencil art, Lailah Poole for her oil pastel and watercolor piece, Caroline Rowe for her book garden art made with Sharpie, chalk pastels and colored pencils and Josselin Vasquez Alvarado for art featuring ink, tempera, oil pastels and crayons; fourth graders Isabella Guo, Allison Nichols and Jacobi West for their collaborative work creating silhouettes using Sharpie, oil pastels and markers; and fifth graders Elfego Chaves Santos, Adam Massay and Wyatt Moore for their collaborative work with Legos to create a 3D design. The students are taught by art teacher Dawn Lynn.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Wild Ones Publication

Pattonville High School senior Ryan Cutrell was recently featured in the Spring 2023 edition of Wild Ones Journal. Wild Ones is a national nonprofit consisting of members who teach about the benefits of growing native plants and work to grow and restore natural landscapes. The article describes Cutrell’s involvement as a member of the Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter and the variety of volunteer he has completed on environmental service projects.

Scholar Athlete

Every year, the St. Louis PostDispatch Scholar Athlete program honors one student from every area school. The student athletes selected have excelled in sports and in the classroom. Senior Allison Schrumpf was selected as Pattonville High School’s honoree. Schrumpf has played on the varsity softball and soccer teams at the high school and has been named all-conference first team and academic all-conference in both sports. In softball, she was also named all-district infielder, all-region second team and academic all-state and has received the all-conference sportsmanship award. As a student, Schrumpf has accumulated a 4.652 weighted GPA and has participated in Key Club, Renaissance, National Honor Society (NHS), National English Honor Society, student council, Rho Kappa, Science National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.

Leader in Me award

A group of first and second grade students from the PEGS program were selected as the grand prize winner of the Leader in Me Global Speech Contest. The prompt was to submit a five-minute video sharing how they have joined together with their community to be a force for good. The students chose to feature a toy drive they organized earlier in the school year to help encourage friendships through play. The toy drive was featured in the February issue of Highlights. The students who were part of this project were first graders Dean Dafflitto, Lola Dafflitto, Oscar Kwon and Charles Stage and second graders Matthias Schillinger and Maxwell Schneider. They are taught by PEGS teachers Allison Bennett and Robin Chang.

Huss Graduate Award

Fifth grade teacher Nicole Youngquist was selected to receive the 2023 Francis and Elizabeth Huss Graduate Award for Education Administration from Lindenwood University. This award recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and potential as a school administrator.

Beginning teacher award

Second grade teacher Michelle Haupt received an Outstanding Beginning Teacher award from the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE). Every other year, each Missouri educator preparation program can nominate up to two outstanding beginning teachers from all of their recent graduates. Haupt was selected as a recipient for the 2023 award from Webster University.

Generosity and service award

Alexandra Sanchez, an English learner teacher, was selected to receive the 2023 MaryLiz de Bito Lincoln Award for Generosity and Service from the Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart. This award is granted to a Sacred Heart graduate aged 35 or younger who has demonstrated outstanding support and loyalty to their local alumni association. Sanchez was nominated by her local alumni association and was recognized at the AASH National Conference in Portland, Oregon, in April, where she also attended as the alumni president of her alma mater.

Aspirations in Computing Award

Each year, the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) recognizes students and educators for their accomplishments and goals in computing and technology through the Aspirations in Computing Award. Two students from Pattonville were selected as recipients and were recognized at the awards ceremony on April 30. They are junior Allyson Maue, who received the Rising Star award for starting out in the pursuit and study of computing, and senior Jayne Herter, who received the honorable mention award for demonstrating interest and aptitude for computing.

Annual High School Art Exhibit

Three students were selected to have their artwork displayed in the annual High School Art Exhibit at Florissant Valley Community College. The exhibit took place from Jan. 23 to Feb. 16. Junior Lorelai Ruzzo, a student in Drawing 2, received honorable mention for a mixed media drawing. Other students who had artwork selected were: AP Art senior Anthony Cruz for a mixed media painting and Ceramics 2 freshman Gisel Estrada Lopez. These students were taught by ceramics teacher Scott Fader and art teacher Beth Kathriner.

Will Purnell

Allison Schrumpf

Alexandra Sanchez

Michelle Haupt Lorelai Ruzzo

Ryan Cutrell

Nicole Youngquist

Willow Brook students whose art was selected for display at the Botanical Gardens include, from left, front row, Declan McCue, Lailah Poole and Josselin Vasquez Alvarado, middle row, teacher Dawn Lynn, Jacobi West, Kylie Cash and Allison Nichols and, back row, Wyatt Moore, Elfego Chaves Santos and Adam Massay.

PEGS students who received the grand prize award in the Leader in Me Global Speech Contest include, from left, Charles Stage, Maxwell Schneider and Matthias Schillinger and teacher Robin Chang.

BRAGGING WRITES Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

Foundry Art Centre Exhibit

Seven students had their artwork selected for display at the Foundry Art Centre’s High School Student Exhibition. The exhibit ran from March 3 to April 22. Senior Dinara Aladinova was named an honorable mention for her drawing. Other students who had drawings selected for the exhibit were sophomores Zoe Johnmeyer and Tracy Pham and junior Lizzy Zacheis. Freshman Mackenzie Newell had a drawing from her 2D Design class selected. AP Art seniors Cordy Matulewic and Tara Wang had paintings selected. These students are taught by 2D Design teacher Danielle Adams and AP Art and Drawing 2 teacher Beth Kathriner.

STEM Student Forum

Students from 21 local high schools presented projects at the annual World Wide Technology STEM Student Forum on March 4. This year’s theme, Make a New World Happen, focused on how schools could use education and technology to create a more sustainable future. The team from the high school designed and built a machine called ReFilament which melts plastic water bottles to be repurposed into 3D filament for 3D printers. Their project received fourth place and a $1,500 prize. Members of the team were Justin Alvey, Nolan Ballard, Jack Caesar, Sai Dorasani, Alfred Jenkins, Morgan Johnson, Fred Kadima, Pamela Mensah, Shaurya Pandey and Faisal Yousif. They were sponsored by Project Lead the Way (PLTW) computer science teacher Stephanie Carson.

Health occupations honors

Students participated in various events and exams at the

Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) state leadership conference. The following students received honors. Junior Krysta Azurdia placed in the top three of the organic chemistry National Geographic test and in the top 10 of the medical math exam. Placing in the top five of exams were juniors Chellsea Duong in the cultural diversity and disparities exam and Paul Palermo in the dental terminology exam. Students that placed in the top 10 in the forensic science event were sophomore Janani Kamalakkannan and junior Marlaina Corson. Senior Sydney Suvansri placed in the top 10 of the pathophysiology exam. Additionally, Prina Limbachia competed in the prepared speaking event. These students were sponsored by high school science teacher Jamie Jobe.

Young Artists’ Showcase

Four students had artwork selected for the Young Artists’ Showcase at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Their art was on display between Feb. 24 and March 25. Junior Riley Nesheim had a painting selected. Senior Jayne Herter had a ceramic art piece selected for display. AP Art students junior Macy Bunton had a digital drawing selected and senior Sarah Nelson had a drawing piece selected. These students were taught by ceramics teacher Scott Fader, art teacher Beth Kathriner and painting teacher Laura Thomson.

Tech Association honors

Six students competed at the Missouri Technology Student Association (TSA) State Championships Conference at the University of Missouri from April 16 to 18. Students placed in several events. Justin Alvey and Morgan Johnson placed first in board game design, second in coding and second in on-demand video. Alvey, Jack Caesar and Johnson placed first in video game design and fifth in technology bowl. Caesar and Shaurya Pandey placed second in webmaster and third in coding. Pandey also placed third in prepared presentation. Fred Kadima and Faisal Yousif placed fourth in on-demand video and were Top 10 finalists in forensic science. These students were sponsored by Project Lead the Way (PLTW) computer science teacher Stephanie Carson.

Winterguard honors

The winterguard team placed third at the Winter Guard International Omaha Regional Championships. In their first appearance at this competition, Pattonville placed third in preliminaries and earned the bronze medal in the finals. Their placement advanced them to the Winterguard International (WGI) Championships. Students on the winterguard team were freshmen Natalie Jackson, Sabrina Jackson, Iyanna Johnson and Kayla Watts; sophomores Lauren Hunt, London Luellen, Patricia Menga, Thomas Wilson and Issabelle Winkler; juniors Gavin Clay, Emilia Chirwa, Dallon Fontana, Alana Franklin, Kyla Kobielusz, Falisha Markland and Alexandria Nunn; and seniors Lillian Cave, Ashlee Cleary Wichers, Camille Lofland, Sara Lumsden and Jamie Newell. The team was coached by Charlie Bourrage.

Swimming and diving honors

The girls swimming and diving team competed at the state championships and placed 22nd overall with 21 points. Freshman Jenna Ridings placed sixth in the championship final of the 100 yard butterfly race and 10th in the consolidation finals of the 200 yard freestyle where she broke her own school record time. Sophomore Emma Eiswirth placed 16th in the consolation final of the 100 yard breaststroke after breaking her own school record in the preliminary round. She also holds the school record for 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. The 200 yard medley relay team placed 17th in the preliminary round and broke a 41-year school record. Members of that relay team included juniors Christina Bae and Tehya Cox-Potter, Eiswirth and Ridings. The 200 freestyle relay team placed 27th at state and included Bae, Cox-Potter, Eiswirth and Ridings. The 400 yard freestyle relay team that finished 27th included team members juniors Bae and Cox-Potter, junior Emma Whitley and senior Madison Leckrone. Freshman Mackenzie Newell was an alternate for relays at state. In diving, sophomore Aiva Barry was a district qualifier. The swim and dive team was coached by Anna Braswell with the assistance of Ashley Haar and Madeline Marren.

Girls wrestling honors

The girls wrestling team was named conference champions. Students named allconference first team were sophomores

Makayla Gordon, Jordan Hale and Kalie Vogel and senior Jasmine Gordon. Students named all conference-second team were seniors Allison Basta and Jasmine Harris. Freshman Aleeya Thompson received the all-conference sportsmanship award. The girls wrestling team was coached by Paige Mueller

the assistance of Danelle Emerick.

with

Dinara Aladinova, left, and Tara Wang had art selected for the Foundry Art Centre’s High School Student Exhibition.

Participants in the World Wide Technology STEM Student Forum include, from left, front row, Sai Dorasani, teacher Stephanie Carson and Shaurya Pandey and, back row, Alfred Jenkins, Jack Caesar and Justin Alvey.

Members of the state championship TSA team include, from left, Justin Alvey, teacher Stephanie Carson and Shaurya Pandey.

Students who participated in HOSA include, from left, Chellsea Duong, Prina Limbachia and Krysta Azurdia.

Members of the winterguard team include Dallon Fontana, left, and Emilia Chirwa.

Members of the championship girls wrestling team include, from left, front row, Aleeya Thompson and Jasmine Gordon and, back row, Kalie Vogel, Allison Basta and Makayla Gordon.

Members of the swimming and diving team that competed at state include, from left, front row, Emma Eiswirth, Jenna Ridings and Tehya Cox Potter and, back row, Madison Leckrone, Emma Whitley, Aiva Barry and Christina Bae.

Macy Bunton

BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

Photojournalist award

Junior Mekhi Brown earned honorable mention in the landscape category of the St. Louis Public Radio Teen Photojournalist Prize award program. This annual award and educational program provides professional recognition, publicity, encouragement, hands-on training and resources to area high school students who demonstrate a talent for documenting their world through photography. Brown’s photo features a view of Busch Stadium during a Cardinals game on June 14, 2022.

Drill team honors

The varsity drill team competed at the National Dance Association (NDA) National Championships in Orlando, Florida. The team placed third in the small varsity hip hop division and 16th in the small varsity pom division. Team members were Kaycee Carman, Nicole Cobbs, Kaylee Cofer, Elijah Davis, Reilly Edmonds, Hannah Fisbeck, Skyler McCaa, Zaria Purvey and Sabrina Vargas. The varsity drill team was coached by Parkwood Elementary School teacher Lindsey Schaefer with the assistance of Willow Brook Elementary School teacher Anise Glenn.

MOACAC Presidents’ Award

College and career counselor

Michelle Luraschi was selected to receive the 2023 Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC) Presidents’ Service Recognition Award. MOACAC presents this award during their annual conference to members with more than five years’ service who have provided strong and consistent leadership to the organization.

DISTRICTWIDE

Congressional App

Boys wrestling honors

The boys wrestling team placed second in their conference and had a 17 to 1 record. Senior DaVeon Washington was named all-conference wrestler of the year and district champion. Wrestlers named all-conference second team were juniors Stephon Brown, Mehki Brown and Paulie Palermo and senior Robert Walker. Senior Angelo Broadnax received the sportsmanship award. The boys wrestling team is coached by Brent Mueller with the assistance of Jake Kim and John Michael Brown.

Boys basketball honors

Members of the boys basketball team earned individual honors this season. Senior Tory Allen was named allconference second team. Junior Al-Amin Anderson-El was named all-conference honorable mention. Senior Jayden Essex received the all-conference sportsmanship award. The boys basketball team is coached by Kelly Thames with the assistance of Kent Booth, Antonio Bryant, Travis Harris and Caleb Stroop.

Girls basketball honors

Members of the girls basketball team earned individual honors this season. Senior Jasmine Gray was named all-district first team, all-conference first team and allconference player of the year. She was also named to the St. Louis American Girls Fab Five-All Star Basketball second team. Additionally, junior Zoe Newland was named all-conference first team. Players that were named all-conference second team are sophomores Brooke Boyce, Hannah Fenton and Kennedy Horton. The girls basketball team is coached by Don Boyce with the assistance of Jon Bush, Lisa Foust and Corey Lewis.

U.S. Representative Cori Bush named two Pattonville students as the winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge in Missouri’s first district. They are Pattonville Heights Middle School eighth grader Tanish Dorasani and Pattonville High School junior Sai Dorasani. Tanish and Sai were invited to the United States Capitol on April 17 and 18 to be recognized for the app they created, Vaidyo – BioChain. Vaidyo, which means doctor in Sanskrit, is their solution to the problem they identified with storing, sharing and maintaining patient records on multiple patient portals. The Congressional App Challenge, organized by members of the U.S. House of Representatives, is considered to be one of the most prestigious prizes in student computer science.

DISTRICT

NSPRA 35 Under 35

The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) recognized 35 school public relations professionals across the nation for their impact in school districts or education-related employers. Pattonville’s chief communications officer, Kelly Gordon, APR, was selected as a member of NSPRA’s 2022-2023 35 Under 35 class.

COLLEGE

The following studentathletes made a commitment to play a sport at the college level. Those who participated in a signing day event at Pattonville High

School on May 11 were: Kaylee Cofer, dance, Lindenwood University; Tyler Floyd, baseball, Central Methodist University; Laura Rockwell, dance, Missouri Western State University; and Paige Rowland, volleyball, Fontbonne University.

SIGNINGS GROW YOUR OWN

Pattonville High School seniors Katherine Kellner and Devin Scharer received the inaugural Pattonville School District Grow Your Own Scholarship. They were presented with $2,000 ceremonial checks by director of human resources Candice Wayne in a surprise announcement in May. Both students are enrolled in Janet Kuhn’s College Credit Education and Teaching Internship class and have plans to major in education in college with the hopes of returning to teach at their alma mater. Kellner plans to be a high school math teacher and will attend Lindenwood University. Scharer hopes to teach high school science and will attend Mizzou.

Members of the boys wrestling team include, from left, Robert Walker, DaVeon Washington and Angelo Broadnax.

Sai Dorasani, left, and Tanish Dorasani placed first in the Congressional App Challenge.

Seniors Katherine Kellner, second from left, and Devin Scharer, second from right, were presented with a scholarship from Pattonville School District’s Grow Your Own project, which encourages students to return to the district as teachers. They are show with Pattonville High School principal Teisha Ashford, left, and Candice Wayne, director of human resources.

Mekhi Brown

Michelle Luraschi

Kaylee Cofer Tyler Floyd

Laura Rockwell Paige Rowland

Kelly Gordon

Drummond fourth grader designs custom Kendra Scott jewelry for give-back event

It was like a kid in a candy store when Drummond Elementary School fourth grader Alice Shadrick walked into the Plaza Frontenac Kendra Scott store on March 29. Kids Vision for Life (KVFL) St. Louis partnered with Kendra Scott for its annual Give Back event instore and online on April 21 and 22 that gave 20% of all purchases back to KVFL. Shadrick was selected to design a special jewelry set that was available for purchase during that time at the Plaza Frontenac store.

“This is gonna be hard to do,” Shadrick said when looking through all the choices during her custom design consultation.

Drummond counselor Carla Robertson said she was excited to have one of the school’s students selected to be a part of the Give Back event.

“When you buy Alice’s set, some of the proceeds come back to Kids Vision to continue the awesome service of giving eye exams and providing glasses to kids and especially our Pattonville Pirates,” Robertson said. KVFL provides comprehensive vision services to elementary and middle school students in the St. Louis area at no cost to families.

“Alice is shopping on behalf of Kids Vision for Life St. Louis which is a charitable partner with Kendra Scott and they decided that we could pick a child from one of the school districts that we participate with to design their own piece of jewelry to help feature during our Give Back weekend,” KVFL St. Louis executive director J.J. Scarbrough said. “We chose Alice because we’ve been giving glasses to her since kindergarten, and now she’s in the fourth grade so she’s been with us for a

while, and we feel like she really deserved the opportunity to design her own jewelry in partnership with Kids Vision for Life and Kendra Scott.”

Robertson said KVFL is an extraordinary community partner.

“Not only do they come to our schools to do eye exams, but they come back to our schools and give our kids who need them and who qualify free glasses,” Robertson said. “That means that they can get the glasses that they need to do well in school.”

Kendra Scott assistant store manager Kelli Black said Shadrick chose one of their most popular styles to customize.

“It’s called the Elisa pendant and she gave it a little extra flair,” Black said. “She added the satellite chain, which has a little bit of beadwork along the neckline and she chose a beautiful neutral stone. It’s almost like a brown pearl and her birthstone is a pearl, so it kind of ties in with her personally.”

Then she had to get some sparkle so they added a little petite earring.

“It’s the Emilie drop in the rose gold drusy that will be featured along with her necklace to make a gorgeous neutral set for all seasons,” Black said. “People who bought Alice’s exact piece, or any other jewelry in the store, during the weekend saw 20% of their purchase go towards Kids Vision for Life St. Louis. People got Alice’s set and supported a wonderful organization here in St. Louis that’s doing amazing things.”

Kids Vision for Life made more than $800 during the event.

Pattonville honors MVPs (Most Valuable Pirates)

Staff members at Pattonville High School presented their MVP (Most Valuable Pirate) Awards to 123 students in grades 9 through 12. Each staff member selected one outstanding student to receive an MVP medallion award during a special awards ceremony at the school on April 20. The program was sponsored by the school’s Renaissance program, which encourages a commitment to academic excellence based on recognition of academic performance, attendance and citizenship. Students crossed the stage and met the staff member that selected them as their nomination was read aloud to those in the audience.

One student received their third MVP Award: Max McFarland. Receiving their second MVP Award were Leland Bartlett, Abriana Blue, Lucas Gerst, Grace Greenstreet, Emely Herrera Escobar, Megan Hughes, Kenedi Jenkins, John Kiso, Madison Leckrone, Miranda Lopez, Joseph Mackenberg, Ethan Massey, Christian Movick, Sarah Nelson, Janey Orebaugh, Lizbeth Salvador, Ashley Santel, Devin Scharer, Wesley Sharpe, Isabelle Usry and Dakota Woracheck.

The following students received their first MVP Award: Moussa Abraheem, Armand Andrews, Bianca Appleton, Maria Juliana Balagot, Anyssa Basler, Allison Basta, Eli Baum, Maya Baum, Robye Bozeman Nettles, Jacqueline Bradshaw, Macy Bunton, Alanna Carter, Zayda Cauley, Rainer Cole, Tessa Collier, Levi Corcoran, Kennedy Crawford, Liliahna Cruz, Jaena Daniels, Tahj Dillon, Chellsea Duong, Jordin Ford, Courtney Fox, Andy Garcia Blackwell, Emely Gomez, Kenyan Gordon, Jada Graham, Sasha Grant, Denise Gregorio, Peyton Gregory, Sa’rai Gregory, Alexander Hagan, Ameera Hameed, Malcolm Harmon, Nehemiah Harmon, Jasmine Harris, Maliyah Harris, Willis Harris, Parker Hasenkamp, Dominic Hauser, Jayne Herter, Aneaus Hopson, Sydney Hoynacki, Natalee Hunter, Austin Jackson, Alfred Jenkins Jr., Bahaaaldin Kabbara, Kyle Kaemmerer, Gabrielle Kellner, Katherine Kellner, Sophia Kelly, Mark Kendrick, My Kha, Lucas Konopka, Mason Lee, Tamia Lewis, Michelle Lopez Ramirez, Carlton Lowman, LaMiyah Martin, Cordelia Matulewic, Amaya Mays, Demonta McKinney, Tepriya McMullen, Melissa Mendieta Perez, Jettlend Mercer, Zoe Mikitin, Merlin Morales Cabrera, Caua Nascimento, Oumy Kalsoum Ndiaye, Maichi Nguyen, Lilyanna Norman, John O’Connell, Mattie Ohlsen, Maysen Page, Shaurya Pandey, Mikayla Pastorius, Israel Phipps, Nicole Pintor Toledo, Anna Reilly, Anastasiya Richardson, Kaileb Rickmon, Hunter Riley, Jessica Sanchez Pintor, Bailey Shields, Ceniya Smith, Lillian Strebeck, Sydney Suvansri, Allison Talir, Naomi Tamirat, Aden Torres, Donovan Vogler, Tara Wang, Alyssa Washington, Isaiah White, Jayden Williams, Kellen Williams, Ma’Khia Williams El, Aeriana Woodard and Darrell Woods Jr.

View the photo gallery at pattonvillesd.smugmug.com/2022-2023/HS-MVP-2023

ALUMNI SUCCESS

Graduates in the news

Tyrone Eastern, Class of 2015 - On March 6, Eastern joined the Bridgeton Police Department after years of experience in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Nadia Maddex, Class of 2018Maddex sang the national anthem at the St. Louis City SC match on April 15 before the team’s 5-1 win against FC Cincinnati. Maddex is in her first year as the middle and high school choir director at Maple-

Pattonville High School science teacher Rebecca Byrne, left, hands senior Willis Harris his MVP medal, and a special treat of a big box of granola bars.

Top photo, Drummond Elementary School fourth grader Alice Shadrick poses in front of the Kendra Scott sign at the store located at the Plaza Frontenac shopping center. Above, Shadrick looks at jewel color options for a custom piece of jewelry she designed with the support of Kendra Scott assistant store manager Kelli Black, right. Shadrick was invited to design a piece of jewelry for Kids Vision For Life’s annual Give Back event.

wood Richmond Heights School District.

Top, Nadia Maddex sings the national anthem during the City SC match on April 15. Above, Maddex shows off her City SC gear at CityPark after performing.

Teacher, Support Staff of the Year announced at District Appreciation

Brittany Garcia, fourth grade teacher at Drummond Elementary School, was named district Teacher of the Year and Jenny McDowell, physical therapist at early childhood, was named Pattonville Support Staff of the Year. The announcements were made during Pattonville’s District Appreciation Night on May 1.

Finalists for Pattonville Teacher of the Year were Emily Cook, second grade teacher at Remington Traditional School, and Jennifer Rogers, second grade teacher at Willow Brook Elementary School. Other finalists for Pattonville Support Staff of the Year were Mallorey Burns, clerk at Pattonville Heights Middle School, and Stephanie Kellner, secretary at Drummond Elementary School.

These previously named district honorees and finalists for Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year were building-level honorees for their respective awards. Other building-level honorees/semifinalists for Teacher of the Year were: Sharon Wood, teacher at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center; Jessica Esquivel, first grade teacher at Bridgeway Elementary School; Abigail Beckermann, kindergarten teacher at Parkwood Elementary School; Joseph Regan, PE teacher at Rose Acres Elementary School; Matthew Parker, science teacher at Holman Middle School; Wendy Mathis, math teacher at Pattonville Heights Middle School; and Danelle Emerick, history teacher at Pattonville High School.

Other building-level honorees/semifinalists for Support Staff of the Year were: Renee Davenport, paraprofessional at Bridgeway; Jarrett Harrison, paraprofessional at Parkwood; Vickie Moore, paraprofessional at Rose Acres; Christina Finazzo-Purl, SSD speech pathologist at Willow Brook; Malissa Fedrick, custodian at Remington; Caroline Burgess, secretary at Holman; Debra Dold, clerk at the high school; and Emily Groneck, printing specialist for the district services group.

Holly Kopp, second grade teacher at Willow Brook, was honored with the teacher Rookie of the Year award and Stepany Dominguez, nurse at early childhood, was chosen as the Support Staff Rookie of the Year.

Pride of Pattonville honorees named

Ten individuals were chosen to receive the prestigious Pride of Pattonville award. The honor recognizes staff, parents and volunteers for outstanding service to the district. The 2023 Pride of Pattonville honorees are:

• Mark Barnhart, Pattonville Fire Protection District captain;

• Maria Farmer, fifth grade teacher at Willow Brook Elementary School;

Staff members were selected as building Teachers of the Year. From left, front row, district finalists are Emily Cook, Brittany Garcia and Jennifer Rogers and, back row, semifinalists are Danelle Emerick, Sharon Wood, Wendy Mathis and Jessica Esquivel.

• Margaret Hall, French teacher at Pattonville High School;

• Jennifer Haub, paraprofessional at Willow Brook;

• Janet Kuhn, family and consumer sciences teacher at the high school;

• Barry Mertz, volunteer at the high school;

• Adam Seibert, history teacher at Pattonville Heights Middle School;

• Andrea Snowden, parent volunteer and substitute teacher;

• Laura Wick, executive secretary at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center; and

• David Wright, school resource officer at Holman Middle School. Honorees were recognized during special surprise visits in April, as well as during Pattonville’s District Appreciation Night on May 1.

Volunteers, employees recognized for service

Staff members were selected as building Support Staff of the Year. From left, front row, district finalists are Mallorey Burns, Stephanie Kellner and Jenny McDowell and, back row, semifinalists are Vickie Moore, Renee Davenport, Christina Finazzo-Purl and Debra Dold.

Staff who have been in the district for five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years were recognized at District Appreciation Night. Below left, Roy Libhart, facilities supervisor in the maintenance department, was recognized for 35 years of service. Below right, employees honored for 30 years of service are from left, Marlon Gilkey, custodian at Rose Acres Elementary School, and Janet Kuhn, family and consumer sciences teacher at Pattonville High School. To see all of the honorees, see the program at the link below. Stepany Dominguez, left, was chosen as the Support Staff Rookie of the Year, and Holly Kopp, was honored with the Teacher Rookie of the Year award.

Pattonville honors parents and community members who volunteer their time to lead support organizations for Pattonville. Honored during District Appreciation Night for volunteering were, from left, front row, Sarah Barth, Laura Wick, Kenna Jenkins, Pollyana Appleton, Donette Green and Teree Davis and, back row, Jim Usry, Sharon Wood, Kristi Stroud, Dean Linhardt, Andrea Snowden, Donna Burd and Becky Middendorf. To see a full list of volunteers, visit the District Appreciation Night program at the link below right.

Retirees receive traditional School Bell Awards for service

Each year, Pattonville recognizes staff members who are retiring or who retired since the previous year’s District Appreciation Night festivities. All retirees have the option to receive an engraved School Bell Award recognizing their service. This year, 16 staff members were honored as retirees. View a copy of the District Appreciation Night program featuring bios of all the retirees at the link at right.

This year, 16 staff members were honored as retirees and thanked for their service in Pattonville. Shown are, from left, front row, Tonya Ferretti, Dr. Rosalyn Manahan, Julie Harder, Mark Wallis and Dr. Tina Plummer and, back row, Stanley Greer, Russell Behlmann, Joan Hasamear and Jody Tedeschi.

Chosen to receive the Pride of Pattonville award were from left, front row, Janet Kuhn, Margaret Hall and Adam Seibert; second row, Laura Wick; and back row, Mark Barnhart, Andrea Snowden, Maria Farmer, Jennifer Haub and David Wright.

Jenny McDowell, left, physical therapist at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, was named Pattonville Support Staff of the Year, and Brittany Garcia, fourth grade teacher at Drummond Elementary School, was named district Teacher of the Year.