Highlights October 2020

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

OCTOBER

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

2020

Inside

Rose Acres Elementary earns National Blue Ribbon, Missouri Gold Star - See back page for details

Pattonville named Top Workplace for 6th year - See back page for details

Academics in a Pandemic Pattonville adapts to support student learning

BOARD OF EDUCATION

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

After a 100% virtual start to the 2020-2021 school year due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Pattonville School District began transitioning students back into classrooms part-time in September, beginning with students in preschool through second grade.

Above, second grader Sophie Lambert and first grader Kaylie Lambert hold hands on their first day of in-person learning at Drummond Elementary School. At left, on the first day of inperson learning at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, preschooler Jace Bowden enjoys a Curious George surprise with early childhood paraprofessionals Lulu Abreha, center, and Kristin Simpson, right. For more information on Pattonville’s return to school, see page 2 of this newsletter. More school photos can be found on pages 4 and 5.

That ALL will learn.

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

Pattonville is an awardwinning public district in St. Louis County, Missouri. The district is fully accredited by the state and is recognized for academic success on the regional, state and national level.

Our Mission

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

Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent

From the Superintendent

Pandemic planning keeps student, staff safety first T

he 2020-2021 school year is off to a great start. We know this year is unlike any year we’ve experienced in our lifetime. Since last March, Pattonville has worked closely with the St. Louis County Department of Public Health on decisions related to our students Dr. Tim Pecoraro and returning to school. Our Superintendent number one priority has been and Follow on Twitter: will continue to be the health and @PattonvilleSupt safety of our students and staff.

With so much uncertainty surrounding our community and nation related to COVID-19, we knew providing our families an option between virtual instruction and in-person learning would be necessary this school year. Our staff worked extremely hard this summer creating the first-ever Villemade Virtual Academy. Students enrolled in the virtual academy receive 100% of their instruction online from a Pattonville teacher. Districtwide, 42% of families selected this option for their child during the first semester.

For families that selected the in-person learning option, there are three different possible phases (see “Learning Options” at right). Which phase we are currently implementing is dependent on the health and safety conditions of our community. Based on the recommendation of the health department, Pattonville started the year in phase 3, which is 100% virtual learning for all students.

We were excited to bring our youngest learners in preschool through second grade to our schools in phase 2 during the week of Sept. 21. Later, students in grades 3 through 8 joined them. We are working closely with the county health department on a plan to return to phase 2 for our students in grades 9 through 12 as well. I’m confident we can safely return to phase 2 and provide our students with in-person instruction for those families who selected this option.

The biggest lesson I have learned over the past six months is things related to COVID-19 can change very quickly. We have consistently followed the guidance of health professionals and will continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead. Although we are all eager for life to return back to what it was pre-COVID-19, the reality is we are going to have to contend with the virus throughout this school year. As students return for in-person learning, the chances of positive COVID-19 cases in our schools will increase. We have developed strategies to mitigate the spread of the illness in the event of a positive case.

These are challenging times. Citizens both in St. Louis and across Missouri and the U.S. hold a wide range of views on how society should handle this pandemic and its success so far. My focus is squarely on our students and staff. Pattonville will continue to provide a high-quality learning experience regardless of the learning environment. We will love our students and support them every step of the way. The strength of our community is critical right now. We need to be there for each other, and most importantly, for our children of Pattonville.

Pattonville adapts to support student learning while addressing COVID-19 safety concerns F

or months, Pattonville officials have been meeting weekly with St. Louis County health officials and school district leaders across the region to discuss and plan for the 2020-2021 school year. The priority has been on developing plans to meet student academic needs in a safe manner during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Using recommendations and guidance from health officials, Pattonville staff collaborated to develop a plan to begin the year with two learning options (shown at right below).

Due to community spread of COVID-19, Pattonville initially began the school year on Aug. 31 in phase 3 of in-person learning (100% virtual learning for all students), a decision rein- Above, Pattonville maintenance staff crafted and installed more than forced by a formal recommendation from the St. 3,000 plexiglass barriers in offices and classrooms as an added layer of protection. Shown are, from left, front, Preston Pounds and Justin Bartlett; Louis County Department of Public Health. In and in the back, Chad Baldi and Mick McGrotty. Below, Pattonville September, updated recommendations from the Heights Middle School attendance clerk Mallorey Burns, seated, and county health department allowed the district guidance secretary Cori Brown, right, assist eighth grader Skyler McCaa and her family during device and material pickup before school began. to announce the return of students in preschool through second grade and later, third through eighth grade, for phase 2 of in-person learning, with plans to continue working with the health department to bring back high school students as soon as possible. Phase 2 refers to different groups of students attending school in person two days a week and virtually one day, which allows for better physically distancing of students in the classroom.

For families who selected the Villemade Virtual Academy, students continue to participate in 100% virtual instruction through the end of the first semester (Dec. 22).

Pattonville has been working for months on health and safety precautions to prepare for the return of students to in-person learning. CertiOPTION 1: In-person learning for grades K-12 with three phases fied staff and paraprofessionals prepped for dependent on the spread of COVID-19 in the community: virtual learning by taking part in two weeks of - PHASE 1: Students attend school five days a week with intensive training. Dr. Mike Flynn, author and health and safety precautions in place; director of mathematics leadership programs - PHASE 2: A blended model where students attend at Mount Holyoke College, trained Pattonville in-person learning two days a week and receive virtual teachers on how to offer high quality, engaginstruction one day a week, thereby reducing the number of students in school by approximately half each day; and ing virtual learning for students of all ages, and - PHASE 3: Students take part in 100% virtual learning. even offered training for parents on how to support their virtual learners. Teachers also spent OPTION 2: Villemade Virtual Academy which provides students time mastering different technology learning with 100% online learning for the entire first semester. platforms, collaborating and developing lessons for online learning that would be significantly more robust than the emergency virtual learn- The Pattonville Returns website houses COVID-19 ing that took place last spring when in-person information, resources and updates on Pattonville’s plan for learning during the COVID-19 classes were canceled. pandemic. Visit the website at bit.ly/PSDReturns2020web All staff across the district have played a role in getting ready for the new school year.

Pattonville’s technology department and building-level technology personnel prepared, updated and distributed devices for all students to be ready for the start of virtual learning. They also established building-level help desks and instructional videos for students, staff and families. Pattonville’s maintenance department custom-built more than 3,000 plexiglass dividers for office spaces and classrooms in preparation for the eventual return to school. Food service staff, supported by Pattonville Learning Center staff and other staff volunteers, have been providing food for families through curbside pickup (see story on page 3 for details on current offerings). Other staff across the district have been helping, some (such as bus drivers) taking on different duties than their normal roles entail, as needed.

Examples of their work include distributing devices, keeping buildings clean, securing cleaning supplies and personal protective gear, organizing staff trainings, hiring new staff, printing materials and communicating updates.

“I want to thank our families, staff and students for all the work they’ve done to start the new year,” said Dr. Tim Pecoraro, superintendent. “The Pattonville family has really pulled together to support our students in this new learning environment. I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts. The strength of our school-community is evident as everyone works together to put safety and learning first for our students.”

LEARNING OPTIONS

FIND OUT MORE

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Pattonville provides free meals for in-person and virtual students T

Pattonville Heights Middle School food service employee LeeAnn Reyes loads bags of school breakfasts and lunches for a family during curbside distribution at the Pattonville Learning Center.

hanks to a continuation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food program from this summer, Pattonville continues to offer free breakfast and lunch for students who are learning both virtually and in person. The free meals are offered until Dec. 31 or until federal funding for the program runs out. The free meal service is open to all children 18 years of age and under. No ID or paperwork is required to participate. Students returning to the classroom in phase 2 of in-person learning (see page 2 of this newsletter) will receive a free breakfast and lunch each day they are in school.

Families of Pattonville students can continue to pick up free meals distributed by the district’s food services staff. Distribution takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays (excluding holidays) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. at Pattonville High School. Two breakfasts and lunches are available on Mondays, and three breakfasts and lunches are available on Wednesdays via curbside pickup at the high school. Reheating instructions, fruits, vegetables, milks and juices are provided by Pattonville’s food service department. When arriving by car please: • Write the number of children needing meals on a large sheet of paper and place it on the car dashboard.

• Stay inside your vehicle and open your trunk to allow staff to place the bags directly inside your car.

• If you walk to the high school to pick up food, staff will help you while maintaining the six-foot social distancing requirement. Please wear a mask while visiting the pickup location.

Breakfast and lunch menus can be found online at psdr3.nutrislice.com. For more information, contact the Pattonville food services department at psdcafe@psdr3.org. Families can find other resources for food support online at stlcorona.com/resources/food-assistance.

Pattonville keeps homeowner tax rate unchanged for new year School district watching finances in wake of COVID-19 revenue losses, expenses

T

he Pattonville School District’s tax rate for homeowners will remain unchanged from the previous year after the Pattonville committed to keeping its debt service levy at 49 cents when voters approved zero tax board of education voted on rate increase bond issues in 2017, 2010 and 2006, and the district has kept this promise despite Sept. 25 to approve proposed Pattonville’s tax rate for homeowners being legally able to adjust the rate due to changes in property values. The chart below shows tax rates for the 2020-2021 remains below county average this year’s voluntary debt service rollback, along with other voluntary tax rate reductions the school year. The residential rate board of education approved this year in order to reduce the tax burden on homeowners.

In 2019, the average residential rate for school will continue to be lower than districts in St. Louis County was $4.6917. Pattonville’s the rates for agricultural, comImpact on School district residential rate is more than 22 cents below this average. mercial and personal property, $200,000 revenue Class of 20192020Difference Voluntary tax rate reductions for homeowners as promised to voters when Rate home (gross) Property 2020 2021 they approved the Proposition Maximum residential rate the district could levy $5.3051 $2,016 $22,515,367 Residential $4.4662 $4.4662 -$0.0000 P tax rate increase in 2013. At Voluntary rollback promised for as many years Agricultural $4.7661 $4.6916 - $0.0745 the time of the election, the as possible when Prop P was passed in 2013 – $0.3969 – $151 – $1,684,483 district promised to limit the Commercial $5.4457 $5.3333 - $0.1124 Keeping promises to maintain debt service levy residential tax rate increase Personal Prop. $5.5827 $5.5791 $0.0036 at 49 cents when law allows it to be 93 cents – $0.4420 – $168 – $1,875,892 for as many years as possible.

Proposition P allowed the disTotal reductions for homeowner / district revenue – $0.8389 – $319 – $3,534,572 trict to levy up to 99 cents, but Actual residential rate the district levied and the district has kept its commitactual homeowner taxes with reduced levy $4.4662 $1,697 $18,980,795 ment, limiting the increase to 35 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for homeowners for the last seven years.

Approximately 86% of Pattonville’s revenue comes a decline in revenues that began in March 2020 and will This year, Pattonville continued to take a voluntary from local sources, which include taxes paid on property in likely continue through the 2020-2021 school year. While rollback to its debt service tax rate in order to lessen the the district. These taxes are based on the assessed value of the district received $576,000 in federal CARES Act fundtax burden on homeowners. The district’s debt service the property, as determined by the St. Louis County assesing to support its COVID-19 response, the district also lost tax rate, which is part of the district’s overall tax levy, sor’s office. Although 2020 is not a year in which the county $2.1 million in revenue from reduced interest earnings, remains unchanged at 49 cents per $100 of assessed assessor’s office reassesses property, the value of property state sales tax revenue (Proposition C), state Foundation valuation, as promised to voters when they approved in the Pattonville School District grew by 1.4% due to new Formula funding, state transportation payments and district zero tax rate increase bond issues in 2017, 2010 and construction. In addition, Pattonville typically has to refund fees, tuition and food sales. In addition to the revenue 2006. Under the state’s formula for calculating tax between $1.6 million and $2.2 million each year due to decreases, the district incurred extraordinary expenses to rates and the district’s taxing capacity, the district could commercial property owners securing successful appeals prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. These expenses have levied 93 cents more in its debt service tax rate. of their property values with the state tax commission. This include the costs of personal protective equipment (PPE), The total tax rate, including debt service, approved for year, there were no significant property tax refunds. sanitation supplies and other materials. Initial costs for residential properties is $4.4662 per $100 of assessed Pattonville is keeping careful watch on its revenues these items are estimated at $525,000, but the safety prepavaluation. The overall impact of voluntary rollbacks on and expenditures, which have been negatively impacted rations could grow to nearly $1 million, depending on the a $200,000 home in the district equates to a 16% reducby the COVID-19 global pandemic. Pattonville has seen length of time students spend in classrooms this year. tion in homeowner tax bills (see chart above).

KEEPING OUR PROMISES

2020 Tax Rates

SUMMARY

16% voluntary reduction

in residential taxes

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ACADEMICS IN A PANDEMIC Students in preschool through second grade returned to classes for in-person learning

On the first day of in-person classes at Willow Brook Elementary School, kindergarten teacher Anise Glenn kicked off the learning with a fun activity to find triangle-shaped objects in the classroom. Kindergartner Shane Crawford was excited to find one on his dinosaur hoodie.

Bridgeway Elementary School art teacher Mollie Ahlers checks in with Ethan Flores Guadalupe during his first in-person art class of the school year. He and his classmates are students of second grade teacher Tara Perks.

Remington Traditional School reading specialist Mandy Harper greets Michael Massoni, a kindergartner in Lynda Sotolar’s class, as he arrives on the bus for his first day of in-person learning.

Parkwood Elementary School kindergartner Kodee Staten works on an assignment on his first day in person in Denise Overman’s class.

Pattonville Early Childhood Center teacher Jenni Gruendler reads a book to her students on the first day of in-person learning. Preschooler Sammy Chambers joins in on the motions.

Aubree Derryberry, a kindergartner in Amy Frost’s class at Rose Acres Elementary School, practices walking a safe distance from her classmates as paraprofessional Vickie Moore assists.

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Nazari Zanetello, a first grader in Kelley Dent’s class at Remington Traditional School, concentrates on her work on her first day back in person.

Bridgeway Elementary School first grade teacher Leslie Jones reads a book with students. Students shown are, from left, Addison Kern, Meilo Adams, Skye Diggs and Ryder Garrett.

Riley Woods counts on his fingers in Erika Dietrich’s kindergarten class at Drummond Elementary School. He is shown with Aubrielle Steen, left, and Brayan Rodriguez Avendano.

Rose Acres Elementary School second grade teacher Amy Christensen shows Kolton Carlson the pictures in a book she is reading to her class.

Parkwood Elementary School paraprofessional Brandy Fowler greets Janey Norman, a first grader in Abigail Jozwiakowski’s class, as she arrives on her first day of in-person learning.

Willow Brook Elementary School reading specialist Liz Alexander helps Brooke Franklin, a second grader in Chelsey Wiersma’s class, find her way on the first day of in-person learning.

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BRAGGING WRITES

Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Girl Scout Bronze Award project

Holman Middle School sixth grader Caitlin Evans decided to collect school supplies for students in need for her Girl Scout Bronze Award project. The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn. Girls work to complete a service project that can either directly benefit the Girl Scout community or the girls’ local community or neighborhood.

Her original idea was to collect school supplies for Drummond Elementary School teachers, but it expanded to include Holman Middle School after she overheard that art teacher Montie Holman Middle School sixth grader Caitlin Evans is Richter was in need of some shown with a trunk of supplies she collected to donate to Drummond Elementary School as part of her Girl Scout more art supplies for her stuBronze Award project. dents. Evans collected enough money to donate 100 boxes of colored pencils to Holman and 150 white boards to Drummond along with notebooks, erasers, pencils, crayons, paper, folders, scissors, markers, highlighters and ink pens. Evans is in Troop 4717 and received help on her project from her leaders Mary HutchinsonRichardson and Doris Hunt and her older sister, Chelsea Evans.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Virtual state college fair

A virtual college and career exploration program for all Missouri high school students was co-chaired by Pattonville High School college and career preparation coordinator and counselor Michelle Luraschi.

The free four-week program featured 180

Michelle Luraschi, Pattonville High School college and career preparation coordinator, co-chaired a state-wide college fair program for high school seniors.

virtual sessions on college planning, career information, financial aid and scholarships, military options, skilled trades, first responder careers, non-college training programs and more. Students were able to register for each session they wanted to attend.

Luraschi said students, families and high school counselors could tune in to view the sessions for free and watch as many as they wanted. All sessions were recorded and posted on the Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC) website. Luraschi volunteers as the college fairs co-chair on the executive board of MOACAC. Normally, more than 70 college fairs are held statewide including one at Pattonville High School. Due to COVID-19, Luraschi had to pivot her plans and created this virtual event along with her co-chair, Andrew Laue from Webster University.

Although this was a state-wide program, Luraschi is still creating some virtual programs exclusively for Pattonville families, such as a Financial Aid 101 presentation in partnership with the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) financial aid office.

DISTRICTWIDE

Pride of Pattonville

The Pattonville School District announced its 2019-2020 Pride of Pattonville winners with surprise visits to the honorees in June. The Pride of Pattonville award recognizes staff, parents and volunteers for outstanding service to the district. The 2019-2020 honorees are: • Mack Boyd, custodian at Willow Brook Elementary School; • Steven Chisholm, hardware support specialist in the technology department at the Pattonville Learning Center; • Dr. Don Furjes, principal at Remington Traditional School; • Gene Grimshaw, assistant principal at Pattonville High School; Willow Brook Elementary School princi• Heather Lopez-Johnston, social studies pal Dr. Marla Wasserman, right, surpristeacher and assistant athletics director at es custodian Mack Boyd with the news he was selected as a Pride of Pattonville Pattonville High School; winner. View a video of the surprise an• Joan Mason, business specialist at nouncements for all 10 honorees at Pattonville High School; youtu.be/EXsA1TFaNZk. • Jane McGuire, reading specialist at Holman Middle School; • Kathleen O’Keefe, former English learner teacher and department leader at Pattonville High School; • Julie Purviance, food service coordinator at Pattonville Learning Center; and • Eleanor Taylor, English learner teacher at Pattonville High School.

#PattonvilleAtHomecoming: District plans virtual events after in-person ones postponed E

ach fall, Pattonville looks forward to welcoming students, parents, alumni, staff and community members to Pattonville High School for its annual homecoming celebration. After homecoming festivities were put on hold, the district planned its first-ever global virtual homecoming.

Homecoming has been postponed to a date to be determined during the second semester, but the district offered a slate of digital content from Sept. 21 to 26 for everyone in the Pattonville family - past and present - to participate in together.

Pattonville shared a virtual fight song, posted a Pattonville virtual trivia game and gave virtual tours of the high school using photos made with a 360-degree camera. The district also invited students, staff and community members to help create a virtual homecoming parade by decorating their car, bike, virtual learning classroom, themselves - or whatever they preferred - with Pattonville spirit and then snapping a photo to share with the district. Entries were compiled into a video which debuted on Pattonville’s Facebook and YouTube channels at the same date and time as the originally scheduled parade. Check out the video on the district’s Facebook or YouTube page.

Pattonville students and their families decorated a truck and showed their Pattonville spirit as part of the virtual homecoming parade.

They are, from left, second grader Will Bartlett and fourth grader Ciara Ratliff, both from Rose Acres Elementary School, Pattonville High School freshman Kayleigh Ratliff, Holman Middle School eighth grader Matthew Schiermeyer and freshman Lexi Sutkus.

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Jim Usry, Class of 1986 - Usry has been

Marie Clark, Class of 2012 - Clark

named fire chief of the Pattonville Fire Protection District, effective January 2021 upon the retirement of Fire Chief Dave Dotson. Usry has served the Pattonville fire district for 30 years and currently holds the position of assistant chief. He joined the district as a paramedic-firefighter and has served in the ranks of private, captain, training officer, public education coordinator and battalion chief.

graduated from Saint Louis University (SLU) medical school in May. She chose to specialize in dermatology and started a fouryear residency program in June at Indiana University in Indianapolis. She previously earned a degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis.

ALUMNI SUCCESS

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

Bob Behnken, Class of 1988 - Behnken re-

turned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle with fellow NASA astronaut Doug Hurley after participating in the first commercial space flight in U.S. history. The astronauts splashed down on Aug. 2 after spending approxi- Jim Usry mately two months aboard the International Space Station. Having now performed 10 space walks, Behnken matched the U.S. record for the most performed by an American and is ranked fourth on the all-time, worldwide list for total time on space walks with 61 hours and 10 minutes.

Marie Clark

Jacqueline Neil

Abby Schnable

Jacqueline Neil, Class of 2012 - Neil was named to The Missouri Times 2020 30 Under 30 List of individuals who work in politics in the state. Neil works as a consultant at the Prosper Group, executing digital strategies for political campaigns.

Derrick Boyce, Class of 2018, Chris Gleghorn, Class of 2016 and Brooke Jenkins, Class of 2019 - Boyce, Gleg-

horn and Jenkins were named to the St. Louis PostDispatch All-Decade Track and Field teams. Boyce, javelin, and Gleghorn, long jump, were named to the second team, while Jenkins, long jump, was named to the All-Decade third team.

Derrick Boyce

Abby Schnable, Class of 2017 - Schnable created the

Col. Bob Behnken is shown in a selfie he took on a space walk while at the International Space Station. He and fellow U.S. astronaut Doug Hurley spent two months in space after successfully taking part in the first commercial crew flight to space.

Corey Tate, Class of 1992 - Tate was pro-

moted to associate head coach of the Saint Louis University (SLU) men’s basketball team. Tate came to SLU after one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Mizzou, in 2015-2016. Prior to his stint at Mizzou, he served as head coach of the Brad Beal Elite/St. Louis Eagles under-17 Nike EYBL team. While at SLU, Tate helped the Billikens improve their A-10 win total each season, and SLU has posted back-to-back 23-win seasons. In 20182019, the Billikens won the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship title and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to last season being canceled due to COVID-19, the Billikens were on a five-game winning streak and were one of the hottest teams in the country.

Schnable Speaker Series (S3) and hosted a free 15-session webinar titled “Sports Journalism in SelfIsolation.” Schnable contacted all of the speakers and worked with them on topics for her passion project.

As a senior at Loyola University Chicago, she works as the co-sports editor of the award-winning student newspaper, the Loyola Phoenix. The speaker series was designed for college students and recent graduates.

Momo Kikuchi, Class of 2020 - Kikuchi won the Met-

ropolitan Junior Amateur Championship in the girls division at Westborough Country Club by 25 strokes.

She plays golf at University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), where she is currently pursuing a degree in political science.

Chris Gleghorn

Emily Schrumpf, Class of 2020 - Schrumpf was named

to the United Soccer Coaches High School Girls Scholar All-Region Team. The varsity girls soccer defender had a 4.63 GPA and was also selected as the school’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scholar Athlete in April.

Got an update to share?

Corey Tate

Brooke Jenkins

Send your information and photo to bheyman@psdr3.org in the Pattonville school-community relations office.

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Two Pattonville seniors earn National Merit Scholarship finalist status P

attonville High School seniors Maya Blumenthal and Jordyn Lodes have been named semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among approximately 16,000 semifinalists who have the opportunity to continue in the competition for National Scholarships that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Maya Blumenthal Jordyn Lodes semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

More than 1.5 million juniors in 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Rose Acres Elementary School students and staff celebrate during lunch as they watch the U.S. Department of Education’s virtual announcement of this year’s National Blue Ribbon Schools. Shown standing are Rose Acres instructional specialist/district technology specialist Sarah Funderburk, left, and principal Steve Vargo.

Rose Acres Elementary earns National Blue Ribbon Award School named Missouri Gold Star School earlier in summer

Holman Middle School student newspaper R earns first place in national competition T

he Holman Pirate Times, the student newspaper at Holman Middle School, was the top-scoring middle school student publication in the American Scholastic Press Association’s (ASPA) Scholastic Newspaper Awards for 2020. This is the fifth consecutive year that Holman topped this national list of award-winning middle schools in their category.

Holman earned first place in the intermediate schools division (for schools with enrollment between 500 and 1,000 students). Reviewers who judge each entry award recognition to those that are an outstanding overall example of a scholastic publication in format, content and presentation.

Holman’s newspaper is produced by the after-school newspaper club. Sydney Hoynacki was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper during the 2019-2020 school year, and other student staff members were Esme’ Hurlbut, Breon Jones, Gabrielle Kellner, Romero King Jr., Samantha Lee, Anastasiya Richardson, Jessika Williams and Alexandria Wilson. Holman permanent substitute Glenn Changar was the club’s sponsor.

ose Acres Elementary School has been named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Rose Acres was one of only seven schools in the state of Missouri to receive this honor and the only elementary school in St. Louis County. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Rose Acres and the other recognized Missouri schools all met the criteria for Exemplary High Performing Schools, which means they are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Only 367 schools across the U.S. were recognized this year as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Rose Acres is the first Pattonville school to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School since 1993. Previous honorees include Pattonville Heights Middle School in 1984, Holman Middle School in 1985 and Pattonville High School in 1993. Rose Acres received the award after earning the Missouri Gold Star School for 2020 earlier this summer. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Gold Star School program uses the same criteria as the National Blue Ribbon Schools program.

“This award would not have been possible without the staff and students’ focus with academics and leadership,” principal Steve Vargo said. “Rose Acres Elementary has traditionally been a strong learning community for many years and this award is a result of that. We share this award with our parents who always support the learning process.”

Pattonville named Top Workplace in St. Louis for 6th year in row T

Holman Middle School students who helped produce the nationally award winning school newspaper are shown with sponsor Glenn Changar, back row, left. The students are, from left, front row, Gabrielle Kellner, Anastasiya Richardson and Jessika Williams; and back row, Esme’ Hurlbut, Samantha Lee, Alexandria Wilson and Sydney Hoynacki. (Note: The photo was taken before school went virtual last March.)

he Pattonville School District has been awarded a 2020 Top Workplace honor by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The district was ranked ninth among the Top 15 large employers in the St. Louis area (employers with 500 or more employees). This is the sixth year in a row Pattonville has earned Top Workplace recognition, and no other school district was ranked higher on the list than Pattonville.

Only 140 businesses and organizations received recognition this year. The Top Workplaces list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution and connection.

“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.