PattonvilleWork@Dec. 14, 2012

An e-newsletter from the Pattonville School District

Anjali Fernandes, a senior at Pattonville High School, was selected as one of two delegates in Missouri to attend the 51st annual

United States Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C. in March. Only two representatives from each state are chosen for this unique educational opportunity. Fernandes was selected for the honor after being named a semifinalist based on nomination forms, student essays and letters of recommendation. She also traveled to Jefferson City to take part in an extensive interview that was part of the final selec-tion process. She was chosen from among eight state finalists. A panel consisting of staff from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Bar selected the delegates. Nearly 80 juniors or seniors were nominated for the program this year by high school principals from public and nonpublic schools.

The United States Senate Youth Program is a unique educational expe-rience for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. Fernandes will spend a week in Washington experienc-ing the federal government in action. During the week, she will hear ma-jor policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials from the De-partments of State and Defense and directors of other federal agencies, as well as participate in a meeting with a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. All transportation, hotel and meal expenses are provided by The Hearst Foundations. In addition, Fernandes is being awarded a $5,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies, with encouragement to pursue coursework in history and political science.

Fernandes already has some experience with the political and legislative processes. Last summer, she was elected vice president of Girls Nation, an immersive program in Washington, D.C., that gives high school girls firsthand experience and practical insight into how the federal government works. Two participants per state, known as senators, were chosen to represent their respective Girls State programs. They spent the week creating a mock legislature, submitting bills and resolutions, participating in Senate sessions, holding a national convention, electing officials such as president and vice president and visiting significant locations around Washington, including a day on Capitol Hill meeting with state sena-tors and representatives. They also met President Barack Obama.

Fernandes was elected to the national position after also being elected president of Missouri Girls State this sum-mer. The program, held annually at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, is a simulated state, sponsored, organized and administered by the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Missouri. This was the first time a single student won both the Missouri Girls State governorship and a seat at Girls Nation in the same year.

Pattonville senior selected for US Youth SenateAnjali Fernandes was previously elected vice president of Girls Nation

Anjali Fernandes is shown with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill during Fernandes’ trip to Girls Nation.

Board candidate filing ends Jan. 15Election to the Pattonville R-3 School District Board of Education will be held during the general municipal election

on April 2, 2013. There will be two seats open for three-year terms. Candidate filings opened on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and will end at 5 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2013.

A candidate must file a written declaration of candidacy for a specified term, in person, with the secretary to the Board of Education at the Pattonville Learning Center, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO. Candidates will be placed on the ballot in order of filing. Except for opening day, filings will be accepted Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.* The exceptions are the days when the offices are closed. Those dates are as follows: Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1. Board members whose terms are expiring are Robert Dillon and Ruth Petrov. *In the event of inclement weather, please call (314) 213-8001 to inquire if offices are open.

Ribbon cutting for new pool set for Jan. 4

On Jan. 4, members of the Pattonville boys and girls swim and dive teams will mark the opening of the new Patton-

ville Aquatic Center by stretching out across the new pool and holding more than 25 yards of green ribbon. Team members are taking to the water to help cut the ribbon on the new facil-ity, which is in the final phases of construction. The pool facil-ity is funded by Prop K, the zero tax rate increase bond issue approved by voters in November 2010. Funds from the bond issue can only be used for bond projects such as the pool and are prohibited by law to be used for the district’s operational budget (the budget for items such as salaries and textbooks).

Pattonville High School will host an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Jan. 4. The public can tour the facility from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will commence at 6:30 p.m. The festivities continue on Saturday, Jan. 5, with an open swim for the community from noon to 3 p.m. At 6 p.m., alumni members of the Pattonville swimming and diving teams will have a swim and dive meet with former Pattonville swim coaches John Hamilton and Bill Rinesmith as the honorary coaches.

Shown at right is a view of the pool under construction in late November.

Facility funded by Prop K bond issue funds, which is separate by law from operating budget

Pool Opening FestivitiesFriday, Jan. 4• Open House, 5 to 6:30 p.m.• Ribbon Cutting, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5• Open Swim for Community, Noon to 3 p.m.• Swim/Dive Alumni Swim/Dive Meet, 6 p.m.

Registrations are now being accepted for spring courses offered through Pattonville’s community education program. Pattonville offers a variety of courses for children and adult learners - from fitness and cooking to computers and

music. The Spring 2012 Pattonville community education brochure is available on the district’s website under the “Sea-sonal Links” menu.

The brochure includes information and registration contacts for new swim and dive club programs offered at the new Pattonville Aquatic Center, set to open with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 4.

For more information or to register for Pattonville’s community education classes, please contact Mary Reed in the Pattonville community education office at (314) 213-8094 or mreed@psdr3.org. Discounts are offered on many courses for residents aged 55 and older.

Registrations underway for community educationPattonville offers classes for learners of all ages, including new swim/dive opportunities

Mark Your Calendar

Reminders: winter break just ahead...• Dec. 21 - Last day of attendance before winter break begins• Dec. 23 - Jan. 1 - Winter break• Jan. 2 - School resumes for elementary/Remington only; report day

for staff at Holman, Pattonville Heights and High School• Jan. 3- Classes resume for Holman, Pattonville Heights and High

School students

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Michael A. Fulton, Ed.D., SuperintendentSuperintendent’s UpdatePattonville robotics team headed to state

A robotics team from Pattonville High School will advance to the state champi-onship at Missouri University of Science and Technology after earning awards at a regional competition on Dec. 8. Two teams from Pattonville’s Green Army Robotics competed and gained recognition at the FIRST regional robotics tournament at Florissant Valley Community College.

The Covert Division of Green Army Robotics (Team 2866) placed second out of 36 teams, won the Motivate Award and placed third for the Inspire Award, which qualifies the team to compete at the state-level robotics championship in Rolla. The team was also nominated for the Design Award. Student members of this team are: Josh Czopek, Nik Frier, Kyle Hall, Brianna Johnson, Warren Li, Grant Matthews, Jed Menard, Leah Perry, Tom Sarsfield, Zach Weber and Donovan Yard. The Armored Division of Green Army Robotics (Team 2867) placed 11th out of 36 teams and was nominated for the Innovate Award. Team members include: Paige Bateman, Daniel Herzberg, Craig Lasserre, Brandon Mazzola, Ethan O’Dell, Aidan O’Donnell, Jared Pond, Mark Raymond, Doan Trieu, Khoa Trieu and Jessica Vitale. The teams are sponsored by Pattonville teacher Lori Cole, with the help of several mentor experts: Jonathan Cole, Brian Bateman, Nicole Williams, Colin Shipley, Evan Dickerson-Rusan and Paul Bergland (a member of Pattonville’s technology department). For more information on the Green Army teams or to see photos from the event, visit the team’s website at greenarmyrobotics.org.

PHS drill teams win awards at Lindberghregional competition

Pattonville High School’s varsity and junior varsity drill teams recently earned accolades at the Yvonne Cole Lindbergh Invitational, a regional competition fea-turing teams from Missouri and Illinois competing in pom, hip hop and dance. The varsity drill team placed first in hip hop and first in pom, while the junior varsity drill team placed second in hip hop and second in pom. The varsity team received the High Point Award, and both teams earned the Showmanship Award.

Members of the varsity team include: Taylor Bailey, Samantha Byrne, Mariah Freeman, Anise Glenn, Ciara Glenn, Paige Goss, Katie Greenwell, Alexis Lawoe, Toni Martorelli, Sabrina Mason, Natalie Miles, Clare Pond, Lindsey Purvi-ance, Sierra Shockley, Danielle Siegel, Michaella Whaley and Haley Wojchiechowski. Katie Funderburk is coach of the varsity team.

Members of the junior varsity team are Jehnna Azzara, Taylor Coleman, Maddie Hunsaker, Briana Kitchell, Amber Maxwell, Katelynn Meierhoffer, Ingrid Rivera, Jerica Robinson, Kyla Robinson, Chelsea Sharp, Natalie Siegel, Sarah Simpkin, Jordan Tucker and Samantha Yancey. Shannon Hicks and Julie Crites coach the junior varsity team.

Members of the Pattonville varsity drill team are shown with their Lindbergh trophies.

Members of Pattonville’s Green Army robotics teams are shown with their creations after their performance at the regional competition.

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Pattonville students donate funds for hurricane relief

Members of the Pattonville High School Spanish National Honor Society (SNHS) recently donated more than $1,000 to the American Red Cross to help those on the East Coast impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. The SNHS and students in Silvia Hilker’s Advanced Spanish class at the high school teamed up to collect $1,030 from classmates and staff members. Also raising funds for the Red Cross in Pattonville were the Girls on the Run Team at Rose Acres Elementary and two fifth-grade leadership groups at Willow Brook Elementary.

Bridgeway students learn about kindness from Marshall the Miracle DogA special “celebrity” visitor to Bridgeway Elemen-tary helped bring a story students read in the classroom to life, while also reinforcing lessons about kindness and perseverance. Students at Bridgeway welcomed Marshall the Miracle Dog to their school recently after reading a book about the dog. Marshall has only three legs as a result of living at an abandoned property in poor conditions with 60 other dogs early in his life. Author Cyndi Willenbrock adopted Marshall from the Humane Society and had him trained as a service dog. Now Willenbrock and Marshall travel to schools to teach children about kindness, respect, perseverance and overcoming challenges such as bullying. Willenbrock wrote the children’s book, “Marshall the Miracle Dog,” to share Mar-shall’s story (which will soon be made into a movie). During the assemblies, students learned more about the obstacles Marshall overcame and asked questions. Afterward, they were able to meet and pet Marshall in person.

Speech/debate students take honors at area competitions

Members of Pattonville’s speech and debate team spent the month of November competing and taking honors at several regional tournaments. At the Clayton Speech and Debate Tournament, Brian Dufrenne and Will Chaney advanced to the quarterfinals in policy debate. Isaac Caverly won first place in U.S. extemporaneous speaking. Dustin Davis won second place and Anjali Fernandes won third place in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Fernandes also won third in international extemporaneous speaking, and her teammate, Jared Roberts, advanced to semifinals in the same category.

At the Grandview High School debate tournament in Kansas City, Dalton Townsend and Aaron Mansdoerfer won fourth place in public forum debate. At the Neosho tournament, Diego Pina and Sarah Simpkins placed sixth out of 96 teams in novice public forum debate. With a 6-0 record, they placed below first because of tie-breakers. At the Brentwood tourna-ment, Fernandes placed fifth in radio speaking; and Davis placed second in varsity Congress. At the Oakville tournament, Caverly and Shane McAtee placed first in varsity public forum debate with a 5-0 record; Bobby Breneman and Evan Col-lins placed first place in novice policy debate with a 5-0 record; and Fernandes placed fourth in varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate. The Pattonville team won the third-place sweepstakes award during the Oakville tournament. The team is coached by speech and debate teacher James Frazier with assistant coaches Linda Allen, Kathleen O’Keefe and Randy Pierce.

Michael A. Fulton, Ed.D., SuperintendentSuperintendent’s Update

Members of the Spanish National Honor Society at Pattonville High School present a check to Anne Gumpert, development coordinator for the Red Cross in St. Louis (shown center right holding check). Shown are, from left,AlexBreakfield,AustinRatanasitee,AshleyJones,ErinFarrell,AlexRauscher,AshleyWhite,KatieBreakfield,teacherSilviaHilker,PrincipalDr.JoeDobrinic,Gumpert,GeizyMomanyi,AylaLoeb,LaurenMcAdon,NoelleBrooks,AbbieKoziejaandGrantMatthews.

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Bridgeway students enjoy meeting Marshall the Miracle Dog. Here, Loai Almuttan pets Marshall while Ava Bechtel, ValeriaLopez-DiazandElijahMaritzwaittheirturns.

Michael A. Fulton, Ed.D., SuperintendentSuperintendent’s Update

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Parkwood students make, donate blankets to shelterParkwood Elementary students recently completed their

second service project for the year - making 30 fleece blankets for dogs adopted through the Franklin County Dog Shelter. Students met in their K-5 mentoring groups on Nov. 27 to make the blankets. Volunteers from the Parkwood PTA spent hours cutting patterns for the students to finish. Each blanket was packaged with a flyer from the school and a card from the students to the new adoptive parent and dog.

Students send treats, thanksto military personnel

Students and staff at two Pattonville schools are sending a little TLC to active military personnel for the holidays. The Car-ing For Others (CFO) Club at Pattonville High School recently collected more than $750 in donations to purchase needed sup-plies and goodies for active military personnel abroad. The club is sending a care package to Pattonville alumnus Ryan Stanley (Class of 2010), who is serving in Afghanistan, to share with his unit of more than 30 soldiers. High school students also wrote letters and thank you cards to Stanley and his unit members.

At Remington Traditional School, students and staff col-lected candy and other supplies for U.S. troops during the month of November as part of the Operation Gratitude, a pro-gram that sends care packages to U.S. military personnel. Remington collected more than 200 pounds of candy (or nine boxes worth), 150 thank you notes and letters and more than 40 sets of toothbrushes and toothpaste to send overseas. The Remington Student Council donated their time to help sort the items collected for shipping.

Pattonville earns national grant to help stabilize families in needThe Pattonville School District has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the American Association of School Adminis-

trators (AASA) and the National Joint Powers Alliance. Pattonville social worker Mike Siebe submitted the grant, which will support the work of the Pattonville Community Action

Team (PCAT), a group of Pattonville staff members and community members working to help stabilize and support Pattonville families in need. Over the course of the past year, Pattonville has engaged the faith community, financial institutions, land-lords, charitable organizations, governmental entities and many others in the Pattonville community that are concerned about the financial instability of many Pattonville families. PCAT serves as a forum to discuss related trends and develop solutions that directly impact families. The group developed a program called P5 to help Pattonville families who have been referred by numerous sources to achieve financial stability with the ultimate goal of residential stability. The name of the program refers to the five communities that feed into Pattonville (Bridgeton, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, St. Ann and St. Louis County).

PCAT researched what core elements were necessary in a program that could successfully move families to financial sta-bility. Those elements included coordinated services; links to benefits and community resources; programs for the families without bank accounts; financial literacy education; crisis services (rent and utility assistance); and asset development. The P5 program developed by the partners of PCAT covered all of the listed elements, with the exception of asset development, a critical component in assisting families with saving money for deposits on apartments, paying off creditors (thereby im-proving credit) and preparation for financial crises to keep them from falling back into financial instability.

The AASA grant money will be used to fund a 1:1 matching Individual Development Account for families seeking to achieve or maintain financial and residential stability. The program elements include an assessment of needs, implemen-tation of services and evaluation of effectiveness. Essential to the program is the families’ commitment toward financial stability as indicated by participation in recommended services including budgeting, credit recovery and setting financial goals. Families with financial literacy issues would be referred to one of three entities: Grace Church St. Louis, St. Louis Community Credit Union or Vantage Credit Union, depending upon their preference. They would be required to work with a specialist on credit recovery, budgeting and setting financial goals. The credit unions would set up an account with the family (if the family does not already have one) into which family savings would be matched dollar for dollar up to $250. The matching funds will only be accessed once the family completes the requirements of the program.

Parkwood Elementary students and staff and representatives from the Franklin County Dog Shelter are shown with some of the blanket care packages Parkwood students, staff and parentsmadefortheorganization.

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Board ActionsThe Board of Education on Dec. 11:• Reviewed upcoming trips by Pattonville High School thespians;• Reviewed and lodged for action enrollment and staffing for the 2013-2014 school year; the board is expected to vote

on the projections at the Jan. 8 board meeting; to review the presentation from the meeting, see the agenda for the Dec. 11 board meeting on Pattonville’s BoardDocs website;

• Approved paying $2,829,706.85 in regular bills;• Approved paying $113,120.31 in cafeteria bills;• Approved paying $309,493.93 for purchases made on Pattonville’s purchasing cards, which earned the district a

rebate of nearly 1 percent (or $2,847.34);• Approve contract adjustments for 2010 bond issue projects in the amount of $185,498.36;• Approved the middle school social studies adoption, with a materials cost of $102,000;• Approved curriculum course changes at Pattonville High School, which includes adding three new classes (AP Eco-

nomics, Principles of Biomedical Science I and Principles of Biomedical Science II) and minor changes to several classes in the following categories: business, communication arts, English language arts, family and consumer sci-ence/technology, modern language and social studies; minor changes were also approved for middle school explor-atory computers (sixth grade), SIGMA (gifted) and social studies;

• Approved paying $664.70 to Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan and Jackstadt for legal services; • Awarded a bid for paint and paint supplies to Porter Paint for $21,843.24; and • Approved the sale of the district’s revisionary rights in the real estate located at 4008 Fee Fee Road, St. Louis

County, for $3,700 and conveyed these rights by quit claim deed to the Pattonville Fire Protection District.

New Hire• MarcusMorris,custodian, High School

Business Bits: Actions taken at the Dec. 11 school board meeting

CalendarsClick on the calendar tab to view an activities calendar of all

school and district-level events; or an athletic calendar BoardDocs

Details of items discussed at board meetings can be found online. Click on any tab in the Web Tools menu to

find Pattonville’s BoardDocs page.

Pattonville Online www.psdr3.org

Your Board of EducationJeanne Schottmueller, President

Ron Kuschel, Vice PresidentTami Hohenstein, SecretaryRalph Stahlhut, TreasurerCindy Candler, Director

Bob Dillon, DirectorRuth Petrov, Director

Making NewsSpecial recognition of Pattonville students, staff and volunteers

Remington Traditional SchoolAll Suburban Concert BandRemington Traditional School seventh-grader Ezana Ephrem was selected for the St. Louis All Suburban Concert Band. Andrew Smith is his band director.

Pattonville High SchoolOld Newsboys Day publicationEleanor Gershman, a freshman at Pattonville High School, had an article selected for publication in the 2012 edition of the Suburban Journals’ Old Newsboys Day newspaper. The Old Newsboys edition raises funds for St. Louis area chil-dren’s charities and is sold throughout the St. Louis region by volunteers on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Brian Heyman is Gershman’s journalism teacher.

Robotics winning allianceMatt Murphy, a senior at Pattonville High School, was one of the team members on the winning alliance at the Cow Town Thrown Down robotics competition. His team, the Channel Cats Team 1094, was part of the three-team alliance that won the Lee Summit High School robotics competition in November.

Cappies publicationsSeveral Pattonville High School students had their theater reviews chosen for publication. Juniors Madison Farrar and Kristianna Pirrie had their Cappies reviews selected to be published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Farrar’s review was of Nerinx Hall’s performance of “Legally Blonde the Musical,” and Pirrie reviewed Parkway Central’s performance of “The Diviners.” In addition, sophomore Jessi Reynolds had her review of Wentzville Holt High School’s production of “Annie” forwarded for airing on ShowBiz radio. The Cappies program helps develop the relationships between theater and journal-ism through its review program, which allows students to attend and write reviews of other schools’ theater performances. These students were taught by theater director Lara Corvera.

Lindenwood Art ExhibitEleven Pattonville High School students and staff had artwork selected for Lindenwood University’s Young Artists and Their Teachers Exhibit. Freshman Susan Sorsen’s drawing was selected for the exhibit and earned first place in the drawing category competition. In addition, seniors Devin Koch and Katelin Pemberton had digital art selected for the exhibit; Anna Duncan and Kristen Evans had sculptures selected; and Jaclyn Helms, Kelsi Hughes and Sean Zoll had ceramics pieces accepted to the exhibit. Art teachers Kelli Dornfeld and Beth Kathriner had digital printmaking work selected for the exhibit and Scott Fader had a ceramics piece selected.

Missouri NEA Leadership AwardLisa Kickbusch, a second grade teacher at Drummond Elementary School, was recognized with the Shirley Cromer Leader-ship Award at the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA) Representative Assembly in November. The Shirley Cromer Leadership Award recognizes outstanding leaders and encourages leadership development through participation. Kickbusch was nominated for the award by her peers and was selected for the award by the Missouri NEA Board of Direc-tors. She is also a member of the Pattonville NEA and a former PNEA president.

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EzaraEphrem Eleanor Gershman JaclynHelms

Lisa Kickbusch

Susan Sorsen

Sean Zoll Scott Fader