PIRATEPRESS

Pattonville High School 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Road Maryland Heights MO 63043 l Vol. 76 Issue: 3 December 2011mypattonville.psdr3.org

Veterans honored pg. 4

Winter sportspg. 6-7

Moodlepg. 2

Child Development and Parenting will no longer be a graduation requirement

starting with the graduation class of 2013. These courses will continue to be offered as a class to students.

Because of the change, there has been a lot of traffic in the counsel-ing center with students trying to switch out of the class.

High school counselor Alysia Harris said some students have at-tempted to remove Child Develop-ment from their schedules, but their attempts were all in vain.

“Students will not be allowed [to change their schedules] because the schedules were locked-in last year and there is no room to put them in another class,” Harris said.

However, there could possibly be a consolation for students who have already taken the class or will take the class next semester.

Child Development and Parent-ing could count as a Practical Arts credit for students who have taken the class already.

Harris “assumes that it would” fulfill that requirement if the origi-nal requirement is removed.

This is being done because the District is trying to reduce its operating budget by $3 million by the 2013-2014 school year and summer school changes will result in fewer opportunities to take credit advancement classes which offered students the chance to free up their schedules to enroll in other electives during the tradional school year.

Pattonville has been spending money on Child Development, a class not required for graduation by the state of Missouri, for nearly 20 years.

It is seen, in the school’s best interest, to conserve some of that

money for classes necessary for graduation.

“[If the class is cut, the funding] will go to offset the reduction of money the school’s taking in,” head principal Joe Dobrinic said.

Senior Luke Morin said enroll-ment in Child Development and Par-enting would probably be affected if the course is not a requirement.

“There would probably be less people involved [in the class],” Morin said. “However, there would be more motivated students in the class.”

The Board’s ultimate goal with credit realignment is to provide more opportunities for student choice while maintaining /increas-ing the level of rigor for students.

Therefore, to succeed in providing more opportunities for students to choose the courses they desire, the Board has considered exercising the idea of aligning Pattonville’s gradu-ation requirements with state high school graduation requirements, thus removing Child Development and Parenting from the equation.

COURSES REQUIRED FOR GRADUATIONThe decision to keep Oral Com-

munication and Debate for at least one additional year as a required course was made, but with a plan to expand course options to meet those graduation requirements will be considered.

The decision was also made to change the amount of courses avail-able during summer school.

The current model offers 32 credit recovery classes and seven credit advancement classes. The new model, which would start in Sum-mer 2012, would provide only 29 credit recovery classes and just four credit advancement classes.

Those four credit advancement classes would be: 9th Grade PE, Health, Team Sports and Personal

Finance.There is also a plan to begin offer-

ing an exam to students to test-out of Personal Finance, although the passing rate is less than 5 percent.

The proposal to offer a Zero Hour or 8th Hour was turned down as it does not meet the parameters the committee put in place when mak-ing the decision.

Accessibility for all students was needed and that option did not meet its requirements.

All of the decisions made are to ensure Pattonville in highly com-petitive with area school on End-of-Course exams and on the ACT and increase the opportunity for student choice when it comes to registration and involvement at school. v

Parenting and child development courses no longer required for high school graduationBy Brady Bell and Tim Vleisides

Two students selected to help illustrate the 100 Neediest Cases; published in Post-Dispatch

MODOT re-routes snow plow

Matt Zehner and Kaylyn Williams place in Top 40 of the 100 Neediest Cases art contest; first time being published for bothBy Sierra Davison

More snow days to comeBy Taylor Dumas

Winter is rapidly ap-proaching, which calls for hot chocolate,

mittens, and countless mornings of planting oneself in front of the TV, waiting and begging for the news ticker to list “Pattonville R-III” as a closed institute. This year, students are hopeful to have more oppor-tunities to return to bed with new cutbacks in budgets.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced the deci-sion to cut back spending by only clearing the streets from snow if precipitation measures over 2 inches in St. Louis county.

Because this includes the residen-cies of a large majority of Pattonville families, one would think the new cutbacks would affect schools in terms of closings.

Superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton offered his thoughts on this year’s new cutback policies and how they could affect Pattonville School District.

Fulton is the person who ulti-

Change in schedule will allow students to have more flexibility in scheduling electives, meeting all state requirements

Two students were selected in the Top 40 of the 100 Neediest Cases art contest.

Ten students were selected overall from Beth Kathriner’s Drawing II class.

Out of 189 entries from 21 schools from the metro St. Louis area, Pattonville’s Matt Zehner and Kaylyn Williams were selected for publication in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to help illustrate the selected cases.

Zehner said this is the first time getting his work published.

“I was pretty happy and excited when I found out that I was selected for publication,” said Zehner, who is currently enrolled in this third art class at Pattonville.

The piece that he submitted was a drawing of his girlfriend, Erin Kennedy.

In the drawing, her hands are clenching her hair. It is supposed to show sadness and desperation.

Kaylyn William’s piece depicts a homeless girl and she used her little sister as the model for her artwork.

“I really feel for the families in the 100 Neediest Cases and my family has even adopted a family in

need before,” Williams said. Eight other students submitted

their artwork: Julia Appel, Teahna Banks, Adrian Smith, Kristy Linko-gel, Max Schnake, Erin Kennedy,

Kaityn Holzchuh and Eric Bateman.The 100 Neediest Cases has

helped thousands of disadvantaged families during the holidays.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the tradition dates back to 1922, when civic leaders formed the Christmas Bureau.

The Post-Dispatch has partnered with the program for more than five decades, renaming the campaign 100 Neediest Cases in 1954.

Annual donations to the cam-paign have swelled to $1.3 million last year from just $400 in 1922.

More than 70 social service agen-cies, working through the United Way, identify the needy families.

This year, 13,000 cases were selected based on factors such as poverty, medical problems and other hardships. Volunteers then select 100 cases to be profiled in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The profiles help raise awareness and encour-age donations for the thousands of other needy families. v

School District

Child Development/Parenting

Oral Communication/Debate

Parkway No No

Ladue No No

Clayton No No

Francis Howell

No No

Webster Groves

No No

Rockwood No No*

Hazelwood No No

Ritenour No No

*In Rockwood School District, students can meet the oral communication requirement by demonstrating competency in public speaking through presentations or by taking 1 of 18 courses.

Compiled by Gabby Pirrie

PattonvilleBriefs

On Dec. 8, Pattonville received a total of $1,500 in grants from ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program. These funds will go toward helping students prepare for entering college and taking the ACT college entrance exam. The POSITIVE School plans to use the grant to supplement technology-based curriculum materials in math and science.

Eight of Pattonville School District’s middle school students were selected to be part of the All-Suburban Honors Band this year. These students include: Cooper Sch-neider from Remington Tradi-tional School, Ervin Dubo and Jordan Stevens from Holman Middle School, and Keturah Gadson, Jacob Holtmeyer, Susan Sorsen, Mitchell Stringer and Kalekidan Yeshiwas from Pattonville Heights Middle School.

Scott Frawley, a 2007 graduate of Pattonville High School, was recognized recently as associate producer of “Pearl Harbor—24 Hours Later” which was aired on Dec. 7 nationwide.

Kailey Utley, 12, was named NSCAA All-Region. She is one of only three girls in Pattonville soccer history to receive this individual honor.

>>>Continued on pg. 2

>>>see SNOW pg.2

The Child Development playroom is silent during an off-period but might see additional quiet time if the course requirement is dropped.Throughout the rest of the day, young children receive assistance from students enrolled in the course. Photo by Caroline Cain

Matt Zehner’s artwork selected to help illustrate the 100 Neediest Cases. He submitted a drawing to show sadness and desperation.

Kaylyn Williams’s submitted a drawing showing a homeless girl the 100 Neediest art contest. She used her sister as the model for her artwork.

02 l PIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2011 NewsA semester of iLearn pilot comes to an end; teachers find pros, cons with both devices

When Pattonville High School goes to a 1:1 ratio of either the iPad

or Macbook Air next school year, a new organizational website called Moodle will be introduced.

Moodle, which stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, is a website that will allow students to see what is going on in all of their classes at the same time.

“It’s like a one-stop shop,” English teacher Amy Adam said.

Students can go to Moodle for all seven of their classes. The location for each class will be the same, al-leviating the confusion produced by all of the different websites teachers currently use.

“Having consistency is going to be nice for students,” math teacher Tammy Hasheider said.

Students can submit assignments just like they would in the classroom and view everything from teacher messages to the teacher’s calendar.

Students can also interact with each other. According to Hasheider, they can see if any of their class-mates, or even students taking the course a different hour are on

Moodle, and communicate with them using a message feature.

“It really opens the door for col-laboration,” Hasheider said.

The pilot in Adam’s and Hasheider’s classes with different devices will continue into second semester until all students involved receive the Board-selected comput-er, Hasheider said.

While both teachers have had some small challenges in learning and teaching Moodle during the iLearn pilot, “most challenges have been device specific,” Jamie Richter, Pattonville’s technology specialist, said. “The biggest hindrance is with the iPads.”

Adam said if a student with an iPad needs to submit a document, he or she must email it to him or herself and submit it from an actual computer. Hasheider recognizes this problem, but cites that time man-agement is the biggest challenge for her students.

She said students are easily dis-tracted with both devices, but more so with the iPad and its plethora of applications and games.

Another problem lies with the iPads lack of ability to support Flash websites. Flash is the multimedia

platform that allows for the viewing of videos and advertisements along with games and several different online programs on many websites.

That flaw is especially problemat-ic in geometry classes because they use a program called Geometer’s Sketchpad. According to Hasheider, a substitute program called Geo-Gebra was found and installed on devices. It is a free version of a pro-gram like Sketchpad that the iPads

can use and give students the ability to manipulate geometric shapes, lines, and angles.

Hasheider praises the note-taking abilities on the iPads and said “students can open any PDF file and write directly on it with their finger.” Both devices received high praise from Adam and Hasheider, but they shared the same view on their preferred device: The MacBook Air. v

Moodle creates Blended Learning Environment, connects students with Internet-based courses and websites By Brendan Everson

New bill passed limiting social media contactingPrivate contact between students, faculty is banned By Lexi Kendall

>>> Continued from pg. 1

PattonvilleBriefs

Upon returning to school after completing an out-of-school suspension, there has been a decreasing rate of assign-ments being turned in. Now a new procedure is being put in to action to insure that homework is being done. Students are re-quired to contact teachers to get any missed work from the days they miss. If this work is turned in, it will be graded as if it was turned in on time. If missed work is requested and not received within 48 hours during suspension, then students will have an equal amount of days to finish the work when they come back as they had during suspension.

The following students earned positions in the All- Suburban Band this year: Kim Edwards, 10, Lexi Kendall, 12, Jacob Johnson, 12, David Lindsay, 12, Adam Kaminsky, 11, and John Sorsen, 12.

Joe Johnson, 10, was elected Future Educator’s Association Missouri state president for the 2012-13 school year.

Twenty-five Patton-ville High School students participated in auditioning for the St. Louis Suburban Honors Choirs. Out of 550 auditions in the St. Louis county, 15 of the 25 students at Pattonville were selected to be a part of the Honors Choirs.

Jacob Johnson, 12, and John Sorsen, 12, made All- Suburban Jazz Band in early November.

Harry Kolmer’s, 12, review for the “Distracted” performance by Francis Howell High School was forwarded and made available on MarylandHeights.patch.com.

The Suburban North all-conference team of 2011 in-cluded two of Pattonville High School’s seniors and one juniors this year line backer Jeremiah Williams, 12, is defensive player of the year. Left guard Jordan Cauldwell, 12, is part of the second team offense. Defensive back Justin Morrow, 11, is part of the second team defense.

Out of 17 teams, Paton-ville High School’s Chess Team took home the 4th place trophy. The students that participated include Brett Cole, 10, Joe Co-peland, 11, Isaiah Gadson, 11, Nick Huber, 11, Maulik Patel, 11, Jimmy Sorsen, 11, and Zach Suedmeyer, 12. Isaiah Gadson also took home the 1st place trophy for his individual game.

Matt Zehner, 12, and Kaylyn Williams, 11, both sub-mitted art work into the “100 Neediest Cases Art Contest” and placed in the top 40 out of 189 entries in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.

Junior Isaac Caverly works on an iPad distributed for Pattonville’s pilot while senior Igor Lukajic completes the same assignment on a laptop from one of Pattonville’s computer carts. Photo by Jacqueline Neil

In October, State Governor Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill 1 into law. This bill was previ-

ously known as Senate Bill 54 and is also known as the Amy Hestir Stu-dent Protection Act, and is designed to limit electronic communication between teachers and their current and former students.

The goal is to limit social networking contact in order to set boundaries between students and teachers and prevent them from com-municating privately.

As of right now, Facebook and

Twitter, among other social network-ing sites, are not being allowed for use by clubs and organizations at Pattonville High School.

“I don’t think social networking sites are inappropriate,” junior Raj Patel said. “They are part of society today and make communicating with groups of people more simple.”

Some students find social net-works to be unnecessary.

“I don’t think that they’re so much inappropriate as just unneeded and distracting, at least when it comes to school,” sophomore Brianna Johnson said. v

>>>SNOW cont. mately decides whether or not to call off school for bad winter weather conditions.

“It depends on the storm, but I try to have the call made by 5 a.m.”

The call Fulton is referring to is the automated message sent to alert families of a school canceling. As a small step of preparation, Fulton explains he sometimes records the message the night before.

“You sound a lot more awake at 10 o’clock at night versus 4 in the morning,” he said jokingly.

The process of canceling school includes watching the forecast before going to sleep when a storm is expected, waking up at 4 a.m., and having conferences with Pat-tonville’s Transportation Director, Steven Gerke.

“We’re out driving,” Fulton saidThe two check the roads to pre-

dict whether or not the buses can transport students to school. If the roads are drivable, meaning there is not a layer of ice covering residen-tial streets, then the decision to let school resume as usual is made.

“Safety is the first and most important priority, even if it’s mar-ginal. You never play around with ice,” Fulton said.

On the eves of approaching storms and the mornings of, Fulton keeps in contact with other superin-tendents in the area.

“Around 5 a.m., usually I’m on a conference call with other superin-tendents to compare notes.”

The decision to cancel school is sometimes made as a group.

Last year, students may recall being dismissed early due to an approaching ice storm. This was due to Fulton keeping in contact with Wentzville and Warrensburg school districts, both west of Pattonville. Storms often come in from that area, traveling the same general direction down Highway 70. If snow storms are hitting St. Charles coun-ty, it is safe to assume Pattonville is next in line on the storm’s agenda.

Despite the changes in MODOT’s budget, Fulton seems to be sticking to the usual plan of watching the forecasts and checking the roads.

Every storm is different, there-fore it is difficult to predict how these cutbacks will affect Patton-ville. Their main concern seems to lie in the issue of ice, and that kind of threat cancels school, regardless of whether or not the plows roll. v

DECEMBER 2011 l PIRATE PRESS l 03NewsAlum attempts to raise awareness of cancer to teens

In the United States, over 12,000 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with

cancer every year; approximately 3,000 of them will not survive the disease.

Daniel Wright, a 2009 Pattonville graduate, is a cancer survivor and is now trying to raise awareness to others.

“I was in disbelief when I was diagnosed,” Wright, then 19, said. “Telling my family and my girlfriend wasn’t easy and it was a reality check to myself.”

Wright was diagnosed with Stage 3 testicular cancer on June 28, 2010. Three months earlier, he noticed symptoms but did not seek

any medical attention due to lack of awareness.

The cancer then spread to his lungs and shut off his right kidney. On Nov. 9, 2011, after 4 cycles of chemotherapy sessions, Wright celebrated his one-year anniversary of being cancer-free.

But his battle against the disease has only started.

Wright has since teamed up with “Besties with Testies,” an organiza-tion Colorado, that sells awareness wristbands to raise TC awareness.

“I use Facebook where I make daily posts about how important it is to know the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer and encourage young men to not be afraid of talk-ing about testicles,” Wright said.

Wright encourages students to

help spread the message by liking the “Besties with Testies” Facebook page and visiting BestiesWithTes-ties.com for more information.

Many Pattonville varsity teams host charity games to raise money for cancer research.

The varsity girl’s soccer team hosts a “Kicks for Cancer” game every season and charge admission to the event and sell T-shirts to raise money. Players also sell raffle tickets for different prizes and honor loved ones battling cancer during halftime.

“Our Kicks for Cancer is a great way for promoting cancer aware-ness,” head coach Tom Iffrig said. “Last year alone we raised over $4,000 for cancer research.”

The team presented that dona-

tion check to the David C. Pratt Cancer Center at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center. The donation ben-efitted the children’s cancer unit at the center.

“The girls get really excited about being able to help the cause,” Iffrig said.

All of this helps patients like Wright defray the costs of treat-ments. In addition to family contri-butions, fundraisers at Remington Traditional where his sister, Saman-tha, attends, and benefits at Lion’s Choice, his employer, really helped when he was in need.

At Pattonville, over 50 faculty and staff members participated in the annual Lee’s Denim Day on Oct. 6 to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

Financial secretary Joan Mason, diagnosed with skin cancer in Oct. 2010, and Teen Connect adviser Sara Delaney, who lost her grand-mother to breast cancer, both participated.

Wright spreads words of encour-agement to those were diagnosed with cancer.

“Stay positive,” Wright said. “Having a positive attitude will help out the most.”

Wright, now 20, will be graduat-ing from St. Charles Community College in December with an Associ-ate’s Degree in business administra-tion.

Wright will be transferring to UMSL in the spring to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in account-ing. v

Pattonville class of 2009 graduate survives cancer at a young age, varsity teams hold events to raise money for more research

Day to help students plan for future courses

Each year Pattonville has a specific day in which teach-ers and counselors help

individual students decide which courses to take for the upcoming year. This day, known as Stop Day, occurs on Jan. 17, 2012.

The planning process for next year will begin on Jan. 12. Students will receive two forms regarding class credits in their Pirate Connec-tions class.

The first is a credit sheet, which their counselors organized. It shows which required and elective credits students have already passed, as well as which classes the students should be taking in upcoming years.

The other sheet is an individual career pathway sheet. As students fill these out, they will again be shown the classes they have taken so far.

Both of these will be turned in to the students’ Pirate Connections teacher that day.

The info compiled from these forms will be used to help students decide which classes and electives are needed in order to graduate and build their education.

Throughout the day on Stop Day, teachers will recommend specific courses for individual students and will disucss class options for the 2012-2013 school year.

The classes chosen on Stop Day will not be a permanent lock-in for next year, according to Pattonville counselor Stacey Leonard.

Until students become seniors, they are usually required to take

four core classes in the math, English, history and science depart-ments every year. Classes such as physical education and personal finance are required before gradua-tion as well. However, there is usu-ally room in most schedules to take some interesting electives.

“As time progresses, [one should] take the challenging classes to extend knowledge in a certain area,” Aaron Landgraf, 11, said.

Most colleges also like to see modern language credits when you apply. Although these electives are not required to graduate, each pro-vides the opportunity for students to learn how to communicate in unique ways.

Multiple fine art classes are of-fered throughout the school as well. Students with musical talent may consider taking an elective such as choir, piano or guitar. Others with artistic skills may look forward to taking Art Fundamentals or drawing courses.

Beginning Jan. 18, counselors will meet with students through their social studies classes to enter their selections electronically.

“In March, we will make sure they have the credits they need,” Leonard said.

“Then, we will send a copy of request home so the parents can see them. After this, they’ll have a week to call us if they want to change anything.”

Each student has some type of particular talent, and electives are a good way to put it into use. v

Students might have more flexibility in scheduling electivesBy Joey Schneider

A day in the life of a POS studentStudents spends a day in POS to really understand the differenceBy Abby Kieffer and Kyleigh Ambrosecchia

In the G-wing behind the big green doors, is a place where most students just walk right

past. This is Pattonville Positive High School. Positive School is an alternative school that features small classes and more personal instruction from teachers. Students choose to place themselves in this alternative school opposed to the rumors of them being burnouts or dropouts. Most kids are in there to better their education, behavior and attitude. Students become a lot closer with the teachers and every-one around them. They become high school graduates.

Classes“I think kids find themself being

successful here in Pos,” counselor Pat Eagan said.

The students in Pos are found to be more successful than they would in high school.

“Kids come up here wanting to make a change,” Eagan said. “Kids take a parallel curriculum with the same diploma and graduation re-quirements” as the tradional school.

Students take the same classes as those in the high school, but are in need of more help and time.

Each class is 85 minutes long. On Monday through Thursday, students are dismissed at 12:05 p.m. Stu-dents who don’t have a ride home can stay after school and go home on the 2:13 p.m. buses. On Fridays, students can be dismissed at 11:05 a.m., unless they have Academic

Lab. An Academic Lab helps students catch up on their absences and make-up work.

Absences do count toward grades in Pos. If a student has 1 to 3 absences, they can earn their deserving grade, but with 5 or more absences, stu-dents don’t earn any credit. If a student records 0 absences and has a grade of C or better, students can earn an exemp-tion from final exams.

In Pos, there isn’t any classifica-tion for students’ grade levels, such as freshman, sophomore, junior and seniors. Students’ grades depend on the amount of credits they have earned.

The schedule allows relationships to be built by having an advisory every day and 85-minute class pe-riods. After the time spent in class, students have 10 minutes in the hallway to just relax.

Relationships“Some kids go into Pos for the

wrong reasons, like to get out of school early or have easier classes,” Jackee Lyons said. “I’m up here to have more one-on-one time with the teachers, and teachers up here seem like they care more about our education.”

With our experience and observa-tions, teachers and students have a better bond than they would in the high school.

“When I taught at Hazelwood I was never able to get close and really interact with students. I was overwhelmed with students there,” Robin Woodrome, Pos art teacher, said. “Now that I teach in Pos, there’s a smaller group of kids that I can really get close to.”

Teachers really get to know students and what interest them to make the learning environment easier. Some students have a harder time paying attention. The teachers

in Pos try their best to keep them interested. For example, they read books as plays where each student has to interact with the group and explain the piece in a simpler way.

The class is more involved. Typi-cally students in regular high school classes are quiet and just wait for the teacher to answer the question, but Pos students want to be in-volved in the discussion. By raising their hands, giving the teacher their full attention, and asking questions if they don’t understand something, students become an important piece in the learning process.

When a student would become tense or was unaware of the answer, the teacher would make a joke to clear the air and make class comfort-able for everyone.

RelationshipsEvery student has a different

story of why they are there. Either it being behavior prob-

lems, learning problems, or just home problems.

But Pos students feel closer to everyone around them.

Many teachers said to us that “Pos is sad at times,” but in Pos, all the students and teachers are so close that if someone is upset or hurt, it affects everyone around them.

Lee McMillan said, “We all up here for the same reason.”

The reason is success and Pos students leave with a high school diploma just like the rest of us. v

Dominique Rigdon, 10, and April Neville, 12, work with Robin Woodrome on their project during art class. Photo by Kyleigh Ambrosecchia

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During breaks, students in POSI-TIVE School come together to hangout and relax before return-ing back to class. Photo by Abby Kieffer

What electives may you want to take in the future? Why?

“I would like to take TV Production because you learn a lot behind the scenes in the entertainment world. I also like operating cameras, and making shows.”

“An elective that sounds challeng-ing is Forensic Science. Personally, I want to be one when I grow up, and it gives you so much information from a small thing. Engineering also sounds fun.”

“Some elective classes I may take include computer classes, Child Development, Art, and Youth and Law. I want to take art to learn how to draw and Child Development to learn how to deal with a baby.”

Aaron Landgraf, 11

Brianna Johnson, 10

Liz Ethridge, 9

Compiled by Joey Schneider

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way

that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions and intellect.

It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture and paintings.

The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics, whereas disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and psychology analyze its relationship with humans and generations.

“Art Fundamentals, to my surprise, has been a very important class that has helped me learn the basic techniques and knowledge I’ll need in a world full of art,” junior Dustin Davis said

Art has been a requirement at Pattonville for quite sometime now. Students need one full credit of a Fine Art to graduate and Pattonville has a lot of courses to offer. Art Fundamentals is mostly required before taking any other art class.

Art Fundamentals is an intense study of the elements and principles of design. A variety of materials and techniques are used to create proj-ects. Students learn about art history, art in other cultures and art-related careers.

Students are expected to complete several short writing assignments and art critique.

“We do all kinds of thing in Art Fundamentals,” Cheryl Niehaus, art teacher, said.

“Such as contour line drawing, using a continuous flowing line and calligraphy,” Niehaus said. “Students will also learn how to cut a plate and make a print of themself.”

Students in Art Fundamentals also use the computer to do artistic activities.

“They will use Comic Life to make a self-portrait photo and transfer it to the plate and cut out the negative areas of the photo,” Niehaus said. “Then they will ink it up and print.

According to Niehaus, Art Funda-mentals is a problem-solving class.

“If you can’t think, you will have a difficult time.” v

Robotics Club places, qualifies for spot at state competition

Pattonville’s Robotics club did an outstanding job at their tournament on Dec.

3rd after many days of hard and complicated work.

The Pattonville teams that entered the For Inspiration and Rec-ognition in Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Tournament took both 2nd and 3rd place out of 34 teams meaning that they qualified for the State Championship. This tournament will take place in Febru-ary 2012 at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Not only did both teams place though, they also won and were finalists for many special awards.

The awards they were finalists for included the Inspire Award and the Think Award.

The Inspire Award was for those that did well in all aspects of the competition and the Think Award

was for the team that had the best documentation of the designing process.

The winning award was the PTC

Design Award. This award was given out to the team with the best robot design. v

Two Pattonville robotics teams place at Missouri University of Science and TechnologyBy Gabby Pirrie

04 l PIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2011 Feature

Veterans honored for servicePattonville hosts a Veteran’s Day breakfast, ceremony for area veterans on Nov. 11

For decades, many brave individuals have fought for the United States of

America in war. And many others serve in the Marines or the Navy without going into direct combat.

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (November 11, 1918), the armi-stice that ended World War I was signed. Nearly 100 years later, that day is observed as Veteran’s Day, as veterans from all over are honored, regardless of where they served or for how long.

On this day, Pattonville High School held a breakfast to honor veterans who live in the Pattonville School District, veterans employed by the district, and veterans who are relatives of students that at-tend Pattonville. A string quartet appeared at the breakfast, and a ceremony was held to honor the veterans afterward.

Some of the veterans attending did not serve in the war, but still were in the Marines or some form of military, and they believe the armed forces have a lot to offer to today’s youth.

“It will open up a new world and help young men and women grow, mature, and become committed, caring individuals,” James Vargo, a former member of the U.S. Navy from 1984-’89 said.

“Since our country was founded, there’s been an unbroken line of civilians joining our military. The strength of our country is that unbroken line, and that’s why young men and women will continue to

serve,” said Mike LeBlanc, a former Navy Corpsmen.

With recruiters occasionally ap-pearing at lunchtime, students at Pattonville interested in joining the military services are able to if they wish.

Pattonville is planning to do even more to honor veterans. Fifty trees will be planted on the grounds of the new stadium along with a com-memorative plaque in fall 2012. v

On Nov. 11, members of the Pattonville Chamber Choir sing as a Vet-eran stands to be recognized. Photo by Taylor Dumas

Art Fundamentals is an intense study of design Students need one full credit of Fine Arts to graduate; Art Fundamentals is a prerequisite to many other art classesBy Jessica Vargas

Winters full of memoriesStudents reflect on their favorite holiday memoriesBy Lexi Kendall

Holidays are a time to get together with family, eating a lot of food, and

making memories.“On Thanksgiving, my family and

I go to my cousin’s house and we sit around and eat and get fat.” Brooke Lashley, 9, said.

It’s getting to be that time of year where students get to take a week or more off for the holidays.

Samantha Glidewell, 10, spends Thanksgiving with her family. She recalls that one of her fondest memories was when she was at her Grandma’s house. She was playing tag with some of her relatives. While playing, she tripped and fell into a cactus.

“My grandma has plant cactuses around her house,” Glidewell said.

Other students remember the

more sentimental moments of Thanksgiving.

“My best Thanksgiving memories are going to my Grandma’s house and we all sit at the table and say what we’re thankful for.” Anise Glenn, 9, said.

Some students enjoy the food. Drake Blecha, 11, said that his stepmom is the best cook that he knows. “She cooks the best turkey and chicken.”

“For Christmas, we gather around and each get to open one present on Christmas Eve,” Blecha said. “It is an old tradition that a lot of people do. It’s fun because we open our first present and usually it’s like batter-ies or something and we’re kind of like ‘hm, what would these go to?’” Blecha said.

Some families with younger chil-dren bring the magic of Christmas

to life, such as Lily Vandergriff, 10.“We have the whole family come

over to my house and my uncle dresses up as Santa and scares the little kids,” Vandergriff said.

Some students really bring the magic by giving such as Alyssa Gibson, 12. She said that her best memory of Christmas is buying gifts for children for the angel tree at her church.

While students have their best memories, math teacher Kelsey Gjerstad, recalls a memory that she will never forget.

“My favorite Christmas memory is last year, when my fiancé pro-posed to me.” v

Diversity around the holidays with studentsA glance into “ChristmaHanukkah” with the Kahalon familyBy Kristen Hanna

By Taylor Holmstrom

Holidays are a wonderful time around the world, around the nation, and

also around Pattonville. With the holidays right around the corner, it gives people time to appreciate fam-ily, food and traditions.

While a staggering 96 percent of all Americans celebrate Christmas, 5 percent celebrate Hanukkah, and only 2 percent celebrate Kwanzaa—some people celebrate more than one holiday.

Whether you celebrate Christ-mas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, your family probably eats certain foods and partakes in certain traditions that others do not.

The beauty at Pattonville is that there is a great amount of diversity.

While walking down the halls, it is hard to pin-point exactly what ethnicity a person is.

The diversity observed through the halls is not lost when it comes to holidays.

This variety of cultures makes for

a more interesting environment.Senior Sivan Kahalon has a busy,

yet interesting, holiday season. Since her family is Jewish, they carry out the typical traditions of Hanukkah.

Her mother’s extended family members are Catholic which makes for an interesting twist to the ordi-nary festivities.

Kahalon and her family call it “ChristmaHanukkah.” Hanukkah lasts eights days and usually comes before Christmas.

Kahalon’s family traditionally makes potato latkes and they light the menorah over eight nights.

For Christmas, Kahalon goes to her aunt’s house for brunch. At night, the Kahalons go to look at Christmas lights.

“I love being around my family,” Kahalon said. “I have family that lives all over the country and all over the world so around the holidays, a lot of people come in town so I love having them around. It’s the best part.” v

Student members of the teams are Mike Brown, Nik Frier, Aaron Ger-shman, Joey Hakanson, Mitchell Hale, Kyle Hall, Katie Harris, Daniel Herzberg, Daniel Jack, Brianna Johnson, Craig Lasserre, Warren Li, Grant Matthews, Brandon Mazzola, Jed Menard, Aidan O’Donnell, Leah Perry, Mark Raymond, Doan Trieu, Khoa Trieu, and Donovan Yard. Submitted by Robotics Club.

FINALS SCHEDULE (Dec. 19-22)Tuesday, December 20

1st: 7:23 a.m.- 8:50 a.m.3rd: 9 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, December 214th: 7:23 a.m.- 8:50 a.m.5th: 9 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, December 226th: 7:23 a.m.- 8:50 a.m.7th: 9 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.

Monday, December 19Modified “A” Day1st-7:23-8:04 REVIEW

2nd-8:10-9:40* FINAL EXAM3rd-9:46-10:27 REVIEW

4th-10:33-11:14 REVIEW5th-11:20-12:38 REVIEW + LUNCH

6th-12:44-1:25 REVIEW7th-1:31-2:13 REVIEW

Senior Sivan Kahalon celebrates the holidays with specific customs and traditions from both Christmas and Hanukkah. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

For decades, Pattonville has expressed its desire to help students obtain a well-

rounded education. With the large amount of staff members that were also former students at the high school, it seems that Pattonville has stuck with this goal.

In the school, there are over 30 staff workers who graduated from Pattonville. The graduation years of the alumni span from the late 1970s to the early 2000s.

“It shows that Pattonville is a community school,” Principal Joe Dobrinic said. “We have a signifi-cant understanding of community dynamics.”

Dobrinic graduated from Pat-tonville in 1988. He is not surprised that Pattonville is this well-rep-resented by teachers because he knows this is such a good commu-nity to grow up in.

POSITIVE School Principal Don-na Burd graduated from Pattonville in the same class as Dobrinic.

The English department is the largest group of staff members rep-resented by Pattonville alumni with seven teachers.

These teachers include Jessica Muckerman-Presson, Tara Willen,

Beth Moritz, Maureen Weissler, Katie Funderburk, Leslie Anderson and Vann Hahn.

“When I was in high school, I felt like I was home,” said Muckerman-Presson. “So it seemed really natural to want to come back here.”

According to Muckerman-Pres-son, the large amount of alumni in the school shows that teachers work really hard to make connections and make students feel welcome in a good environment.

Three former Pattonville students represent the math department.

Scott Dickinson, Melissa Spark-man and Stephanie Waldrop all teach at least one section of geom-etry or algebra.

“I always liked the school when I was a student,” Sparkman said. “I was familiar with the school’s poli-cies and felt comfortable with the environment.”

Sparkman was involved in many sports and activities during high school. She was a member of soft-ball, cheerleading, soccer, track and orchestra.

As a senior in 1994, Sparkman was a member of the softball team that won the Missouri State High School Activities Association cham-phionship.

The science and history depart-ments, which offer mandatory graduation courses, are each rep-resented by two former Pattonville students.

Rob Lamb and Erin Mulanax represent the science department, while Doug Newton and Don Schulte both teach history classes.

There are several elective teachers who also graduated from Patton-ville.

Scott Fader and Cheryl Niehaus both teach specific art classes.

Karolyn Florence works with the TV Production class to create episodes of Pirate Aye.

Lauri Radican teaches in the Spe-cial School District department.

Tom Iffrig and Mark Hahn work together to teach Driver’s Educa-tion.

Iffrig said he decided to come back to Pattonville because he knew it was a great school and a very community-oriented school district.

He thinks it is neat to work with many of the same teachers he had as a student.

Both Iffrig and Hahn played sports throughout high school and currently coach a varsity sport.

Iffrig coaches girls’ varsity soccer, while Hahn coaches varsity baseball.

The Physical Education depart-ment has two former Pattonville students who also coach varsity sports.

Steve Smith is the head football coach, while Rich Beckmann is a baseball coach.

Jaime Richter is the technology specialist of the school.

A former graduate of Patton-ville, he now helps both staff and students learn how to put the technology in every classroom to proper use.

Jen Wasmer, the audio technician of the school, also helps out with specific advances for the school’s technology.

Two former students now work in the guidance office.

Brooke Michel is one of the student counselors and Kim Miller is the User Support Specialist for the school.

Lori Calvin returned to Patton-ville and now holds a position as the school’s library clerk.

There are also two former stu-dents who now work with the Teen Connect Program.

Maggie Harr and Sarah Delaney both lead the class that works with students toward developing social skills and teach proper techniques

for academic success.“I’ve always liked working with

kids and helping them achieve suc-cess,” Harr said. “A lot of students either haven’t been taught these skills at home or need additional instruction.”

In addition to this, Harr decided to get a job at Pattonville when she moved back to help out her mom and brother.

She was very excited to come back because she loved the staff and students at Pattonville.

Pattonville has many permanent substitutes that help the school make it through a day when a regular teacher is absent due to an illness or a field trip.

Three of these permanent subs, Shannon Hicks, Brian Lewis and Funderburk are Pattonville gradu-ates. Funderburk, who also teaches in the English department, serves as a half-time substitute.

Hicks also serves as a coach for the JV drill team, while Lewis is an assistant coach for football and the girl’s varsity basketball team.

And with teachers retiring every year, many more students from Pat-tonville might make the move from a desk in the classroom to the role of an educator. v

Nine teachers choose to retire at end of year; reflect on past, future plans

In May, the Class of 2012 will be walking out the doors of Pattonville High School. Leav-

ing along with them will be nine teachers who have spent an average of more than 20 years at Pattonville.

After working for 28 years, Sandra Bahr is looking forward to retirement.

“I am not really sure what retire-ment is all about, but I am eager to find out,” Bahr said. “I am really looking forward to being able to visit my grandkids a lot more in California.”

Sandy Recor has spent 30 years teaching business and for 20 years coached cheerleading at Pattonville.

“The thing I am going to miss most about being at Pattonville is my cheerleaders,” Recor said. “That

will be the hardest thing to leave since I have been coaching for 20 years. It is also going to be hard to not be around students anymore.”

Cheryl Niehaus has been teaching art at Pattonville for 33 years. She was also a student at Pattonville, and said she has seen many changes throughout the years.

“When I first began teaching, we didn’t have an auditorium or sta-dium lights. We had a 0 hour which began before school started. We had no televisions, phones or computers in class. The art department had the first computer lab,” Niehaus said.

After working for 30 years in the Family and Consumer Sciences de-partment, Pam Tesson offers advice to students that have the dream to become teachers, “You have to prioritize your goals and make deci-sions that will help you be success-

ful. Be involved in high school and college. Challenge yourself and don’t be afraid to take smart and safe risks,” Tesson said.

Diane Richardson has been teach-ing here at Pattonville for 31 years as a health teacher and volleyball coach. She also subbed for one year prior to getting her contract.

“What I’m going to miss the most about teaching is making connec-tions with the young people I teach and coach,” Richardson said.

Randy Pierce, teaching since 1974 as a Speech and Debate teacher and being a National Forensic League and Mock Trial sponsor, is ready to walk out the doors of Pattonville.

“The school has changed a lot since I first started teaching here. There is more culture. When I first started, there were 2,700 kids going to this school and three out of those

2,700 kids were African American. We have a lot more technology and more opportunities,” Pierce said.

Barbara Stavely has been working here at Pattonville for 25 years.

“What I’m going to miss most about Pattonville are the people, staff and students. I am not going to miss grading papers and getting up at 4:45 a.m. My advice to students wanting to become teachers is it is a tough job and you have to get involved with teachers, do activities and be in a good district,” Stavely said.

Maggie Borgmann has been teaching at Pattonville for 16 years as a Child Development teacher.

“The things that have changed at Pattonville since I first started I can say are students, I’m not sure if it has to do with what’s going on at home, but their behavior has gotten

a lot better. I also hate to see the dropping of Child Development and Parenting. I am not sure what I am going to do after I retire. Maybe get apart-time job.

Assistant principal Bernard West has been here for 20 years.

He started in 1991. Since then, Pattonville has changed a lot. The change that jumps out the most to him is some of the new teachers.

“Many of Pattonville’s former students are now back as teachers,” West said.

After retirement, there will be many things that West will miss. What he will miss the most though is his secretary, Pam Otto, who has been working with him for about 13 years.

“Throughout those years, she has been one of my biggest supporters,” West said. v

Former graduates are appreciative of the chance to move from a student’s desk to an educational role. Front Row: Jessica Muckerman-Presson, Erin Mulanax, Beth Moritz, Melissa Sparkman, Stephanie Waldrop, Cheryl Niehaus, Karolyn Florence. Second Row: Maureen Weissler, Leslie Anderson, Donna Burd, Vann Hahn, Lauri Radican, Katie Funderburk. Third Row: Maggie Harr, Sarah Delaney, Steve Smith, Brian Lewis, Brooke Michel, Shannon Hicks. Back Row: Rob Lamb, Mark Hahn, Joe Dobrinic, Tom Iffrig. Photo by Joey Schneider

Former Pattonville students return to the school as teachers, administrators

Donald Schulte Junior Year- 1980

Melissa SparkmanJunior Year- 1994

Varsity Softball Team

Katie FunderburkSenior Year- 2003

Tom IffrigSenior Year- 1992

Beth Moritz, Erin MulanaxSenior Year-1989Varsity Drill Team

Leslie Anderson Freshman Year- 1976

Rob LambSenior Year- 1998

Jamie RichterSenior Year- 1993

By Jessica Vargas, Hope Benton and Madison Raney

Pattonville faculty Features Over 30 Former Graduates

Feature DECEMBER 2011 l PIRATE PRESS l 05

Retiring teachers spent an average of over 20 years at Pattonville; one retiree is also a former student of the high school

By Joey Schneider

Winter SportsOut with the football, and in with the

basketball. Winter sports kick off their season openers, there is a certain prom-

ise in the boys’ basketball team.After going 12-13 last year, Kelly Thames looks

forward to an improved record. A goal for the team this year is to win at least 16 games, and from how it

sounds this might in fact be an obtainable goal.Thames knows better than anyone that goal setting

is a key part in making improvements. He said, “You have to have goals to accomplish something.”

He has goals that include finishing at the top half of the Suburban North Conference and being the first of his teams to win a district championship.

A possible obstacle on their road to achievement might be “not having many people on the team with varsity experience this year,” Thames said.

This doesn’t bother him too much; he thinks there are a lot of

After an outstanding season with a record of 8-2 Patton-ville’s Varsity Wrestling finished last season proud. This year they are shooting for the same goal as always—win-

ning. “I would like to see the team be competitive in this year’s conference,” Coach Brent Mueller said.

To win though, each wrestler has to endure the hardships of practice. “The hardest part of practice is fatigues. It’s like a full body workout before practice even really starts,” freshman Tommy O’Brien said.

O’Brien is one of the freshmen who have taken a varsity spot

this year. He has wrestled for a total of 10 years for many teams, two being the Jr. Pirates and the Missouri Middle School National Team.

Although this might be his 10th year, it is much more challeng-ing for him. “Practices are demanding, tiring, and very hard to endure. But they are still fun.”

“Tommy O’Brien and Trevor Beck have really surprised us with some good ability,” sophomore Eric Thomas said. “It seems like we are going to have a solid team with a lot of hard workers.”

But in order to be prepared for this season and defeat competi-

Varsity Boys Basketball

Varsity Girls Basketball

Varsity Wrestling

Senior Stefan Seals guards his opponent during the Pat-tonville Tourna-ment. Photo by Elizabeth Ferguson

Senior Kailey Ut-ley dribbles down the court as senior Mikala McGhee calls for the bas-ketball. Photo by Jacqueline Neil

Matt Murphy, 12, (left) and Eric Thomas, 11, (right) are hav-ing fun battling it out at prac-tice. Photo by Gabby Pirrie

As a new season rolls around, new players and new talent is added to the girls’ varsity basketball team.

Junior Asiah Allen is one of those new-comers.

“I’m excited to be a part of the team,” Allen said. “I know I’m going to have to work a lot harder than I did on JV and that the speed is

going to be a lot faster.” Though the adjustment may be different, the

Nikki Callahan, 10, gears up to make a shot during

the first game of her inau-gural season on the varsity

girls basketball team. Photo by Jacqueline Neil

Winter SportsWarm Up...is a key part in making improvements. He said, “You have to have goals to accomplish something.”

He has goals that include finishing at the top half of the Suburban North Conference and being the first of his teams to win a district championship.

A possible obstacle on their road to achievement might be “not having many people on the team with varsity experience this year,” Thames said.

This doesn’t bother him too much; he thinks there are a lot of

players who have a good knowledge of the game. Thames said, “We have a lot of talent and a lot of guys that know

how to play the game.”The team watched the McCluer Comets take the first place trophy

out of the gym on Dec. 2 for the tournament Pattonville hosted. This left the team with a sour taste in their mouth. After going 1-2 in their own tournament, the boys are more than ready to work and make improvements to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. v

this year. He has wrestled for a total of 10 years for many teams, two being the Jr. Pirates and the Missouri Middle School National Team.

Although this might be his 10th year, it is much more challeng-ing for him. “Practices are demanding, tiring, and very hard to endure. But they are still fun.”

“Tommy O’Brien and Trevor Beck have really surprised us with some good ability,” sophomore Eric Thomas said. “It seems like we are going to have a solid team with a lot of hard workers.”

But in order to be prepared for this season and defeat competi-

tors such as McCluer North, Hazelwood West, and Ritenour, these wrestlers did a lot training beforehand.

“I did a lot of working out before the season started, to stay in shape,” O’Brien said. Thomas also did training that consisted of a lot of cardio exercises and ways to drop a percentage of body fat.

This year, one of the differences in the way the wrestlers are be-ing trained is that “they are being trained to try and outwork their opponents,” Mueller said. Although the practices are quite similar to last year, they have started to “practice to take and keep control of our opponents,” senior Bryan Lopez said. v

Junior Jus-tin Morrow dribbles down the court to start an offen-sive play. Photo by Elizabeth Ferguson

Senior Blake Jenkins gets down on defense against a Rock-wood Summit Falcon. Photo by Elizabeth Ferguson

After being fouled, Chris-tian Johnson, 12, shoots a free throw at the line. Photo by Jacqueline Neil

Junior Allison Anth sinks her second shot at the free throw line. Photo by Daniel Mehren

Eric Thomas picks Matt Murphy up and performs one of his wrestling moves during a practice. Photo by Gabby Pirrie

Trevor Beck, 9, (left) and Samir Alvi, 9, (right) are both new to the team this year and filling varsity positions. Photo by Gabby Pirrie

As a new season rolls around, new players and new talent is added to the girls’ varsity basketball team.

Junior Asiah Allen is one of those new-comers.

“I’m excited to be a part of the team,” Allen said. “I know I’m going to have to work a lot harder than I did on JV and that the speed is

going to be a lot faster.” Though the adjustment may be different, the

new players have highly benefited the team. For having only played a few games, it is still difficult for the girls to under-stand exactly how well they play together on the court.

Returning player, senior Christian Johnson, said an area of weakness might be they are very heavy on guards and “we don’t have as many upperclassmen as we usually do.”

While working to improve their skills, it’s important to stay positive.

“We have girls who are really good with the ball, who are quick to get up and down the court, and girls who know how

to take it to the hole,” Allen said. Pattonville has some of the best athletes in the area.

Seniors Mikala McGhee and Kristen Hanna have recently signed with Division I programs. McGhee signed with Mis-souri State University, while Hanna signed with Missouri Southern State University.

To Johnson, playing alongside these two girls is a good thing.

“It’s like scrimmaging with someone that’s better than you, so it makes you better too.” v

Hockey team shows lots of triumph

Over the past few years, Pattonville High School Hockey has become more

and more popular. The Pirates have gotten off to

a tremendous start, going 10-0 in their first 10 games. With all the at-tention they are getting, the ques-tion of why the sport is not school sponsored drifts into the minds of parents and students alike.

The answer is not a simple or definite one. Pattonville’s co-captain Alex Buerck believes popularity has something to do with it.

“Hockey is not as popular in the Midwest as it is up north,” Buerck said.

Buerck may be correct but one thing that is for sure is that hock-ey is certainly not as popular as football in the state of Missouri.

There are a total of 41 teams in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association, while there are 33 football teams in Class 6 (Patton-ville’s assigned class based on its student population). There are five other classes under Pattonville’s Class 6 and that total comes to be much larger than 41.

According to Pattonville Athlet-ic Director Bob Hebrank, hockey may not be school sponsored for liability reasons. There is no doubt that hockey is a dangerous sport,

but the fact that fighting is fairly prevalent makes it less appealing to the state.

According to the Mid-States Club Hockey Association rule book, a 5-minute major penalty and a game-misconduct for any fight. A second fight with the same team in

the same season gets a player sus-pended for three games and a third fight gets the player suspended until

a hearing is conducted.The stiff penalties for fighting

deter most players, but the fans are a different story.

Several fights have erupted in the stands between rivals in recent years, particularly in games between Clayton and Ladue high schools.

In a January 2006 article for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Da-vid Hunn detailed the rivalry. Some fights where so bad that police couldn’t arrest all that were involved.

Pattonville has had its own share of conflict as well. After one game against Fort Zumwalt East last year, some fans almost fought before being stopped by law enforcement officers. A mini-brawl also erupted this year after some fans carried a pirate flag to the FZE side of the rink.

With that said, it seems understandable that MSHSAA doesn’t want to touch hockey.

While it is clear that the hockey team is not school spon-sored, how can they be called the Pattonville Pirates?

The Pattonville name and logo are public domain. In other words, anybody anywhere can be called the Pattonville

Pirates. v

Pattonville’s hockey team takes an aggresssive approach every game.By Brendan Everson

08 l PIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2011 SportsATHLETES OF THE FALL SEASON

Alexis Farrar, 12, TennisAfter a 6-2 win at Sectionals for tennis, Farrar quali-fied for State. She also ranked second in the District for singles and was named to the First Team All-Conference.

Jeremiah Wilkins, 12, FootballAn inside linebacker for the varsity football team, Wilkins was selected as one of the Suburban North 2011 All-Conference Defensive Players of the Year.

Will Chaney, 10, Boys Cross CountryThe boys’ cross country came in third at Districts and Chaney placed 23rd overall to qualify for Sectionals. At the Sectional race, he completed the course with a time of 18:47 and finished in 57th place.

Compiled by Sierra Peerman

Swimming to Success

Now that winter is rapidly approaching with its icy temperatures, one would

say it’s safe to put the flip-flops away and throw the bathing suit into the deepest drawer where it won’t see the light of day until next Spring.

Pattonville’s Girls’ Swimming and Diving team has other plans in mind, however.

The girls prepare by practicing every day until 5 p.m.

“You’re constantly swimming” captain and senior Jackie Model said.

Sophomore Laura Fulton said the hardest thing about training is Saturday practices.

“You have to wake up at 6:30 a.m. to get to the pool by 7,” Fulton said.

Pattonville’s plans to build a swimming pool will not be finished until next school year and Model

said, “I’m a little depressed because we wanted to win Conference in it,” but eagerly adds, “I’m really happy for the girls next year.”

Math teacher Kelsey Gjerstad has taken on the role of co-coach for the girls this year.

Last year, she coached the boys’ swimming and diving team.

The transition has been of no is-sue for Gjerstad.

“We have a lot of fun and we goof off all the time.”

Pattonville’s biggest competition for the team is Hazelwood West.

“I’d just like to see the girls com-pete and get best times,” Gjerstad said.

“We want to win as many meets as possible.”

Gjerstad added how excited she is about the new pool.

“It’s going to be a great opportu-nity for the girls.” v

Girls’ team practices constantly to prepare for competition.By Taylor Dumas

Crowds represent Pirate Nation

“Pride, honor, and spirit” is a motto Pattonville mentally instills in its

community. The high school is home to numerous conference champi-ons and state qualifiers. At home games, the stands aren’t occupied by just the friends and family of the athletes; they are filled by Pirate Nation.

“It’s a group of strong individuals who support each other and stand up for what is right while represent-ing PHS in doing so,” senior Jacob Masek said.

The ‘Pirate Nation’ title was adopted by the students three years ago when previous head principal, Dr. Sara Keene, saw unity.

“Sporting events aren’t fun with-out school spirit and it’s more fun,” junior Erica Riggs said.

Pirate Nation is primarily made up of the Pirate Crew, a large portion of the student body that attends athletic events.

“It encourages unity because in a nation like ours, the only way we can achieve success is coming together and having each other’s backs,” Masek said.

The Pirate Crew is led by Pat-

tonville High School’s mascot, Pete the Pirate.

The Crew’s objective at every game is to get rowdy.

“We show others why we’re the best,” Riggs said.

The varsity girls and boys basket-ball teams and the varsity hockey team are expected to survive a few games through their playoff seasons.

“We’re all excited for those teams because a lot of the starters are play-ing collegiate sports next year, and they have been playing those sports since they were kids,” senior Emily Gualdoni said.

The athletes have been condition-ing for weeks before the season began. They have also been promot-ing their team to gain more fans.

“I think the hockey team will have the largest crowd because they’re the ones who publicize themselves the most,” senior Natalie Beck said.

And a home game means the game will be at Pattonville.

“We’ve been waiting for this sea-son to start because we haven’t had an opportunity to celebrate within our own boundaries since we didn’t have a stadium for football and all the games were played at different schools,” Beck said. v

Stands often fill up with fans to support the PiratesBy Jacqueline Neil

Rob O’Keefe, 12, SoccerO’Keefe scored 16 goals and had 5 assists during the 2011 season. He finished the year ranked No. 3 in overall scoring in the Suburban North Conference.

 

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Taking talents to the next levelTwo Pattonville students sign letters of intent to play basketball at the collegiate stage

The hockey team is lead by senior captain Alex Buerck. They usually compete against other schools once a week. Photo by Jacqueline Neil

 

By Kristen Dehner

On Nov. 9, seniors Kristen Hanna and Mikala Mc-Ghee both signed to play

basketball for the colleges they will be attending beginning in the fall of 2012.

Hanna signed to play basketball at Missouri Southern State Univer-sity while McGhee chose to attend Missouri State University.

Hanna picked Missouri Southern in Joplin because she liked the town and “they have a good basketball program that is committed to win-ning.”

McGhee based her decision on location and scholarship.

”I wanted to go play basketball

on a full ride,” McGhee said. “I also wanted to feel comfortable where I was at and I wanted my parents to be able to come see me play.”

Because Springfield is just 3 hours from St. Louis, the journey to see the Lady Bears play will be an easy one.

Head coach Craig Gregory said it’s pretty exciting having seniors signed to play collegiate sports.

“You get to watch them since they were little and you get to watch them grow. It shows dedication,” Gregory said.

Now that the girls have selected their school, the athletes can focus on the game of basketball.

Brian Lewis, assistant basketball coach, said, “It is pressure off the girls wanting to pick a school. Now they can relax more at practice.” v

Seniors Kristen Hanna and Mikala McGhee celebrate with coaches Brian Lewis and Craig Gregory on their signing day. Photo by Kristen Dehner.

The school decided a few months ago that by the 2012-2013 school year every student would receive an electronic device for the benefit of education. The op-tions have been limited down to two well-known Apple devices: the MacBook Air and the iPad.

Each device has its own advantages, as well as disad-vantages. When putting these ideas into thought, it may seem difficult to choose one over the other. But the obvious decision would be to give each student the MacBook Air.

In general, it can be hard to adapt to change. Since the MacBook Air has similar features to those of the laptops that students currently use, it will be easier to adapt to. The keyboard on the MacBook Air is normal and simple to use, while one must face the difficulties of typing on the touch screen for the iPad. There is also a USB hookup for the MacBook Air in which a flash drive or external mouse can be plugged in.The iPad does not possess this.

The MacBook Air also has similar professional software to the school’s computers, since it is a full Ma-cintosh computer. In addition, it will have some unique programs that add to the educational experience the school would like to see. One of these apps is Flashbook Adobe, which is set up to include books along with pro-grams for the core subjects.

The main problem with the iPad is pretty much the exact opposite of the MacBook Air’s benefits.

First, the software is not as professional. This is be-cause the iPad doesn’t have the data of a full Macintosh computer. Since this case holds true, the education-ben-efiting programs are limited and are replaced with apps bounded to cause distraction. Since the devices are not meant to deter students from the learning environment, it would be difficult to envision an adequate environ-ment with these distractions.

However, we understand that some students enjoy the touch capabilities of the iPad. One could also get the touch abilities with the MacBook Air if they prefer

it. Every MacBook Air has a touchpad which is used to control the mouse. By just learning how to use the shortcuts such as swiping your fingers across the touchpad to go back to the previous webpage, students will still be able to control the computer with a wave of their finger.

The other concern that both devices present is the battery life. The more advanced the specific technology is,

the more likely it can lose power faster. Each classroom has electrical outlets, so students would just need to plug their device in to last them the whole school day.

Surveys have already been given to parents and teach-ers regarding the device that students should receive next year. This data can influence the recommendation that will be made to the school board on Dec. 21.

So hopefully when you have a huge project due and a grade on the line, you are giving your best effort toward it with the MacBook Air, instead of trying to beat a high score on Angry Birds with your iPad. Just think about the future and possibilities each device holds. In the end, the MacBook Air is better. v

The main prob-lem with the iPad is pretty much the exact opposite of the MacBook Air’s benefits.

“

It is the opinion of the Pirate Press that the MacBook Air should be the selected computing device for the upcoming school year.

PIRATEPRESS

Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Neil

Managing EditorKristen DehnerCopy EditorJoey SchneiderDesign Editor

Gabby Pirrie

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL2497 CREVE COEUR MILL ROADMARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO 63043

The Pirate Press is the open forum newspaper of the Pattonville High School. The opinions published are of the publication and are open to criticism. As the members of the 2011-2012 staff, we dedicate our-

selves to the accurate and objective dissemination of information to all

readers. We will protect and exercise our First Amendment rights. The

viewpoints of all staff members are to be regarded as being separate

from those of our administration, faculty, peers and adviser.

Staff WritersSarah BerkbieglerBrendan Everson

Taylor DumasElizabeth FergusonEmily FleetwoodKristen HannaAlexis KendallSierra Peerman

AdviserBrian Heyman

Staff Editorial

Peerman’s Perception

During the holiday season, malls and stores are packed with people try-

ing to finish their holiday shopping. The biggest shopping day of the

year is the Friday after Thanksgiv-ing, also known as “Black Friday”. Stores open as early as midnight and have major sales. People camp out overnight for sales at places like Best Buy and Toys R’ Us. They line up around the buildings and even set up tents. All the stores are elaborately decorated with Christ-mas decorations and play Christmas music throughout the day.

But Black Friday is not always about being in the “Christmas mood” for some people. In 2008, a Walmart employee was trampled to death by frenzied shoppers trying to get through the doors.

People lose all respect for each other and seem to only care about getting the best sale. They will push, shove, trample, whatever they need to do to get to that “hot” item be-fore the person in front of them.

I may not have gone to the ex-treme of camping out all night, but I was one of those people who were

awake and shopping at midnight on Friday, Nov. 24. Through-out the night, people would bump into me without apologizing or excusing themselves. There was a fight in front of Bath and Body Works in the mall. People were cutting in line. It was a mess.

There are some people who are afraid to even go out on Black Friday because of the chaos it seems to cause.What people do not think about is that if everyone was able to be patient and keep things orga-nized, there would be less chaos and more shopping.

Stores would also benefit from it because there would be more people willing to go shopping rather than them trying to avoid the chaos. Black Friday would be more enjoy-able for everyone. v

Shopping would be more fun if shoppers are considerate.By Sierra Peerman

Lexi’s Loathe

Four years is broken down into four hours. I do not get how one test can determine

your entire future.On a Saturday morning at 8:00

until noon, students have to take the ACT test with only a ten-minute break after the math portion. In my opinion, I think that it is ridiculous that a person’s future is based off that test. It is timed and it has trick questions everywhere you look. There are ways to do well on the test like getting a good night’s sleep the night before, eat breakfast in the morning, and go to ACT prep night classes at the high school. They are free and they give you tips. Some of the tips include taking your time on the test and to know that there is no way you can finish an entire section in enough time so to guess after the 5 minute warning for each section is called. Whatever you do, do not choose the letter C. Also, during the ten minute break, use the restroom, get a drink, and eat a nutritious snack before you go back to finish the reading and science portion of the test. Even though students use these tips, they may still not get the score that they desire.

Colleges look at the ACT tests to see if a student is ready for the col-lege environment. That is what they take the most into consideration. A student could basically blow off their classes and get all Ds, and if they get a 36 on the ACT, they are automatically in the college without any questions asked. Then, there is

that student who gets all As and is an excellent stu-dent, but they are not a good test taker and they get a low score on the test, and the col-lege then thinks twice about let-ting the student in, and if they do, the student gets a conditional accep-tance and have to see a counselor at least once a week to make sure they are not falling behind in school.

The ACT does not show intel-ligence. All it shows is how good of a standardized test taker a person is and how fast they can do math, reading, English, and science.

I understand that the ACT needs to be taken to weed people out so that the colleges do not become over populated, but I think all colleges take it way too seriously and if they have to choose between two stu-dents, they should pick the student who gets As and struggles on the standardized ACT test, than the stu-dent who got Cs or Ds all through-out high school and then get a 36 on the ACT. I also feel that if a student is accepted into a college even with a low ACT score and if they have good grades, it should not be a condi-tional acceptance and have to see a counselor once a week. The ACT does not show how smart you are, so colleges shouldn’t treat students who have low ACT scores like they cannot handle college work.v

The ACT itself should not determine future

By Lexi Kendall

Schneider’s Scoop

The holidays are com-ing around again, and everyone’s rushing to get

the best gifts and deals. Along with this rush often times comes reckless driving behavior on the roads.

It is very important during these upcoming days that all of us remain cautious on the roads, despite the rush. Your experience should feel like any other normal day of driving. You wouldn’t want your reckless behavior to result in a crash or ticket that shows up on your driving record, right?

A few months back, a teacher in the school district passed away during a nightly driving experience. This teacher was hit by a drunken driver and died from the impact of the crash because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.

Although the crash was not necessarily the teacher’s fault, his death may have been prevented had he been wearing his seatbelt.

According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), there are over 30,000 deaths in the U.S. each

year from crashes. The number has recently decreased, but trends show that approximately 5,000 of these occur during the holiday-loaded months of November and Decem-ber.

It is to my understanding that a large amount of students in the high school have their license. We must remember that having our license at this young of an age is a privilege. Usually with privilege comes opportunity. But in this case there will also be challenges that lay within the roads.

For the benefit of this huge privi-lege, I provide a few tips as well. I may not be the most experienced driver ever, but I know for a fact that these rules should always be followed during your driving experi-ence.

I’m not saying to expect the worst every time you drive. But if you pay attention to the facts, they show that drivers must be even more careful driving during the holidays. v

Driving Tips

1Get off the phone. It is illegal for you to text while driving if you are under 21.

And even if you are of age, this of-ten distracts drivers from the roads. Try to avoid other distractions, such as radio, when possible.

2Stick with the concept of applying the driving rules, even after you get your

license. Many drivers occasionally show apathy on the roads after they are granted with this privilege.

3Be courteous and take responsibility on the roads. Even if the other drivers

aren’t, they are most likely caught up in the rush. Don’t create more conflict because chances are that the other drivers don’t want to antago-nize you. v

Safety tips for driving over the holiday season

By Joey Schneider

Cartoon by Eric Bateman

Opinion DECEMBER 2011 l PIRATE PRESS l 09

10 l PIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2011 Entertainment“Tower Heist” steals a few laughs

While many movies have recently come out to bring upon the

holiday spirit, there are also movies currently airing in theaters, which provide an approach with more ac-tion and comedy.

Tower Heist, which was first released in theaters on Nov. 4, uses this approach with an interesting twist.

The movie takes place in New York, mostly around the Columbus Circle. Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the manager at a luxurious apart-ment around the area, known as The Tower.

As the movie progresses, Josh and the FBI find businessman Ar-thur Shaw (Alan Alda) attempting to leave the city.

Details arrive sooner that Shaw is being accused for creating a Ponzi scheme, in which he asks others to invest money and uses it for specific purposes.

After Josh finds out that one of his better friends lost a large amount of capital from the scheme

and attempts suicide be-cause of it, he decides to put together a group that attempts to steal money from Shaw, and give it back to the investors that Shaw distrusted.

This group is not well-known by the FBI during the movie and consists of seven people, including Josh and his criminal neighbor Slide (Eddie Murphy).

Tower Heist starts slow and is a little confusing to under-stand early on.

However it becomes filled with drama, comedy, and ac-tion as the group’s plan takes way and unfolds.

The cast is filled with many well-known actors, all of whom are brilliant in their roles. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy play the main parts, and are accompanied by Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick and others.

Alan Alda stars as Arthur Shaw, while Tea Leoni portrays the main FBI agent.

Although this movie does not pertain to the holiday spirit much, it is a must-see for all teenagers and adults, who seek a movie with an interesting plot, as well as laughs and twists. v

Movie takes an interesting approach away from the holiday themeBy Joey Schnedier

HHHHHRating:

The premiere of “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” hit theatres on Nov. 18, and although it is the last of the four books, the movie was broken into two parts meaning that

this will not be the last of the Twilight movies. Unlike the three movies preceding it, “Breaking Dawn, Part 1” fol-

lowed the book almost exactly which was praised by many fans. With minimal chapters missing, the movie was 124 minutes of a

Twilight fan’s biggest dream. There were alternating screams in the audience when Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Laut-ner) entered the movie in the first scenes.

The girls were very impressed with Pattinson’s new hairstyle and the improved abs of Lautner. These fans seemed to be more im-pressed with the way their favorite characters looked than the way they actually acted.

On the other hand, those that are not Twilight fans might have thought that Kristen Stewart’s (Bella) acting was completely over-dramatized. Even in the more light-hearted scenes, like Bella’s wed-ding, Stewart kept a very sullen face.

Although it was meant for her to feel a little nervous, she looked like she was being forced into a marriage she did not want to be in. When she looked up at Pattinson as she was walking down the aisle, she could barely produce a half-smile.

Although Stewart did have her strong scenes in the movie, her act-ing still was not impressive. During the honeymoon and pregnancy scenes, Stewart was at her best, but that might also be because both of these scenes were very melodramatic. Out of five stars the story-line for this movie would definitely deserve a 5, but the movie itself and the acting would probably earn it just a 2. v

Rated PG-13

By Gabby Pirrie

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part I” leaves audience in awe

Diving into the deep Blue Ocean for sushi

Certain people automati-cally cringe at the word “sushi.” The thought of

raw fish wrapped with seaweed and rice does not sound like the most appetizing meal of choice.

Blue Ocean Sushi and Sake House in the Delmar Loop is one of the most frequented sushi places in St. Louis. Although the drive toward the city is long, it is well worth it.

Celebrating its third anniversary as a restaurant, Blue Ocean Sushi serves much more than just a meal.

Blue Ocean merged businesses with Sake’s in May of this year in the latter restaurant’s place of busi-ness. It is located in vibrant Uni-versity City on Delmar Boulevard cater-cornered from Blueberry Hill.

In the evening hours, Blue Ocean delivers a cool vibe and an enjoyable atmosphere with dim lights, indie music, and a diverse crowd. The layout allows customers to choose a more lively setting near the bar area or a more secluded booth toward the back of the restaurant, making a meal there perfect for a night out with friends or on a date.

We were shown to our seats of choice quickly by an amicable host, and shortly thereafter were handed ice waters and menus. This moder-ately priced menu offers entrées, sushi combination sets, appetiz-ers, nigiri, and a large array of rolls to choose from. A separate menu shows the options for their famous All-You-Can-Eat Sushi, which offers three different levels. Each level has a set amount of menu items one can order from as often as they like for one price. Blue Ocean’s sushi offers something for everyone, whether it be a spicy roll, a roll with no raw fish or a vegetarian item.

Blue-Ocean’s menu is first-timer friendly. It provides a key and small descriptions for each menu item. For those who are less brave or are just craving something a little differ-ent than sushi, the restaurant also has appetizers and entrées. Options range from crab rangoon to grilled salmon. While surveying all of our options, our waitress introduced herself as she served us compli-mentary miso soup and cucumber salad. I was definitely pleased with her friendliness and service. Despite their busy dinner rush, she did not neglect to check on us.

We ordered several types of rolls: the eel avocado, the avocado cream cheese, the Philadelphia roll (raw salmon, cucumber, cream cheese), the Spicy Yellow Tail roll, and the sunset roll, which consists of a traditional California rolls topped with raw tuna, eel sauce and other toppings. Since we sat at the bar, our meal was prepared right before us which made the experience much more enjoyable. The food itself was very fresh, well put together and incredibly superb tasting.

Blue Ocean deserves the best of ratings for adequate service, a laid-back and fun dining experience, and a delicious meal. Blue Ocean Sushi is located at 6335 Delmar Boulevard and is open seven days a week. v

Restaurant offers a laid-back and fun dining experienceBy Taylor Dumas

Top films of the year

Throughout 2011, there have been countless movies released. While

some films captured the audience’s undivided attention, others were nothing more than mediocre. There were laughs, cries, and sadness as one of the nation’s most popular series came to a close.

Many die-hard fans left the the-atres weeping as the Harry Potter series came to a close with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” Throughout the movie, best friends (Harry, Ron and Hermione) search for Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes, which is the only way to destroy the Dark Lord completely.

Twilight fanatics crowded into the theatres at midnight on Nov. 18 to view “Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1.” Some were decked out in their costumes and Twilight T-shirts waiting in anticipation to enter the movie. Through the movie, Edward and Bella encounter difficulties with their unborn child. It has an end that will leave the audience in shock and wanting more.

“50/50” is a comedy different from most; it is inspired by a true story. It follows the life of a 27-year old man after being diagnosed with cancer. It is about his journey and struggles in beating the disease while also being entertaining.

Many people have called “Brides-maids” the female version of “The Hangover.” Both movies are funny, but “Bridesmaids” has a more real-istic storyline. This movie follows the lives of two best friends in their maturing relationship. While one of the two is getting married, the

other struggles to build a successful relationship.

In “Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon,” there is much more ac-tion than the first two movies in the series. Throughout the movie, there is a balance of action and romance, with some humor. Other parts of the movie were intense, tense and emotional.

“Super 8” is a movie that had people on the edge of their seats in suspense. After a group of friends witness a train crash while video-taping a Super 8 movie, suspicious events and disappearances started occurring throughout their small town in Ohio. In the movie, sheriffs continuously search for answers and find it may be more frightening than first expected.

“No Strings Attached” follows a man and woman who met back at a middle school summer camp. The twist and turns of fate bring them back together. After both decide they don’t want anything else but a friendship with benefits, they quickly see their relationship getting more serious. Full of uncertainty, they attempt to define their wild friendship.

A “Crazy, Stupid Love” indeed; in this movie the love stories of one family become surprisingly inter-mingled. While a mother and father fight to revive the relationship they have shared since high school, another sweet romance begins to flourish. It is an unconventional storyline to the typical “player” being tied down. This movie en-compasses the true meaning of the phrase “it’s a small world.” v

Movies of different genres bring entertainment to audiencesBy Kristen Hanna

Blue Ocean’s sushi is pre-pared in front of customers and offers many varieties. Photo by Taylor Dumas

What social network fits you best?These last few years, social networking has primarily dominated the lives of teenagers. The students at Pattonville High School are sure to keep up with the newest networks. Take the quiz below to see what fits your personality the best!

“I have a lot of thoughts that I’d like to share on Twitter. If you’re meant for it, you probably like attention.

Abby Prueitt (11)

“Facebook is a place where you can go and keep up with your friends and know what’s going on in their lives.

Quincy Usry (12)

“Tumblr is a place where you’re able to write about what’s on your mind without necessarily being criticized.

Asiah Allen (11)

“I love Google+. I wish more people would use it and I like how simple it is to use.

Selam Mulugeta (10)

You are not suited for social networking.

YES

Do you want people to know what you are thinking?

Is it for self promo-tion (netowrking)?

Are you comfortable with others reading it?

Is it for your own personal uses (Social)?

Would you say it out loud?

Do you like that satisfaction of having it read?

Is it boring?

YES

NO

NO

YES NO

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

YESNOYES

By Jacqueline Neil

Now Playing

DECEMBER 2011 l PIRATE PRESS l 11EntertainmentSongs are given a visual aspect with top music videos of 2011

The lyrics and background music of songs are typically what make songs popular.

For those that prefer listening to music online though, music videos might be what they find their enter-tainment in. Watching a music video not only gives the audience the words and music, but also a visual of what the artist/band is trying to portray. What they are trying to portray could consist of a certain mood, a lesson that needs to be learned, or just a simple story line.

Coldplay premiered their single’s music video “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” The album was released on Oct. 24. The video was filmed in the run-down Millennium Mills building in London, which came to life with digitalized, colorful graffiti throughout the walls of the build-ing.

Katy Perry premiered her music video “ET” featuring Kanye West earlier this year. After the video’s popularity seemed to slow, it won the award for best special effects at the 2011 Video Music Award. With the digital effects, Perry was able to give the “extraterrestrial” feeling that she wanted to.

Currently in the Top 10 for music

videos on MTV, Kina Grannis’ music video “In Your Arms” has a very creative background, literally. Tak-ing 22 months to put together, the background of Grannis’ music video was made out of 288,000 Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. Adding to the light-hearted tone of her song, the music video gave a fun visual to watch.

The “Next to You” music video by Chris Brown featuring Justin Bieber includes both of them as they have similar goals to protect their love interests as the end of the world comes near. The video is full of ac-tion and impressive digital effects as buildings fall apart, fires start, and cars flip. As they both fear losing the ones they love, the music video helps depict fear by creating scenes from the end of the world.

Nominated for the VMAs, Nicki Minaj’s music video “Super Bass” shows her cute and colorful side as she sings about playfully teasing boys that she actually wants com-mitment with.

Similarly, spending its time as the No. 1 song in many countries for several weeks in a row, “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO is a music video full of outstanding choreography and a humorous storyline.

Kelly Clarkson’s music video “Mr.

Know It All,” although simple, has entertained many people and held the No. 1 position on VH1’s Top 20 music videos in late November. Clarkson, as always, shows her sweet but independent side in this music video.

Linkin Park’s “Waiting For the End” currently holds 16th place in VH1’s Top 100 music videos of 2011. The Music video is full of outstanding effects as each member of the band seems to be digitalized as they play through the song. Al-though the digitalized effects might be cool, the music video still meets the dark mood of the song by having the background be completely black.

Katy Perry’s “Firework” is an uplifting video as it shows several instances where young adults and adults are encouraged take on their fears. It is also full of great digital effects including the fireworks that leap out of every person’s chest and into the sky to create an incredible background.

Each music video has its own story, mood, and true meaning and although some music videos might be similar, not one video is exactly the same. v

Each music video has a unique significance; some portray a certain mood, teach a lesson, while other music videos keep to telling the story of a songBy Gabby Pirrie

2011Drake

Kanye West, Jay-Z

Lupe Fiasco

David Guetta

Birdy

Kanye West Jay-Z finally made a collabo-ration album after years of discussion. Watch the Throne has received accolades from the academy and performances were made at the 2011 Victoria Secret Fashion Show.

Canadian hip-hop rapper/singer Drake debuted his sophomore album late this year but that didn’t hold his fans back from buying it; Take Care sold over 675,000 in its first week. Drake is set to tour in early 2012.

Lupe Fiasco’s 4th album may have been underestimated after the failure of his last album Lupe Fiasco’s: The Cool. Lupe proved the critics wrong with Lasers after collaborating with over five artists.

David Guetta produced Nothing But The Beat as an iconic DJ from Europe. With a total of 13 collaborations, over six of those were MTV Hall of Famers Guetta sold over a million copies nationally.

Birdy entered the music business by making covers for artists she liked. The British teenager has been recognized in-ternationally and debuted her self-titled album with an international fan base.

OTHER GREAT ALBUMS

vSpeak Now, Taylor SwiftvPink Friday, Nicki MinajvBorn This Way Lady GagavMore Monsters and Sprites - SkrillexvSorry for Party Rocking - LMFAOvLover’s Holiday - Theophi lus LondonvF.A.M.E. - Chris BrownvTalk That Talk - RihannavFinally Famous - Big SeanvTorches - Foster the People

Newest edition of “Call of Duty” releasedModern Warfare 3 breaks world record; provides plenty of actionBy Tim Vleisides

On Nov. 8, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” was released and it added a

new title to the group of games that makes of the series franchise from Activision.

The game has taken the nation by storm. In just a little over one month, the game crossed the $1 billion mark in sales and and people around the the world have not stopped buzzing about it.

Sophomore Jared Hunsaker claims that the game is “widely seen as better than Black Ops” and the stats agree with him.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” grossed $775 million worldwide, a world record, compared to just $650 million brought in by “Call of Duty: Black Ops in just the first five days of its release.

So just what makes “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” different than the previous seven installments?

“The game is about the world going into war,” Hunsaker said. “You play as part of several differ-ent special ops groups. [The game] takes place in the United States and Eurpoe and pretty much all over the word.”

Some similarities can be found in the games.

“[They kept] guns from the first games and fixed a lot of the balanc-ing issues,” Hunsaker added.

Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have revolutionized gaming since 2003 (the release of the origi-nal Call of Duty) and have fabricated their games into the lives of many.

Whether or not that’s a bad thing is debatable. But when asked about his grades since the release of the game, Hunsaker said, “I would love to say no comment, but I’ll be hon-est, they’ve dropped.” v

5albums of

Top

Right: “Next to You” stars Chris Brown and Justin Bieber. This mu-sic video has a variety of interesting digital effects.Bottom: Katy Perry kisses a robot in the “E.T.” music video. Specific effects helped “E.T.” win a 2011 Video Music Award.Photos courtesy of

Modern Warfare 3 is becoming one of the most popular ac-tion video games throughout the world fairly quickly. The game is available for Wii, X-Box 360, and Playstation 3. Photos courtesy of Wikipedia

12 l PIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2011 EntertainmentMemorable quotes make holiday movies instant seasonal classics

Hot items to put on your wish-list in 2011

Every winter, temperatures in St. Louis drop to about 20 degrees. Snuggling up

at home against a warm fireplace with hot cocoa at hand becomes an everyday routine. Most movies watched during this time of the year are holiday related. Here is a list of some of my favorite movies.

A Christmas Story (1983)Set in the 1940s, Ralph wants

a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and is trying to convince his family, teachers, and santa that someone should get it for him.

Quote: “You’ll shoot your eye out kid!” -Santa

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The Grinch has always hated the Whos and their favorite holiday, Christmas. After being

humiliated, he decides to come up with a plan to ruin it.

Q: “Saving you, is that what you think I was doing? Wrongo. I just noticed that you were improperly packaged my dear.” -The Grinch

White Christmas (1954)In this romantic comedy set after

World War II, entertainers, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, meet the Haynes sisters and decide to follow them to Vermont where they find their old general and feel that they have to do something to help him.

Q: “I want you to get married. I want you to have nine children. And if you only spend five minutes a day with each kid, that’s forty-five minutes, and I’d at least have time to go out and get a massage or something.” -Phil Davis

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

(1964)Rudolph and his outcast friends

search for a place where they will fit in and along the way discover

an island of misfit toys. But when Rudolph goes to ask Santa to help them on Christmas Eve, his red nose ends up being more useful than expected.

Q: “Is something wrong with your nose? I mean, you talk kind of funny.” -Clarice

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Charlie Brown thinks that Christmas is too commercialized and accepts the task to direct the Christmas play while trying to show everyone the true meaning of Christmas.

Q: “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, re-ally. Maybe it just needs a little love.” -Linus Van Pelt

Four Christmases (2008)Brad and Kate always take a vaca-

tion on Christmas, but when their flight gets canceled they will have to visit all four families in one day for the first time in years.

Q: “Well, you really can’t spell fami-lies without lies.” -Brad

Elf (2003)Raised by elves

in the North Pole, Buddy searches to find his birth fa-ther in New York City where things are a little different.

Q: “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.” -Buddy

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswolds invite their family over for Christmas, but it does not run as smoothly as expected.

Q: “Oh, I’m sure he’ll fall. But I don’t think we’re lucky enough for him to break his neck.” -Todd

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

After discovering Christmas Town, Jack Skellington decides to kidnap Santa Claus and put on Christmas along with everyone else back in Halloween Town.

Q: “We pick up an over-sized sock, and hang it like this on the wall...” -Jack Skellington

Home Alone (1990)

When the McCallister family leave for their vacation in Paris, France, they forget about Kevin, who ends up having the house to himself while trying to keep two thieves from robbing the house.

Q: “You guys give up yet? Or are you thirsty for more?” -Kevin McCallister

The items your should be asking for this holiday season Classic Christmas movies made famous by quotes

Ya-Hala RestaurantMediterranean Restaurant

Bar & Hookah Lounge 12434 St. Charles Rock Road

Bridgeton, Missouri 63044314.738.0559

Mon-Thur: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Fri & Sat: 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.; Sun: noon - 10 p.m.

20% o� of $20 purchase

www.yahalastl.com

Lions, Tigers, Bears and lightsHoliday spirit starts with Wild Lights at the zooBy Kristen Dehner

The holidays in St. Louis are a time to sight see and ex-plore. The scenery changes

in St. Louis every year and there is always something new to see.

Downtown St. Louis is a good place to start if you like the sights and sounds of the holidays. To kick off the season, Macy’s holds their annual Holiday of Festival of Lights.

Forest Park shows its holiday spirit as well. The St. Louis Zoo has the U.S. Bank Wild Lights. There are animal-themed light displays all around the zoo. Such

displays include colorful flamingos, holiday frogs, and a penguin light display.

There is a small entrance fee into the park. It’s $4 for members and $5 for non-members.

The event runs from Nov. 25-27, Dec. 2-4, 9-11, 16-23, 26-30 and from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

During this event, spectators can walk around the park and see their favorite animals at night and view holiday displays.

This fun and inexpen-sive holiday experience is suitable for all ages. I highly recommend add-

ing this to your holiday to-do list. v

UGG Boots $150

Beats by Dr. Dre $300

By Kristen Dehner

iPhone 4S - $200

As the winter season begins, teenagers are anxiously awaiting their

favorite holidays to arrive with gifts.The holidays are often used as an

opportunity to upgrade cell phones.Apple recently

released its new-est product, the iPhone 4S. These smartphones come in two colors, white and black. This phone is perfect for those who like to stay organized. If you have a lot of

free time on your hands, the iPhone is the phone for you. With the best apps for cellular devices, Apple continues to conquer the electronic world.

In 2009 hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre released his in-famous head-phones, Beats. Initially, the head-phones were made

exclusively for recording artists. Now, the headphones have become a popular item on the market.

Other sensational artists, like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, have collaborated with Dre to create their own Beats. Beats by Dr. Dre are sold at $300.

Instead of upgrading electronics, others may be interested in upgrad-ing their wardrobe.

Every winter, flip-flops and san-dals are traded in for Australian Ugg Boots. Uggs are made of sheepskins. When its cold outside, Uggs are ex-cellent shoes to keep feet warm. The classic Ugg boots sell at $150.

Holidays are usually associated with presents, and with students starting to create their holiday wishlists these items are perfect to include. Although expensive, these hot items would still be worth ask-ing for during the holiday season. v

By Sierra Peerman

See back for special savings.

sweet toothmay not be

enough.

One