There was nothing scary about the monsters that showed up at Willow Brook Elementary School on Wednesday morning. 

Kindergarteners saw their ideas come to life when they received stuffed animal likenesses of their hand-drawn monsters.

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

Pattonville Heights Middle School eighth grader Eva Benson recently published her first manga novel, “Forgotten.” She is both the author and illustrator of this published work. 

“I came up with the storyline when I was eight years old and my ideas just kept spiraling until I finally decided I needed to write this down.” 

The illustrations on the pages took about nine months to complete and her goal was to publish it before she turned 13 years old.

“I made the book when I was 12 but it took several months to find the right publisher and then I was involved in picking the paper I wanted to use,” Benson said. “Mangas are usually printed on newsprint, but that wasn’t an option so I had to go with something else.”

Three Pattonville School District teachers earned their certification as a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). Pattonville High School English language arts teacher Sarah Guilfoyle earned certification in English Language Arts/Adolescence And Young Adulthood and Pattonville Heights Middle School band teachers Abby Hall and Liz Pace achieved certification in Music/Early Adolescence Through Young Adulthood. 

Pattonville Heights Middle School students in sixth grade English language arts classes were invited to a “book tasting” last week to introduce them to different reading genres.

The teachers — Chelsea Bowles and Emily Weber along with teacher librarian Julie Harder — provided a fun and engaging way for students to explore new books.

The students rotated tables to explore a variety of genres before getting the opportunity to check out a book. 

“They were able to choose where they started by filling out a reservation form last week for the genre they most wanted to look at,” Bowles said. “We didn't let them choose the second table because we wanted them to at least look at books that they may not look at normally.”