Students, staff recognized at the Dec. 10 board meeting

Each month during the school year, the Pattonville Board of Education honors students, staff and volunteers who have gained recognition outside of the district or who’ve made a special contribution to Pattonville. Learn more about students and staff who were recognized this month.

Parkwood Elementary School

Emerson Excellence

Parkwood Elementary School fourth grade teacher Audrey Masek was selected as a recipient of the 2024 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award. The annual program recognizes St. Louis area educators, selected by their schools’ administrators, for their accomplishments and dedication to their students and the teaching profession.

Academy of Innovation at Remington

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge

Kindergartener Arjun Samudrala completed the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge hosted by the St. Louis County Library. This literacy challenge encourages families to read 1,000 books with their young children before they enter kindergarten. Participants receive a sticker for every 100 books read. At the halfway point of 500 books, readers receive a free book. Upon completion of all 1,000 books, students receive another free book, drawstring back and a few other items. Samudrala and his family often read more than 10 books a day, with Eric Carle being his favorite author.

Do the Right Thing Award

Fourth grader Avery Thomas was selected to receive the Do the Right Thing Award, a recognition sponsored by the Missouri and Illinois Police Chiefs Association and KMOV. Recipients of this award are nominated by teachers, community members and school resource officers (SROs), with 10 recipients selected each year. Thomas was honored at a ceremony held at the Maryland Heights Police Department. Maryland Heights police officer and SRO Erica Stough nominated Thomas for his selflessness, positivity, empathy and caring nature and for his initiative idea to create a bug club at school.

Holman Middle School

Band

Eighth grader Elijah Clayman was selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban Middle School Honor Band for tenor saxophone. Selected students have the opportunity to perform in the All-Suburban Honors Band Concert in January. The band consists of students in seventh and eighth grade from throughout the St. Louis area. The band is directed by Adam Hall and Steven White.

Orchestra

Orchestra students were selected to participate in honor orchestras. Three sixth graders were selected to the Sixth Grade St. Louis All-Suburban Orchestra for violin based on the recommendation of their orchestra teacher. They were Joseph El-Ghazal, Aaron Voss and Evelyn Yakel. The Holman orchestra is directed by Irena Goren-Scheer.

Pattonville Heights Middle School

Juneteenth Poetry

Eighth grader Chanell Burnett was honored for her poetry and visual art submissions in the 11 to 13 age division of the Juneteenth Heritage Award contest. Submissions were open to those between the ages of 5 and 25 and centered around the prompt “How do you celebrate your Juneteenth heritage?” The contest was sponsored by Alltru Credit Union. Awards were presented to five honorees who demonstrated outstanding artistic achievement at St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones’s office in a special ceremony. Burnett’s work was published in Alltru’s spring publication. Burnett was taught by English teacher Melissa Wetzel.

Band

Eighth grader Omolola Ogunmola was selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban Middle School Honor Jazz Band as third trombone. She will perform in the All-Suburban Honors Jazz Band Concert in January. The band is directed by Abby Hall and Liz Pace.

Orchestra

Eighth grader Bricyn Love was selected as second violin for the 7th/8th Grade St. Louis All-Suburban Middle School Orchestra. Musicians were given two pieces of music to audition with. The orchestra is directed by Carlye Feeney.

Officer of the Month

Police officer and school resource officer (SRO) Britney Morton was named the Marland Heights Police Officer of the Month in September for her commitment, professionalism and outstanding contributions to keeping Pattonville Heights Middle School safe. The Maryland Heights Police Department recognized her as a role model to students and her fellow officers.

Pattonville High School

Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce

Senior Katarina Garland was named the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month in November. The program recognizes students from the high schools located in Maryland Heights (Pattonville High School and Parkway North High School) at the Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon program, where students receive a plaque and their accomplishments are shared with members of the organization.

Congressional App Challenge

Junior Eli Dukes and Senior Matthew Wasser were selected as the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Missouri’s First District for their app Town Talk. An independent panel of judges unanimously selected Town Talk as the winner for its innovative approach to fostering community connections through a digital bulletin board. Town Talk connects users to both local and global boards, broadening their horizons while facilitating meaningful interactions. The local posts system encourages community engagement by allowing users to plan events, ask questions and discuss local topics. The global bulletins aim to foster cross-cultural understanding, enabling users to connect with people from around the world. Overall, the app seeks to build closer, more connected communities through digital interaction. Their work will be showcased on the U.S. Capitol website and displayed in the Capitol Building for the next year. Additionally, they are invited to participate in the House of Code event in Washington, D.C. in the spring, to share their work with winners across the country and members of Congress. These students are taught by computer science teacher Stephanie Carson.

National Merit Scholarship

Three Pattonville High School seniors were recognized as National Merit Scholarship finalists. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition for high school students to earn recognition and college scholarships. To enter, students must meet published program entry and participation requirements, including taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Students recognized as National Merit Scholarship finalists were Matthew Cutrell, Gabby Hurd and Omolara Ogunmola.

Young Artists and Their Teachers Exhibit

Five Pattonville High School students received honors and had artwork featured in Lindenwood University’s Young Artists and Their Teachers Exhibit. Sarah Pruitt received first place in mixed media, Ellis North received second place in painting, Nola McFarland received third place in ceramics, Melaina Prentice received third place in painting and Harlee Wood received third place in drawing. These students were invited to a reception on Nov. 3 to receive their awards. Art teacher Scott Fader also had a piece showcased in the exhibit. Ceramics 2 students were taught by Fader and AP Art and Design students were taught by Beth Kathriner.

Choir

Three students earned placement in the All-State Choir following an audition after being selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban District Honor Choir. They were Nicholas Benbow, Savannah Branson and Omolara Ogunmola. Branson and Ogunmola also earned a perfect score on the sight-reading bee, qualifying them to participate in the state bee competition. Students who qualified for an All-State Choir audition after being selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban District Honor Choir were Addison Candela, Christi Dyer, Lydia Greenwalt Hamil, Mark Kendrick, Chuanjie Li, Elijah McCollum and Spencer Mitchell. Additional students selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban District Honor Choir were Dylan Blassingame, Zoe Click, Kaylee Dyer, Danya Green, Caleb Harrington, Jeremiah Lopez Monteverde, Ian MacDonald, Logan Monroe, Ellis North, Hannah Richardson and Eleanor VanEngelen. Students selected to the St. Louis All-Suburban District Treble Honor Choir were Ameera Hameed, Kaydence Harris, Mikayla Meekie and Tristyn Russell. The choir is directed by Melynda Lamb and Aaron Zart.

Boys Cross Country

Brayden Halter and Simon Muthemba were named all-conference first team. Students named academic all-conference were Daniel Clifford, Eli Dukes, Muthemba, Dezmond Stone and Matthew Wasser. The boys cross country team was coached by Matt McClellan with the assistance of Caleb Stroop.

Girls Cross Country

Margareth Mendoza was named all-conference second team. Students named academic all-conference were Olivia Brown, Zoe Click, Kaylee Corona Damian, Julissa Garcia Ortiz, Lydia Greenwalt-Hamil, Marissa Marsala, Molly Maue, Nola McFarland and Addison Swanson. The girls cross country team was coached by Margaret Hall with the assistance of Kathleen Gengler.

Field Hockey

Akasha Figueroa Rosario was named all-conference first team. Students named all-conference second team were Valentina Alatorre Quintero, Josie Dunnegan and Addyson Peterman. Students named academic all-conference were Alatorre Quintero, Graciela Esquivel, Erin Greenblatt, Lucy Hartley, Lexi Lam, Peterman and Ellie Winkler. The girls field hockey team was coached by Jessica Hale with the assistance of Carolyn Overton.

Football

Students on the football team were named to all-conference teams. Players named all-conference first team were Tristan Jackson as a defensive back and Bryan Orta as a defensive end. Students named all-conference second team were Evan Bryant as an offensive lineman, Kameron Eleby as a wide receiver, Braden Kluba as a linebacker, Orta as a punter and Jerrail West as a wide receiver. Students named all-conference honorable mention were Mekhi Allen as a linebacker, Tahj Dillon as a defensive lineman, Eleby as a defensive end, Terrell Lyles as a wide receiver, Peyton Marmon as an offensive lineman, Josh Schindler as a linebacker, Jurnie Thompson as a defensive back, Jaiden Wells as a defensive back and West as a defensive back. Additionally, Marmon was selected to receive the all-conference sportsmanship award. The football team was coached by Steve Smith with the assistance of Kent Booth, Christian Brinser, Antonio Bryant, Travis Harris and Bernard Quinn.

Girls Golf

Brooklyn Chan and Zelletta Wyatt were named all-conference first team. Students named all-conference second team were Sofia Hailstone, Alexandra Wyatt and Annabelle Wyatt. Additionally, Isabella Hutchison-Dibello was named all-conference honorable mention. The girls golf team was coached by David Gross with the assistance of Scott Hutson.

Soccer

Mark Kendrick, Tyler Manker and Alex Toler were named all-conference first team. Students named all-conference second team were Mateo Ballesteros, Nathan Davidson and Emilio Torres. The boys soccer team was coached by Marcus Christian, who was named the conference coach of the year for boys soccer, with the assistance of Tom Iffrig. 

Softball

Students on the softball team were named to all-region, all-district and all-conference teams. Jalisa Thomas was named all-region second team, all-district first team and all-conference first team. Students named all-district second team and all-conference second team were Alivia Ball, Bailey Leedle and Asah Wharton. Students named academic all-conference were Ball, Rihanna Carter, Leedle, Isabella Sanfilippo, Thomas and Kalie Vogel. Additionally, Vogel was selected to receive the all-conference sportsmanship award. The softball team was coached by Danelle Emerick with the assistance of Victor Fink.

Swim and Dive

Adam Reddy was named conference diver of the year. Students named all-conference first team were Ian Artelt for the 100 yard breaststroke, Zackary Brower for one meter diving and Reddy for the 50 yard freestyle and one meter diving. Students named all-conference second team were Ethan Arana for the 200 yard individual medley, Cooper Salvia for the 500 yard freestyle and Andrew Simpson for the 100 yard breaststroke. Students named academic all-conference were Arana, Artelt, Elliot Bland, Gruxton Hartley, Reddy, Salvia, Simpson and Minh Tri Nguyen. The boys swim and dive team was coached by Tom Crockett.

Tennis

Savannah Ewing was named all-conference first team for singles and all-conference second team for doubles. Olivia Grace was named all-conference second team for singles and doubles. Additionally, Iris April was selected to receive the all-conference sportsmanship award. The girls tennis team was coached by Shaun Patrick with the assistance of MaryClare Stoker. Additionally, Patrick, along with his family, was recognized as the Tennis Family of the Year by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) St. Louis for his nearly life-long involvement in the sport. He was nominated by another USTA member, with criteria for the award being a family that is active in local events, volunteering for USTA, coaching, playing in the area and/or involved in player development. This year, Patrick and members of the tennis team assisted at a diversity tennis clinic.

Volleyball

For the fourth year in a row, the volleyball team was conference champions. Reagan Nelson was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) all-region, all-metro first team, all-district first team and all-conference player of the year. Players who received the AVCA Best and Brightest award were Jordyn Courson and Nelson. Students named all-district second team and all-conference first team were Jenna Cochran and Faith Cunningham. Students named all-district honorable mention were Courson, Madison Dunn and Kiley Wallace. Courson and Wallace were named all-conference second team. Dunn and Parker Bergfeld were named all-conference honorable mention. Students named academic all-conference were Bergfeld, Viola Cappelli, Cochran, Courson, Gwendolyn Fallert, Jaydn Harvick, Nelson, Ava Schaffer, Sydney Stranghoener and Wallace. The girls volleyball team was coached by Jenell Franken.

Districtwide

The American Library of Poetry Student Contest

This spring, students at Rose Acres Elementary School submitted their original poems in The American Library of Poetry’s 2024 Student Poetry Contest. Four students had their submissions selected for recognition in the contest and were given the opportunity to have their work published in a book of student poetry titled “Gifted” that was released this fall. Students recognized in the contest, and their current grades, were Rose Acres fourth graders Emily Pitlyk and Ethan Scott, Rose Acres fifth grade students Abigail Donjon and Vivien Hescock, Holman Middle School sixth graders Levi Dukes and Sean Hendrick and Pattonville Heights Middle School sixth grader Dawanzelle Hopson Jr. These students were taught by Allison Bennett and Robin Chang.

Jazz Academy

Three students from Holman Middle School were selected at the end of last school year by Jazz St. Louis to participate in its Jazz Academy, which started in September. Members meet three times a week and receive individual lessons, ensemble instruction, supplemental music assignments and more. Additionally, they have the chance to work with touring artists through the Artist Residency program, attend Jazz St. Louis shows for free and perform on the Jazz St. Louis stage. Jazz Academy empowers students to be leaders in their schools and band programs. Students selected for this program were Pattonville high school freshman Aliyah Brown for cello, Holman eighth graders Amora Greenlee for viola and Ciara Ratliff for bass.