Students, staff recognized at the March 11 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.

Drummond Elementary School

Young Biz Kidz Billboard

Drummond Elementary School first grader Richland McFadden was featured on a billboard celebrating young Black entrepreneurs throughout February for Black History Month. Through the Young Biz Kidz program, which teaches financial literacy and entrepreneurship, McFadden launched his own business selling custom bucket hats with patches. He showcased his products at a vendor space during the Urban League's convention, where he also learned how to use a Square machine for transactions and track his inventory via an iPad. His brand, "Rich in Everything," reflects his diverse talents, including music and sports. Each year, a billboard company partners with Young Biz Kidz to highlight young entrepreneurs during Black History Month. McFadden was selected by a group of parents and the organization’s founder for the honor and was featured on a billboard at Olive Boulevard and Woodson Road.

Rose Acres Elementary School

National Poison Prevention Week Poster Contest

PEGS students from Rose Acres Elementary School were honored in various categories of the 2025 National Poison Prevention Week Poster Contest. Students were tasked with creating posters and messaging to teach other children to stay safe from danger and poisons. These students were also invited to attend an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C, on March 17. The following students were honored. Matthias Schillinger was the grand prize winner. Leia Brown earned first place in the Grades K-2 category. Charles Stage earned first place in the Grades 3-4 category. These students are taught by gifted teachers Allison Bennett and Robin Chang.

Pattonville Heights Middle School

Maryland Heights Center Art

Pattonville High School art teacher Chris Casaine was selected as the featured artist for Black History Month at the Maryland Heights Community Center. After noticing a lack of artwork on display at the center, he reached out to the gallery supervisor and proposed an exhibit celebrating Black artists and activists. His collection, which includes charcoal and colored pencil portraits, as well as acrylic paintings, was on display throughout February and early March. The exhibition featured 14 works created over the past three years, highlighting themes of culture, history and identity.

Pattonville High School

SSD Rosemary Zander Award

Pattonville High School senior Caleb Bledsoe was selected as one of the Special School District’s 2025 Rosemary Zander Award recipients. The Rosemary Zander Award is given to students, who are nominated by a staff member, for working hard to accomplish their goals at school and in the community, maintaining a positive attitude and providing inspiration to their peers. Bledsoe is invited to be recognized at SSD’s Inspiring Futures event on April 29.

Cyber Security Challenge

Three students earned first place in the Missouri High School Cyber Security Challenge, a statewide event designed to inspire and showcase the next generation of cybersecurity talent. The competition included challenges to solve encryption, coding and cyber best practices. During the virtual preliminary round, the Pattonville team earned sixth place, which allowed them to advance to the finals where they used real-world security tools during the challenge. The competition was sponsored by the Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet), the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and cyber.org. Students on this team were Elisha Dukes, Rhys Harden and Matthew Wasser. These students are taught by Stephanie Carson.

Girls Swim and Dive

Girls swim and dive students competed in the state championship. Students placed individually in the consolation and championship finals of the state competition. Emma Eiswirth was a finalist in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke and was named all-conference first team in these events. Jenna Ridings earned a third place medal in the 100-yard butterfly and sixth place in the 200-yard freestyle. She was also named the all-conference swimmer of the year and broke the school records in the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle this year. The 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay teams qualified and competed in the preliminary rounds. Members of the 200-year freestyle relay team were Eiswirth, Mackenzie Newell, Ridings and Ella Tinnon. Members of the 200-yard medley relay team were Nora Barry, Eiswirth, Mackenzie Newell and Ridings. Additionally, Tiyah McCoy qualified for districts in diving. These students were coached by Anna Braswell with the assistance of Ashley Haar and Madeline Marren.