Students, staff recognized at the Dec. 9 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.

Academy of Innovation at Remington

Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award

Academy of Innovation at Remington fifth grade teacher Julie Linck was selected as a 2025 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. 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. Last May, Julie was selected as Pattonville’s Teacher of the Year.

Pattonville High School

Young Artists and Their Teachers Exhibit

Five Pattonville High School art students were selected to have their work featured in Lindenwood University’s Young Artists and Their Teachers Exhibit. The exhibit was on display from Nov. 3-21 at the Boyle Family Gallery in the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts. Two students also received awards during a reception on Nov. 16. The following AP Art and Design students were featured in the exhibit. Kayla Watts earned second place in mixed media and Sophia Fernandez earned third place in drawing and was selected to receive the Administration Choice Award. Melaina Prentice had a painting featured in the exhibit. Drawing 1 student Gracie Beane and Drawing 2 student Scarlett Stinekraus also had artwork on display. These students were taught by Chris Casaine and Beth Kathriner, who both had drawings on display in the exhibit.

Boys Cross Country

Students from the boys cross country team earned individual and all-conference honors. Daniel Clifford competed at state after qualifying at the district meet where he placed 23rd. Clifford and Eli Dukes were named all-conference second-team. Students named academic all-conference were Clifford, Tanish Dorasani, Dukes, Spencer Mitchell and Noah VanHoosier. The boys cross country team was coached by Matthew McClellan with the assistance of Caleb Stroop.

Girls Cross Country

The following students from the girls cross country team were named academic all-conference: Mia Azurdia, Anna Click, Zo Click, Lola Hennrich, Myla Hunter, Hailie Jackson, Molly Maue, Morgan McClymont and Betanya Netsanet. The girls cross country team was coached by Margaret Hall with the assistance of Kathleen Gengler.

Field Hockey

Members of Pattonville’s field hockey team earned individual and team honors. Addyson Peterman was named all-conference first team as a mid/forward. All-conference second team field hockey students were Josie Dunnegan as a forward/defense player and Lexi Lam as a mid/forward player. Students named academic all-conference were Dunnegan, Lam, Peterman and Esmeralda Vargas. In addition to these individual honors, the field hockey team was selected to receive the Mike Winkelmann Spirit of the Game award. At the end of each season, officials and coaches from all team levels nominate a program whose players and coaches exemplify sportsmanship, respect for their opponents, officials and each other and a genuine love for the game. The award was created in 2019 to honor a respected and beloved official in the field hockey community. The award was presented to Pattonville’s field hockey team by the St. Louis Field Hockey Association prior to the championship game on Nov. 1. In addition to this team honor, field hockey players earned all-conference honors. Member os the team were Valentina Alatorre Quintero, Marcia Battiest, Skylar Deason, Dunnegan, Kalia Fox, Lily-Elizabeth Gamiño-Piñón, Taylor Gray, Loreal Hearns, Lauren Jones, Lam, Maritza Lopez Martinez, Kylie McComb, Peterman, Abigail Pierchorowicz, Layla Sheaffer, Abigail Silverstein, Vargas and Ariel Williams. The field hockey team was coached by Jessica Hale with the assistance of Rachel McAllister.

Golf

Students on the golf team earned conference honors. Alexandra Wyatt was named conference co-player of the year. Students named all-conference second team were Eva Benson, Sofia Hailstone and Annabelle Wyatt. The girls golf team was coached by David Gross with the assistance of Scott Hutson.

Soccer

Students on the soccer team earned individual honors. Alex Toler was named conference goalie of the year. Students named all-conference first team were Mateo Ballesteros, Radley Bergfeld and Tyler Manker as defensive players and Conner Kaufmann as a forward. Students named all-conference second team were Nathan Davidson and Jack Flores as midfielders. Students named academic all-conference were Bergfeld, Flores, Michael Graber, Manker, Jaziel Ortiz, Toler and Zachary Usry. The boys soccer team was coached by Marcus Christian with the assistance of Dan Woehrmann.

Swim/Dive

Members of the swim and dive competed at the state and conference meets and earned team and individual honors. At the state meet the following students competed. Cooper Salvia placed 22nd in the 500 freestyle. Camden Barry placed 24th in the 100 backstroke and set the school record time of 56.72 seconds. He was also named all-state honorable mention in the 500 freestyle. Ethan Arana placed 28th in the 200 individual medley. The 400 freestyle relay team of Arana, Barry, Zackary Brower and Salvia placed 18th. The 200 freestyle relay team of Arana, Brower, Gavin Fogarty and Salvia placed 20th. The 200 medley relay team of Barry, Brower, Fogarty and Salvia placed 22nd. The following students also competed at the conference meet. Barry placed fourth in the 100 backstroke. Salvia placed sixth in the 500 freestyle and 10th in the 200 freestyle. Arana placed 10th in the 200 individual medley. He also placed 12th and Brower placed 15th in the 100 butterfly. Kyle Simpson placed 11th and Elliot Bland placed 13th in the 100 breaststroke. Fogarty placed 13th in the 500 freestyle. Thomas Reddy placed 15th in the 100 freestyle. The following relay teams also earned honors at the conference meet. The 200 medley relay team of Arana, Barry, Brower and Fogarty placed third. The 200 freestyle relay team of Bland, Brower, Fogarty and Salvia placed sixth. The 400 freestyle relay team of Arana, Barry, Reddy and Salvia placed seventh. Students named academic all-conference were Bland, Reddy, Salvia, Ezekiel Schaefer and Simpson. The boys swim team was coached by Thomas Crockett.

Tennis

The tennis team was named co-conference champions and individual tennis players earned all-conference honors. Savannah Ewing was named all-conference first team for singles and doubles and Melia Holland was named all-conference first team for doubles and all-conference second team for singles. Elaine Lu was selected to receive the all-conference sportsmanship award. Students named academic all-conference were Ellie Cowin, Ewing and Lu. Additionally, the following students were part of the co-conference champion team: Graciela Esquivel, Josselina Esquivel, Sydney Hannebique, Kim Kha, Sofia Solar and Kayla Watts. The tennis team was coached by Shaun Patrick with the assistance of MaryClare Stoker.

Volleyball

Volleyball students received recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and were named to all-district and all-conference teams. Jenna Cochran was named all-district first team and all-conference first team as a libero player. Sydney Stranghoener and Kiley Wallace were named all-district second team and all-conference first team as outside hitters. Players named all-district honorable mention were Londyn Rowlett, who was also named all-conference second team, as a right side hitter and Ellen Mae Young, who was also named all-conference honorable mention, as a setter. Parker Bergfeld was selected to receive the all-conference sportsmanship award. The following students were named academic all-conference: Bergfeld, Cochran, Gwen Fallert, Jaydn Harvick, Lucy Rothkopf, Stranghoener, Wallace, Daphne Woelfel and Young. Additionally, Bergfeld, Cochran, Fallert and Wallace were named Best and Brightest by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The volleyball team was coached by Jenell Franken with the assistance of Nicole Rosner.

Districtwide

Gateway BHC Wellness Award

The Pattonville School District received the 2025 Business Health Culture Award by the Gateway Business Health Coalition (BHC). The award recognizes organizations that demonstrate innovation and excellence in promoting employee and family well-being. The award honors the district’s leadership in creating a supportive and healthy environment for staff and their families. Pattonville relaunched its wellness program in 2022 with an emphasis on engagement and innovative programming that support both physical and mental well-being. A network of 28 wellness captains leads building-level efforts and encourages participation throughout the district.  Pattonville was presented with the award at the Gateway Health Coalition’s 43rd Annual Meeting on Nov. 5. The program is organized by a committee, which includes staff members: community and staff engagement department director JoAnn Greenwell and administrative assistants Liz Gaumer and Stacy Martin, as well as district lead nurse Kendress Hughes. The following staff members serve as wellness captains at their building. Pattonville Early Childhood Center: Erica Abowitz, Marjorie Fender and Laura Wick; Bridgeway Elementary School: Hannah Cooper and Brittany Lunders; Drummond Elementary School: Morgan Kiffmeyer; Parkwood Elementary School: Karri Merseal and Cathy Selleck; Rose Acres Elementary School: Amy Frost; Academy of Innovation at Remington: Kim Thompson; Willow Brook Elementary School: Amanda Ambrose and Melissa Capstick; Holman Middle School: Jessica Brandenburg and Melissa Wilfong; Pattonville Heights Middle School: Sammie Bezzole and Matt Hahn; Pattonville High School: Monica Brown-Harris and Keyur Patel; Maintenance:Chad Baldi and Tron Williams; Transportation: Chris Poelker. Additionally, the following Learning Center staff formerly served as wellness captains at the school listed: Michelle Doering at early childhood Center and Jennifer Hardin at Rose Acres.