Books

Stories and reviews written by Richard Burnett

Saturday, July 8th, was the day all Harry Potter fans were waiting for. Information about the fourth book in the series had been kept pretty much of a secret.  Bookstores had to sign agreements with the publisher not to sell the book before that date.  There was so much anticipation, that the books had to be pre-ordered to insure that copy would be available for purchase on the day of release.  Even further, buyers were so eager to get their hands on a copy, many bookstores opened at midnight, so that at one minute after 12:00, they could sell the books to long lines of waiting fans. 

My closest bookstore, at Jamestown Mall, luckily, didn’t open until 8 o’clock Saturday morning, so I got a good night’s sleep.  I did get up early and found a line at the mall entrance by 7:30.  While waiting, I talked to some kids and their parents and took a few pictures.  Phil Meier, age nine, of Atonement Lutheran Elementary School, was familiar with all three of the previous Harry Potter books.  He said he also had read some Goosebumps and some Animorphs books, but liked Harry Potter best.  Phil guessed it would take “about three weeks” to get through the new one. 

Mitchell Ryals, a fourth grader, also of Atonement Lutheran Elementary School, said he liked the Harry Potter books because they had “a lot of comedy in them” and “at the end there was usually a scary part.”  Mrs. Ryals, Mitchell’s mom, said they had read the previous books together and were looking forward to the new one.

Tifffany Tocco, a seventh grader from Hazelwood Junior High, said she hadn’t liked the Goosebumps books.  She indicated it was “the Harry Potter books that really got me into reading.” She said they read the first two in class but that she had read the third one on her own.  She liked the way one book sets you up for the next one. 

Once inside the mall, we found an even longer line in front of the bookstore. Those unlucky persons who had not pre-ordered the fourth Harry Potter book were turned away during this early buying surge.  Those who did pre-order received a set of small pennants featuring Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, the four houses that make up Hogwarts Wizard School.  They also received a certificate naming them as honorary students at Hogwarts that was signed by Albus Dumbledore, the school’s headmaster.  Finally, they were allowed to select a finger puppet from a basket with a wide selection of miniature puppets. Then everybody went home to tackle the long-anticipated 734 page book titled Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
 

I bought my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire early on Saturday morning and had finished it by mid-morning on Tuesday – all 734 pages of it!  In order to do that, I had to put aside all other reading except a quick scanning of the morning newspapers.  My reaction on finishing?  Well, I’m a grown-up and the books aren’t really written for people like me. Besides, I was reading it because I had to write about it for Young Saint Louis.com, so it was a little like a homework assignment.  Still, I was glad I read it. 

Since I have read all three of the previous Harry Potter books, I can honestly say that if you enjoyed the first ones, you will really enjoy the new one.  It is an unusually long book.  However, if you are fully into the Hogwarts atmosphere and all the complications that result from Harry’s being targeted by Lord Voldemort, the most cunning and evil of all sorcerers, the book doesn’t seem overly long. 

There are plenty of smaller crises that involve Harry and his close friends, Ron and Hermione, before the major confrontation between Harry and Lord Voldemort.  You have heard rumors that somebody dies in this fourth book.  Well, somebody does, but not until very near the end of the book.  It was one of the good guys and it was a hero’s death.  But you have to read the book to find out who it was. 

In this volume, Harry is now fourteen years old and his increasing maturity and self-confidence is starting to show through more than in the earlier books.  He is still shy and struggling to overcome his fear of girls, especially pretty ones.  Hermione is also growing up, and she resents that boys so often only admire girls’ looks and don’t appreciate their brains.  So it’s not all goblins, and ghosts, and wizards.  It’s really about people. 

I have one piece of advice.  If you haven’t read book one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, do not read this new and lengthy book until you have read the earlier one. Otherwise, book four doesn’t make a lot of sense.  The good news is that the first book is out in paperback or is now readily available in the local public library.  It is also a lot shorter. 
 

Shiloh Season  is a paperback book about Marty Preston, a sixth grader, who lives in Friendly, West Virginia, and his dog, Shiloh.  It is the second book in a series of three books, the first one of which was just called Shiloh.  If you read the first one, which has been very popular in recent years, you already know what to expect in the second book.  But, if you haven’t read Shiloh, the author brings you right up to date quickly, so that Shiloh Season stands on its own legs. 

Shiloh Season has all the elements of a good “boy and his dog” book.  The dog is a great companion and helps the boy deal with the small problems that come up in everyday living.  Still, the dog has problems too that only the boy can help him deal with.  The central problem for the dog is his terrible fear of his former owner, a man who abused Shiloh and continues to abuse other hunting dogs that he owns.  Shiloh doesn’t even want to go on the road that leads to the man’s property.  Unfortunately, the man is a fairly close neighbor. 

This little book is only 120 pages and sells for just $2.99.  The author is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and the publisher is Aladdin Paperbacks.
 

Most of us learned that it was Isabel and her husband, Ferdinand, who as queen and king of Spain, provided the money for Christopher Columbus to take his voyage in 1492 and “discover” America.  Some of us were also taught that it was Isabel, the Queen, who was the one who believed in Columbus and in his contention that the world was round and not flat. She was willing to risk her jewels in order to finance his risky adventure.

The small hardback book titled Isabel, Jewel of Castilla, is the fictional diary of a young Isabel.  We learn that as a teen-aged princess, she was promised in marriage to different rulers in order to secure support for her brother, who was the King of Castilla, one of the Spanish kingdoms.  She loved Fernando, the young prince of Aragon, another Spanish kingdom.  Her diary tells of the intrigue and dangers Isabel had to endure before she finally was able to marry the prince she loved.  Their marriage eventually brought about the uniting of Castilla and Aragon into a powerful new kingdom, Spain. 

For readers who like to see history brought to life in the details of actual figures’ day-to-day living, books in The Royal Diaries series are just what they are looking for.  Isabel, Jewel of Castilla was written by Carolyn Meyer, published by Scholastic, Inc. with a 2000 copyright, sells for $10.95, and has 204 pages. 
 

Just as Isabel, Jewel of Castilla is a fairly “heavy” book for girls to read, so is Antarctica, Escape from Disaster fairly heavy reading for boys.  The book deals with an effort to be the first to reach the South Pole on the part of a ship load of adventurers in 1910.  The ship gets stuck in the polar ice and is finally crushed to pieces.  The real objective, then, is to survive and find a way to get back home.  The obstacles are overwhelming – bitterly cold weather, a food shortage, companions going mad, cracking ice underfoot, unpredictable storms when trying to sail out once water is reached, killer whales, and hungry leopard seals. 

Scenes in the book reminded me of scenes from the movie, The Perfect Storm, which I had just seen a few days before reading Antarctica, Escape from Disaster.  The book would have its greatest appeal to a boy interested in sailing ships and sea adventures.  The reader has to be able to cope with page after page of description of men’s fighting to simply stay alive and often failing in the attempt.

The novel is a 251 page paperback published by Scholastic, Inc., authored by Peter Lerangis, copyright 2000, and costing $4.50.  If you decide to read the book, I suggest you have warm clothes and food handy and a rope to tie yourself to the chair so you won’t wash away in the icy sea. 
 

Kids' Profiles
 

On tour with Britney

First, a note about some current teenage gossip. 

Singing sensation Britney Spears isn’t likely to be the girlfriend of England’s Prince William anytime soon.

That’s the word from St. Louisan Natalie DeLucia, one of the two backup singers for Britney on her current “Oops, I Did It Again” tour. Britney, Natalie and the group played Riverport Theater on Sunday, July 16. 

Natalie said told Young Saint Louis.com.: “They’ve never even met or talked on the phone. When Britney heard that Prince William was a fan, she autographed a couple pictures and sent them to him. That’s all there was.” 

Eighteen-year-old Natalie got her chance to join the Spears entourage because of a friendship that started several years ago. 

Natalie said, “Britney and I have known each other since we were 10 so we have a lot in common. I used to perform in talent competitions for Cinderella pageants with her best friend from back home. 

“Of course, she and I also were among the final 24 who were chosen to screen test for the new Mickey Mouse Club show.”

Last year, Natalie got a call asking if she’d like to be a backup singer for Spears’ 1999 “Baby, One More Time” tour. She’s been on the road with Britney pretty much ever since. 

The St. Louis stop was part of the current U.S. tour which will run until September. Then, after a short break, they will be on a European tour from October through mid-November. 

Natalie is the daughter of Joe and Patti DeLucia of St. Louis. She’s been singing and dancing since she was 4. Natalie was the regular national anthem singer for the St. Louis Blues hockey team at age 8. 

Her professional career started when she was 10. She had the role of Addie Loggins in the off-Broadway stage play, “Paper Moon.” That play was adapted from the movie of the same name with Ryan and Tatum O’Neal in the featured roles. 

While Natalie is enjoying touring with Britney, she’s hoping to have a solo career of her own. 

She said, “I had solo aspirations before I even met Britney. Those aspirations have increased especially now that I’ve been on the world tour.” 

Natalie is being a little secretive about her future hopes. She is in the process of creating a demonstration tape but won’t say what it will include. 

But, she did say she likes music a “little edgier” than the pop music Britney uses. “I like music that is bluesy, jazzy and funky,” Natalie said. 

When asked about what it takes to become a star, Natalie said, “It’s mostly confidence and believing in yourself. You have to feel that, if you put your mind to it, you can do it.” 

Asked about the touring schedule, Natalie said, “We usually do the same thing every day. If we don’t leave right after the show the night before, we wake up at the hotel, shower, pack, eat breakfast and get on the bus by 7:30 a.m.

“We drive to the next city and go to the performance venue for a sound check about 4 p.m. Then, I hang out with Britney and the dancers. We usually eat dinner at the venue. 

“We have a lock-down from 7 to 8:30 p.m. when noone can leave the dressing room area. When the show’s over, we either drive to the hotel or get on the bus and drive to the next city.” 

But, every once in awhile, the cast gets a day or so off.

Natalie told of one time recently they were in Tampa, Fla., and had a break in the schedule. “Britney called me and T.J., one of the dancers, and asked if we’d want to go to Orlando,” Natalie said. 

“We all went out dancing that night. We kept a low profile. Of course, it’s not easy when you’re in the middle of three big body guards. Don’t get me wrong, Britney certainly draws attention. 

“But, everyone was pretty much like just letting her do her thing. That weekend, we all had the best time because we did something spontaneous and broke the normal routine. And we were together with people we enjoyed being with.”
 
 

News In Project Aria

For years, Sacred Heart Elementary School students in north St. Louis County have done hands-on science experiments on decomposition. 

Each fall, students from each grade bury objects in the ground. In the spring, they dig them up to see whether they have deteriorated. 

This September, their experiments will take a whole new dimension. They are putting one set aboard a NASA space shuttle to compare the rate of decomposition in outer space to that on earth. 

Maggie Brueggen is 10 years old. Her fourth grade class decided to test decomposition of raw hamburger in space.

She said, “I don’t think the hamburger will decompose as much in space as here on earth.”

Other objects from Sacred Heart slated for outer space include seeds, toothpaste, white bread, hair samples, soil, Meramec River water and brine shrimp. The hair samples will be clipped from the heads of Sacred Heart kids. 

Sacred Heart is among eight St. Louis area schools taking part in Project Aria. The program is a collaboration between Washington University and the St. Louis Area Cooperating School Districts. 

Other schools with experiments on the shuttle are: 

Marissa High School, Marissa, Ill.; Center for Creative Learning in the Rockwood District; Glenn Ridge Elementary School in the Clayton District; Ladue Junior High School, Hazelwood West High School; Mary Institute/Country Day School, and Bristol Elementary School in Webster Groves. 

Sue Giesicke is the assistant principal at Sacred Heart and the science coordinator for the St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese. She attended a Project Aria workshop and thought the space project would make a good fit for her school’s ongoing science experiments.

Each fall, students in each grade bury different things in the ground. Then, in the spring, they dig them up to check on decomposition. 

Ten-year-old Mike Flachs said he likes these experiments. “Instead of just thinking about what might happen, we really do an experiment to see what will happen,” he said. 

He said he remembered his second grade class buried an empty milk carton. “When we dug it up, it had deteriorated,” he said. 

Flachs, who will be a fifth grader this fall, said, “Certain objects decompose and others don’t. Paper is likely to decompose faster than metal.” 

He said another part of the experiment that was interesting was the mapping of the place on the school grounds where their experiment was buried. He said, “Last spring, we were confused at first where our experiment was buried. But, we found the map and dug in the right spot.” 

Twelve-year-old Matthew Schultz will be a seventh grader, He said the science classes at Sacred Heart have gotten him interested in a career in science. “I like weather and meteorology,” he said. 

Schultz said his parents got him an unusual Christmas present last year. It was the National Audubon Society’s “Field Guide to North American Weather.” 

He said, “This summer, I was looking at various high schools and St. Louis High has a Meteorology Club. They have connections with the National Weather Service and TV Channels 4 and 5.”

Maggie Brueggen said the science experiments have helped her get interested in all science. “Science and math are my best subjects,” she said. 

Getting more youngsters interested in science is one of the main purposes of Project Aria. Keith Bennett is the director of Engineering Computing at Washington University and in charge of Project Aria. 

He said the project is designed to include elementary and secondary students. “We encourage them to go into a science, engineering or technology field by exposing them to exciting work prior to making their career choices,” he said.

Another part of the project is giving university students experience in designing the experiments into payloads which will fit into a specific area of the shuttle. 
 

Food
  “Cooking on a Stick”

When 11-year-old Jordan Herron has gone camping in the past, his meals were pretty plain. 

Herron said, “We’d roast wieners and have chips, trail mix and cereal. That’s about all.” 

But, the sixth grader at HMS Christian Academy in Dittmer, Mo., has a much bigger menu of campfire cooking to pick from now. Last month, he took part in a “Cooking on a Stick” workshop put on by the Missouri Conservation Commission. 

Herron was one of more than 40 St. Louis area kids and parents who took part in two outdoor sessions in the Rockwood Conservation Area in western St. Louis County. The cooking lessons are part of a popular “Wild Wednesday” series that teach children outdoor skills. 

The kids learned three different ways to cook things over a campfire. Some foods you can cook on a stick. But, other foods you wrap in foil and cook right in the fire. 

And, finally, there are those foods you bake in a cardboard oven.

When the instructor talked about the cardboard oven, 10-year-old Luke Dang immediately asked, “Why doesn’t the cardboard burn?” Dang will be at Sperring Middle School in the Lindbergh School district this fall. 

Volunteer naturalist John Schroeder showed Luke and the others how to coat the inside of the cardboard box with aluminum foil so the heat doesn’t get to the cardboard. Rather, the heat is reflected around the food in the oven to bake it. 

Naturalist Keri Lanning then began cooking foods in all three ways at the same time. 

She helped the kids bake biscuits on a stick. At the same time, cinnamon-flavored apples were frying in a foil pouch in the fire and a special kind of pizza was cooking in the oven. 

Lanning said the oven can be used to bake even more elaborate foods such as chicken, cakes and bread. 

She said you can cook breakfasts, lunches and dinners. And the kids even got recipes for cooking desserts. (For complete list of “Cooking on a Stick” menu ideas, see below.)

Michelle Currie is a 10-year-old who goes to Our Lady of Sorrows School in south St. Louis. She said she came to the outdoor class to get ideas she can use on an upcoming Girl Scout camping trip. 

She said she liked the idea of baking the biscuit dough on a stick over the fire. However, she admitted she didn’t cook it long enough and it was still a little “doughy” on the inside. 

Tabitha Hagood is a 12-year-old student at Cornerstone Christian Academy in St. Clair, Mo. She said she most enjoyed the oven cooking. “That was neat and the pizza was good too,” she said. 

Luke Dang was thinking about how to adapt the cardboard oven to family’s his next camping trip. 

Volunteer Schoeder set up the oven by first taking some hot charcoal embers from the campfire and setting them on stones near the main fire. He put an iron grill over the coals. The unbaked pizzas were put on foil on the grill. Then, the foil-coated cardboard box was put over the whole thing like a hood. 

Dang said his family has a charcoal grill they take on camping trips. “We could put the cardboard hood right on our grill,” he said. 

The outdoor cooking class started with a discussion of fire safety in the woods. Then, the kids scouted around the area for kindling wood. 

Lanning and Schroeder showed how to build the fire to get maximum cooking benefit. 

First, they put some charcoal briquettes in the center and built a teepee of small sticks and rolled paper over the charcoal. After lighting the kindling, they put increasingly larger pieces of wood on top.

After the fire burns for awhile, it’s easy to dig out the charcoal with tongs and use those embers inside the cardboard oven for maximum heat.

After the cooking was done, the kids got to sample the biscuits, fried apples and pizza. 

They also got a lesson on the importance of putting your campfire completely out to avoid forest or grass fires. Schroeder also warned about throwing water directly on stones you might have around your fire. 

“They might be hot and throwing cool water on them might make they explode,” he said.
 
 

  Menu Ideas 

Here are the recipes that were used in last month’s “Cooking on a Stick” outdoor classes by Missouri Conservation Commission naturalist Keri Lanning:

For Breakfast 
     Breakfast in a Bag
Ingredients: 
12 eggs
12 pieces of bacon
12 paper bags (seamless)
salt and pepper

Gather the top of a bag with string and fasten to a stick. Place bacon in the bottom of each bag and allow to warm over the coals until sack is coated with grease. Break an egg on the top of the bacon. Roll the bag down in one-inch folds and poke with a stick. Continue to warm over the coals for five minutes. 

     Muffins
Ingredients: 
1 bag of muffin mix
1 orange

Mix the muffin mix with water in a zip-lock bag. Cut an orange in half and remove the orange pulp from both halves, keeping the peel halves intact. Pour mix into one peel half and cover with other half. Put this in foil. Place foil wrapper at the edge of the fire and cook until middle is spongy like a cake. 

For Other Meals: 
    Potato Pouch Mix 
Ingredients:
3 potatoes
mix of vegetables
butter
heavy duty foil

Cut potatoes into cubes and place in foil. Add vegetables, butter and seasonings. Place at edge of fire to warm for 15 minutes. 

    Cozy Dogs
Ingredients: 
1 tube of biscuits
hot dogs

Place hot dog on a stick and wrap uncooked biscuit dough around hot dog. (For a cheese hot dog, wrap slice of cheese around hot dog before wrapping both in biscuit dough.) Warm over the fire until biscuit is golden brown.

    Pizza
Ingredients: 
1 package of English muffins
1 can of tomato sauce
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
cardboard oven
raised cooking rack

Cut top and part of one side out of cardboard box. Coat the inside of whole box with aluminum foil. Make sure the foil overlaps all the cut edges of the box. 
Spread the tomato sauce on English muffins halves and sprinkle with cheese. Place mini pizzas on a cooking rack and move a few coals from the fire under the rack. Place cardboard oven over rack and cook for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. You can be create and add other toppings if you like!

For Dessert: 
     Cinnamon Brown Bears
Ingredients: 
squeeze butter or melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon 
hot dog buns

Roll hot dog buns in butter and then in cinnamon and sugar. Wrap in foil and place at the edge of fire. Warm for five minutes while turning frequently. 

     Fried Apples
Ingredients: 
apples
butter
cinnamon and sugar mix
foil

Cut out core of apples. Fill core with butter, cinnamon and sugar. Wrap tightly in foil to keep in liquids. Warm over coals for about 10 minutes.
 

LifeStyle
  One started at 7

Twelve-year-old Lauren Gray began smoking when she was seven. An older sister gave her the first cigarette. 

By the time she was 11, she said she was smoking a pack a day. 

Then, last February, she decided she’d had enough. With the help of a program at the Hancock Middle School in south St. Louis County, she began the process of quitting. 

Since school’s been out, she said she’s only had one cigarette this summer.

When asked what made her decide to quit, she said, “When I saw those diseased organs caused by smoking. The liver looked just like a raw T-bone steak.” 

She was referring to a display of human organs that had been damaged by tobacco. It was part of a voluntary 8-week smoking cessation program in the Hancock School District.

Lauren was the first student to sign up for the cessation program. 

Andi Boyd, a health educator for BJC Health System, taught the classes. She said there were 15 students who signed up for the program but only seven of them were able to quit. The program doesn’t rely on any medical aids to smoking cessation. 

“We set a quit date and the kids quit cold turkey,” she said. The rest of the program is education and peer support among the members.

On the quit date, each student signed a non-binding “Stop Smoking Commitment” form. The form was signed and then witnessed by another. The student also wrote down a reward they would give themselves if they could stop for the first week. 

If any of the students failed at first, they could establish another quit date, Boyd said. 

Angie Hasenfratz is another 12-year-old in the program. She said she started smoking at 10 and got up to about half a pack a day. 

When asked about why she started, she said, “I guess I got so stressed with the divorce of my parents.” She said she got her first cigarette from a friend in elementary school.

She said she decided to quit smoking when “my uncle told me about the black stuff he coughed up.” 

She admits she has smoked about a half cigarette a week since school let out this summer. 

Boyd said the youngsters used to meet three times a week during school. But, in the summer, there aren’t as many support sessions. She has been calling meetings once a month since school has been out. 

Of the 15 how signed up for the school program, all but one were girls. 

She said girls often have a harder time quitting smoking than boys. “Some girls think of smoking as a way to lose weight,” Boyd said.

Lauren said she has actually lost 15 pounds since she started the cessation program. 

She said food tastes better since she cut back on smoking. “But, now I crave salads. I don’t crave cheeseburgers anymore,” she said. 

She also said she feels better since quitting and has been exercising more.

Angie hasn’t had any problem with weight gain either although “food now has the real taste.” She said, “I’m walking more now.”

Boyd said smoking is both an addiction to tobacco and a regular habit. People often combine smoking with regular physical activities, such as talking on the phone or ending a meal. 

“Kids will think of smoking when walking home from school,” she said. 

Therefore, the kids get some “mouth and hand toys” such as hard candy, straws and chewing gum, she said. 

Lauren said holding a straw, instead of a cigarette, helped her break the habit of smoking. 

Boyd said the school nurse was given extra candy and chewing gum. Then, when kids in the program had an urge to smoke while at school, they could drop in for a piece of candy or a stick of gum. 
 

Your Health
 

Finding the “triggers”

When nine-year-old Octavia Bailey is playing hard, she has an unusual problem that other kids don’t have. 

She has to decide whether she’s just out of breath or having an asthma attack. 

Octavia was diagnosed as having asthma when she was 2 1/2. But, with help from a unique local health program, she is learning how to avoid asthma attacks. This has enabled her to enjoy activities that are normal for kids her age. 

Asthma is one of the fastest growing health problems for youngsters in the metro St. Louis area. But, with proper preventive care, many children keep their illness under control and lead full, active lives. 

Last month, she took part in an Adventure Club day-camp activity sponsored by the Ferguson-Florissant Schools. That involved physical activity such as kickball and hikes in a nearby park.

She’s also able to participate in soccer and basketball at her school. She’ll be a fourth grader this fall at Townsend Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District. 

Like lots of kids, she rides her bike a lot in her north St. Louis County neighborhood. 

The key to managing her asthma is a daily routine that includes checking how her lungs are working. She blows into a “peak flow” meter first thing in the morning and again at night before bed. 

The meter tells her how much air is getting in and out of her lungs. If the air flow is diminished, she knows she might have an asthma attack coming. Asthma causes passages in the lungs to get smaller, cutting down the amount of air. 

With the help of a doctor, Octavia worked to determine what things “trigger” an asthma attack. She said some of her “triggers” are excessive dust and pollen. 

But, another problem can be when she catches a cold. That happens often when there is a change in the weather in the spring or fall. 

Octavia’s mother, Sharon Delarouche, said, “I admit I’m a little overprotective when the seasons change. At the first sign of a cold, I’m on the phone to the doctor arranging for special asthma treatment.” 

But, otherwise, Octavia is given freedom to be a normal young kid. 

She said, “My mother tells me ‘not to say can’t’ and ‘believe in myself.’”

The key to keeping the asthma under control is to have a preventative plan. And Octavia is the first one to feel an attack coming on. 

Ms. Delarouche is a health-care worker at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Her family’s health plan is with Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield. That group has a special public health nurse who helps families plan ways to avoid asthma attacks. 

The plan helps Octavia understand her asthma. It also includes training for the nurse at Octavia’s school about her special needs. Octavia has another prevention kit at the school. 

In addition to the “peak flow” meter checking, Octavia also carries inhalers with two types of medication. These help open her air passages at the first sign of reduced air flow. 

The family also has a special “nebulizer” that gives stronger medication if her air flow drops into the meter’s “red zone.”

All this preventive care helped Octavia cut down to nine the days she missed school last year. By missing less classes, she was able to earn honor roll status last year.

As she gets older, her play and sports activities are getting more vigorous. Thus, she has to learn even more about her asthma. “Now, I have to learn the difference between being out or breath and having an asthma attack,” she said. 

That’s another part of learning how to cope with her asthma to allow her to lead a full life.
 

Careers
 

At Science Center

Fifteen-year-old Lakishe McPike was getting ready to team-teach a summer science class for young kids at Girls, Inc. 

But, one little girl at her table had her head down and was crying. 

Before class started, Lakishe sat next to the girl and talked to her. By the time the class started, the youngster had stopped crying but wasn’t participating in the discussion. 

Lakishe said, “She was crying because the teacher in her last class had upset her. I told her, no matter how mad that gets you, you can’t let it get you down.

“I told her, if she participated in all our science exercises, she’ll feel a lot better.”

Lakishe was right. Before the science class was half over, the girl was smiling, dancing around, taking part in the experiments and having a good time. 

That example of class management is just one of the ways a group of 45 St. Louis area teenagers performed this summer in their first paying jobs. They were teaching interns in a unique science education program sponsored by the St. Louis Science Center. 

Lakishe was one of six teachers in the weekly science classes for younger girls at Girls, Inc. in north St. Louis. The team also taught classes at three other locations each week. 

The goal of the classes was to give children in lower-income areas of St. Louis a chance to learn more about science at an early age. 

At the same time, the interns were having a learning experience of their own. They got their first pay checks, learned more about science themselves and also were taught a variety of job skills. 

Interns are recruited each year by the Science Center while their in middle schools. But, since kids can’t hold a paying job until they’re 14, most interns are high school students. .

Another 15-year-old intern, Brandon Byrd, said science is actually his worst subject in school. But, while he gets ready to teach young kids, “I’m learning to understand things about science I’ll need to know in high school.” 

He said the staff development classes the interns take each Friday are important too. He said he wouldn’t talk much at first but the development classes helped him with his communication skills. 

During the Girls, Inc., classes, his humorous teaching style caught the attention of youngsters at nearby tables as well as those at his own. 

He said his teaching style is “to make science fun for them.” He added, “I try to have a good time with them.” 

Tiffany Atkinson, another 15-year-old, also doesn’t plan to make science her career. “I’m not interested in science. I want to own a day-care center when I grow up,” she said. 

She said communication skills she’s learning will be useful in the future. Also, her class work with the younger girls at Girls,Inc., is important. 

“Since I want to own a day-care, it helps to learn how to work with the kids here,” she added. 

Another 15-year-old, Reginald Jones, said he plans to have a law career when he gets older. He said the emphasis on teamwork in the Science Center’s staff development classes are important to him. 

“Before, I did most things myself,” he said.

Elizabeth Bell is a 15-year-old from East St. Louis. She said, if she’s faced with a discipline problem in class, she tries to talk to younger kids as equals. “If you try to be harsh with them, they’ll usually do just the opposite,” she said. 

The supervisor of this team of interns is Carrie Dietz, a psychology graduate from University of Missouri-St. Louis. She stops the class once in awhile to make a scientific point or two with the younger children. 

But, most of the time, the young kids are broken into small groups and the teenage interns do the teaching. 

The seven-week science course at Girls, Inc., included lessons in chemistry, biology, geology, sound and light energy and magnetism. 

In the geology class, interns led four different experiments, including one involving a paper mache volcano. The lava “eruption” was triggered by mixing baking soda and vinegar. The kids even got to pick the lava color by adding food coloring before the vinegar. 

The interns usually work 30 hours a week and earn minimum wage. Four days a week, they teach younger kids at different locations and on Fridays they all meet for staff development classes. 
 

Games
 

How About a Laugh or Two?

Food Jokes:

What are two things you can’t have for breakfast?
     Lunch and dinner.

Customer:  Waiter!  I’m in a hurry!  Will my pancakes be long?
Waiter:  No, sir.  They’ll be round.

What snacks do hot air balloonists eat?
     Raisin’ cookies.

How do you make a cherry turnover?
     Tickle its stomach.

Why did the baker make a million doughnuts?
     Because she loved the “hole” business. 

Science Jokes:

Why is the winter the best time to buy thermometers?
     Because they’re a lot higher in the summer.

Why are fish good at science?
     They spend all of their time in schools.

Student:  What causes baldness?
Professor:   Lack of hair.

When does it rain money?
     When there’s some change in the weather.

What is the best way to prevent infection caused by biting insects?
     Don’t bite any.

Are these bad enough jokes that you are willing to send us better ones?  E-mail us your joke(s) at the address in the YOUR TURN section.  Give us your name and we’ll print it along with your joke.
 

Entertainment
  Also student written

“Sukey and the Mermaid” is an opera written and performed by local kids under the sponsorship of Opera Theatre of St. Louis. It’s adapted from an African-American folk tale set in the American South in the 1930s. 

This summer, sixth and seventh grade kids from Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts School worked for the first time under professional stage, set and costume directors. Also, this was the first student production performed on the Opera Theatre’s main stage. 

The original music and words for “Sukey” were written by 7th graders during the 1995-96 school year. It had been performed as a student production previously. 

But, this year, Opera Theatre hired a professional stage director as well as a professional set and costume designer. This year’s Carr Lane 6th and 7th graders gave two performances at the Loretto-Hilton Theater on the campus of Webster University.

Thirteen-year-old Elayne Bruner was in the title role of Sukey, who is saved from an abusive father by a mythical mermaid, Mama Jo.

Elayne admits she was “a little nervous” about performing in her first professional play. 

“But, I’ll get over it. I just have to remember that this is what I want to do for a living,” she said. Elayne wants a career in the movies and as a rhythm and blues singer.

Diane McCullough is a vocal music and piano teacher at Carr Lane VPA who has the kids in class. She and three students provided the musical accompaniment for the opera.

McCullough plays the piano. Others in the orchestra are students Jessie James, Calvin Miller and Ashley Clemon. They play percussion instruments that give the opera an unusual musical background. 

McCullough said development of the opera was part of a school program sponsored by Opera Theatre. 

Allison Felter is the director of education for Opera Theatre. She said Carr Lane VPA is one of 50 St. Louis area schools that are using the musical curriculum. It’s called Music! Words! Opera!

She said the Carr Lane opera was selected from among several candidates for the professional staging. “The opera was in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Opera Theatre,” Felter said.

Vernnell Warlick, another 13-year-old, plays the part of Dembo. He’s the guy that mermaid Mama Jo tells Sukey to marry. But, before that happens, he’s killed by Sukey’s father and brought back to life when Sukey puts a magic pearl into his mouth. 

Vernnell said this is his first performance in a professionally-directed show. But, he said he’s not nervous. “I just don’t think about the audience,” he said. He said he wants to be a movie actor. 

Twelve-year-old Phillip Hamer was the villain of the opera. He’s Sukey’s father, who’s always making his daughter work hard. He also steals the gold Mama Jo gives to Sukey. 

But, after he kills Dembo, he comes to a bad end. Mermaid Mama Jo whips up a severe storm and overturns his boat. He drowns.

This was Phillip’s first professional play. He said, to avoid nervousness, “my teacher told me to take deep breaths before I go on.” 

Sukey’s father isn’t the only one after Sukey’s money. Three other young men try to marry her. 

Sam Fick, who is 13, plays the part of Billie Bob. Concerning his first professional part, Fick said he’s not nervous. 

“Before, when I performed before friends at school, I was nervous. But, when I’m performing for people I don’t know, I won’t be nervous,” he said.

A total of 19 Carr Lane students took part in the opera performances. Sixteen were on stage and the other three were in the orchestra pit. 

Tiffany Piel, who is 13, has the part of the narrator. She’s the one that tells the audience the story line between the various scenes. For instance, she has to tell about the 10 years that go by while Sukey lives with Mama Jo. 

When Sukey goes to live under the sea, she was a young girl. But, when she comes back to meet Dembo, she is a young woman. 

All of the youngsters showed a stage presence well beyond their middle-school years.