This
Month in St. Louis History
Veiled Prophet "unveiled";
Prohibition starts
St. Louis' Veiled Prophet Fair was changed forever
with the December, 1972, "ambush unveiling" of the
1972 prophet. Also, the local beer industry had to
scramble to survive when national prohibition was
passed in December, 1917.
There also were two landmark events in past Decembers
involving famed St. Louis flyer Charles Lindbergh.
One involved Lindbergh's "other" famous flight and
the other involved a "wannabe" Lindbergh, Douglass
"Wrong Way" Corrigan.
The St. Louis Special Education School District was
formed in December, 1957, to address the educational
needs of local disabled kids.
Each month, the Missouri History Museum compiles
a monthly list of people and events from the past.
Then, Young Saint Louis.com brings you write-ups
for your enjoyment.
The items from Decembers past include:
Veiled Prophet is "unveiled" in 1972
The fight against racial discrimination in St. Louis
has had many milestones. But, the "unveiling" of the
Veiled Prophet in December, 1972, was one of the most
unusual.
The city's Veiled Prophet Fair was one of the social
institutions in St. Louis. The year's Veiled Prophet
was announced at a high-fashion ball in December.
The Prophet's name was never announced. But, two
things were sure: One, he was always a man; two, he
was always white.
But, a woman by the name of Gena Scott cooked up
an unusual way to focus unwanted attention on the
all-white Fair. Dressed in full evening dress, she
slid down a spotlight cable to the stage where the
1972 Veiled Prophet was to be introduced.
Although she injured herself, she rushed up and
removed both the Prophet's veil and crown. The St.
Louis Journalism Review followed up by naming
him.
He was Tom K. Smith, an executive vice president
of Monsanto, and an alumnus of St. Louis Civic Progress.
This was a group of white business executives who
influenced much of the economic activity of St. Louis.
After the unveiling, the ranks of the city's elite
began to become more integrated. Also, the Veiled
Prophet Ball disappeared. The Fair celebration became
the annual Fourth of July Fair on the riverfront.
Prohibition hits St. Louis hard in
1917
The brewing of beer in St. Louis is almost as old
as the city itself. There were brewers in St. Louis
in the early 1800s when the city had only 1,000 residents.
But, growth of local brewing took off when Johann
Adam Lemp began brewing a lighter lager beer around
1840. This style of beer is now the nation's most
popular.
Brewing in St. Louis grew mightily in the 1800s.
By 1900, Lemp and Anheuser-Busch breweries were big.
Over one million 1904 World's Fair visitors accepted
invitations by Lemp and Anheuser-Busch to visit their
plants.
Then, in December, 1917, along came the 18th Amendment
that banned making, selling and transporting of alcoholic
beverages.
The Lemp operation shut down and never recovered.
Anheuser-Busch survived by making "soft drinks" such
as Malt-Nutrine, "an invigorating and sedative tonic,"
Car-cho, a chocolate soda and even imitation grape
syrup.
Some brewers boiled off the alcohol from the beer
and marketed "near beer."
But, some brewers used the "down time" of Prohibition
to learn about marketing and advertising. They needed
to as they struggled to market new, non-alcohol products.
When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, they were
ready to recapture the beer market.
Anheuser-Busch rolled out the first legal beer in
St. Louis. The brewery even sent bottles of beer to
President Roosevelt at the White House.
(For more on beer making/marketing, visit www.schlafly.com/history.brewing.shtml)
(For information on how you can take a Missouri
History Museum tour on "Advertising as a Mirror of
Society," call (314) 361-9017. Also, click
here for a fuller description of these new
tours in YSL.com's Places to Go, Things to
Do section.)
Charles Lindbergh's "other" flight
Everyone's has heard of St. Louisan Charles Lindbergh's
non-stop flight from the U.S. to Paris. But, what
about a December, 1927, flight from Washington, D.C.,
to Mexico City?
While in Mexico, he met his wife-to-be, Anne Morrow,
for the first time.
Lindbergh had become friends with Anne's father,
Dwight W. Morrow. After Morrow was named ambassador
to Mexico, Lindbergh offered to travel there if it
might aid relations between the two countries.
At that time, the American and Mexican governments
were at odds. Morrow took Lindbergh up on his offer.
So, on Dec. 13, he took off from Bolling Field in
Washington and landed at Balbuena Field in Mexico
City the next day. The mayor of Mexico City gave Lindbergh
the keys to the city.
But, maybe the most significant part of the trip
was his meeting Anne Morrow. Later in the month, she
came to Mexico to spend Christmas with her parents.
About her first meeting with Lindbergh, she wasn't
too impressed. She wrote in her diary that "she was
not too reverence Lindy."
(To read about the Mexico visit, see www.charleslindbergh.com/history/mexico.asp)
"Wrong Way" Corrigan makes unwanted
history
Like many Americans, Douglas Corrigan was fascinated
by Charles Lindbergh's nonstop flight across the Atlantic
in 1927. Corrigan vowed to fly a memorable flight
of his own.
He took flying lessons, built a plane and applied
for permission to make a flight from New York to his
native Ireland. The government turned him down.
In 1938, he decided to try anyway. He flew from California
to New York. He planned to land late, fuel his plane
after dark and then take off for Ireland. But, he
had trouble on the cross-country leg of his flight
and decided not to try the oceanic flight.
He took off for a return trip to California. But,
in heavy fog, he lost his bearings. By the time he
came out of the overcast, he was over the ocean. But,
he knew it was too soon to have reached the Pacific.
Checking his compass, he said he discovered he "was
following the wrong end of the magnetic needle." When
he finally sighted land, he was in Ireland.
Hence his nickname: "Wrong Way Corrigan." Corrigan
died Dec. 9, 1995. His nickname lives on as a big
put-down, used for someone who blunders and goes the
wrong way.
(For more, visit http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/explorers)
St. Louis Special School District
starts in 1957
In December, 1957, St. Louis County voters approved
a referendum establishing a local public school district
to support educational needs for children with disabilities.
The program started small. In the fall of 1958,
there were four teachers and a social worker to serve
166 students.
Today, the Special School District serves more than
30,000 students in 265 public schools in 23 public
school districts. In addition, it provides technical
education for 2,200 students in the districts two
technical high schools.
St. Louis
People 365
December "firsts" by Flood,
Couzins, Westbrook
(Fifth in a series)
Firsts of a kind were established during past Decembers
by Curt Flood, Pheobe Couzins and Robert H. Westbrook.
Also, former President Harry S. Truman died during December
in 1972.
Also, the chemistry of DNA was proven at Washington
University in December, 1956.
These are some of the historic people and happenings
in the region that are listed in the book, "St. Louis
People 365." The book of historic trivia was written by
author Joe Sonderman.
(Sonderman has given permission to Young Saint Louis.com
to quote selected items from his book. If you'd like a
copy of the book, check local book stores or go to www.booksonstlouis.com.)
Here are 10 of the 126 items in the December chapter
of the book:
Dec. 2, 1942: Physicists Enrico Fermi and a group
of scientists created the first self-sustaining nuclear
reaction, working underneath the stands of the University
of Chicago's Stagg Field. The 40 tons of purified uranium
used in the tests was processed at Mallinckrodt in St.
Louis.
Dec. 3, 1990: Schools in four states were closed,
people stocked up on supplies and emergency response personnel
stood on alert. It was all because of Dr. Iben Browning.
Based on some dubious theories about the tides and the
pull of the moon, the New Mexico climatologist and business
consultant predicted a major earthquake along the New
Madrid Fault (south of St. Louis) on this date. Browning
died shortly after the hysteria.
Dec. 5, 1913: Pheobe Couzins died in poverty
in St. Louis. She had become the nation's first female
lawyer in 1871, upon graduation from the Washington University
School of Law. But, she never practiced extensively. When
her father died, she took over his duties as U.S. Marshal,
the first female U.S. Marshal in history.
Dec. 6, 1947: The Missouri Supreme Court struck
down a 50-year ban by the St. Louis Board of Education.
Under the old rules, a female teacher had to give up her
job if she got married. District officials believed that
husbands would support their wives, and the jobs should
go to single heads of households.
Dec. 9, 1878: Joseph Pulitzer purchased the bankrupt
St. Louis Dispatch. Within hours of the auction at the
Old Courthouse, the editor of the Post approached Pulitzer
and proposed a merger. The first issue of the St. Louis
Post and Dispatch hit the streets on December 12th.
Dec. 11, 1941: Robert H. Westbrook became the
first St. Louisan reported killed in action during World
War Two. He was killed at Hickam Field, near Pearl Harbor,
on December 7th. The names of 2,763 St. Louisans who died
in World War Two are engraved in the wall at the Court
of Honor across from the Soldier's Memorial.
Dec. 14, 1956: Washington University scientists
artificially created for the first time a chemical substance
believed to control heredity. Dr. Arthur Kronberg, professor
and chairman of the department of microbiology, described
the effort to synthesize Dioxyribonucleic Acid, or DNA.
He was awarded the Novel Prize of Physiology or Medicine
in 1959.
Dec. 19, 1954: Wally Moon of the Cardinals was
named the National League Rookie of the year. The 24-year-old
hit a home run in his first at-bat on April 13. The Cardinals
traded Enos Slaughter to make room for Moon, who finished
the season with a .304 batting average. The award is all
the more astonishing when you note that Hank Aaron and
Ernie Banks also were rookies in 1954.
Dec. 24, 1969: Curt Flood wrote a letter to Commissioner
Bowie Kohn, saying he was "not a piece of property to
be bought and sold." Flood was refusing to report to the
Phillies after the Cardinals traded him. He sued to overturn
baseball's reserve clause and fought all the way to the
U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled against Flood on June
19, 1972. But, his courageous battle opened the door to
today's free agency.
Dec. 26, 1972: Former President Harry S. Truman
died at the age of 88. After leaving the White House in
1953, he retired to his home in Independence. Truman penned
his memoirs and a book, "Mr. Citizen," detailing his experiences
in the White House. In 1955, he broke ground for the Truman
Library, which opened two years later. Truman was laid
to rest in the courtyard of the library on Dec. 28, 1972.
Places
to Go, Things to Do
Christmas
lighting spectacles; transport museum
Any list
of Places to Go; Things to Do in December
has to include the many dazzling holiday light displays
in the St. Louis area. But, there are some new things
that also provide fun for you and your family this month.
For instance,
the St. Louis County Parks' Museum of Transportation had
reopened its completely remodeled Earl C. Lindburg Automotive
Center. The museum's vintage motor vehicles are back on
display along with new interactive displays.
These displays
help kids understand how a vehicle's engine, steering
and brakes work.
Then Trailnet
is providing a new internet directory of hiking and biking
trails in many St. Louis area communities. That's perfect
for kids and families who like to plan their own hiking
or biking excursions.
Or, maybe
you'd like to plan your own themed tour at the Missouri
History Museum. That institution is beginning to offer
tours to families or private groups of 10 or more.
Each month,
Young Saint Louis.com looks for timely things kids
and families can do together. We give details and also
link you to other websites that tell more about each event
or the community resource.
Here is a
sampling of Places to Go; Things to Do during
December:
Holiday
Lighting Displays
The St. Louis
metro area is famous for dazzling holiday lighting displays.
Some of them involve more than a million lights and you
stay in your vehicle to drive through them.
The St. Louis
County Parks has its "Winter Wonderland" lighting display
at Tilles Park. This is one where you stay in your vehicle
to tour the lighted landscape. Also, you can call ahead
and rent a horse-drawn carriage for the viewing.
For details,
visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.
The national
Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows near Belleville, Ill.,
is a popular lighting display on the east side of the
Mississippi River. That "Way of Lights Christmas Display"
is another must see holiday attraction.
For details,
visit www.snows.org.
The St. Louis
Children's Zoo in Forest Park has its "U.S. Bank Wild
Lights" display during the holidays.
For times
and dates, visit www.stlzoo.org.
Then there's
Santa's Magical Kingdom in Jellystone Park.
For details,
visit www.eurekajellystone.com/santa.
And the Anheuser-Busch
Brewery has its Christmas Lights display. For information,
call (314) 577-2000.
St.
Louis County's Museum of Transportation
The St. Louis
Museum of Transportation has completed its renovation
of its automotive center. That's just in time for viewing
by kids who will have a holiday break from school.
St. Louis
has been a center for car building since the early 1900s.
The Earl C. Lindburg Automobile Center gives kids a chance
to sample that long history.
The automotive
center has a new glass and steel exterior. That makes
it look just like a contemporary auto dealership. Inside,
there is a new exhibit titled "It's an Automobile Life:
Car Culture in St. Louis and Beyond."
Among the
displays is a 1901 St. Louis Automobile, made by the St.
Louis Motor Carriage Company. That was the first successful
automobile company west of the Mississippi River.
On the mezzanine
floor, there are interactive displays that let you see
how a car works. One display explains the principle of
internal combustion and how an engine makes a car move.
A second
display shows how the steering works. And, finally, there's
another display on how the brakes stop the car.
Outside,
there is one of the biggest displays of trains and other
transportation vehicles. The Smithsonian Institution calls
the Museum of Transportation "one of the largest and best
collections of transportation vehicles in the world."
For information,
call (314) 615-2840 or visit www.thetrainmuseum.org.
"Themed tours" at Missouri History Museum
St. Louis
area kids have been taking school field trips to the Missouri
History Museum for years. But, now the museum is offering
some "themed tours" to families and private groups of
10 or more.
One new tour
open to kids and their families is "Advertising as a Mirror
of Society." The tour investigates the relationships between
past events and trends in product design and marketing.
The museum
also has "themed tours" on other subjects available. On
a "themed tour," visitors make stops at various points
in the museum's permanent exhibits. Each stop will show
how something in one part of history is connected to another.
The first
tour on advertising and marketing will include a look
at St. Louis' beer industry and the 18th amendment on
prohibition first paralyzed and then energized the industry.
(In the This Month in St. Louis
History section, YSL.com explains how prohibition
played out in St. Louis.)
If you'd
like to know more about "themed tours," call (314)
361-9017.
Trailnet's
new Trails and Bikeways Directory
Trailnet
has launched a new Trails and Bikeways section on its
website. This includes an interactive regional map with
details on more than 80 walking, hiking and biking trails.
The map covers
a 5-county area. Included are St. Louis City and St. Louis
and St. Charles counties in Missouri and Madison and St.
Clair counties in Illinois.
The map allows
you to search for trails that match your needs. There
are listings for paved and unpaved trails as well as those
that are best for hiking, biking or horseback riding.
Contributing
to the resource map were the cities of Belleville, Brentwood,
Clayton, Eureka, Fenton, Highland, Kirkwood, Olivette,
St. Louis City, Sunset Hills and Wentzville. Also included
are trails of the Missouri Department of Conservation,
the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and St. Louis
city and county. Stlbiking.com also added its listings.
To access
the map, visit www.trailnet.org.
St. Louis kids learn the circus arts
(First in a series)
Thirteen-year-old Elliana Hentoff-Killian made her first
appearance in a circus act when she was two-weeks old.
Ten-year-old Alexandra Gabliani has been taking circus
art classes for less than a year.
But, both were among 20 kids who performed last month
in the "Circus Harmony: Fortissimo" at the City Museum.
Their two performances were accompanied by a variety of
ethnic music, most of it loud.
The kids showed a variety of circus art skills. There
was tumbling, juggling, pyramid bike riding and rope and
pole aerial work. There also were unique skills such as
"diablo," (a Chinese yoyo) and "rolling globes" where
kids do stunts while atop huge balls.
Of course, a circus performance wouldn't be complete
without some magic.
Ten-year-old Keaton Hentoff-Killian has one act where
he makes his sister disappear. When asked how he does
that, he said, "I can't tell you that." A true magician
never tells how he does a trick.
Founder Jessica Hentoff ends each 10-week schedule of
classes with a public circus performance, featuring her
students. The fall classes ended early in November.
Winter classes begin again on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, and
end on Sunday, March 12. If you'd be interested in learning
various circus arts skills, call (314) 436-7676.
Twelve-year-old Lemond Carmickle began his tumbling
at age 7 at COCA classes. In last month's Circus Day Foundation
performance, he showed a variety of skills.
He did tumbling, juggling, partner acrobatics and pyramid
bike-riding, along with showing off the "diablo." He hopes
his training leads to a career as a circus performer.
Lemond said his favorite part of the circus arts scene
"is going out of town to perform."
Keaton Hentoff-Killian and his 9-year-old brother, Kellin,
also want to be circus performers when they grow up. Asked
if they think they can make a living, both say they can.
They point out they already get paid when their troupe
puts on public performances.
The two boys and sister, Elliana, said their mother puts
their pay into bank accounts.
Ten-year-old Meiling Robin is another of the kid circus
performers. The Webster Groves girl said she started with
gymnastics when she was four. She's been taking circus
arts classes since she was seven.
She said her favorite time is "when we're doing all the
new stuff in the performances."
Most of the kids have suffered some injuries. But, most
of them said their most serious injuries didn't happen
during their circus arts work.
Meiling said she's had a broken nose and a broken arm.
The broken nose came during circus practice. But, she
said, "I broken my arm fooling around with my sister."
Elliana said she's broken two toes, one while playing
football and the other in a fall down a flight of steps.
Brother Keaton said his only serious injury was a fall
from a pogo stick that took out two front teeth. But,
his adult teeth already have filled the gap.
Elliana's circus performance when she was two weeks
old came when her mother, Jessica, was with Circus Flora.
Mrs. Hentoff had Elliana stand up in her hand while she
was doing her circus act.
Jessica's interest in the circus started when she was
growing up in New York. Her parents weren't exactly thrilled.
And she admits she wasn't very athletic as a kid.
But, she took circus classes and was hooked for life.
That led her to become a member of Circus Flora, which
is located in St. Louis.
In the winter, the Circus Flora performers give various
educational programs for kids. She and two others started
the St. Louis Arches, a touring group of kids. Then, five
years ago, she started the non-profit Circus Day Foundation.
The Foundation's first activity involved Circus Salaam
Shalom (those words mean peace and Arabic and Hebrew,
respectively.) The circus features 10 Muslim and 10 Jewish
kids.
Then, the group expanded into the Patchwork Circus.
That's because they added kids from several other races
as well as from urban and suburban areas.
(This profile is the first in a series of YSL.com
articles about interesting after-school activities for
St. Louis area kids. The Circus Day Foundation is one
of more than 120 agencies with after-school activities
that are featured in a new website for kids called Happenings4Youth.
To see if the website might have something for you, click
on to www.happenings4youth.org.)
YSL.com review of
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
YSL.com reviewer Eddie Szewczyk of Belleville,
Ill., attended a advance showing of the "Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire" movie. He then filed this review
before the movie opened to the general public on Friday,
Nov. 18.
By Eddie Szewczyk
(Exclusive to Young Saint Louis.com)
ATTENTION
HARRY POTTER FANS!…..The Ministry of Magic has an important
announcement.
All Muggles and their Muggle parents: Please be advised
that Harry and his classmates at the legendary Hogwarts
Academy are in for an extremely sinister and dark school
year.
New challenges for Harry and his friends are lurking
around every portal and please to cautious if you choose
to embark on this adventure. Especially for younger Muggles.
Some events could be disturbing to view.
As you know, this is Harry's 4th year at the Academy
and the evil that awaits him is getting stronger and less
forgiving. This adventure is becoming less and less for
the weak at heart.
That being said, if you're still powerfully curious,
grab onto the start of Harry's 4th year. You'll find him
cheering his favorite team at the World Cup Quiddich tournament
with the Weasley clan and others, when who should arrive
to spoil the day?
Well, of course, it's those let's-put-a-damper-on-everyone's-fun
demons, the Death Eaters. They are omens of big trouble
to come.
Back to Hogwarts at warp speed.
We soon find a major selection process going on to determine
the three competitors that will represent Hogwarts at
the prestigious Tri-Wizard Tournament. That is sort of
the Olympics of Wizardry.
The winner of the competition has nothing but fame, fortune
and prestige to gain in this world-class event.
Tension mounts as the crème-de-la-crème of athletes
from the biggest and best wizardry schools gather in the
Great Hall. They drop their names into the enchanted goblet
of fire.
Breathlessly, they wait as Dumbledore and the other tournament
officials receive, one by one, the selection of winning
candidates, amid a puff of sparks from the goblet. The
three candidates are chosen.
But, mysteriously, the goblet spits out one additional
name, that of Harry Potter.
Harry is three years too young to compete. The officials
reluctantly determine that the magic of the goblet is
binding. Harry must be allowed to compete.
An atmosphere of jealousy spreads throughout the school
against Harry. He insists he didn't put his name in the
goblet but he is a contestant.
The competition begins with the young wizards facing
spectacularly daunting tasks. Competitors are required
to utilize every aspect of their wizardry training.
Death has been, will be and is a consequence if one is
not careful and up to the task.
Also included for Harry are foreboding dreams about
the nightmarish resurrection of Lord Voldemort.
Harry realizes in this epic installment that the safety
of Hogwarts and security of Professor Dumbledore are slipping
away. He also sees that preserving this safety and security
is his responsibility.
The movie has a lighter aspect: the portrayal of the
annual Yule Ball. This formal dance requires the boys
to learn ballroom dancing and to ask a female classmate
to the dance.
Boy-girl attractions and jealousies are touched upon
as is the anxiety of teenage insecurity. Harry and Ron
would rather face a multitude of demons rather than face
possible rejection at the hands of an attractive classmate.
Demons, dragons, living mazes, mermen and mermaids are
all dramatically used in this movie. The director, Mike
Newell, makes use of all the glittering special effects
and exceptional cinematography that moviegoers love about
the Harry Potter tales.
Author J.K. Rowling has taken into account the advancing
age of the characters by putting them into more threatening
plots and vulnerable positions.
I loved this movie.
It definitely has its dark side, more so than any of
the previous Harry Potter movies. This movie is rated
PG-13, probably for the dangerous and scary episodes.
Young children may be scared during certain scenes.
But, if you've followed the Harry Potter series, you
should be able to anticipate what's ahead.
All in all, this is another fantastic glimpse into Harry's
life. Despite the length of the film (almost 2½ hours)
you'll be enchantingly spellbound by how quickly the time
passes.
|
Belleville teen is YSL.com's
Harry Potter reviewer
 Eddie
Szewczyk of Belleville, Ill., has reviewed all the
Harry Potter movies for Young Saint Louis.com. In
effect, he has been growing up right along with
Harry, who is in the 4th year at Hogwarts.
Eddie is 17 and in his final year at Saint Louis
University High in St. Louis. He has been reviewing
movies for Radio Disney in St. Louis for several
years.
He's active as a performer in theater, television,
radio and movies. He's also done TV commercials
and voice-overs as well as industrial films. He
had a part in "The Game of Their Lives," the soccer
movie filmed in St. Louis.
So far this year at SLUH, he's had the lead in
the play, "Apollo of Bellac" and a part in another
play, "The Imaginary Invalid."
|
Read, Right & Run in Columbia, Ill.
Kids at the Columbia (Ill.) Middle School don't have
to look very far for inspiration to participate in the
Read, Right & Run Marathon program. There are lots of
distance runners among the faculty.
Principal Roger Chamberlain recently competed in the
Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. Although he's
not a Marine veteran, Chamberlain said, "I've always wanted
to run in that marathon."
Ten of the 45 teachers on the staff have completed at
least one marathon. There's a joke around the school that,
to get hired, new teachers need their long-distance running
records on their resumes.
Gym teacher Keith Jany said the school expects 100 kids
to enroll in RRR this year.
St. Louis area kids participating in Read, Right & Run
don't run their marathon all at one time. They sign up
to run one mile a week, read one book a week and do at
least one good deed every week.
Next spring, the kids will come to St. Louis April 7-9
for a Health and Fitness weekend. Area middle school students
like those from Columbia Middle will run a final 3.1 miles
while elementary kids will run 1.2 miles.
Together with running they've done during the school
year, they will have finished the 26 miles, 385 yards
of a traditional marathon race. (For details on the
Family Fitness Weekend and other marathon activities,
visit www.stlouismarathon.com)
Twelve-year-old Jordan Chamberlain is the principal's
daughter. She was one of the students who've participated
in RRR when the school entered two years ago.
In the 2004-2005 school year, the school didn't participate.
The students and teachers were coping with a disastrous
fire and school rebuilding.
But, this year, the Columbia school is back in RRR. That's
because the three-fold purpose of the program fits right
into the school's philosophy of teaching.
The students have a full physical fitness program, with
gym classes, sports and even a Fitness Friday with free
time for individual physical activity.
Reading is also stressed at the school. And, the school's
character education program even includes a family yard
banner program. There are numerous "Going the Extra Mile"
banners in the front yards of many kids' homes.
Thirteen-year-old Mackenzie Burkemper said she's meeting
her reading requirement by reading in class and at home.
"I read at least 30 minutes a day at home," she said.
The 8th grader said she likes the RRR program because
"I like to get in shape and help others."
She said she gets some of this running in with her mother.
"Every Sunday, my mother and I run on the high school
track," the 8th grader said. Principal Chamberlain said
the high school officials allow others besides their own
students to run on their new track.
Seventh grader Jordan Chamberlain said she does some
of her good deeds through the Beta Club at school. "The
club members do community service hours for honor roll
credit," she said. She'll help at a Christmas craft show
for elementary school kids.
Thirteen-year-old Coleman Cromwell said the running requirement
helps him get in shape for soccer and track. He runs the
400 meters and on the 1,600-meter relay.
The 8th grader said he belongs to the youth group at
church and the Boy Scouts. These activities give him opportunities
to do good deeds.
Twelve-year-old Blake Byrd said many of his "good deeds"
involve doing chores at home. Asked about the chore he
likes least, he said, "Picking up sticks in the yard.
We have a big, big yard."
The 7th grader said he gets other exercise besides running.
"We go to a workout facility in Chesterfield (Mo.)," he
said.
Eleven-year-old Taylor Poole and 11-year-old Ashley
Newton share a locker at school. They also share an interest
in reading. By the first week in November, both girls
already had read over half of the books required for RRR.
Both girls said they like the Lemonye Snickett series,
"A Series of Unfortunate Events."
Taylor said she gets most of her running requirement
done during basketball practice and at home.
Ashley said she had completed 8½ miles of the running
by the first part of November.
Ten-year-old Joshua Spradling said he's doing a lot of
his running around the baseball field at school. "Five
times around the field represents a mile," the 5th grader
said.
Eleven-year-old Joseph Whitman said he gets his exercise
with more than just running. "I do pushups and sit-ups
every morning," the 6th grader said.
Local kids to be on ice with nation's
best
Madelyn Nowak-Roddy and her sister, Natalee,
haven't started competitive ice-skating. But, next month,
they'll be on the ice with the nation's best figure skaters.
Max Pepple and Julie Brown also will be
with such nationally known figure skaters as Michelle
Kwan and Sasha Cohen.
But, the local kids won't be competitors
at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships
here January 7-15. The championships are at the Savvis
Center in St. Louis and The Family Arena in St. Charles.
The four are among 48 young skaters who
will serve as "ice sweepers" at the nationals.
But, what are "ice sweepers?" Think about
ball boys and girls at the Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis
tournaments.The "sweepers" will pick up flowers, presents
and other things thrown on the ice after a skater finishes
a routine.
The "sweepers" are ages 7 through 13.
Another 26 older local kids have been selected
as "presenters" who will help hand out the trophies to
winners. Among the "presenters" is an Illinois girl who
was profiled by Young Saint Louis.com two years
ago.
Rebecca Cacioppo of Glen Carbon, Ill.,
was featured in an article about her Olympic skating goals.
(To read the March, 2003, article,
click here.)
Skaters in next month's U.S. championships
will be competing for a berth on the U.S. team to represent
this country at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino,
Italy. (To learn more about attending the nationals
here, visit www.stlouis2006.com.)
Seven-year-old Natalee Nowak-Roddy of Shiloh,
Ill., is one of the youngest "ice sweepers." She's a 1st
grader at Shiloh Elementary School and has skated for
two years.
Natalee is pretty sure that being a "sweeper"
in the national championships will be her best skating
experience. Her parents have kept Natalee and Madelyn
out of competitive skating until they get more skilled.
But, they are getting good coaching. Former
Russian skating star Igor Lisovsky has been giving them
lessons at the Brentwood Ice Arena. It's not surprising
that 11-year-old Madelyn's favorite skaters are Russians
Irina Slutskaya and Evengy Plushenko.
Madelyn is a 6th grader at Shiloh Middle
School. She started skating more than six years ago. Her
first lessons were a birthday present for her 5th birthday.
Ten-year-old Julie Brown is from St. Charles
and a 5th grader at Harris Elementary School.
Like Madelyn, Julie got her first skating
lessons as a birthday present when she was five. "And
I've been skating ever since," she said.
Julie has been skating competitively. She's
the captain of her synchronized figure skating team. She's
competed for three years in the Skating Institute tournaments
and has been to Anaheim, Calif., for one meet.
At 13, Max Pepple from Webster Groves is
one of the older "sweepers." The 7th grader goes to Hixson
Middle School.
Last July, he won a gold medal in a Games
of America tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo. His medal
came in the basic graduate boys division. He also competed
in mixed-pairs skating with Eliza Heerboth at the Spring
Fling tournament in Fairview Heights, Ill.
Max said his best skating skill is crossover
skating. He's now working hard to improve his jumping
and spin moves.
He said he'd like to be a professional
ice skater and then be a skating coach.
Julie credits her smile for getting one
of her "sweeper" shifts when the senior women skaters
compete. "I think I got that shift because I smiled at
judge and she smiled back. I'm a smiley person," she said.
She wants to be a writer when she grows
up. She's already written two books, "Twisted" and "The
Dragonfly Lived." She said "Twisted" is "based on Cinderella
with a twisted plot." Her other book "is a realistic fiction
book about a girl named Dragonfly," she said.
Natalee Nowak-Roddy wants to be a "good
ice skater" when she grows up. She said she's going to
be looking for any tips she can find at the national championships.
She and her sister, Madelyn, take lessons
at Brentwood once a week. Then, on Fridays and Sundays,
they skate at the St. Louis Mills shopping center in north
St. Louis County. That's where the St. Louis Blues hockey
team practices.
Natalee said, "I don't like hockey. It's
too boring."
Madelyn hasn't competed yet. But, she's
working on complicated moves. Her best is the "illusion."
That's a one-legged spin move and she can complete 16
revolutions.
Reading on Break
Variety of books for holiday reading
When the holiday break comes at school,
you'll have more time to read something besides textbooks
and homework.
At the request of Young Saint Louis.com,
the St. Louis Public Library has compiled a special
list of books for kids with holiday themes.
Melissa Pillot is the young adult librarian
for the St. Louis city libraries. She works to make
sure kids have good reading opportunities.
YSL.com asked her to recommend
books that would be good reading during this holiday
season. Some of the books are new and some are classics.
She's picked books, which make good general holiday
reading as well as special ones for religious holidays.
Classic holiday reading:
"December," by Eve Bunting.
A homeless family's luck changes after they help an
old woman who has even less than they do on Christmas.
"A Christmas Memory," by Truman
Capote.
A reminiscence of a Christmas shared by a seven-year-old
boy and a sixtyish childlike woman cousin, with enormous
love and friendship between them.
"Christmas with Anne: and other holiday
stories," by L.M. Montgomery.
A collection of Christmas and New Year's tales in
addition to chapters about Christmas taken from the
Anne books, all of which present the spirit of giving.
"The Legend of Holly Claus,"
by Brittney Ryan.
Santa Claus's daughter, Holly, comes to Earth seeking
an end to the curse cast upon her and the Land of
the Immortals by an evil wizard, whose own punishment
will end only if Holly willingly gives him her pure
heart.
"Little House Christmas," by
Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Accounts of a pioneer girl's Christmases in the big
woods, on the prairie, and on Plum Creek.
Humorous Holiday
"The Last Holiday Concert,"
by Andrew Clements.
Life is usually easy for popular sixth grader Hart
Evans. But when his music teacher puts him in charge
of the holiday concert, Hart must use all of his leadership
skills to unite the other students.
"A Garfield Christmas," by Jim
Davis.
During the Christmas holidays, Garfield, the irascible
and irrepressible feline, and his friends, Jon and
Odie, discover what the season of giving is all about
"Horrible Harry and the Holidaze,"
by Suzy Kline.
Miss Mackle's third graders share December holiday
traditions--Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings
Day, and Korean New Year--with each other and with
Harry's great grandfather, who has just moved to a
nursing home.
"Pippi Longstockings's After-Christmas
Party," by Astrid Lindgren.
Pippi Longstocking's after-Christmas party includes
such activities as undecorating the Christmas tree,
opening presents, and sledding.
"How Santa Really Works," by
Alan Snow.
Santa Claus has a complicated and sophisticated Christmas
operation, which includes the training of and numerous
jobs for his elves to the celebrations at his own
Christmas Day party.
"Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf,"
by Wendelin Draanen.
Sammy is pressed to pet-sit a prize Pomeranian dog,
which is subsequently dognapped.
Hanukkah
"While the Candles burn: eight stories
of Hanukkah," by Barbara Diamond Goldin.
Eight stories which illuminate the meaning and miracles
of Hanukkah.
"The Gift," by Joseph Kertes.
It is Christmas and Hanukkah 1959 in Toronto. Young
Jacob Beck, a Jewish Hungarian immigrant boy, is invited
by his best friend, Larry Wilson, to Christmas lunch,
and he tries to find an appropriate Christmas gift
to bring with him.
"A Confused Hanukkah: an original
story of Chelm," by Jon Koons.
The villagers of Chelm, in the rabbi's absence, send
a messenger to a nearby village in order to be reminded
how to prepare for the coming Hanukkah.
"How I saved Hanukkah," by Amy
Goldman Koss.
Marla, the only Jewish student in her fourth-grade
class at a California school, wishes she celebrated
Christmas like her best friend Lucy, until one year
when she decides to learn all about Hanukkah and to
teach her family about it too.
"Tie Man's Miracle: a Chanukah tale,"
by Steven Schnur.
On the last night of Hanukkah, after hearing how an
elderly survivor lost his family in the Holocaust,
a young boy makes a wish that is carried to God as
the menorah candles burn down.
Kwanzaa
"Imani's gift at Kwanzaa," by
Denise Burden-Patmon.
As a young African-American girl prepares for Kwanzaa
with her family, she learns the meaning of the celebration
and presents a gift to a new friend.
"A very special Kwanzaa," by
Deborah M. Newton Chocolate.
Charlie realizes this year that Kwanzaa can be a pretty
special time for everyone, despite his memories of
embarrassment during last year's Kwanzaa Festival.
"A Kwanzaa Miracle," by Sharon
Gayle.
Ashley and Darryl Parker find out why their neighbor,
Mrs. Jackson, is so unhappy and invite her to be the
special honorary ancestor at their apartment building's
Kwanzaa celebration
"The Kwanzaa Contest," by Miriam
Moore.
Even though he lacks the confidence of his older sister
Latrice, third-grader Ron makes himself enter the
Kwanzaa contest in which he reveals the talent of
his hands.
"Have a Happy ….," by Mildred
Pitts Walter.
Upset because his birthday falls on Christmas and
therefore will be eclipsed as usual, and worried that
there is less money because his father is out of work,
eleven-year-old Chris takes solace in the carvings
he is preparing for Kwanzaa, the African-American
celebration of their cultural heritage.
A mentoring plan for Normandy, Pine Lawn
Junior Kreana Pye of Normandy High School
is a part in a unique mentoring program for sixth graders
at nearby Pine Lawn Elementary School. That's the same
neighborhood school Kreana attended when she was younger.
Kreana is among 35 Normandy students taking
part in the LEAP mentoring program. A non-profit, the
International Leadership Network, sponsors the once-a-month
mentoring.
Of the 35 Normandy students, 20 are juniors
and 15 are sophomores. The sophomores are in training
to become the lead mentors next year.
The idea is for the older kids to be a
"real-life" positive resource for younger kids.
All the Normandy teenagers are members
of the Air Force ROTC program. Many joined the ROTC chapter
because of its emphasis on self-discipline and character
building.
That's the same message the Normandy teens
are bringing to the Pine Lawn kids.
Sixteen-year-old Kreana said, "We're going
to exchange telephone numbers with the younger kids. That
way, besides the meetings, we can talk with them on a
regular basis."
The formal meetings of the Normandy mentors
and the Pine Lawn kids are set for once a month throughout
the 2005-06 school year. Each school serves as host every
other month.
The first session in October was at Normandy
and Pine Lawn was host in November.
At each meeting, the older and younger kids
examine the meanings of "Six Pillars of Character," according
to Capt. Philip White. He's the ROTC instructor at Normandy.
Although the LEAP mentoring started this
fall, the planning began earlier.
Junior Tamisha Tillman said she started
planning for it when she came to Normandy as a freshman.
The 17-year-old said, "They asked me to write a letter
telling why I should be a leader of the program."
She's now the CEO of the Normandy leadership
team that administers LEAP.
"I'm trying to be the best leader I can
be to help the Pine Lawn kids be the leaders of the future,"
she said.
Tamisha said the Pine Lawn kids "are an
intelligent group of children and are very respectful.
They're willing to learn."
Sixteen-year-old Avia Jordan is the president
of the mentoring leadership group. Each leader of the
Normandy mentoring group is meeting with two Pine Lawn
students. Some of the others have just one Pine Lawn student.
Avia said she has a boy and a girl and
both kids "are very open." She said, "I think most of
the (Pine Lawn) kids want to have a positive interaction
with us."
Sixteen-year-old Benita Jones is the treasurer
of the leadership group. She said, "I love younger kids
and, with the mentoring, I'll have more respect for them."
Respect is one of Captain White's "Six
Pillars of Character" words. Others include trustworthiness,
responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, honesty
and courage.
Before each meeting, the Normandy students
make signs for the monthly theme. They plan activities
such as role-playing, games and everyday examples to illustrate
the theme.
For the first meeting, the Normandy and
Pine Lawn kids interviewed each other about their lives
and interests. This helped the kids develop a personal
connection.
Sixteen-year-old Rikkisha Polk said she
and her Pine Lawn kids "all liked sports and other subjects."
She said, "They learned that I do just about everything
around school. I play basketball, volleyball and soccer.
I'm in Upward Bound and in the biology club."
Rikkisha, the leadership team vice president,
said, "They said they wanted to be active."
All of the leadership team officers said
they were attracted to ROTC because of the structure of
the program.
Captain White said, "ROTC's focus is on
developing better citizens for the country." Captain White
is a retired Air Force member. But, he stressed, "ROTC
isn't a military recruiting tool."
However, Benita Jones said she'll probably
join the Army or Air Force after graduation..
But, Tamisha Tillman wants to be a lawyer;
Avia Jordan, a psychiatrist; Kreana, a computer engineer
or programmer, and Rikkisha Polk, a physical therapist.
(ILN now sponsors three LEAP mentoring
partnerships between St. Louis high and elementary schools.
If your school would like to know more about this mentoring
program, visit www.ilnleadnet.com.)
Teen gets trophy deer on youth-only hunt
When Tony Huxel went looking for his first
deer on a youth-only hunt, he ended up hitting a "hunter's
jackpot."
The 15-year-old from Washington, Mo. bagged
a 14-point buck that weighed 170 pounds even after being
field-dressed.
Tony said, "My uncles said my hunting career
from now on will be from the peak all the way down."
But, the sophomore at St. Francis Borgia
High School doesn't seem worried. He's eagerly looking
forward to his next hunting and fishing trip.
Tony got his spot in the Missouri Department
of Conservation's youth-only deer hunt when his name was
picked in a lottery drawing. He said MDC officials said
only 3 per cent of the kids who applied a year ago got
a chance to hunt.
This also was the first year he'd gotten
one of the lottery hunting spots.
This year's youth-only deer hunt weekend
was October 29-30. He got to hunt with his dad, Mark,
at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County.
His hunting experience didn't start out
too promising on the first day. He said, "On Saturday,
we saw tons of does but I was waiting for a big buck."
On Sunday, Oct. 30, his hunting day started
at 4 a.m. when he got up. He and his dad started the drive
from Washington to the Busch area about 4:35 a.m.
"We checked in at 5:15 and were at our first
blind at 5:30. We didn't put on our hunting clothes until
we got there. We always wait to dress to the temperature
at the site," he said.
The first spot was in a cornfield at the
edge of a wooded area. He said he and his dad made a homemade
blind. They set up in the second row of corn. Then, they
broke off the first-row stalks about halfway down.
That way, they could see into the woods
but the deer would have trouble seeing them.
But, the deer didn't show up. "We didn't
see anything," Tony said.
So, he and his dad made a short drive and
walk to a second hunting spot. This time, they hid behind
two big trees. They didn't have to wait long.
They were in their second spot by 9 a.m.
"The deer came between 9:30 and 10," he said.
"He came with his head down as if he were
chasing does. He stopped to get a good whiff and I shot
him in the chest. He ran about 15 yards and then dropped,"
Tony said.
Tony admitted to having "buck fever" before
making the kill. He explained "buck fever" as an adrenaline-induced
shaking as he anticipated the first confrontation with
a deer.
"I had to give my gun to my dad for awhile,"
he said. But, he added "I slowly came to my senses" and
had the gun back by the time his deer came through the
woods.
Although this was the first time he killed
a deer, he's been hunting a number of times. He said he
usually hunts on his grandfather's farm near New Haven,
Mo., less than 20 miles from his home in Washington.
"I've hunted from my own deer stand in
a tree at the farm.," he said. The stand is in tree limbs
above the ground. "It's made of wood and we replace it
every five years," he said.
Tony was using his father's .30-.30 lever-action
rifle during the successful deer hunt. He has his own
.22-caliber semi-automatic rifle for smaller game, such
as squirrels.
He said he was "going to get into archery
this year." He noted that bow hunters get a longer deer
hunting season than do gun hunters.
Tony said he and his family are avid fishermen
also. The family has a "pop-up" camper they use on three-day
weekend trips at a private trout fishing area west of
Washington.
Tony has an older brother, Tim, now a college
freshman, and a younger sister, Tricia, 12.
For trout, Tony uses a short casting rod,
rather than the traditional longer fly-fishing rod.
He was 10 years old when he started to go
hunting with his father.
He rates the bagging of his first deer as
his most memorable hunting experience so far.
Asked about his interest in the outdoors,
Tony said, "I like to be out in nature." He said during
his hunting trip he ran across three trees in a row that
were in full color.
"One was red, another was orange and another
was yellow," he said.
Girl has golf as year-round sport
Twelve-year-old Lindsey Eisenreich of Fenton
did something special for her birthday last month. She
went to North Carolina to play in a two-day golf tournament.
Her 12th birthday was on Saturday, Nov.
19. That was the first day of the Plantation Tour tournament
at the Pine Needles golf course in North Carolina.
For the 6th grader at Rockwood South Middle
School, golf is pretty much a year-around sport. When
winter hits home, usually she'll find a place in a tournament
further south.
She plays golf in Gateway Junior PGA tournaments
in the Midwest in the summer. But, in the fall, winter
and early spring, she plays in Plantation Tour meets around
the country.
This year has been a good one for her golf.
In August, she won 1st place in the 12-13-age classification
in the Gateway Junior PGA regional golf tournament in
St. Louis. She shot a medallist honors 36-hole total of
82-78=160.
Lindsey said winning the Junior PGA regional
was her most memorable golf experience.
In 2005, she usually finished first when
playing in your regular 8-11 age class.
But, she also did well against much older
girls. She had a 3rd place finish In the Gateway Junior
PGA Classics meet in Alton, Ill., playing in the 13-15-age
division.
Also, in 13-15, she finished 4th last May
in the Plantation Junior Golf Tour Championship in Orlando,
Fla.
About her out-of-town tournaments, Lindsey
said, "It's a lot better than just playing a few courses
around here."
Lindsey has been entering tournaments since
she was eight. In 2002, she won 1st in the US Kids Golf
Missouri meet for 8-and-under girls. She finished in the
top 20 at the US Kids Golf World Championships at Williamsburg,
Va.
In both 2003 and 2004, she won the US Kids
Missouri championships in her age group.
She likes other sports, including trampoline
and gymnastics. She was on the cheerleading team at Rockwood
South but the season is over. So, for now, golf is her
sport.
She's even limited her golf practicing now
that she's in middle school. "It's a little harder in
6th grade with a lot more homework," she said.
"I don't even play golf every weekend.
I want some time with my friends," she added.
In middle school, she's in honors classes
and is a Rambassador. That's a student representative
who shows new students and visitors around the school.
Also, they serve as guides for evening programs, such
as teacher conferences.
Lindsey said her dad, Steve, got her started
with golf when she was six. Her first set of clubs included
six clubs.
Now, she has a 14-club set, including five
woods, eight irons and a mallet-head putter.
Lindsey said she's lobbying for a new bigger-headed
Calloway driver. Each year, she sets goals for her game
and one of them includes the length of her drives. With
her current Taylor-made driver, she's reached this year's
goal of a 210-yard drive.
She said she thinks her driving is the
best part of her game. As for weaknesses, she cited her
"short game," including her putter. "I have some bad days,"
Lindsey admits.
She takes golf lessons from two different
pros, Helen Kurtin and Susan Fromuth. One works on her
short strokes while the other helps her with her "full
swing."
She's also a member of the First Tee organization
and is studying to become a certified First Tee mentor.
First Tee seeks to help kids of all backgrounds develop
positive character traits through golf.
Her long-term golfing goal is to join the
Women's PGA tour. She said she doesn't aspire to play
on the men's pro tour despite the recent attention of
16-year-old Michelle Wie.
Lindsey said her golfing role model is
Natalie Gulbis, a young golfer on the women's pro tour.
"She's always well dressed and I like her style on the
golf course," she said.
Looking ahead, Lindsey said she wants to
play in the 2006 USGA Junior Girls regional qualifying
tournament. That will be held in St. Louis next spring.
She said her favorite subjects in school
are math and language arts. But, she said she's best in
science, although she doesn't like it as well as the other
classes.
As for college, she said she wants to go
to Duke University.
And, if her pro golfing career doesn't
happen, she said she wants to be an elementary teacher.
"That's where you get to teach kids all the subjects,"
she said.
Back to number puzzles for Math
Mania
in December
After
trying out a new story-writing Math Mania
last month, we're back to the traditional math puzzlers
for December. But, some of the problems are pretty
quirky.
Math Mania creator Amy Ruzicka has
even resorted to poetry to outline one of the problems.
But, the solution of that and all the other questions
are expressed in numbers or math equations.
To get ready for the December questions, you might
like to brush up on "primorials," "twin primes" and
what are the elements of a "true equation."
As you probably know by now, Ms. Ruzicka teaches
math at St. Gabriel's School in south St. Louis County.
She knows that math is a serious subject. But, she
also knows that sometimes we learn better if we can
have some fun doing it.
That's why she includes up some questions that might
bring a smile to your face.
The entry process for the December Math Mania is
the same. There will be up to three $10 Borders gift
certificates awarded to those kids who get all six
answers correct.
How to enter:
-
Print out the following entry form.
-
Fill out your name, address and
telephone number.
-
Give your answers to the six Math
Mania questions.
-
Put your completed entry into a
stamped, addressed envelope.
-
Math Mania Contest
Young Saint Louis.com
813 Rotherham Dr.
Ballwin, Mo. 63011
(All entries must be postmarked
by the
15th of the month to be eligible.)
-----------------------Clip
here to make entry form-----------------------
Entry for December 2005, Math Mania
Contest:
Name: __________________________________
Age: _____
Address: _________________________
School: ___________
City: _____________________ State:
______ Zip: __________
Contact phone: (_____) _____________________
December Math Mania
1. A primorial is where you multiply
a prime number by all of the prime numbers less than
itself. For example, 5 primorial, written 5# = 5 x
3 x 2 = 30. What is 29#?
Answer: ________________
2. Fifty is the smallest
number that is the sum of two squares two different
ways. For example, 
and 
What is the next number
that can be written as the sum of two squares two
different ways? Hint: It's less than 100.
Answer: ________________
3. Three and five are
twin primes, a pair of primes that differ by 2. Find
two more pairs of twin primes less than 100.
Answer: ________________
4. One way to write 27
as the sum of 3 squares is 
.
Find another way to write it as the sum of 3 squares.
Answer: ________________
5. Replace x and y with
different values to make a true equation.
Answer: ________________
6. There is a young lady
of Lee,
Whose age has its last digit three.
If you total the two,
Which is easy to do,
One less than a square you will
see.
How
old is the lady of Lee?
Answer: ________________
Three winners in Math Mania
writing contest
Thirteen-year-old Casey Fraser of Chesterfield
had the most complete story in the November
Math Mania writing competition. This was the
first competition that went beyond numerical answers.
Instead of posing six or seven math questions, Math
Mania creator Amy Ruzicka posed a problem
in November that called for writing a 500-word story
with a math theme.
The Challenge: "Write a scary story about the
day mathematicians took over the world."
The answers that Casey and two other winners came
up with weren't pretty. All the stories sounded quite
a bit like "War of the Worlds."
But, in two of the stories, the non-mathematicians
struck back and retook the world.In the other, the
tyranny of the mathematicians continued.
The other two winning entries were from Anne Martin
and Seamus Albritton of St. Louis.
All three of them will receive $10 Borders book certificates
for their winning entries.
Here's a re-print of Casey Fraser's winning entry:
The Day the Earth Stood…On Its
Feet
By Casey Fraser
In the year 2048, the world watched in disbelief.
New York, Moscow, Berlin, Tokyo-all destroyed.
The best interpretation one could get of the situation
came from the photos of smoldering husks of concrete
and steel. Black towers of smoke extended into the
sky, casting titanic shadows across the surrounding
land.
As far as the world's governments could tell, a madman
named Dr. Croix, the world's foremost mathematician,
had cloned himself hundreds of times. He had created
an army unlike any other ever conceived. It was an
army of mathematical geniuses
Video began to stream into news hubs around the
world. As more was shown to the eager people of the
world, things became clearer. Home movies, satellite
imagery and aerial reconnaissance provided even more
footage.
One could see dark shapes--metallic in appearance-lumbering
through the streets and wreckage. U.S. intelligence
believed they were some form of tank. The Russian
Alliance thought they were some form of mechanized
walker, such as those employed in the Great Tundra
War of 2034. Japan argued they were demons. Typical.
As higher quality evidence and eyewitness accounts
streamed in, news broadcasters could confirm the Russian
theory. The strange shapes were bulky, black walkers,
brimming with firepower.
Their methods also were determined. Somehow, they
would calculate the weakest point in a structure,
hit it with a missile and repeat until entire blocks
were leveled.
A threat like this never had been comprehended. A
walker was meant to be a destroying machine, not precise
like a surgeon's knife.
U.N. forces began mobilizing. Over six million soldiers
from all over the world were dispatched to eliminate
the threat. It was an awesome sight to behold.
Battalions of troops marching from military installations,
tanks rolling down cleared highways and the U.S.'s
own walkers lumbering towards the wrecked cities,
armed to the teeth with the most advanced weapons
in the world.
Reports soon arrived on the subject of the military
advance. Minimal losses for the nations allied against
the threat was fantastic news. Hundreds of these mathematical
walkers were being dispatched every hour.
Operation Croix Reaper, as it had come to be named,
was a complete success.
The walkers were being examined, the clones interrogated
and cities were being rebuilt. No one knew if the
real Dr. Croix was killed or not, but it was only
a slight con in this victory full of pros.
The world was a bit safer that day. The full victory
was achieved in only four hours.
The End---or is it?
