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This
Month in St. Louis History
This
Month in St. Louis History
St. Louis baby tooth
survey and nuclear test ban
Forty-seven years ago, the St. Louis
Baby Tooth Survey began. It played a unique
role in the 1963 international treaty
to end atmospheric nuclear bomb testing.
And a surprise finding in 2001 at Washington
University of 85,000 of the baby teeth
may lead to further research on the long-term
effects of radiation on human health.
In another event involving teeth, the
St. Louis Dental Society was founded in
St. Louis in December, 1856.
In a much more recent historic development,
two St. Louis brothers purchased the old
Orpheum Theater in downtown St. Louis
in December, 2003. They have renovated
it to its original early 1900 splendor.
Young Saint Louis.com believes
that kids should have an understanding
of historical events that shaped the city
and state in which we live. The Missouri
History Museum agrees. And, each month,
museum staff members research past events
with anniversaries in the month of this
YSL.com edition.
(For more, be sure to check www.mohistory.org.)
St. Louis Baby Tooth
Survey
1959-1970
The Greater St. Louis Citizen's Committee
for Nuclear Information organized in 1958
to provide information to the public about
nuclear energy and radiation. A year later,
in December, 1959, the group began the
St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey.
Among the founding members was Prof.
Barry Commoner of Washington University,
one of the most prominent anti-nuclear
figures of that time.
The goal was to collect the baby teeth
of thousands of children and test them
for radiation levels. The idea was to
find if levels of radioactive strontium-90
in the baby teeth increased in years of
intense atmospheric testing of nuclear
bombs.
Earlier testing by two Washington University
dentistry professors showed strontium-90
levels had increased dramatically since
atomic testing started during World War
11. And, the levels increased more in
children born in years when testing was
most active.
For the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey,
a total of 300,000 primary or baby teeth
were collected and tested for radiation
levels. The collection involved local
schools as well as Boy and Girl Scout
and YMCA and YWCA groups.
Early results showed increased radiation
levels in the baby teeth. Also, U.S. Public
Health Service tests showed decreased
birth weights and increased rates of child
cancer. These helped to influence then
President John F. Kennedy to push to ban
nuclear tests in the atmosphere.
That international ban was signed in
1963.
Then, in 2001, Washington University
scientists discovered 85,000 baby teeth
from that study in a storeroom. The teeth
still had labels attached that told the
names of the children.
That led to a new research project to
check the current health status of those
children that would be in their 50s.
For more, visit: http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/dental/articles/babytooth.html,
www.mindfully.org/Nucs/Baby-Teeth-Fallout-Study.htm
and www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/
paper244/news/2001/12/04/News/85000.Baby.Teeth.
St. Louis Dental Society
The St. Louis Dental Society was founded
on Dec. 16, 1856. One of the first actions
was to form a committee to investigate
the formation of a dental college.
The Missouri Dental College was incorporated
in 1866. It was the 6th dental college
formed in the U.S. and the first west
of the Mississippi River.
The college also was the first in the
world to be affiliated with a medical
college. The dental college shared lecture
rooms, museum and hospitals with the St.
Louis Medical College.
The St. Louis Dental Society was formed
nearly 10 years before there was the Missouri
State Dental Society.
For more about society, visit
http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/dental/timeline/index.html.
For dental history, visit http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldental.htm.
Roberts Orpheum Theater
The Orpheum Theater in St. Louis was
built in 1917 as part of a national vaudeville
performance circuit. At that time, there
were 20 such theaters across the country,
featuring live, touring singing, dancing
and theater groups.
The days of vaudeville declined as other
forms of entertainment rose in popularity.
Of course, motion pictures hit the hardest
at live vaudeville performances.
After vaudeville died in the 1930s,
the Orpheum was a movie theater under
first Warner Brothers and then Loews.
In the 1960s, it returned for a time as
a live performance venue, named the American
Theater.
Then, in December, 2003, brothers Mike
and Steve Roberts purchased the theater
from Charles Cella. He was the grandson
of the original builder, Louis A. Cella.
The Roberts Orpheum Theater is now open
for a wide variety of concerts, theater,
dance, lectures and movies. It is also
used for corporate events, conferences
and private parties. For more, visit www.robertsorpheum.com.
Third
in a 12-part series
Past business tycoons
in local cemeteries
(Editor's note: This is the
third in a series about famous St. Louisans
who are buried in local cemeteries. The
information is from author Kevin Amsler's
book, "Final Resting Place: The Lives
and Deaths of Famous St. Louisans.)
Among the famous St. Louisans buried
in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in north
St. Louis are two who started what have
become giant international companies and
another who was the first Busch of local
beer fame.
Edward Mallinkrodt's name is now well
known in chemistry circles. John Queeny
was the one who started what is now Monsanto
Co. Adolphus Busch joined up with Eberhard
Anheuser to start the beer-making company
that is now the world's largest.
This article offers sketches of more
famous St. Louisans who helped to frame
the area's history. If you'd be interested
in the previous two "cemetery" stories,
go to Past
Stories on the home page and
click on to October, 2006 and/or November,
2006.
(If you'd like to know more, you
can buy Mr. Amsler's book at local bookstores
or by visiting www.STL-Books.com.)
Adolphus Busch
(July 10, 1839-October 10, 1913)
Eberhard Anheuser was a wealthy owner
of a local soap factory when he bought
the Bavarian Brewery in St. Louis in 1840.
Adophus Busch was working as a clerk in
a malt and hops storage house when he
met and married Anheuser's daughter, Lilly.
After serving in the Civil War, Busch
rejoined his father-in-law in business.
The company introduced its trademark Budweiser
brand of beer in 1876. Three years later,
the company changed its name to Anheuser-Busch.
Adolphus became company president in
1880 after the death of Anheuser.
Besides the brewery, Adolphus started
other companies that benefited his beer
business. Among them were the Manufacturers'
Railroad, the Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing
Co. and the Geyser Ice Company.
Besides business, Adolphus Busch engaged
in much philanthropy, donating to Washington
University, Harvard University and the
University of Missouri-Columbia. He also
was an active promoter of the 1904 World's
Fair.
On Christmas Eve, 1907, he suffered a
severe attack of pneumonia. By 1913, his
health had deteriorated. But, he made
a final trip to Villa Lilly, his German
estate on the Rhine River. It was there
that he died.
Edward Mallinckrodt
(January 21, 1845-February 1, 1928)
Edward Mallinckrodt grew up working on
the family farm north of St. Louis. At
18, he got interested in agricultural
chemistry after reading a book on the
subject.
His father agreed to send him and his
brother, Otto, to Germany to study chemistry.
They worked in a laboratory in Wiesbaden
and in a chemical works in Hanover.
With another brother, Gustav, the three
boys started G. Mallinckrodt & Company
in a small building on the family farm.
The first years were hard. Both Otto and
Gustav died and Edward temporarily lost
his eyesight in an explosion.
The company incorporated in 1882 as the
Mallinckrodt Chemical Works. In the next
40 years, the firm produced 1,500 chemical
products and had offices in New York,
New Jersey, Toronto and Montreal.
In addition to his own businesses, Edward
was a director of the Missouri Botanical
Garden, president of Mercantile Library
and a board member at Washington University.
He also was generous in giving to various
hospitals. Included was an endowment for
the Jennie Mallinckrodt Ward at St. Louis
Children's Hospital.
Just days after his 83rd birthday, he
suffered a heart attack. After bout with
pneumonia, he died a few days later.
Robert Brookings
(January 22, 1850-November 15, 1932)
Robert Brookings came to St. Louis at
16 and started working at Cupples & Marston,
a wood products manufacturer. His brother
got him a clerk's job at $25 a month.
For the next 25 years, Brookings helped
build the Cupples firm into a widely known
company. He had become a partner when
he was only 21.
After retiring from the firm at age 46,
he turned his attention to Washington
University. He became president of the
Washington University Corporation in 1897.
He convinced the board to start the medical
school, which he financed himself.
In 1917, President Wilson named him to
head the Price Fixing Committee of the
War Industries Board. After WWI ended,
he moved to Washington, D.C. permanently.
In 1923, he established the Robert Brookings
Graduate School of Economics and Government.
That is known today as the Brookings Institute,
a noted think-tank.
David Francis
(October 1, 1850-January 15, 1927)
David Francis was one of the first graduates
of Washington University. He worked for
a wholesale grocery company and then established
his own grain-exporting firm.
Most of his fame came in politics. At
35, he was elected mayor of St. Louis
in 1885.
Three years later, he was governor Missouri.
He served as Secretary of the Interior
for President Cleveland. He was U.S. ambassador
to Russia at the time of the Revolution.
Probably his greatest achievement was
as head of the 1904 World's Fair. Francis
Field was built at Washington University
and served as the site of the 1904 Olympic
Games.
Chris Von der Ahe
(October 7, 1851-June 5, 1913)
One of the more colorful figures in St.
Louis history was Chris Von der Ahe. He
was the founder and owner of the St. Louis
Browns baseball team.
As one time, he was called the "P.T.
Barnum of baseball." That was because
he, like the operator of the Barnum &
Bailey Circus, was a tireless promoter.
With Charles Comiskey as manager, the
St. Louis Browns won baseball pennants
from 1885-1888. In 1886, the Browns won
from the Chicago White Stockings.
Ironically, the Browns declined in the
1890s after Comiskey went to the White
Sox.
By 1898, Von der Ahe was about at the
end of his financial rope. A fire broke
out at his stadium and 100 spectators
were injured. Before that, his business
setbacks even forced him to sell several
of his Browns players.
In 1899, he sold all his players and
the team for $33,000. In 1908, the Browns
and the Cardinals played a pre-season
series at Sportsman's Park. The $5,000
in gate receipts went to Von der Ahe,
who was bankrupt.
George and Alanson Brown
George Brown came to St. Louis to work
for his brother, Alanson. George started
as a shipping clerk at the Hamilton-Brown
Shoe Company, which Alanson headed as
president.
In those days in the late 1800s, shoes
were brought to the Midwest from Eastern
factories and sold through shoe wholesalers.
But, five years after starting at the
Hamilton-Brown wholesale company, George
left to start a shoe manufacturing company.
George started the Bryan, Brown and Company
with just five shoemakers and very little
money.
When George died in 1921, the Brown Shoe
Company had 6,000 employees at its offices
and factories. The Buster Brown
line of children's shoes was nationally
known.
John Queeny
(August 17, 1859-March 19, 1933)
John Queeny came to St. Louis in 1891
as a buyer for the Meyer Brothers Drug
Company. Ten years later, he started his
own small chemical company to make the
artificial sweetener, saccharin.
Up to that time, all saccharin was purchased
from Germany because no U.S. company produced
it. As the only saccharin supplier in
America, Queeny's company grew and added
other products such as vanilla and aspirin.
Queeny named his company, Monsanto,
after his wife, Olga Monsanto Queeny.
Later, John Queeny moved to chairman
and his son, Edgar, became president.
At that time, Monsanto had 2,000 employees
with branches in the U.S. and England.
The company has continued to grow over
the years to become one of the best-known
names in St. Louis.
Places to Go,
Things to Do
NCAA men's soccer championships
and more
This month, Young Saint Louis.com
is providing a bonus for readers of the
regular Places to Go; Things to Do
feature. We've added recommendations for
a whole list of great places to go for
local holiday visits.
Local author Ann Seebeck has recommended
her top 12 holiday attractions from her
book, "Favorite Places to Go with Kids
in St. Louis." (Access that article
from the Home
Page of this YSL.com edition.)
Other December activities for kids and
families included in this article are
a Mother-Daughter overnight at the Shaw
Nature Reserve, the NCAA men's national
championship, puppet shows in Faust Park
and a "free night" at the Magic House.
(Each month, YSL.com collects
information about activities and events
that are especially for kids and their
families. The following are activities
that kids can participate in during December.
Some of them are free.)
NCAA national men's soccer
championships
St. Louis will be the host for the 2006
NCAA men's soccer championships. The tournament
will be in St. Louis December 1 and 3.
The City of St. Louis long has been the
home to some of the nation's best soccer
players. SLU is a frequent competitor
in the national championships.
The city also has been successful recently
in attracting major college championship
tournaments.
For information on soccer teams, schedules
and tickets, visit www.stlouissports.org.
Mother-Daughter Overnight
The Shaw Nature Reserve will be the site
of a mother-daughter overnight on Dec.
8-9. The reserve is located southwest
of St. Louis just off I-44.
The reserve has delightful accommodations
at the Dana Brown Overnight Education
Center. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 8, and runs through 11:30
a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9.
The overnight's craft activity will
be the making of nature journals with
handmade paper. The mother and daughter
do all the work, from making the paper
to designing the journal covers.
The overnight is for girls who are at
least 9 years old and their mothers. The
cost is $50 per person (or $40 for reserve
members). For reservations call (636)
451-3512.
Winter Puppets at Faust
Park
Faust Park in west St. Louis County
will have winter puppet shows on Wednesday,
Dec. 27, and Thursday, Dec. 28. The morning
shows start at 9:30 a.m. and include a
ride on the famous carousel at the park.
Park officials recommend that you be
in your show seats by 9:15 a.m.
Tickets are $5 each and are on sale
at the St. Louis Carousel Gift Shop. For
information, call (636) 537-0222.
Storytelling at History
Museum
The Missouri History Museum's "Storytelling
at the Galleries" series will be held
on five Saturdays during December. The
storytelling starts each Saturday at 1
p.m.
The schedule topics are: Dec. 2-Hats
off to the Chef; Dec. 9-Winter Wonderland;
Dec. 16-Holiday Hullabaloo; Dec. 23-Traveling
Tales, and Dec. 30-Happy New Year.
For more details, call (314) 746-4599.
The 45-minute sessions are free.
Magic House's Free Family
Night
The Magic House in Kirkwood holds its
Free Family Night on the third Friday
of each month. In December, that's Friday,
Dec. 15.
The free admission covers two adults
and up to four of their children.
For information, call (314) 822-8900.
Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
Although winter is here, there will
be some mild, sunny days to try the Old
Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi
for a bike or walking tour. The bridge
recently was honored by American Trails
as an outstanding example of cooperation
in trail development by different private
and public groups.
The bridge is a key link in the expanding
local network of hiking and biking trails
on both sides of the Mississippi. One
of the more popular trails from the bridge
is 11 miles of paved trail from the Gateway
Arch on the Missouri side. On the Illinois
side, the MCT Confluence Trail takes visitors
to Alton. Ill.
For information on the Old Chain of
Rocks Bridge, visit www.trailnet.org.
Of course, you'll probably want to come
back in January for eagle watching during
Eagle Days Jan. 13-14.
At St. Louis City Library
A reading list for
your holidays
By Carrie Dietz
Young Services
St. Louis City Library
The St. Louis City Library is pleased
to compile a special list of books
that will make great reading for kids
during the holiday break from school.
But, remember our libraries have
reading material for all times of
the year. Be sure to check in all
year long at your neighborhood branches
or at the main library downtown. If
you don't have a library card, stop
in and apply today.
First, here are some books with Holiday
Titles:
The American Girls Holiday Treasury
A collection of American Girls Christmas
stories featuring Molly, Kit, Samantha.
Addy, Kirsten and Josefina.
Winter Lights: A Season in Poems
and Quilts, by Anna Grossnickle
Hines
In poems and quilts, the author brightens
the season and captures each heartening
glow and flicker. The book covers
the moon and Aurora Borealis to the
holiday lights of Santa Lucia, Hanukkah,
Christmas, Kwanzaa and the Chinese
New Year.
Deliver Us from Normal,
by Kate Klise
With a mother who buys Christmas cards
in August and a younger brother who
describes the Trinity as a toasted
marshmallow on a graham cracker, life
for eleven-year-old Charles Harrisong
is anything but normal in Normal,
Ill.
SpongeBob Squarepants: a Very
Krusty Christmas by David Lewman
Christmas is coming and it's time
to decorate. SpongBob follows Mr.
Krab's order to decorate. He puts
up light after light after light-until
the power goes off.
On Christmas Eve by
Ann Martin
From Newberry Honor author Ann Martin
comes a heartwarming tale perfect
for the holidays. This story of Tess
and her friend will have readers feeling
good well beyond Christmas Eve.
Junie B., First Grader, Jingle Bells,
Batman Smells! (p.s. So does May)
by Barbara Park.
June B. Jones wishes that May would
stop being such a tattletale. But,
when she is stuck as May's Secret
Santa, it becomes real trouble.
Then here are some Fun Reads for
the New Year:
Peter and the Shadow Thieves
by Dave Barry and St. Louisan Ridley
Pearson.
In this sequel to Peter and the Starcatchers,
a ship arrives at Mollusk Island filled
with evil characters in search of
a trunk of starstuff.
The Bamboozlers by Michael
De Guzman.
When Albert is 12, his grandfather,
who he never knew he had, shows up
on his doorstep. Although Wendell
is an ex-con, Albert convinces his
mother to let him stay the night.
The next morning, he and Albert set
off on an adventure involving a three-legged
dog, another con man and a violin
case that may or may not contain a
violin.
Princess Academy by Shannon
Hale
The girls who live in Eskel are surprised
when the prince announces he will
search their village for a bride.
They have expected to be miners in
the quarry like their mothers and
grandmothers. All eligible girls,
including fourteen-year-old Miri,
are sent to a special academy to face
many challenges. Miri believes that
she finally has a chance to prove
herself to her family.
The Ghost's Grave by Peg
Kehret
Josh expects to be bored when he spent
the summer with his stepfather's aunt.
But, it's hard to be bored when a
ghost wants Josh to dig up his bones.
Willie, a ghost that Josh met that
summer, asked him to rebury his leg
bones with the rest of his body. Josh,
although scared, agreed. But, he found
more than just bones when he started
to dig.
Poison Ivy by Amy
Goldman Koss
Ivy's government teacher wants to
make the judicial system come to life
for her classroom. When she finds
that three of the popular girls have
been bullying Ivy, she convinces Ivy
to "sue" them in a mock trial.
Ugly by Donna Joe Napoli
In this retelling of The Ugly Duckling
story, Ugly is very much beloved by
his mother. But, because the other
ducks pick on him and the rest of
the family, she is forced to send
him away to make his fortune. Ugly
has many adventures and even meets
a few friends in his search to find
a home.
Terrier by Amora Pierce
This is a new trilogy by this popular
author. It features sixteen-year-old
Beka Cooper whose life is far removed
from knights and palaces. Beka lives
among thieves and beggars. But, she
is determined to prove that she can
make it as the Provost's Guard.
Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher
Tough-talking Harry Sue would like
to start a life of crime in order
to be "sent up" and find her jailed
mother. But, she must first protect
her children at her neglectful grandmother's
home day-care center and help her
paralyzed friend.
At St. Louis County Library
A reading list
for your holidays
By Bianca Roberts
Manager, Youth Services
St. Louis County Library
In many cultures,
the end of the year is the time
used to celebrate and give thanks
for all the good that has come during
the year.
Below are fiction
and non-fiction books about those
of the holidays celebrated in December:
Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
Some of the books
are traditional holiday tales while
others are a little off-centered.
I hope you will find
entertainment and maybe even a little
education in each of them. The call
number is listed so that you can
easily find the books at the St.
Louis County Library branches.
Enjoy the holidays
and these great reads!
The Eight Nights
of Chanukah, by Leslee Newman
The wondrous days of Chanukah come
to life through the eyes of a young
child, whose family gathering grows
bigger and bigger as the holiday
progresses. J 296.425 1-2.
The Miracle of
Hanukkah by Seymour Chwast
The Hanukkah story, from the looting
and destruction of the Temple to
the Maccabees' victory to the eighth
day miraculous burning of one day's
supply of oil to the prime significance
of the word "Hanukkah." J 296.425
1-1.
Four Sides, Eight
Nights: a New Spin on Hanukkah
by Rebecca Tova Ben-Zvi
Collection of short stories including:
How Hanukkah Happened; Dreidel Family
Tree; Nun, Gimmel, Hay, Shin; I
Have a Little Dreidel; I Made It
Out of; A Holiday Within a Holiday;
Sevivon Science; Goodies and Gelt.
J 296.435 3-4.
Christmas in the
Trenches by John McCutcheon
A World War I veteran tells his
grandson of his experiences in 1914,
when British and German soldiers
declared a truce to celebrate Christmas
together. JE 1-2.
Christmas Tree
Farm by Ann Purmell
A boy describes how he, his grandfather
and the rest of his family work
on their tree farm throughout the
year to prepare Christmas trees.
JE 1-2.
A Creature Was
Stirring by Clement
C. Moore
As a family lives out the famous
poem by Clement Moore, a young mouse
that shares their house is unable
to sleep and, in his excitement,
performs several deeds bound to
place him on the naughty list, and
one that just might save him. JE
1-2.
Dore's Starry Christmas
by Christine Ricci
Based on the TV series, Dora the
Explorer. When a very special surprise
visitor arrives at Dora's house
on Christmas Eve, he needs help-and
fast! Join Dora and friends on their
magical Christmas adventure. JE
1-2.
My First Kwanzaa
by Karen Katz
A girl describes how she and her
family celebrate seven days of Kwanzaa.
JE 1-2.
Pooch on the Loose:
A Christmas Adventure by
Steven Kroll
Bart, an adventurous dog, escapes
from his master one day and takes
a whirlwind tour of New York City
to enjoy all the Christmas sights.
JE 1-2.
Santa Claws
by Laura Leuck
Rhyming test and illustrations follow
the Christmas Eve activities of
monster boys, Mack and Zack, as
they get ready for a visit from
Santa Claws. JE 1-2.
Santa's Kwanzaa
by Garen Eileen Thomas
Santa Claus returns from a long
night of delivering Christmas presents
to find a Kwanzaa surprise at his
North Pole home. JE 1-2.
The Very Snowy
Christmas by Diana Hendry
When Little Mouse ventures out on
Christmas Eve in search of holly
with big red berries, he gets a
fright. But, Big Mouse is able to
explain everything. JE 1-2.
The Winter Witch
by Clay Bonnyman Evans
Now that his parents are divorced,
Stephen is not looking forward to
Christmas in a new home with his
new Jewish stepmother. But, an old
neighbor gives him perspective on
the common meaning of several winter
festivals. JE 1-2.
The Best Christmas
Ever by Chih-Yuan Chen.
Little Bear's family is too poor
to buy Christmas presents. But,
they get a surprise when they find
special gifts that seem to have
been left by "Toddler Christmas."
JE 3-4.
An Elk Dropped
In by Andreas Steinhofel
While on a pre-Christmas trial run
for the famous man in red, an elk
named Mr. Moose crashes through
the roof of a house. And, while
recuperating from a sprain, he regales
Billy Wagner and his family with
stories. JF 3-4.
The Christmas
Nutcracker by Ann Bryant
Poppy, Jasmine and Ross are so excited!
Their ballerina dreams have come
true and they are dancing in The
Nutcracker with a real professional
company. JF 4-6.
On Christmas Eve
by Ann M. Martin
Eight-year-old Tess is convinced,
if she believes and stays aware
of magic around her, she will meet
Santa Claus on Christmas Eve of
1958. Then, she will thank him for
his gifts and ask him to use his
magic to cure her best friend's
father of cancer. JF 4-6.
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
A miser learns the true meaning
of Christmas when three ghostly
visitors review his past and foretell
his future. JF 7-9.
All New Crafts
for Kwanzaa by Kathy Ross
Twenty-two fun projects for kids
help teach about Kwanzaa. QJ
745.594 1-2.
The Merry Christmas
Activity Book by Jane Bull
Presents ideas and how-to illustrations
for Christmas crafts, gifts and
seasonal food treats. QJ 745.594
3-4.
Kids Voting Missouri 2006
Kids, adults sometimes
vote differently
On election day last month, Missouri
adult voters defeated a plan to
raise the state tax on cigarettes
by 80 cents a pack. If it had been
left up to Missouri kids, the higher
tax probably would have passed.
That's one of the times when kids
voting in the Kids Voting Missouri
2006 program differed from adults
who voted at the same time in the
general election.
There also were other examples
in the Nov. 7 balloting when kids
came to different conclusions than
adults voting nearby. The Kids Voting
Missouri program arranges to have
kids accompany their parents to
regular polling places.
Then, the kids fill out their
ballots at special polling places
in the same building. This gives
kids a realistic feel for the voting
process.
And, while regular election officials
tally the adult votes, Kids Voting
Missouri workers add up the kids'
votes on the same election issues.
(If you'd like to look at all
of the general election results,
you can go to www.sos.mo.gov.
The complete Kids Voting Missouri
results are on www.kidsvotingmissouri.org.)
(Also, in some school districts,
individual schools held in-school
election rallies. At Iveland Elementary
in the Ritenour district, kids held
a referendum on a local school issue-school
uniforms. For results of that vote,
see sidebar
below.)
In this article, Young Saint
Louis.com will compare the general
election results with those in the
Kids Voting Missouri 2006 voting.
Kids Voting has been operating in
Missouri since 1996 and balloting
is held every two years.
In 2006, we had an off year, or
non-presidential, election. The
top race was for a U.S. Senate seat.
In 2008, Americans will again select
a president and vice-president.
A total of 23 St. Louis area school
districts are included in the Kids
Voting this year. In addition, school
districts in the Greater Kansas
City area as well as in northwest
and southwest Missouri had special
voting programs for kids.
In most of the 2006 political
races and ballot issues, the Kids
Voting Missouri participants ended
up with results similar to those
by adults in the general election.
The notable exception was the
proposed constitutional amendment
that would raise the state tax on
cigarettes a whopping 80 cents per
pack.
In the regular election, that
amendment failed when adults voted
against it by a narrow 51.5% to
48.5%. In the Kids Voting Missouri
balloting, the kids voted to pass
the tax by a strong 56% to 44%.
But, in the U.S. Senate race between
incumbent Jim Talent (R) and Claire
McCaskill (D), both the adults and
kids had McCaskill winning. In the
adult vote, McCaskill won by a 49.5%
to 47.4%. In kids voting, McCaskill
won, 55% to 35%.
In the State Auditor's race, the
adults and kids also were in sync.
Democrat Susan Montee polled 52.9%
to just 43.3% for Republican Sandra
Thomas. In the kids vote, Montee
won, 56%-26%.
In the Amendment 3 ballot (stem
cell research), adults passed the
measure by a narrow 51.2% to 48.8%and
kids favored it, 56%-44%.
In Proposition B (minimum wage),
the adults and kids both passed
it by whopping margins. Adults voted
75.9% to 24.1% with kids, 82%-18%.
The adults and kids were on the
same page in all the U.S. House
of Representative races in the St.
Louis metro area. Incumbents won
all of the races.
In District 1, Rep. Lacey Clay
won easily, 72.8% to just 24.7%
for Republican Mark Byrne in adult
voting. The kids gave Clay a 69%
to 22% margin over Byrne.
In District 2, Rep. Todd Akins
won in the adult voting 61.4% to
36.6% while kids gave Akin 54%-38%.
In District 3, Rep. Russ Carnahan
(D) won in adult voting, 65.5% to
31.7% over Republican David Bertelsen
(R). The kids voted in favor of
Carnahan 53% 29%.
In District 9, Rep. Kenny Hulshof
(R) got 61.4% of the adult vote,
to 35.9% for Duane Burghard (D).
Hulshof's margin among the kids
was 47% to 33%.
In all of these races, the kids
gave minor candidates more votes
than did the adults. For instance,
the Carnahan-Bertelsen and Hulshof-Burgland
races, the Liberarian and Progressive
Party candidates tallied almost
one of every five votes. Minor candidates
got only a combined vote of 2% from
adults.
YSL.com has found, in past
elections, kids also gave minor
candidates more votes than did adults
in the general election.
Several state Senate and House
of Representative races found the
kids and adults on different sides.
For instance, in State Senate District
22 race, Democrat Ryan McKenna won
over Republican Bill Alter, 60.4%
to 39.5%. But, the kids favored
Alter by 52% to 48%. Kids in three
school districts (Fox, Northwest
R-1 and Rockwood) voted in this
race.
In House of Representative Districts
85, 90 and 92, the kids and adults
didn't agree.
In District 85, Republican Jim
Lembke won over Democrat Bob Burns,
52.2%-47.8%. In that district, kids
favored Burns over Lembke, 55%-45%.
Kids in the Bayless, Lindbergh and
Mehlville districts voted.
In District 90, Democrat Sam Kono
won over Republican Sean King, 55.9%-44.1%.
But kids in the Fox, Northwest R-1
and Rockwood districts favored King,
51%-49%.
And in District 92, Incumbent Rep.
Charles Portwood (R) won handily
over Beverly White (D), 56%-44.
But, the kids in the Parkway district
favored White, 54%-46%
In House District 91, there was
a good example how every vote can
be meaningful. In the adult voting,
Kathryn Fares (R) won by only 227
votes out of over 17,000 votes cast.
In kid voting for the same race,
Fares won by just one vote, 289-288.
Kids did a good job of predicting
an upset in the St. Louis County
Council race between incumbent Kurt
Odenwald (R) and Democrat Barbara
Fraser. In adult voting, Fraser
won rather easily but, in kids voting,
she got 71% of the vote, to just
29% for Odenwald.
In the vote for St. Louis County
Executive, Charles Dooley won re-election
handily in both the adult and kids
voting. But, in the kids voting,
the Libertarian and Progressive
Party candidates got 13% of the
total vote.
(Remember, for complete totals
for adults and kids visit www.sos.mo.gov
and www.kidsvotingmissouri.org.)
Iveland
kids vote down school uniforms
In addition to the Kids Voting
Missouri balloting at polling
stations, the Iveland School
kids held an election day
rally for the whole school.
This year, the in-school
voting issue was whether to
have mandatory school uniform
policy. The referendum was
voted down, 320-195, according
to teacher Lisa Cisdewski.
She said the younger kids,
those from kindergarten to
2nd grade, generally favored
the uniforms. "But, most of
the older kids didn't want
them," Ms. Cisdewski said.
Iveland Elementary is in
the Ritenour School District.
That was the first district
to take part in Kids Voting
Missouri, which started in
1996.
|
A unique bike club
at Compton-Drew
Thirteen-year-old
Riona Wade said the Dolphin Bike
Club at Compton-Drew Middle School
is not only fun. She said it "keeps
me motivated" to get good grades.
The Dolphin Bike
Club is the only one in Missouri
where the school actually owns and
maintains the bikes that the kids
use.
And, the St. Louis
City school has requirements for
club membership. One of them is
that they maintain or improve their
grades and have good behavior in
school.
Physical education
teacher Mimi Deem said the membership
standards "seem to serve as a stimulant"
for better grades and better behavior.
The academic requirement is that
members have to maintain at least
Cs in all their classes.
And their teachers
give periodic reports on their behavior,
Ms. Deem said.
But, rewards are substantial.
For one thing, they get to ride
one of 30 mountain bikes that the
school purchased. Also, a team of
volunteer mechanics keeps the bikes
in good working order.
Thirteen-year-old
Kyle Sipe is another club member
who said his membership helped him
keep attention on his grades. "I
went from Cs and Bs to Bs and As,"
he said.
Kyle has found another
benefit. He owns a 21-speed Mongoose
bike he leaves at school and uses
on club trips. A motivation: bike
club mechanics maintain his bike
too.
Ms. Deem said the
club meets weekly and has at least
one major out-of-town bike ride
each semester.
This fall, the bike
members took an overnight ride to
Principia College at Elsah, Ill.
They did the 45-mile trip to Elsah
one day and then stayed overnight
at the college. After touring the
college, they rode back to St. Louis.
Twelve-year-old Kyesha
Wilson said she especially liked
the Principia trip because of the
food. "The college had really good
food," she said.
She said the trip
to Elsah went easy because there
weren't very many hills and they
had a tail wind. "But, coming back,
we rode into the wind all the way.
That was hard," she said.
Twelve-year-old Bridgit
Dunahee is in her first year in
the Dolphin club.
She said, "My brother
and one of my friends were in the
club and said it was fun. So, I
wanted to try it."
She said the Principia
trip was her first long trip. She
said the trip took 5 to 7 hours
and was "kinda hard."
On the long trips,
a parent will drive a support vehicle
that brings along repair parts,
snacks and other supplies.
The first part of
every semester is spent in shorter
conditioning rides. Twice around
nearby Forest Park provides a good
warmup for their out-of-town trip.
Riona Wade said she
liked the Forest Park trips because
they included stops at the Missouri
Art and History museums in the park.
"I especially liked the pictures
at the art museum," she said.
Kyle Sipe is in his
second year with the Dolphin club.
He said the longer out-of-town trip
last year was a 110-mile ride on
the Katy Trail. But, that trip didn't
turn out the way it was planned.
The original plan
was to ride their bikes to Jeff
City, tour the state capitol and
then ride back to St. Louis on the
Amtrak train. But, the kids didn't
get the train ride because an accident
on the route blocked the tracks.
They rode back on
a bus. But, Kyle saw a bright side
to the plan change. "At least it
wasn't our train that was in the
wreck," he said.
Ms. Deem said the
club is hoping to take a very unique
long trip next spring. She said,
"We are trying to arrange for a
trip in Ohio to follow a route of
the 'underground railroad.' (That's
a route former slaves took from
south to north during the Civil
War.)"
"That trip might involve
four nights," she said.
All of the club members
interviewed said they owned a bike
at home. But, most of them admitted
they didn't do much repair.
Eighth-grader Riona
Wade said, "If a chain pops, I know
how to fix that." She said that
usually happens when she's shifting
gears. But, she added, "If I have
a flat tire, I let my mom fix that."
Seventh-grader Kyesha
Wilson has an even better plan for
getting her bike fixed. "If something
goes wrong, I call my uncle," she
said.
The current Dolphin
Club membership ranges from 30 to
35 kids.
From author
Ann Seebeck
Favorite holiday
visit spots in St. Louis
St. Louis author
Ann Seebeck has been helping
kids and their families find
exciting places to go in the
St. Louis area since 1988. She
publishes an annual update of
her book, "Favorite Places
to Go with Kids in St. Louis."
Young Saint
Louis.com asked Ms. Seebeck
to select a dozen of her favorite
holiday destinations for our
readers.
As with her book,
the 2006 holiday favorites are
a mixture of long-standing favorites
as well as some new places she's
uncovered recently. And, she's
updated opening-closing dates
and times. And admission prices,
if any, are current.
If your family
would like to purchase the complete
"Favorites" book, you can check
local bookstores or contact
Ms. Seebeck by e-mail or regular
mail. Her e-mail address is
rlseeb@swbell.net
and her regular mail address
is 1018 Edgeworth, Kirkwood,
Mo. 63122. At bookstores,
"Favorites" retails for
$9.95 or by mail the price is
$8 plus $1 extra for postage.
Here are her
"top dozen" holiday choices
for the 2006 season:
By Ann Seebeck
The 2006 holidays
are just around the corner and
it's time to start thinking
about what you would like to
do when you're off from school.
You, your friends and relatives
have time to explore some places
that have special activities
and decorations for the holidays.
Here is a list
of my 12 favorite holiday places
to go with kids in St. Louis:
1. Tilles Park,
Litzsinger and McKnight rds.,
Ladue. (314) 615-7275. Hours
are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., daily,
except Saturdays and Dec. 24
and Dec. 31. Tickets are $9
per car at the gate.
From Nov. 22 to
Jan. 1, Winter Wonderland is
a beautiful holiday light display
with a river of lights, waterfalls,
Santa's sleigh and many other
figures all lit up. You drive
through the park in your car
and see miles of lights.
2. Santa's
Magical Kingdom, Eureka, Mo.
(636) 938-5920. Take I-44 to
the Six Flags exit, turn left
and follow the signs. This is
open every night from 5:30 to
10:30 p.m. starting Nov. 17
through Jan. 2
This is another
wonderful light display. You
drive through 35 acres of sparkling
lights, animated figures and
joyful Christmas music. You
see Yogi Bear, the Flintstones,
a candy cane village and Santa's
workshop.
3. Breakfast
with Santa, at the Crestwood
Dillard's store on Watson Rd.
(314) 968-4200. Programs are
Nov. 25, Dec. 2, 9 and 16. $9
per person. Call early for reservations
as they fill up fast.
The store has
a program during the month of
December where kids can have
a breakfast with Santa and Many
elves. There is singing, magic,
clowns and balloons. It's a
great time for all.
4. The Magic
House, 516 S. Kirkwood Rd.,
Kirkwood. (314) 822-8900. Admission
is $7 per person. Call for hours
and days.
In December,
kids can come and make holiday
crafts. There is also a breakfast
with Santa on Dec. 3 for $20.
5. Christmas
at Adams Mark Hotel, 4th and
Chestnut streets, downtown St.
Louis. (314) 241-7400. Starting
Nov. 22.
In the lobby
of this beautifully decorated
hotel is a village of gingerbread
houses made of real gingerbread,
icing and candles. A small toy
train runs through the village.
6. Wild Lights
at the St. Louis Zoo, Forest
Park. $5 per person. Begins
Nov. 24 and 25, then Thurs-Sat.
through Dec. 9. Also nightly
starting Dec. 14-23 and Dec.
26-30. Hours are 5:30 to 8:30
p.m.
Come to walk
amongst the sparkling lights
and animal figures and listen
to music of the season. Kids
can make take-home craft projects.
The refreshment stand is open.
7. Nutcracker
Suite Ballet, at Edison Theatre,
Washington University. (314)
935-6542. Dec. 8-10 and Dec.
14-17. Prices range from $25
to $35 per ticket.
Some of the performances
are a shorter version of the
ballet for smaller children.
Call for times and reservations.
8. The City
Museum, 701 N. 15th St., downtown
St. Louis. (314) 231-CITY. Admission
is $12 per person or after 5
p.m. Friday and Saturday, $8
per person. Hours are Wed. and
Thurs., 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sat.
10 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday 11
a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Snowflake
Lady will be on the 3rd floor
of the City Museum making and
teaching you to make paper cutout
snowflakes. They are beautiful.
Enjoy all the museum with the
many rooms with caves you can
crawl through, slides, aquarium,
circus, art studios and many
more.
9. The Old
Courthouse's "A Victorian Christmas.",
11 N. 4th St., downtown St.
Louis. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.
There is a huge,
beautifully decorated Victorian
Christmas tree for month of
December.
10. Missouri
Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw.
(314) 577-5100. Open daily,
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission if
you're St. Louis City or County
residents, $4 and children under
12 are free.
There is a special
indoor display of GardenLand
Express flower and small train
show Nov. 22-Jan. 1. There is
an extra $3 admission for the
GardenLand Express.
11. Grant's
Farm, 10501 Gravois. (314) 843-1700.
A special "Magic of the Holidays"
display with reindeer and penguins
and a special kiddie train ride.
Starts Nov. 24-25 and then Dec.
1-2, 7-9, 14-16, 18-23, 26-30.
Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Admission
is free but parking is $20 per
car.
There is a heated,
clear-wall tent, crafts, storytellers
and carolers.
12: Cut your
own Christmas tree. There are
several places you can cut down
your own fresh tree. Some have
wagon rides to the trees along
with hot chocolate and snacks.
A.
Christmas Tree Valley, Pacific
Mo. (636) 741-3436.
B.
Pea Ridge Farm, near Hermann,
Mo. (636) 932-4687.
C.
Meert Tree Farms, at Festus
and Mehlville, Mo.
(636)
487-5824.
D.
Eckert's, Belleville, Il. (618)
233-0513.
Show-Me a Movie
contest
Kids' film topic:
Should Pluto be a planet?
Max Highsmith, Kathryn Bradley
and Nicholas Willig hope their
variety of skills help them produce
a winner in this month's Show-Me
a Movie competition. One of those
skills is Kathryn's ability to
hold a camera steady.
The three kids are 8th graders
at Parkway Southwest Middle School.
This is their first try at the
Show-Me contest. But, teacher
Terri Moore has had success with
teams in the past.
And the kids say they have other
skills that should help with this
film project.
For instance, 13-year-old Max
finished second last year in a
claymation movie competition among
St. Louis area kids. Fourteen-year-old
Kathryn took part in a movie-making
camp last summer.
And 13-year-old Nicholas has
attended a two-week space exploration
camp at Huntsville, Ala. His successful
application entry included his
plan for colonizing the Moon.
But, both of the boys admit
Kathryn has one other skill that
might be very important. She knows
how to keep the camera steady
while filming their movie entry.
Max said, "When I made my claymation
movie, I always had to prop the
camera on a table or chair to
keep it steady."
Nicholas admitted he isn't too
steady with a camera either. But,
he said his space camp experience
helped him in the research for
the Show-Me movie. Their movie
explores the debate over whether
Pluto should be dropped as the
9th planet in our galaxy.
The deadline for Show Me a Movie
entries is Dec. 18. Winners will
show their entries at the Midwest
Education Conference in St. Louis
Feb. 27-28.
There are four categories: Show-Me
Something New, Show-Me a Story,
Show-Me a Challenge and Show-Me
Your Community.
There are divisions for elementary,
middle and high school teams.
The two-minute films will be
judged on contest, creativity,
storyboarding, videography and
reflection.
All three of the Southwest Middle
School kids will be actors in
their film.
Their script involves giving
pros and cons of whether Pluto
should be classed a planet.
Kathryn said their movie won't
take a stand on the issue. "We
just present the facts and leave
it up to members of the audience
to decide what they believe,"
she said.
Max said the beginning of the
movie contains the only special
effects. "We took pictures of
the planets off the internet and
used zoom photography to speed
through the planets. Then, we
slow down when we come to Pluto,"
he said.
Nicholas said Pluto has had a
checkered past as a planet. He
said it was discovered in 1930
"but the telescope they used then
made it seem bigger than it was."
As the telescopes improved, scientists
found that Pluto was smaller,
he added.
As a result, there has been continuous
debate over whether Pluto deserves
to be one of the nine planets
in the Earth's galaxy. Recently,
another round of that debate erupted.
Max said his experience making
the claymation movie helped him
pack a lot of plot into a short
film. He said his main character,
Dan, decided to research a school
science project on dinosaurs by
taking a time-machine trip back
in history.
"But, Dan made a mistake and
the machine sent him into the
future. Then, he used their time
machine to get back into history
to see the dinosaurs," Max said.
"I was surprised how I got all
of that action into a three-minute
film," he said.
Max said he needed three clay
copies of his main character,
Dan. Motion is achieves by shooting
a video film of a series of still
pictures with slight changes in
body shapes in each picture.
Continual moving of arms and
legs creates a lot of wear and
tear on the clay bodies. "Dan's
body wore out and I needed spares,"
Max said.
Kathryn said her summer camp
team made two movies. "One was
a book review; the other was a
murder mystery," she said. In
the mystery film, her team left
it up to the audience to figure
out who the killer was.
Kathryn will play her guitar
as part of the background music
for the Pluto movie. She'll play
a song she wrote herself. She
has played guitar and bass in
everything from her own "garage
band" to a Webster University
symphony orchestra.
Nicholas said their film will
use music from a "Planets" symphonic
series. "There are eight pieces
because it was written before
Pluto was discovered," he said.
Max and Nicholas also play musical
instruments. Max plays cello in
the school's honors orchestra
and takes piano lessons. Nicholas
also takes cello lessons.
A chance for
a 2008 summer concert tour
in Europe
Are you a young
Missouri musician who'd like
to take a two-week concert tour
to Europe in the summer of 2008?
You might be able to if you
start planning now.
Sixteen-year-old
Rebecca Lubiewski of Hazelwood
Central High School was one
members of the 2006 Missouri
Ambassadors of Music. The group
took a 15-day tour through seven
European countries last summer.
To qualify, she
had to get an endorsement from
her school music director. And,
she spent a whole year raising
money to pay her way.
Rebecca and several
of her classmates were among
the musicians who played and
sang in England, France, Switzerland,
Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany
and Italy last June. Since 1990,
similar Ambassadors of Music
groups from Missouri have toured
every other year.
The Ambassadors
of Music tours was the idea
of Robert Gifford, the director
of bands at Southeast Missouri
State University. He recruited
school band directors across
Missouri to find kids who could
benefit from the foreign tour
experience.
Bob Altman is
director of bands at Hazelwood
Central High School. He's one
of the Missouri band directors
who help find young musicians
for the tours. The kids selected
range in age from 14 and up.
He plans to start
work shortly after this month's
holiday break to recruit kids
for the 2008 tour. He said the
band directors want to have
plenty of time to make selections.
And, the recruited kids also
need time to raise money to
pay their way.
(For more
information, you can e-mail
Mr. Altman at acealtman@aol.com.
He suggested it would be good
to start planning now.)
Rebecca admitted
her fund-raising consisted mostly
of "begging" her parents and
relatives for help. She said
the trip cost her and others
about $4,000 each.
Eighteen-year-old
Frank Hartfield Jr. said he
and his mother organized several
personal fund-raisers. He concentrated
on "cookie sales" while his
mother did fund-raising at work.
Seventeen-year-old
Erica Mills said her fund-raising
included getting a job at Baskin-Robbins.
She added, "I'm still raising
that money as well as raising
money for a trip to Spain this
summer."
For many of the
local musicians, the Ambassadors'
tour was their first foreign
travel.
Young Saint
Louis.com interviewed nine
Hazelwood Central kids who took
last summer's tour. Most of
them said their favorite stops
on the tour were England and
Switzerland. But, other places
also were mentioned.
England was fun
because their concert was held
outdoors right after a birthday
parade for England's Queen Elizabeth.
Their concert started shortly
after the parade ended.
Eighteen-year-old
Javonni McGlaurin said, "We
were right across the Thames
River from the Big Eye." That's
the giant Ferris wheel that
is a landmark in central London.
Eighteen-year-old
Garrett Hemann said he also
liked walking around London
seeing the sights. "We had the
most time for sightseeing in
England," he said.
Another favorite
country was Switzerland, with
its mountain scenery.
Seventeen-year-old
Alyssa Crapin said their concert
in Switzerland was in a tiny
mountain town of Crans-Montana.
Several of the kids mentioned
the Swiss concert because, as
seventeen-year-old Kevin Doyle
said, "the whole town came out
for it."
But, Alyssa also
mentioned Paris, France, as
one of her favorite stops. "There
were so many big churches in
Paris," she said.
Seventeen-year-old
Sarah Coats said she liked the
scenery in Germany. She said,
"We had a lot of time to walk
around there also."
Seventeen-year-old
Krista Bulva said her favorite
part of the concert tour was
"to be with new and old friends."
As for the most
hilarity, several of them mentioned
a fondue party they attended.
Frank Hartfield remembers that
party because of his embarrassment.
It seems that
one of the rules of a European
fondue party is, if you drop
a piece of bread or cake while
dipping it in the various dips,
you have to kiss other people
in the party.
Frank said he
dropped a piece of bread and
his picture was taken while
he was kissing the girls. "Then
Javonni's mother showed my mother
the picture. I was so embarrassed,"
he said.
But, some of the
other kids-including the girls-though
dropping of the food was a pretty
good idea.
AAU wrestling practice starts for young kids
Last month, 12-year-old
Daniel Skoglund began preparations
that he hopes will lead to another
state AAU wrestling title. His first
major test will come in January
at the Ozark AAU Challenge regional
meet.
About 60 kids were
on hand for start of practice at
the Rockwood Summit High School
wrestling room. They belong to the
Rockwood-Lindbergh Wrestling Club,
which will host the Ozark AAU meet.
Daniel is a 6th grader
at Seeger 6th Grade Center in Webster
Groves. Most of his teammates on
the Rockwood-Lindbergh club are
students at either Rockwood South
Middle School or Sperring Middle
School.
Daniel won his state
championship last year with a narrow
1-0 win. He scored an escape in
the third period for the only point
of the match. He said he had pinned
his opponent twice earlier in that
season.
"But, he was really
good that day," he said.
That Daniel should
score on an escape with his opponent
wrestling from on top didn't surprise
him. He said his winning on an escape
point was to be expected. "When
I'm on the bottom, I'm good at escaping,"
he said.
He said one thing
he needs to improve is his ability
to take down an opponent when both
are standing. "I don't have perfect
form when I try for a one- or two-leg
shoot," he said.
That maneuver involves
shooting forward to grab either
one or both legs of an opponent.
Fourteen-year-old
Michael Baer of Fenton said he also
has trouble on takedowns. "I even
went to a 4-day 'takedown' camp
this summer," the 8th grader said.
"We got up in the
morning, had breakfast and wrestled.
Then, at noon, we ate and wrestled.
At night, we ate and wrestled again
and went to bed," he said.
Baer said he started
wrestling in 4th grade after basketball
practice. Eventually, he dropped
basketball and stayed with wrestling.
"I liked more contact
that came with wrestling.I was a
little rough when I played basketball,"
he said.
The Rockwood-Lindbergh
Wrestling Club is a combination
of two smaller clubs. The co-coaches
are Dave Streibig and Christ Colona.
The two men had wrestled together
when they were in school and now
are both coaching.
Coach Streibig said,
"Both of us had small clubs. If
you're going to have good practices,
you have to have lots of kids. That
way, you can pair with kids close
to each other in size. In small
clubs, there aren't enough kids
in every weight class for good pairing."
Most schools don't
have wrestling teams until high
school. The AAU program gives kids
wrestling experience before regularly
organized school teams start.
And, some of the kids
start early.
Danny Stackle is a
3rd grader at Truman Elementary
School in Fenton. He's been wrestling
since he was five years old.
He finished 2nd in
a 6-and-under Liberty national tournament
in Kansas City. He classes that
as his best experience in wrestling.
His worst experience?
"Last year at state, I was leading
on points in the third period but
my opponent pinned me," he said.
Thirteen-year-old
Dylan Heiney of Fenton said he started
wrestling when he was in 5th grade.
He's been with the Rockwood-Lindbergh
club the whole time.
He described his best
wrestling experience as "beating
an opponent that I didn't think
I should be able to beat." He said
that happened last year in a tournament.
As for his worst experience,
he said, "That's when I get pinned
real fast."
Most of the kids plan
to wrestle in high school. Some
of them hope to wrestle in college.
Several of the boys
play other sports but consider wrestling
to be their best one. One thing
that attracts them is the chance
to compete against kids their same
size, unlike such sports as football
and basketball.
But, Coaches Streibig
and Colona urge kids not to try
to lose weight in hopes of competing
with smaller wrestlers. They stress
young kids don't want to do anything
that interferes with their normal
growth.
Sometimes, even one
year, makes a big difference for
growing kids. For instance, last
year, Michael Baer wrestled at 80
pounds. This year, he'll compete
in the 95-lb class.
(If you'd like
to know about various AAU sports,
visit www.eteam.com/aauozark.
The Ozark chapter of AAU sponsors
a number of sports choices for young
kids.)
Gateway Young Achievers 2006
Ladue kid shows
talent in original play
(Seventh in a
Series)
Eleven-year-old Leonardo
Di Cera wrote, directed and starred
in an original play at Conway Elementary
School last spring. He also won
both state and national education
awards for his school performance.
Leonardo's play, "Don
Gato (Mr. Cat)," was the only one
written by Conway students. Other
acts in the variety show were adapted
from folk tales or previously written
pieces.
These were just some
of the achievements that helped
Leonardo win one of 12 2006 Gateway
Young Achiever of the Year awards.
Young Achievers are
selected on their record of good
grades, outside activities and leadership.
Winners receive a $1,000 savings
bond. There were 12 grand prize
winners, four each from elementary,
middle and high schools.
(This is the 7th
of eight profiles by Young Saint
Louis.com on elementary and middle
school awardees. If you'd like to
read previous profiles, go to
Past Stories at the top
of the home page and click on June,
2006; July, 2006; August, 2006;
September, 2006; October, 2006 and/or
November, 2006.)
Leonardo's award was
based on this work as a 5th grader
at Conway Elementary. Now, he's
in 6th grade at Ladue Middle School.
During the first semester
at Ladue Middle, he said he's concentrated
mostly on his academics. But, after
his first report card produced all
A's, he is starting to get involved
with outside activities and service.
For one thing, he's
getting involved in sports again.
He was in both swimming and soccer
clubs in elementary school and plans
to restart both of those sports.
Leonardo was involved
in the gifted Idea Lab and now is
in the gifted Apogee program at
Ladue Middle.
While at Conway, he
got interested in airports. In the
Idea Lab, he designed an airport.
He also created a clay model for
a new airliner passenger seat. But,
don't expect it to show up in a
commercial airplane any time soon.
For one thing, it
was designed to be spacious and
to recline fully into a bed. The
model also included a computer built
into the seat, along with a TV set
and video game player.
He carried over his
interest in airports by calling
the manager of the Spirit of St.
Louis Airport in Chesterfield to
ask for a guided tour. Leonardo's
father, Enrico, said, "He made the
call on his own. We didn't know
about it until the manager called
back."
Leonardo got his airport
tour, which is used mostly for corporate
and private planes.
Leonardo's letter
of support for the Young Achiever
competition was written by Nancy
Tinsley, a counselor at the Conway
school. She said he demonstrated
outstanding academic achievement
and his behavior "was exemplary."
She said he volunteers
for all service projects "without
hesitation" and has "endless ideas
for service projects to help others."
At Conway, he participated
service projects such as Toys for
Tots and Hurricane Katrina aid.
At church, he and his family participated
in the Snowflake Project, which
raises donations for the homeless.
His interest in writing
extended back to 2nd grade. He entered
a national poetry contest and his
entry was published in a poetry
anthology. Titled "Valentine's Day,"
it read:
" Valentine's Day
"fills with love.
"Smells sweet as sugar,
"tastes tasty.
"I hear love coming out of the kitchen
window
"from the wing of a
dove.
"I love Valentine's Day."
About his "Don Gato"
play, Leonardo said he had to change
the ending because teachers thought
the first one was too sad for the
kindergarteners in the audience.
"At first, Don Gato
died accidentally before he could
get married. But, we changed the
ending so that he came back to life,"
Leonardo said.
"The audience found
that the new ending was funny when
Don Gato came back to life. So,
I guess it was good that we changed
it," he said.
Leonardo is bilingual,
speaking both English and Italian.
Both of his parents are from Italy,
although Leonardo and his brother
and sister were born in this country.
He plans to go to
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
and then to college. But, he hasn't
decided on a course of study. "I
might go into business management,"
he said.
"I'd like to own
a large hotel or a big business,"
he added.
This month's
book reviews
An eleven-year-old
girl genius gets ready
for her senior year in high
school
Millicent Min
is only eleven. At age two,
she had appeared on the Tonight
Show with Jay Leno, been on
TV commercials at age 4, appeared
on "Jeopardy" at age 8, featured
in articles in Time Magazine
at various ages, and had won
countless awards for her scholarship
and creativity. Now, at age
eleven, she was ready for her
senior year in high school.
In fact, she was going to take
a college course during the
summer rather than go to regular
summer school or else there
would not have been enough courses
for her to take in her last
year of high school. She planned
on taking an advanced course
in poetry, although she already
had read all the major English
language poets as well as some
of those in other languages.
Certainly, Millicent
was a genius, but she didn't
think about it too much. It
was just the way she was. She
resented people categorizing
her as one of those Chinese
kids who were all so smart.
She didn't think of herself
as a genius. It was always other
people who were pointing it
out.
She couldn't
go to summer camp like other
eleven-year-olds. She had tried
that last summer. She hadn't
stayed very long. She had threatened
to sue the camp after finding
what she saw as numerous health
and safety violations. Naturally,
the camp counselor called her
patents and requested they take
Millicent home. Camp was not
for her.
Her parents were
always after Millicent to try
to socialize with other kids
her age. They wanted her to
have some friends - any friends.
Sixth graders didn't want to
be her friend when they found
out she was a senior in high
school. The high school students
resented her because she was
so young and was always showing
them up academically. Even in
her college poetry class, when
she started asking for extra
work, the college students,
who already thought they were
being overworked, started to
shun her.
You get the picture.
This little book is a hilarious
story of how a kid who is unquestionably
a genius tries to lead a normal
life. Just being "normal" appears
to be impossible for Millicent.
It's just one laugh after another
when she tries.
A legally blind
boy struggles for recognition
as he copes with bullies
Paul Fisher is trying to make
a new life in Tangerine County,
Florida, since his family has
just moved there from Texas. Paul
had been legally blind since an
accident when he was only five.
Paul was now in seventh grade
and his older brother, Erik, would
be a senior in high school. When
he was still a little child, Erik
had been trained by his dad to
be a place kicker in football.
Erik could consistently kick field
goals from fifty yards out. Mr.
Fisher, who had wanted to be a
football star when he went to
college, expected that major college
football coaches around the country
would be standing in line to recruit
Erik to be their place kicker.
Naturally, since Paul was legally
blind, his father didn't expect
him to be much of an athlete.
It didn't take long, once the
season started, for people in
Tangerine County to realize what
Erik Fisher could do to help their
high school win at football. He
was immediately popular with the
girls and the other jocks. Unfortunately,
for Paul, his popular older brother
was a bully. Erik pushed Paul
around at every opportunity, whenever
the boys' parents weren't watching.
With his jock buddies, Erik pushed
around other kids as well.
Paul found out early in their
new Florida home that the area
was a strange place to live. There
were underground fires burning
under the subdivision where the
Fishers lived. Because of the
almost daily rain storms, lightning
was a real danger. Early in the
school term, a huge sink hole
swallowed up the portable classrooms
where Paul had most of his middle
school classes. Paul had been
accepted to play on the school
soccer team. Because of the loss
of classrooms, he was moved to
another middle school in a different
part of town. The kids were mean
and tough at the new school, and
Paul was given a hard time when
he tried to make their soccer
team.
Poor Paul. Not only was he bullied
by his brother and his brother's
friends, but he was bullied by
some of his teammates at his new
school as well. However, Paul
had been a pretty good soccer
player in Texas, and he wasn't
going to give up just because
of bullies. People needed to realize
that with his special glasses
on, he could see plenty well enough
to play soccer. He shouldn't be
automatically judged to be a poor
player just because he needed
thick lenses in his glasses.
In spite of the unusual conditions
in Tangerine County and in spite
of his visual handicap, Paul is
determined to make a name for
himself as an athlete. He also
is determined to be a better person
than he knows his popular brother
to be. You need to read the book
"Tangerine" by Edward Bloor to
find out how he does it. You won't
be disappointed.
After several
foster homes,
a girl adjusts to living in a
large group home
Madeline (Maddie) Myers was eleven
when she finally landed in the
East Tennessee Children's Home.
She had lived with her grandmother
in a trailer for several years
after her mother had abandoned
her as a baby. Unfortunately,
Granny Lane's health went bad
and Maddie was moved from relative
to relative and, finally, from
one foster home to another. Now,
at eleven years of age, there
didn't seem to be any more foster
placements for Maddie.
The kids weren't treated badly
at the Home. They didn't think
the food was very good, but they
were treated kindly. There were
always new kids coming in as some
of the girls in the Home moved
out to rejoin their family or
were taken in by a relative. All
of the girls dreamed of being
taken to live in a real house
with somebody they could love
and who would love them.
Until she could land in a real
home, the next best thing Maddie
hoped for was to have a best friend.
She thought maybe she had found
one when a new girl joined the
group. The new girl called herself
"Murphy." Murphy was a talker.
She claimed her parents were famous
globe-trotting researchers and
that when they got back from their
current expedition, they would
be picking Murphy back up. She
had a magic stone that, if she
said the right words, it enabled
her to fly. Now Maddie knew Murphey's
stories could not be true, but
Maddie just liked being around
her. Being around Murphy made
Maddie feel like she was "at home."
Maddie had a hobby. She liked
to cut out pictures of houses
and paste them in a notebook.
She dreamed about houses and hoped
that one day she would have one
of her own. At first, Maddie thought
Murphy and the other kids would
make fun of the houses. However,
some of the kids joined in and
started making house books of
their own.
One of the boys from the school
the girls attended volunteered
to let them try to build a fort
at the back of his family's property.
After a period of planning and
getting donations of lumber and
nails, the kids all set out to
build a structure. It turned out
to have a roof and windows and
all the kids felt a sense of accomplishment.
It was a good place to keep their
house books and talk about their
dream homes.
There are ups and downs in the
girls' relationships with one
another. Maddie gets her feelings
hurt by Murphy and, as a result,
no longer sees her as a best friend.
Murphy leaves the home unexpectedly
and Maddie is unable to tell her
goodbye. The little book continues
with other events that will change
Maddie's life. She knows, however,
that she will always remember
Murphy.
On a kayaking
trip, a boy is washed ashore
on a desolate island in Alaska
Fourteen-year-old Andy Galloway
has gone whale-watching with a
group of other teen-agers. He
realizes that he isn't far from
where his archeologist father
died a few years before while
looking for evidence of the first
primitive people to reach North
America. Andy knows that he shouldn't
do it, but early in the morning
he leaves camp and takes off on
his own. He feels he must see
the spot where his father's body
had been found. He thought he
had plenty of time to make it
back before the rest of the group
would wake up. His plan worked
up to a point. He did find the
spot and even located a carving
that had belonged to his dad.
What he hadn't counted on was
a big change in the weather.
As Andy hurried to make his way
back to the camp, he almost panicked
when he realized that a big storm
was coming up. He could make no
progress against the current.
In the violent waves, his kayak
overturned and he was washed ashore
on a large island. He was freezing
cold, had no way to start a fire,
and was without food. The first
living thing he saw was a huge
bear with a hump behind its shoulders.
Why had he ever thought he could
leave the safety of camp and take
off on his own? And he hadn't
told anybody where he was going.
As he was struggling to survive,
Andy realized that he had washed
ashore on Admiralty Island. He
knew the island was now uninhabited,
but was known as a hunting ground
for Alaskan Brown Bears. Luckily,
Andy ran across a long-abandoned
fish cannery where he found some
shelter. While there, he saw a
heavily-bearded, wild-looking
man running off with old books
and magazines that had been left
in the cannery. Clearly, the man
wanted no contact with Andy. But,
the man was probably not some
primitive native if he was taking
books and magazines. Who could
he be? Was he dangerous?
As Andy's adventure continues,
he runs across a large Newfoundland
dog. The dog seemed friendly.
The bad news, however, was that
the large dog was socializing
with a pack of wolves. Now, that's
all Andy needs at this point.
Besides cold, hunger, bears, and
an unfriendly wild man, now he
has hungry wolves to worry about!
He hears occasional planes flying
overhead, but they have no idea
he is down below. His friends
back at the camp and his mother
back home in Colorado must all
be frantic by now. How could he
have been so stupid?
Well, you've figured out by
now that the plot in the little
book gets pretty complicated.
If you get around to reading "Wild
Man Island," you will be surprised
at how things turn out for Andy
and how he makes it home. You
will find out who the wild man
is and what he is doing on the
island. You also will find out
a little bit about archeologists
and their speculation about how
men first arrived in North America.
Use phone keypad
for December Math Mania
 Most
kids like to talk on the phone.
So, the creator of Math
Mania decided to use
the phone keypad to set up seven
December puzzlers.
The creator of Math Mania
is Ms. Amy Ruzicka, a math teacher
at St. Gabriel's School in south
St. Louis City.
During this second year of
Math Mania on
Young Saint Louis.com,
Ms. Ruzicka has been using a
lot of different formats for
her puzzles. This month, she's
designed a unique "secret code"
using the numbers and the letters
on the phone keypad.
She wants you to discover
the words-which all deal with
measurements-that can be decoded
from a list of numbers.
Let's see how you do with this
different type of math puzzle.
And, if you have friends who
haven't entered the Math
Mania as yet, why don't
you invite them to enter. Maybe
they'd like to have a little
fun with math too.
(If you want to find out
the answers to the November
Math Mania puzzles, click
here.)
Rules for this month's
Math Mania are the same.
Each month, the contest calls
for you to give answers to brainteasers
based on numbers and math.
Then, you submit your answers,
using the form which is attached
to the questions. If you answer
all the questions correctly,
you'll have a chance to win
a Borders book certificate.
We'll award 2 or 3 $10 book
certificates each month, if
there are enough winners.
Follow contest instructions
and fill out the entry form
carefully and legibly so, if
you're a winner, we can send
your prize to the right address.
- Print out the following
entry form.
- Fill out your name, address
and telephone number. (Please
print).
- Give your answers to the
seven December Math Mania
questions.
- Put your completed entry
into a stamped, addressed
envelope.
- Mail your entry to:
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 2006, Math
Mania Contest:
Name: __________________________________
Age: _____
Address:
_________________________
School: ___________
City: _____________________
State: ______ Zip: __________
Contact
phone: (_____) _____________________
December
Math Mania Challenge:
Telephone Code Puzzles
In
telephone code puzzles, the
code printed on the buttons
of a phone is used to substitute
numbers for letters.
A
dentist might advertise her
phone number as 55-BRUSH (552-7874).
If you push the button labeled
with the letter "B", you get
the number "2." If you push
the button labeled with the
letter "R," you get the number
"7," and so on.
These
puzzles do the opposite, giving
you the numbers and having you
figure out what the letters
must be. Since each number could
be any of three letters, it
is going to be tricky to decipher
these codes! The task has been
made a little bit easier, though,
because all of the secret words
have to do with measurement.
Examples:
A.
4624 Answer: INCH
B.
2732 Answer: AREA
C.
54837 Answer: LITER
1.
9273 Answer:
______________________
2.
63837 Answer:
______________________
3.
72253 Answer:
______________________
4.
638742 Answer:
______________________
5.
536484 Answer:
______________________
6.
934448 Answer:
______________________
7.
865863 Answer:
______________________
November puzzle answers
No winners for
November Math Mania
The November Math Mania
turned out to be too tough. After
two months of multiple winners,
none of your entries in November
had all the answers correct.
Three of the entries had four of
the five puzzles answers correctly.
But, none got all five.
But, one good thing about Math
Mania, this is a new month
and there is a set of new puzzles
for December. (To enter the December
contest,
click here.)
Math Mania is the
creation of Ms. Amy Ruzicka, a math
teacher from south St. Louis.
She hopes Math Mania
will give you a chance to have fun
with math without having the pressure
of striving for a good grade. She's
also using some new formats for
her puzzles. And there is another
new one in December. Why not try
again this month.
Answers
to the November
Math Mania Challenge:
1.
I'm thinking of a number. If
I add a half, a fourth, and
a ninth of it together, I get
62. What's my number?
Answer:
72
So, 62 is thirty-one
thirty-sixths of my mystery
number. This can be translated
into a simple equation:
2.
I'm thinking of another number.
The
number is:
Not
a multiple of 3.
The product of two primes.
Less than  .
Greater than twice the square
root of 625.
Not a multiple of 2.
Answer:
55. Clues two and three tell
me that the number must be between
50 and 64. After I eliminate
all of the multiples of 2 and
3, I'm left with 53, 55, 59,
and 61. My number must be 55,
since it is the only number
that is the product of two primes
( 5 and 11). The other numbers
are already prime, thus the
products of only 1 and themselves.
3. You guessed it! I'm thinking
of yet another number. To help
you figure it out, I've given
you several clues:
The number is not an odd number.
It has exactly four factors.
If you reverse the digits a
prime number is formed.
The sum of the digits is a two-digit
prime number.
The number is less than the
square root of  .
One of the digits is a square
number.
Answer:
74. As in the previous problem,
work through the clues to narrow
down possibilities until you
arrive at the answer.
4.
Last time, I promise! Use the
clues to find my number.
It's
greater than 
and less than  .
is one of its factors.
It is a multiple of 13.
Answer:
1950
5.
O.K., I lied. One more…
Now
I'm thinking of a telephone
number. 
Each
digit is different.
The product of the sixth* and
seventh numbers equals the third
number.
The fourth, eighth, ninth, and
tenth numbers are multiples
of 3.
The sum of the fourth and sixth
numbers equals the sum of the
fifth and eighth numbers.
The second, third, sixth, and
seventh numbers are powers of
2.
The first, fifth, seventh, and
tenth numbers are prime.
*When I refer
to numbers as first, second,
third, etc. I'm counting from
the left.
Answer:
(518) 974-2603
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