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History

St. Raphael kids win state history award

A rare combination of kids led to a big win in the 2002 Missouri State History Competition for St. Raphael the Archangel School in St. Louis.

Eighth grader Megan Wilkerson teamed with sixth graders Michelle McAtee and Angela Beffa to win first place in the Junior Group Performance category. They won out over 16 teams from across Missouri.

The kids earned a trip to the national history competition at the University of Maryland in College Park. The nationals were June 9-13.

Social studies teacher Christy Connor said, "That's the first time I've ever mixed grades." Ordinarily, kids from the same grade make up the three-member teams.

The kids picked a difficult subject for their performance project. They researched, wrote and then performed a skit about Dorothea Dix. She lived in the 1800s and is credited as a pioneer in treatment of the mentally ill in the U.S.

Fourteen-year-old Megan said, "Angela and Michelle had been reading about Dorothea and decided it was so neat that a woman did this instead of a man."

Twelve-year-old Michelle said, "She (Dix) was suffering from tuberculosis but was still able to help the mentally ill."

Twelve-year-old Angela said, "I used to be scared of mental illness. But, now, I've learned there's no reason to be afraid."

Dix was a New Englander whose grand-father had been a doctor. Megan said, "Dorothea knew, that as a woman, she couldn't be a doctor. But, she wanted to do something in the health field."

Much of Dorothea's work in mental health was done in a hospital in Raleigh, N.C.

The kids researched Dorothea's life at different libraries in the St. Louis area. In addition, they toured the state hospital on Arsenal Ave.

After their historical research, the three St. Raphael students decided to tell their story as a play. They not only wrote the script, but designed the sets and acted out all the parts. They used costumes to depict life in those different times.

All of the kids said they didn't know much U.S. history before starting their project. But, Megan said Ms. Connor "made it fun to learn about history."

Angela admits her mother "pushed me into doing the history project." She said about all she knew of history was what was in the school's textbooks.

Teacher Connor said the girls got the state judges' attention for having a simple stage setting, using a plain black backdrop. They went behind the backdrop to change costumes between scenes.

The play started in present-day America and then flashed-back to Dorothea Dix's time in the 1800s. Treatment of the mentally ill in those days seems harsh by current-day standards. Dorothea tried to bring more humane treatment to people in her day.

As the play ends, the kids ask the question of how future Americans will think of today's treatment of mentally ill. Will it seem as tragic as we think of treatment in the mid-1800s?

The families of the St. Raphael kids treated their trip to the national history finals as a vacation time.

Megan said, "My mom and grandmother are going. We're going to see the Vietnam Memorial with all the names and also the Smithsonian Museum." College Park, Md., is near Washington, D.C.

She will be a freshman at Bishop DuBourg High School next fall.

Michelle said her father, mother and sister were going. "This is going to be our summer vacation too," she said.

For Angela, the group of family supporters will include her parents, her grand-parents and others. "It's going to be a really big group," she said.

Michelle and Angela will be in seventh grade at St. Raphael's next fall.

The girls aren't sure what part history will play in their future career plans.

For Angela and Michelle, they hope to have a future in the entertainment industry. Michelle said she'd like to be an actor.

Angela said, "I want to be a singer so bad." She has been a member of the St. Louis Symphony's Children's Chorus for the last year. "I'm planning to do that again next year," she added.

 

Entertainment

Probst kids take to Muny stage on July 15

Patrick, Jacqueline and Christian Probst will be on the Muny stage together when the musical, "Peter Pan," opens July 15. They're following in the performing footsteps of their mother, Julie.

Thirty years ago, Julie Piekarski had her first role in the Muny's performance at the age of nine. She continued her Muny appearances until she was 20.

Sometimes, that meant taking a summer break just to come back to St. Louis for the Muny season.

Now, her kids are active at the Muny productions and the Muny Kids organization. They've also appeared on other theater stages around St. Louis.

Twelve-year-old Patrick first appeared in the Muny production of "Damn Yankees" in 1998. He's been in other Muny shows such as "Sound of Music," Singing in the Rain" and "Wizard of Oz."

He also got a chance to sing and do a "soft-shoe" dance in last year's Muny "tribute" to George Gershwin.

His sister, 10-year-old Jacqueline, appeared with Patrick in the "Wizard of Oz" a year ago. She also was in "A Tribute to Gershwin."

This year, it's 8-year-old Christian's first turn on the Muny stage in "Peter Pan." All three will appear either as lost kids or Indians in the performances that go for seven nights.

(If you'd like to learn more about the Muny acting opportunities, just log onto the Muny's website at www.muny.com)

But, the Muny stage isn't the only one where the Probst kids have performed.

One of their most recent appearances was on the local Variety Club Telethon's TV broadcast. They've also been on television and in other stage productions with Bravo Theater and Stages.

And acting isn't their only extra-curricular activity. They've all done fashion modeling, both for print and on live runways.

Patrick has served as a cantor during special Catholic worship services. At two of them, St. Louis Archbishop Justin Rigali was in attendance.

The kids also have interest in sports.

For the last two years, Jacqueline has qualified for gymnastics camps taught by former Olympic coach Bella Karoli. She'll be trying out later in July to see if she can qualify again for a spot in Karoli's camp this December.

She has a workout schedule for gymnastics alone that calls for 20 hours of practice a week.

Jacqueline has her eye on the 2008 Olympic Games in China. In the past, she might have been trying for the 2004 games.

But, Olympic officials have changed their attitude on minimum ages for gymnasts. That's because of concerns about too much pressure for very young kids. Now, gymnasts won't earn a spot on the national team before the age of 16.

The Probst kids all attend The Academy of Sacred Heart School in St. Charles. Patrick will be in seventh grade next fall. Jacqueline will to fifth grade and Christian to third grade.

Both Patrick and Jacqueline said their favorite acting experience was associated with Repertory Theatre's performances of "Gypsy."

Patrick said he like the month-long schedule of performances "Three of my friends were in the show with me," he said.

Jacqueline's "Gypsy" experience included six weeks with a touring company. During that time, she had a tutor traveling with her. Also, each Sunday she and her mother would fly home so they could be with the family. She could go to school Monday (which is an off day in the theater). They would fly back for the Tuesday night performance.

Those travels brought back memories for Julie, who traveled a lot when she was a kid.

After starting with the Muny, Julie entered a nationwide talent search when the a new version of the Mouseketeers was being formed. She was one of 12 selected for the group that performed in the syndicated TV show, "The New Mickey Mouse Club." .

She later earned a part in the TV sitcom, "Facts of Life." She also appeared in several made-for-TV films and in guest spots on such TV shows as "Quincy," "Different Strokes," and "Three's Company."

However, she's been a home-mom since the birth of the children. She's now helping as they work on their own entertainment careers.

 

Outdoors

Belleville girl is wolf enthusiast

Nine-year-old Taylor Winn sleeps on a bed with two wolf pillows and a wolf blanket. She's written a book about wolves and sends them Christmas presents.

(For a look at Taylor's "Wolf Stories" book, click here. She wrote the story and also did the artwork used for illustration.)

You might say the Belleville, Ill., fourth grader is into the subject of wolves. But, she's also interested in swift foxes and other wild canids on the nation's endangered species list.

She's found an ideal outlet for her interest. The Wild Canid Center near Valley Park, Mo., breeds wolves and foxes in captivity and then release their offspring back into the wild.

Taylor had her ninth birthday party last Mary 31 at the Center. And she lobbied her school teacher until she decided to bring her whole third-grade class for a field trip.

Although it's over 50 miles round-trip from home to the center, Taylor averages at least one visit every two months. That's in addition to summer camp time, when she comes every day.

Taylor's interest in wolves started at age 6 when she got a birthday present with a wolf theme. She wanted to thank her relatives for the gift with a postcard featuring wolves.

First, her mother called the St. Louis Zoo for suggestions. In turn, she was referred to the Wild Canid Center, which is often called the Wolf Sanctuary.

That summer, Taylor enrolled in the center's summer camp for kids 6-to-10.

This year, Taylor attended her third Camp Rendezvous session in June. She's turned out to be quite a recruiter for the summer camp.

The second summer, she got three of her friends to attend. Then, this summer, the Illinois contingent had 10, including Taylor and her younger sister. Sister Audrey turned six so she was old enough to attend.

Young kids attending the camps can't touch the animals or get too close because the wolves are wild animals. Also, Center officials don't want the baby wolves to get too close to humans. The offspring are being raised for release back into the wild.

However, the kids do learn about how the wolves survive in the wild. One predator-prey game they play pits wolves against musk ox, which wolves hope to have for dinner.

Taylor points out the wolves don't always win. If the musk ox herd is large, with adult males and females, they often withstand a wolf attack. "If there's only one wolf, the wolf oftentimes gets killed," she said.

In a recent interview at the Wild Canid Center, Taylor said she's already decided on a career. "It's going to be something to do with animals. Maybe I'll be a veterinarian or a zoo keeper or maybe I'll work here," she said.

The last couple Christmases, Taylor even brought presents for the wolves. The presents include dog food, stew meat and fruits such as oranges, bananas and apples.

Although wolves are primarily meat eaters, some breeds of wolves like fruits.

"I also brought a box of crickets for the swift foxes. They like to chase and eat crickets," she said.

Taylor and her family have "adopted" a swift fox as part of their membership at the Center. This endangered animal is the smallest wild canid in North America.

The swift foxes were primarily found in the plains states from Texas into Canada. However, reduced habitat has limited them to a small area in the Dakotas, Montana and Canada, according to Melissa Hurayt, the center's volunteer coordinator.

Taylor wrote his "Wolf Stories" book as part of a school project. It features a wolf family, with a father, mother and kids. "The main character is a teen-age wolf," Taylor said.

Her mother, Debbie, had copies of the story bound in book form. Two of copies went to Taylor's two grandmothers as Mother's Day presents. She gave another to Melissa, "my counselor at Wolf Camp."

The Wild Canid Center was started years ago by Marlon Perkins, one of the St. Louis Zoo's early directors. Perkins gained world attention as the host of a long-running TV show that stressed the need for helping endangered wildlife species.

Unlike the St. Louis Zoo, the Wild Canid Center isn't open to the public, except on a few days a year. However, it does encourage the interest of children, such as Taylor, with its summer camps. It also has public open houses from time to time.

(For more information about the Wild Canid Center, log on to www.wolfsanctuary.org).

 

This is the text and some of the illustrations in Taylor Winn's "Wolf Stories" book:

Wolf Stories
Written by: Taylor Anne Winn
Illustrated by: Taylor Anne Winn

Long, long ago, somewhere in Canada, there lived a gray wolf pack. One young teenage male wolf named Cody, liked adventure and surprises, but most of all he hated girls. Now one day he was walking alone, trying to catch something, and all of a sudden he spied a beautiful young female. Will Cody give up his pack? Will he start his own pack?

Cody could not believe his eyes. She was the most beautiful female he had ever seen. It appeared her name was Kelsi, and she loved him back. Kelsi went over a small mountain and started to dig. She was making a den for their pups. Will Kelsi's pups die before birth?

Kelsi sat down in the den about to have her pups. She had a total of three pups. Their names were Summer, Star and Kirstin and they were all females. When the pups were finally born, Kelsi started to feed Summer, Star and Kirstin, but then Kelsi saw her ex-boyfriend and he was furious. Will Kelsi's ex-boyfriend kill Cody? Will Kelsi hate Cody?

Kelsi's ex-boyfriend's name was Taho, and of course he was furious. Cody saw him and started growling while Kelsi sat in the den protecting Summer, Star and Kirstin. Taho leaped for Cody and injured him in his eye. Taho leaped away feeling good that he injured Cody, but before Taho came, Kirstin had just opened her eyes and saw the whole thing. Will Cody die?

Kirstin saw what Taho did and boy was she mad. She said to herself, "I hope he doesn't injure my dad again," she said and she meant it. Then, all of the sudden, Summer opened her eyes and she was happy as a clam. Kirstin explained that Taho had injured their dad and Summer was mad. Will Kirstin try to kill Taho?

Kirstin and Summer walked out of the den "mad as a bull with a tack in his throat." Cody started walking towards the den very, very tired while Kelsi went in with him. While Kelsi and Cody slept, Kirstin and Summer started planning Operation Something. Will their plan work out?

Star finally opened her eyes while Summer explained what happened to their dad. Kirstin set up the mud while Summer explained to the hornets what they were doing. The hornets agreed to the plan and talked about it. Suddenly Taho came and slipped! Will Taho be singing "I believe I can fly?"

Taho slipped in the mud and went sailing down through the waterfall into the hornet's nest, and Taho came out really hurt and ran back to his pack. When Taho was finally healed, he went with his pack to confront his worst enemy, Cody. What will happen to Cody?

Taho's pack jumped out of the bushes and surrounded Cody, while some of the other wolves surrounded Kelsi. One blocked the den with Summer, Star and Kirstin in it, but since they were pups they managed to slip through the guard in front of the den and escaped. What will they do to help their parents?

Summer, Star and Kirstin started to think of a plan to help their parents, and do you know what they thought of? Operation Wolftrap and this is what they planned. The whole wolf pack would trip over a log and into the human traps they found lying around somewhere. Will the wolf pack die?

Their plan was set up and ready to go, but then the wolf pack came along ready to attack, and guess what they tripped over the log and fell into the human traps like they planned. Everyone died except Taho and he was definitely going to kill Cody, he wasn't going to give up, "No Siree." Is Taho so mad he will kill himself?

Well...Then a terrible thing happened, ten minutes after the fight, Taho did kill himself and Cody was so happy he had a party. But, after an hour or two they heard that Taho's cousin, Orilo, had planned to destroy Cody, Kelsi, Summer, Star and Kirstin, but Cody's pack was ready to battle. Will Cody defeat Orilo?

Orilo and Cody and their packs met at an open place, "The Arena," they called it and it was slippery.! They started to fight. The leaders Cody and Orilo stood on two separate rocks above the others. Cody was very sad, and Orilo was excited. Will Cody's pack die?

Well the battle was finally won. Ten of Orilo's friends were injured and none of Cody's friends were injured so Cody won! Then, all of a sudden Cody was joined by his family. They returned to their home in Canada and had a very good and happy life.

-The end-

 

Books

This month's book reviews

Six kids are shipwrecked on an uncharted
island with a left over atomic bomb

The set-up for this story is that six kids in their early teens are on kind of a "shape up" cruise for kids that have been in varying kinds of trouble. The cruise ship is caught in a violent storm and sinks. The kids manage to make it to a small Pacific island that doesn't show up on any maps. The island is covered with tropical vegetation and contains some abandoned military buildings left over from World War II. The war had ended in 1945, fifty-six years earlier. By accident, the kids discover an old bomb had been left behind when the soldiers and sailors went home at the war's end. The bomb looks just like pictures of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan to end the war. Just to add even greater danger to the situation, the kids find that vicious smugglers are using the island to trade in illegal goods. In fact, one of the kids is shot and seriously wounded by accident when the smugglers are randomly firing their guns.

Much of the story shows how these kids with widely differing personalities come to depend on one another to survive in a not too friendly environment. The title of the paperback is "Island, book three, Escape." The little book is the third and concluding volume of a three part series. Because it summarizes what went on before this book takes up the story, it stands on its own. On the other hand, if you think you like the story line, you may want to purchase all three of the inexpensive paperbacks and read them in the proper order. If the other two are like "Island, book three, Escape", a reader will experience plenty of suspense and excitement.

 

If you like stories with guns, bows and arrows, Indians, and outlaws, this is a book for you

"Tucket's Home" by Gary Paulson is a western and pioneer adventure story set in the pre-Civil War period. It is the fifth and concluding book of a paperback series about the yearlong travels of Francis Tucket as he tries to find his family after being kidnapped from a wagon train by Pawnees. Francis had just turned fourteen when he was separated from his family, which was traveling to Oregon along the Oregon Trail. With the help of a friendly mountain man named Jason Grimes, he escapes from the Indians. Jason Grimes teaches Francis how to survive on the trail. Soon, Francis is involved in one dangerous adventure after another.

At the beginning of this fifth book, Francis has picked up two traveling companions, ten-year-old Lottie and eight-year-old Billy, a brother and sister who had been traveling with another wagon train. They had been with their father who when he caught the deadly disease, Cholera, and was left to die along the trail by other members of the wagon train. After discovering the orphaned children, Francis felt responsible for helping them go west with him. Young as the two kids are, each of them develops skills that help all three of the group survive on the journey westward.

There are some shocking scenes in the book as the kids meet fellow travelers, only to find their new friends later murdered by a roaming band of ex-soldiers turned into killers. How the kids cope with danger and become more and more self-reliant makes up the main part of the story. A reader is kept wondering right up to the last minute whether the kids will ever find a safe home.

If you like just a little bit of history and just a little bit of geography mixed with a whole lot of adventure, the Tucket books are books you should consider reading.

 

History and mystery combine on
the Colorado frontier in 1867

Emma Henderson lost her father in the last days of the Civil War. He had been a small newspaper editor and publisher in Chicago before he went to war. Emma's mother had worked with her husband in running the newspaper. She thought she had learned enough to accept an offer to start a newspaper in a small town in Colorado. Emma wasn't happy to be leaving her friends and the comforts of home to travel to an unknown place. However, she had promised her father as he left for war that she would help her mother if something happened to him. As they were preparing for their journey, Emma heard someone whistling her father's favorite tune, just as he whistled it. The mysterious whistler is the source of the name of the book, "Whistler in the Dark."

In Colorado, Emma and her mother found nothing was like it had been promised. The founder of the town had lied about the size of the town, the existence of a church and school, and about providing a home and a newspaper print shop. In addition, it became clear that someone didn't want a newspaper in town. To add to her fears, Emma heard the mysterious stranger whistling her father's tune outside the window of the boarding house. Had he followed them from Chicago just to keep them from staying in Colorado?

Emma's mother was a strong and independent woman, but she was almost ready to give up. Emma became angry enough to encourage her mother to fight against the odds and work to publish a successful newspaper. Events get complicated, but luckily there are good people to help Emma and her mother fight against whoever it was that was trying to drive them out of town. Once you get involved with Emma's efforts to find out who is sabotaging her and her mother, you can't wait to see how it all turns out.

 

Monkeys, of all things, plague a young
Oklahoma homesteader in the 1890's

Jay Berry is a fourteen-year-old boy in family of homesteaders trying to farm in southeastern Oklahoma. He and his twin sister, Daisy, live with their parents. Daisy has difficulty walking because of a deformed leg. Her parents have been told that Daisy's leg problem could be corrected with surgery, but they are unable to save enough money to afford it. In spite of her disability, Daisy remains cheerful and surprisingly active. To complete the picture, Jay's grandparents run a general store not too many miles from where Jay and his family live.

When his chores are done, Jay along with his hound dog, Rowdy, roam around the surrounding countryside. The densely wooded river bottomland is especially interesting to Jay. His mother doesn't like him to go there, because it is so swampy and easy to get lost in. On one of his jaunts, Jay is astonished when he sees what appear to be monkeys. His parents laugh at him and think that he must be mistaken. When Jay tells his grandfather about what he saw, however, his grandfather had an explanation. He'd read that a traveling circus had lost thirty monkeys, or more correctly, twenty-nine little monkeys and a chimpanzee, or "big monkey." He had also read that the circus was willing to pay two dollars reward for each monkey captured and a whole $100 for the "big monkey."

Jay can't believe his good fortune. He was about to be rich! Now he could buy the pony and the new rifle that he had always wanted. All he had to do was catch the monkeys and turn them over for the reward. Boy, was he in for a shock! Every idea that he and his grandfather came up with to catch the monkeys failed. Clearly, the chimpanzee or "big monkey" was too smart to get caught or to let any of his little monkey friends get captured. You have to read the book, "The Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls, to find out if the monkeys were ever caught, and, if they were, how it was done. On the other hand, you just might have seen the Disney Video of the same name to see how it all turned out.

 

Summer Reading

Book News Flash! The autobiography of the great Cardinal sports announcer, Jack Buck, called "That's a Winner," was reviewed in the December 2000 issue of Young Saint Louis.com.

Reading Good Books
as Part of Summer Fun

Some kids look forward to summer as a great time to catch up on reading the good books that they didn't have time for during the school year. For them, the message here is to remind them of the good books that have been reviewed on Young Saint Louis.com each month during the past year or so. For those kids who don't see reading as much fun in the summer, the message here is to try to get them to realize that books are like good clothes - if you just look around a little bit you will find something you like that fits you perfectly.

As the guy who writes the book reviews for Young Saint Louis.com, I've read over a hundred kids' books since YSL.com has been on line. How do I pick the books to review?

I just go to the bookstore at the mall and look in the intermediate and teens section. Most of the time I just browse and I try to find paperbacks that are fairly recent publications, look like they would be interesting (to me and to the kids I write for), and are fairly inexpensive. Once and awhile, I find a kid there who is eager to recommend a book he or she especially liked.

Sometimes I read and review more expensive hardbacks, if I have a special reason to report on them right away. The Harry Potter books or are an example. All the books reviewed can be purchased at discount prices from Walden Books or Borders or ordered on line from Amazon.com. Of course, many of them can be borrowed for free from the local public library.

It's hard for me to pick favorites from the hundred or more books reviewed over the months since May of 2000. If you want to read about all of them, just go to the past issues tab at the top of the home page for YSL.com, and read the reviews in the book sections for each month. To make it more visual, the colorful covers of each book are also shown with the review. The reason it's hard to name favorites is that I liked almost all of them - each for a different reason. I read a lot of books in the summertime when I was a kid, but kids today have a much greater variety to pick from. There are plenty of interesting books that aren't too long and are fairly easy reading - you don't have to spend weeks plowing through one book but can fit reading several of them in while you are doing lots of other things.

Boys might enjoy "A Boy at War", the story of a boy caught in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 while he was out fishing with a friend (November 2001). They might also enjoy "Against the Odds", which is about a boy on a vacation trapped in a cabin with a couple of younger kids while an 800-pound grizzly bear is tearing the cabin apart to get at them (April 2001). Girls might find hilarious reading in "The Top-secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin" (July 2000). Girls might also find good summer reading in "Taking Chances", one in the Heartland series of books about a girl who works at saving and retraining mistreated or injured horses (March 2001).

For readers interested in sports stories, there is "Long Shot", which is about girls' basketball (March 2002) or "Long Arm Quarterback" about boys and football (November 2000). For non-fiction readers there are a number of biographies, including that of the famous woman aviator, Amelia Earhart, (February 2002) or the great magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, (January 2002).

Good historical novels include "An Eye for An Eye", the adventures of a "tom boy" in the Revolutionary War (April 2001) or "Bushwhacker", about a brother and sister separated from their family in Missouri during the Civil War period (January 2002). For fans of mysteries, among several choices are "The Shakespeare Stealer" (April 2002) or "The Scream Museum" (September 2001).

Whatever your tastes or interests might be, just remember that there are books out there that were written with you in mind. Don't miss out on the fun this summer that comes from reading them.

As a final note, remember books are even more fun if they are shared. As this reviewer sometimes points out on the website in the reviews for parents, a surprising number of these books are just as much fun for adults as they are for kids. Some of them need lots of family discussion to be fully appreciated. Examples would be "Kit's Wilderness" (February 2002) or ""Gathering Blue" (November 2000).

A final final note - just a brainstorming idea - how about kids collecting and trading paperbacks instead of baseball cards or other types of collectibles? You could even specialize in categories - history, mysteries, biographies, sports, particular authors, fantasy, humor, horse stories, dog stories, trivia, and who knows what else...

 

Sports

Summer tennis season underway
for two ranked girls

Twelve-year-old Gabriela Demos and 14-year-old Nicole Kantor are top-ranked among young St. Louis area tennis players. But, the paths to those rankings were different and definitely not easy.

Gabriela said her dad started "hitting balls to me when I was four." She's been playing competitive tennis since she was eight. This spring, she earned the No. 1 ranking among local girls her age although she suffered a rotator-cuff injury in February.

That forced her to serve underhanded during matches. She didn't get back to her regular overhand serve until the Missouri Valley Super One tournament in June.

For Nicole, the problem of improving her game wasn't physical. It was motivational. She started playing tennis when she was six but she dropped out for awhile.

Nicole said, "I really wasn't trying. I didn't want to work that hard to really improve."

But, when she was nine, Nicole entered a tournament. "I did pretty well," she said. That triggered a renewed interest that led to her No. 1 ranking. She's already qualified for the Super National clay and hard-court tournaments.

She'll be in the clay tournament at Plantation, Fla., July 17-24, and in the hard-court tournament in College Park, Ga., Aug. 3-9.

(To learn more about St. Louis junior tennis, visit www.usta.com/missourivalley)

Gabriela won't be playing in the nationals this year because she had her injury at the time of the qualifying tournaments.

Both girls would like to play professional tennis and are working hard toward those goals.

Gabriela earned high rankings in California, where her family lived before moving to Missouri in 2000. She is now taking lessons from pro Mac McDonald. A lot of her practice sessions are designed to increase agility, speed and strength.

Also, many of her practice matches are against boys and older players.

Gabriela is only 4'10" and weighs just 72 pounds. But, a strength of her game is hitting ground strokes "pretty hard." She's also can retrieve opponents shots all over the court.

She's waiting for her growth spurt to help her gain the strength and power she'll need to advance as she gets older. She thinks she'll be 5'7" or 5'9" when fully grown.

Gabriela said one of her favorite tennis experiences occurred at a pro tennis tournament in Oklahoma City. She participated in a "return contest" where people from the audience tried to return serves from a pro player.

"I was the last one standing from the 25 who started," she said.

Another favorite experience was in a Florida Easter Classic tournament where she competed against players attending the state's famed tennis academies. Her victory was especially satisfying because she was serving underhanded because of her shoulder injury.

Her goal this year is to reach at least a No. 3 ranking in the Missouri Valley. Then, longer-term, she'd like to be able to go on the pro tour after finishing high school. She will be a 7th grader at Rockwood Valley Middle School in the fall.

Nicole will be an 8th grader this fall at Mary Institute-Country Day School.

She also practices five days a week. About half the practices don't involve playing tennis. She works on weight machines "to build muscle" and also on agility drills. One of them involves high-stepping between rungs on a ladder laying on the ground.

"I need to work on my quickness," she said.

She said one of her tennis strengths is consistency of play. "And, I rarely miss a backhand down the line," she said.

She said her best experience in tennis was playing in her first Super National tournament. She was 11 at the time and competing in the 12-and-under class. "Those older girls were so good I found out where I needed to be," she said.

Nicole said she hopes to be good enough at tennis to qualify for a scholarship at a California university. After college, she'd like to be a pro also.

As Gabriela, Nicole got her initial interest in tennis from her father, Owen. However, he died in 1997 from a brain tumor.

Nicole remembered that her coach at that time would schedule some of her lessons on tennis courts near Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "The nurses would push my dad's bed to the window so he could watch me practice," she said.

 

Gardening

City schools teach gardening
in outdoor courtyard

This summer, Ronnie Goodson, Tre Goins and Donja Moore are learning about gardening from an expert while they're in school.

(For how you can do gardening, see sidebar below.)

The young kids go to Gateway Elementary School in the City of St. Louis. Their school is connected with Gateway Middle and Gateway Michael schools. The three schools are around a huge outdoor courtyard that is full of living plants and animals.

The courtyard includes a pond, wetlands, a miniature prairie as well as a weather station and places for water experiments. It is an living outdoor laboratory that kids get to use every day.

It's so big the schools have hired a full-time gardener and horticulturist. Steve Caven is responsible for keeping everything growing. Also, he helps teach kids about growing things, including garden vegetables.

One day recently, Ronnie, Tre and Donja were in a group that started an experiment in growing beans.

Caven had filled four large containers with specially prepared dirt. The kids then planted bean seeds in a circle in two of the containers. After the bean plants come up, the kids will build a 10-foot trellis so the bean plants can form an arch between the containers.

At the same time, each kid filled a small container to plant his own bean seed. They took them back to class and watch them grow. They'll check how fast seeds in small containers grow indoors compared to those in the large containers outdoors.

Eight-year-old Donja said, "My bean is going to grow taller than the school building."

All three of the boys said their grandmothers had gardens at home.

Nine-year-old Ronnie said, "I cut the weeds and sometimes help in planting." Asked if he likes to eat things from the garden, he said, "I like broccoli the best."

Eight-year-old Tre said his grandmother has sunflowers in her garden. "I've worked in the garden two times," he said.

Donja said he helps his grandmother water her garden.

Teacher Judy Kreitner said she uses the courtyard gardens for different science and ecology lessons. One set of lessons involve the courtyard pond and wetlands and the things that live in it.

"We also check how the plants change in different seasons," she said.

Ronnie said he spotted a bull frog and gold fish. "And I saw a mama duck sitting on a nest with eggs," he said.

Donja said he spotted a duck trying to get into the school building. The school has two resident ducks in the courtyard.

But, sometimes, they get flying visitors from outside. For instance, the day the kids planted their beans, a snowy egret bird dropped in to check out the pond.

Caven said, "You think about us being in the middle of the city. But, St. Louis is on one of the major bird flyways in the country. And, we're only a half mile from the (Mississippi) river." A flyway is a route birds follow as they fly south in the fall and north in the spring.

Another courtyard feature is the footprints of native Missouri animals in the sidewalks. The prints were put in when the cement was still wet. They are put in alphabetical order, starting with armadillo. Bear is next.

Another part of the courtyard includes examples of prehistoric fossils that occurred in this area long before there were humans.

There is also an above-ground water system to show how water flows. And there's an old-fashioned hand water pump like in the pioneer days.

Another major courtyard feature is the weather station. That provides data directly to Channel 11's television weather desk. Also, that station's daily forecast is circulated in the close-circuit TV system in the school.

 

Gateway Greening can give gardening advice Kids who want to know more about gardening should check with Gateway Greening. The organization is affiliated with the Missouri Botanical Gardens. It is a clearing house for gardening opportunities in the metro St. Louis area. Gateway Greening provides advice and assistance for the City of St. Louis' many neighborhood community gardens. Also, its people will help establish community gardens in surrounding areas of the St. Louis metro area. They've even got a special website for kids. Just log on to www.schoolworms.com. Or for general information, check www.gatewaygreening.org.

 

Careers

Teen gets more responsibility in science job

Three years ago, Lakishe McPike got her first paying job in the science field. For two summers, she was a teaching assistant, helping elementary kids in summer classes.

This summer, 17-year-old Lakishe has gotten added responsibility and is adding to her science knowledge with two science jobs. To help earn more money for college, she even has a third job conducting customer surveys in a shopping center.

First, she's been named as one of 10 Mastercard Scholars in the St. Louis Science Center's Youth Exploring Science (YES) program. She's a gallery assistant in the Center's Exploradome "Puzzles" exhibit.

The exhibit provides kids and adults a large collection of interactive math and science puzzles to solve. There are puzzles large and small, for all ages from toddlers to adults.

Lakishe said, "I greet people at the entrance. Then, if they have trouble with a puzzle, I help them. We try to show them how to do the puzzle without giving away the answer."

But, Lakishe admits she can't figure out all the answers. One particularly tough puzzle for her is called Torpedo Man. It involves getting one stick figure through bars of a cage.

"This puzzle is supposed to teach patience but I can't do it. And it hasn't taught me patience yet," she said.

In Lakishe's first two summers in the YES program, she merely helped an older teacher in the classroom. This summer, as a Mastercard Scholar, she'll be working more on her own.

Diane Miller is the education manager at the Science Center. She supervises the YES program which helps young St. Louis kids get their first paying job experience in science.

This is the first year for the Mastercard Scholars. They are given jobs with more responsibility as well as more pay.

This is the fourth year of the YES program. A total of 115 St. Louis kids interested in science have joined the program. Miller recruited 25 new kids to start this summer.

But, like Lakishe, some kids work more than one summer. For instance, there are a total of 62 working this summer.

Eight kids from the first YES class are now in college. Four of them are back with YES this summer, working to develop curriculum for future science classes.

Miller recruits YES students from eight local children's agencies. They include Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, Matthews Dickey Boys and Girls Club, Girls, Inc., YWCA Teen Tool Program, Lighthouse, Christian Service Center, Anne Malone Children and Family Service Center and the Adams Community Center.

Young kids interested in joining future YES classes should contact one of those agencies to see if they are eligible to join.

Lakishe will be a senior at Metro High School in the city of St. Louis. She joined the YES program through the YWCA.

Her science interest started early. She said, "When I was small, I liked to experiment with things. When I was seven, I told my mother I wanted to be a pediatric surgeon. I still do."

After graduating from high school, she wants to go to the University of Missouri-Columbia and then to Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Why Howard? "My father wants me to go to a historically-black college. Howard has the highest percentage of black doctors who have graduated from there," she said.

The YES program not only gives the kids experience in science-related jobs but helps them develop other career skills. They attend developmental classes aimed at helping them work well with other people. They also learn how to use community resources to help them in their jobs.

Her second science job this summer is with the ECO-ACT program at the Missouri Botanical Garden. There, she'll be helping teach elementary kids during field trips to the Garden and other ecological centers.

Asked about her career choice, Lakishe said she's always been interested in medicine and also likes to work with kids. Being a pediatric surgeon would combine both interests.

Young Saint Louis.com met Lakisha two years ago when she was a teaching assistant for a summer YES science class. During one class, she spotted one of the kids who was crying. While the adult science teacher worked with the rest of the class, Lakishe counseled with the crying child.

Before the end of the class, the child had quit crying and was eagerly participating in the science experiments. If you'd like to read that earlier story from August, 2000, you can click here.

 

Profile

(Second in a series)

Florissant girl very active in community service

When Jazzmine Booker's father had a heart attack, she wanted to be ready for when he got out of the hospital.

The 10-year-old Florissant girl used her own money to pay for CPR and first aid classes. She earned a badge after taking Saturday classes.

But, that's only one of the accomplishments that earned Jazzmine a Gateway 2002 Young Achiever of the Year award this spring. She has done many Girl Scout, church and neighborhood service projects.

(Young Saint Louis.com is profiling four elementary and four middle schoolers given the 2002 Achiever awards. Jazzmine's profile is the second of eight. The announcement story [click here] was in the May, 2002, edition. The first individual profile [click here] was in the June, 2002, edition.)

(For more information about the Achievers program, log on to www.iln-gateway.org)

Jazzmine already has her career plans set. She plans to be an elementary school teacher.

"My favorite subject is spelling and I like to teach," she said.

She also thinks she'll be able to relate to young kids. She admits, "I get into a little trouble once in awhile."

"When I'm a teacher, I'll give kids one more chance if they get in trouble. But, if they use up that chance, they'll have to sit in the corner. And, I'll keep them in from recess," she added.

But, while disciplining kids, Jazzmine said she'll be trying to show them ways to be positive in their lives. "I want to help kids act positive, not negative," she said.

Jazzmine just finished the sixth grade at the Ames School in the city of St. Louis. That's a magnet elementary school on the city's north side.

Next year, she's going to attend the Carr-Lane Middle School. Both schools are a part of the Visual and Performing Arts program in city schools. In addition to regular classes next year, she will study dance, band, video taping and piano in her "arts block."

Jazzmine is very active in her church, The Temple of Judah Church of God in Christ.

During a recent church construction fund raiser, she raised $1,000 all by herself. "I was the best of the kid fund-raisers," she said. But, she admitted some adults brought in more. "Adults have more money," she said.

She solicited funds from teachers, people in the church and others in the neighborhood. "I went out every single day," Jazzmine said.

She also works at the church every other week during Adult Bible Study. She works in the child care department while the adults study.

"I help the kids with their homework and also play games with them," Jazzmine said.

She said she likes to help the kids with science. One time, she helped them make and test a water rocket. "The rocket only went up about a foot. Nobody got hurt and nothing got broken," she said.

Jazzmine also sings in the children's choir at church. She said the gospel and "old school" songs are her favorites. But, she said, "I'm too shy to sing any solos."

But, there wasn't any shyness in her church fund-raising or in her sales of Girl Scout cookies. For the third straight year, she was the leading cookie seller for Troop 1415. In the last cookie drive, she sold 450 boxes.

She also is a participant in the troop's April Showers drive to collect soap, tooth brushes and other bathroom supplies for the homeless and under-privileged. She's volunteered to go to nursing homes to be with the residents.

Since her father came home from the hospital, Jazzmine has helped around the house. "But, I wasn't very good at giving him a bath. I got water all over," she said. Her mother took over those duties, she said.

So far, she hasn't had to use any of her CPR or first aid skills. But, she said she likes to be prepared.

Another service she does is to baby-sit for a neighbor couple who has a young child. "I don't ask for any money. I bring over some of my toys and we play and watch videos. Then, I give her some cookies. She likes snacks before she goes to bed," she said.

 

This Month in St. Louis History

Eads bridge & ice cream cone

Two events in past Julys brought some international attention to St. Louis. One was a serious engineering feat and the other was about fun in the summer.

• On July 4, 1874, famed St. Louis engineer James B. Eads' bridge across the Mississippi was dedicated. At the time, the bridge was a marvel of creative engineering.

Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman presided over the bridge dedication

Two interesting websites give more details of Eads' long life in engineering. One is the St. Louis Walk of Fame: www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/james-eads.html
Also see a University of Missouri site: www.system.missouri.edu/upress/spring1999/scott.htm

• July 23, 1904, the story goes that St. Louisan Charles Menches made the first ice cream cone during the 1904 World's Fair. That's when he took a pastry cone and filled it with ice cream to help World's Fair-goers to cope with St. Louis' summer heat and humidity.

For more about the history of ice cream, you can visit American Memory at the Library of Congress at: memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul23.html.

 

Places to Go, Things to Do

That St. Louis summer attraction that excites kids and makes parents cringe is back. Mighty Mud Mania will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27.

The event will be at Jefferson Barracks Park in south St. Louis County. Advance reservations are recommended because parks officials limit admission so the event doesn't get too crowded.

The main attraction for kids 5 through 15 is the 200-foot long obstacle course that's built on a bed of slippery, gooey mud. Kids are urged to wear only clothes that they don't plan to use again.

But, there are 10 other "clean" fun events such as inflatable rides, treasure sand pits and face-painting. Park officials usually come up with a new event every year.

There are showerheads available to clean up after the mud run. You need to wash off the worst of the mud before you can enter the "clean" events.

Admission for advanced reservations is $6, then $7 at the gate. Adults get in free but they don't get to get muddy. For reservations, call (314) 638-2100 or register online at www.stlouisco.com/parks.

 

Learn a summer hobby: rock painting

Arizona painter Lin Wellford will be in St. Louis in July to show kids how to turn rocks into creative art work. The event is Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The hands-on workshop will be in the Visitor's Lobby of the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood. For directions, call (314) 301-1500.

Wellford is a well-known rock artist whose books have sold over a half-million copies. Her latest is "Painting on Rocks for Kids." That provides step-by-step instructions for kids to let them get the most out of their rock collection.

Many kids like to collect rocks during hikes or on vacation. Then, if you know how to paint them, it adds that much more fun.

Here's a chance to learn a neat way to turn your rock collection into decorated paperweights, doorstops or even bookends.

For a sample of Wellford's art, log on to her website at www.linwellford.com

 

Math Puzzler

Keep those Math Puzzlers
coming in the summer

Some of you apparently are taking the summer off when it comes to entering the Math Puzzler competition. The number of entries in June fell off but we did have a winner.

But, Mr. Math Puzzler --math teacher Wayne Hesse of Green Park Lutheran School--has come up with a whole new set of questions for July. This time, there are no illustrations, just word questions.

He's got some crazy names but most of the questions are pretty straight forward math. You can get some clues by looking back at Puzzlers from previous months.

(To look for clues, just click on the Past Stories tab at the top of the home page. Then, you can review puzzlers all the way back to when they started in September, 2001. If you check September, 2001, questions, you can get the answers by clicking on to October, 2001. The answers to one month's questions are always listed the following month, all the way to the present.)

Young Saint Louis.com started the Math Puzzlers last fall as a way for kids to participate personally in the website. Each month, Mr. Math Puzzler comes up with a half-dozen new, brain-teasing math questions.

We've included a ready-made entry form below that you can use to send in with your answers. If you get all Puzzlers correct, we print the names of winners the next month and offer an added bonus for up to three of those getting all the answers right.

All winning entries are put in a hat and up to three are selected to receive a $10 Borders gift certificate.

Remember, you can enter more than once. If you think a Puzzler could be answered more than one way, you can print out two different entry blanks. That way you can give one answer on one entry and a second one on the other form.

Submit your answers to the July contest by using the form below. In August, we'll publish names of those who answered all questions correctly. We'll also include explanations of the answers. (For June winners and answers, see below.)

A reminder: These Math Puzzlers can be quite challenging, especially for younger kids. Remember, we don't mind if you get help from a parent or older brother or sister. In fact, you might want to make this a family activity.

Here's how to enter:

1. Print out the following entry form.
   
2. Fill out your name, address and telephone number.
   
3. Give your answers to the six Math Puzzlers.
   
4. Put your completed entry into a stamped envelope.
   
5. Mail your entry to:
   
   Math Puzzler Contest
   Young Saint Louis.com
   7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 350
   Clayton, MO 63105
   
   
6. All entries must be postmarked by the 15th of the month to be eligible for a book prize.

-------------Clip here to make entry-------------

Entry for July, 2002, Math Puzzler Contest:

Name: _____________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

City:___________________, State:______ ZIP_______

Contact phone no.(______)____________________

The Math Puzzlers
(July, 2002)

1. How far do you have to count before using the letter A in the spelling of a number?

 

Answer:_____________

 

2. Make 1,000 by using exactly eight 8's. You may use any operation signs between the numbers that you need.

 

Answer:_____________

 

3. Change the ZIP code 63125 from Arabic numerals to a Roman numeral. (Hint: Because we don't use large Roman numerals very often, you might want to check in the front or back of a big dictionary to see how to handle numbers that go into the many thousands.)

 

Answer:_____________

 

4. Gareth collects winged cats. One day, a friend asked him, "How many winged cats do you have now, Gareth?" Gareth answered, "I have two-thirds of their number plus two-thirds of a winged cat." How many winged cats does Gareth have?

 

Answer:______________

 

5. Jarblek, Belgar, Poklgar and Garion were each paid the same hourly rate to build a bridge. One day, Jarblek worked the full day, Belgar worked half of a day and Poklgar worked half as long as Belgar and one third as long as Garion. Together the four earned 40 lucs. How many lucs did each receive?

 

Answer:______________

 

6. A knight on horseback left Belft to ride to Dalch at the same time another knight left Dalch on horseback to ride to Belft along the same road. The first knight traveled 30 miles per hour and the second knight traveled 28 miles per hour. How far apart were the two knights one hour before they met?

 

Answer:______________

 

One familiar name is a Math
Puzzler winner in June

Courtney Lauer of St. Louis is getting to be a familiar name in the winner's circle of Young Saint Louis.com's Math Puzzler competition. But, she was the only one who answered all six questions correctly last month.

Entries in the June competition fell off some as most of you headed off to summer vacations. But, Mr. Math Puzzler reminds you to continue to think about having some fun with math in the summer. It will help you keep sharp for next fall's math classes.

In order to enter the contest this month, just click here. You fill out the attached entry blank and figure your answers. Then, mail your entry or entries to the address on the entry form. (Remember, your entry must be postmarked by the 15th of the month to be eligible to win.)

Answers for June, 2002, Math Puzzler Contest:

1. John wants to ship a baseball bat to his sister. The bat is 4 feet, 11 inches long. He places it in a rectangular box that is 5 feet long. When he takes it to the shipper, they can't send the package because it is too long. All dimensions of the package must be 4 feet or less in order to be shipped. How can he ship the bat with this shipper? (A hint: If you want help, maybe you should ask Mr. Pythagorus.)

Answer: Bat will fit in 4x4 box if put in diagonally.

The explanation: You can use Pythagorus' Theorem to check the answer. The side of the box (Side A) is 4' and the bottom of the box (Side b) is 4'. Then, consider the bat put in diagonally as the third side of a triangle. Pythagorus' formula says Side A squared plus Side B squared = Six C squared.

• 16 (4 squared) + 16 (4 squared) = 32
• The square root of 32 is approximately more than 5.6.
• That answer of 5.6' is more than long enough to handle the 4'11' bat.

 

2. There's a tile below that doesn't fit with the other three in the group. Which one doesn't belong? (Hint: Think about a math product.)

Answer: The 54/22 tile

The explanation: The common relationship of the tile numbers, except for Tile C, is that if the top number is separated and then multiplied, it equals the bottom number. For example: 8 x 6 = 48; 3 x 5 = 15 and 7 x 4 = 28. But, in Tile 3, 5 x 4 = 20, not 22.

 

3. Can you exchange one card from each pile to form three piles with equal sums? (Aces count as one.)

Answer: Numbers need to be rearranged
so each column totals to 15

The explanation: To find what common number is needed, you add the total of the three groupings (No. 1 = 13, No. 2 = 19, No. 3 = 13). That total is 45. Then divide 45 by 3 to see what common per-column total is; the common number is 15. Then just shift one card from each line until each column adds up to 15. There are several different combinations you could use to get the 15 for each column.

 

4. If warrior princess Mistar were to ascertain how many men and how many horses she has under her command by counting both legs and heads, she was could 45 heads and 120 legs. How many horses are under Mistar's command? (Hint: Think about setting up two different equations for this answer.)

Answer: 15 horses

The explanation: This involves two equations. In the first one, each man and each horse has 1 head so m + h = 45. In the second one, each man has 2 legs and each horse has 4 legs or 2m + 4h = 120. Now, we need to combine the equations and get rid of the m (for man) variable to focus on the horses. If you multiple the top formula by minus 2, you can do that.

-2(m + h = 45) or -2m - 2h = -90

2m + 4h = 120 or 2m + 4h =120 Then, subtract, leaving as m's cancel out

2h   30
-- = --
 2    2

or h = 15 horses

 

5. At a royal banquet, there are 15 knights around the table. Each knight clinked his mug with knights on his immediate left and right. How many times did mugs clink? (Hint: Mr. Math Puzzler asked a similar knight question in January, 2002. The answer was in the February, 2002, edition.)

Answer: 15 clinks

The explanation: If everyone clinks to the right, there are 15 clinks. If everyone clinks to the left, there are 15 clinks. But, the second round of clinks is redundant because everyone has already clinked with each other on the first round.

 

6. Distal had sufficient hay and corn to feed his six horses for only 30 more days of harsh winter, not enough for the remaining 75 days before Spring arrived. On the seventh day, before feeding time, Distal sold four of his horses. Will he be able to feed his remaining two horses for the rest of the Winter?

Answer: Yes

The explanation: You can prove this answer with straight math, no algebra. First you need to find out how many horse-days of feed Distal has. (Just multiply 6 (number of horses) by 30 (number of days) to get 180 horse-days of feed. Therefore, he uses up 36 horse days of feed to feed his six horses for six days. That means he's got 144 horse-days of feed left at the time he sells four of the horses. But, by that time, there are only 69 days left before winter is over. Since he now has only two horses to feed, he'll only need 138 horse-days of feed to get to the end of winter. He'll have 6 horse-days of feed left or enough to feed his two horses an additional 3 days.

 

Fun & Games

Fun & Games

Fun Sports Trivia

1. What popular American team sport reportedly had its early stars from Midwest farm boys who practiced using fruit containers?
2. What is the most popular team sport everywhere in the world but in the United States?
3. What individual sport currently has two sisters as the top players in the world?
4. What war was of importance in making this team sport the most popular American sport?
5. What individual sport supposedly involves more people in its conduct than any other sport in the country?
6. What great sports figure who liked to eat hamburgers and hot dogs had a candy bar named after him?
7. What individual sport had a great champion who called himself "the Greatest"?
8. What team sport needs a machine to keep its playing surface in shape?
9. What sport, popular with all ages, calls for use of "a driver", but does not require a vehicle to play?
10. What animal is required to play a sport that is so expensive that it is often called "the sport of kings"?

 

Crossword Puzzles

Note that the words used in Young Saint Louis.com crossword puzzles are all taken from the articles appearing in this month's issue. When you have completed the puzzles, you can look below to find the answers!

Young Saint Louis.com - July #1

Across	Down
2. threat of extinction 4. a small group 5. a plant specialist 7. eats other species 8. home surroundings 9. support for plants 10. green vegetable	1. treats animals 3. before man existed 6. seeks new members

 

Young Saint Louis.com - July #2

Across	Down
3. treats child ills 5. course of study 6. maintaining order 7. live in an area 10. ability to wait	1. collected donations 2. focus on nature 4. shows consideration 8. doctor who operates 9. a short play

 

Fourth of July

Across	Down
2. best place to be 5. flying everywhere 8. provide music 10. what we celebrate	1. hold the hotdogs 2. requires lotion 3. held on main street 4. usually very hot 6. noisy celebration 7. usually part of diet 9. patriotic song

 

School Jokes (It's okay - school's out!)

Teacher: Did they play tennis in ancient Egypt?
      Student: Sure, since the Bible tells how Joseph served in Pharaoh's court!

Teacher: Did the Native Americans hunt bear?
      Student: Not in the winter!

Teacher: Class, the next question I ask I want all of you to answer at once. Now, how much is seven plus five?
      Students: "At once!"

Teacher: Tommy, that's a bad cough you have there. What are you taking for it?
      Tommy: I don't know, teacher. What will you give me?

What are the small rivers that flow into the Nile?
      The juve-niles!

Student: My teacher was mad at me today because I didn't know where the Rockies were.
      Mother: Well, next time remember where you put things!

Teacher: Tommy, you missed school yesterday, didn't you?
      Tommy: Not very much!

Teacher: Tommy, why were you late today?
      Tommy: I overslept.
Teacher: It's three in the afternoon!

What was Camelot famous for?
      Its knight life!

Mother: How were the exam questions today?
      Student: Oh, they were easy.
Mother: Then, why do you look so unhappy?
      Student: The questions didn't give me any trouble, just the answers!

Student: Today, my teacher yelled at me for something I didn't do.
      Mother: What was that?
Student: My homework!

 

Other Jokes (Just as bad, or worse)

Pam: Does your dog have a license?
     Sam: No, she's not old enough to drive!

Pam: I lost my cat.
     Sam: That's too bad. Did you put an ad in the paper?
Pam: That wouldn't help. My cat can't read!

There was a lady going to Disneyland. She saw a sign on the highway that said, "Disneyland left." So she turned around and went home.

A policeman spotted a man driving a car with a tiger sitting next to him. The police officer stopped the man and said. "It's against the law to have a tiger in your car. Take that tiger to the zoo." The next day, the officer saw the same man with the tiger still in his car. The officer said, "I thought I told you to take that tiger to the zoo!" The driver replied, "I did and he liked it. So today we're going to the beach!"

 

Let's end this torture with a couple of knock knocks

Knock. Knock.
     Who's there?
Turnip.
     Turnip, who?
Turnip the air conditioning, I'm smothering!

Knock. Knock.
     Who's there?
Stopwatch.
     Stopwatch who?
Stopwatch you're doing right now!

 

Answers to Fun & Games

Answers to Fun Sports Trivia:

1. basketball (peach baskets)
2. soccer
3. tennis (Venus and Serena Williams)
4. The Civil War (baseball)
5. fishing
6. Babe Ruth (Baby Ruth)
7. Boxing (Mohammed Ali)
8. hockey (the Zamboni)
9. golf
10. a horse (horseracing, sometimes polo)

 

Answers to Crossword Puzzles

Note that the words used in Young Saint Louis.com crossword puzzles are all taken from the articles appearing in this months issue.

Young Saint Louis.com - July #1

Across	Down
2. threat of extinction 4. a small group 5. a plant specialist 7. eats other species 8. home surroundings 9. support for plants 10. green vegetable	1. treats animals 3. before man existed 6. seeks new members

 

Young Saint Louis.com - July #2

Across	Down
3. treats child ills 5. course of study 6. maintaining order 7. live in an area 10. ability to wait	1. collected donations 2. focus on nature 4. shows consideration 8. doctor who operates 9. a short play

 

Fourth of July

Across	Down
2. best place to be 5. flying everywhere 8. provide music 10. what we celebrate	1. hold the hotdogs 2. requires lotion 3. held on main street 4. usually very hot 6. noisy celebration 7. usually part of diet 9. patriotic song