This
Month in St. Louis History
Cardinal Glennon Children's
Hospital opens
The first child was admitted to Cardinal
Glennon Hospital on July 5, 1956. That's
a fairly recent date for a branch of hospital
medicine that is such a big part of current
health care in St. Louis.
Other anniversary dates in July include
children's author Laura Ingalls Wilder,
the Switzer Candy Co., noted African-American
botanist George Washington Carver and
the Civil War battle at Vicksburg.
Every month, the Missouri History Museum
compiles for Young Saint Louis.com
anniversary highlights about people,
places and things that have contributed
to the state's rich historical past. These
items involved July anniversaries.
If you'd like to know more about the
state's history, visit
www.mohistory.org.
Cardinal Glennon Children's
Hospital
The medical concept of a separate hospital
exclusively for treatment of children
wasn't considered in the early days of
the country. It wasn't until the late
1800s that any children's hospital was
built in the U.S.
In the 1940s, Dr. Peter G. Danis told
then Cardinal Glennon that he was going
to build a children's hospital in St.
Louis. But, it wasn't until July 5, 1956,
that the first child was admitted to the
hospital.
The first patient was Mary Francis Wallace,
a 4-year-old.
Dr. Danis was the first medical director
and chief of staff for the new hospital.
Then St. Louis Archbishop Joseph Ritter
named the hospital after Cardinal Glennon.
During the four-year campaign to build
the hospital on Grand Avenue, some 100,000
St. Louisans contributed $7 million to
the effort.
In the 50th anniversary story, medical
center president Doug Reis said the hospital
now has well over 50,000 visits per year.
Glennon Care provides a network of pediatric
services in a 150-mile radius of St. Louis.
For a story of U.S. children's health
care, visit www.medscape.com/viewarticle/507405.
For more on Cardinal Glennon, visit www.stlouisreview.com/article.php?id=10731.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
In July 1894, Laura and Almanzo (Ingalls)
Wilder left South Dakota for the southern
prairies of Missouri. The couple arrived
in Mansfield, Mo., later that year.
Their search for better farming possibilities
led them to "The Land of the Big Red Apple"
in southern Missouri. The couple put a
$100 down payment on a 40-acre plot that
Laura named "Rocky Ridge Farm."
Ms. Wilder wrote about that journey in
the book, "On the Way Home: Diary of a
Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri,
in 1894."
In later years, Ms. Wilder wrote her
Little House books at Rocky Ridge Farm.
For a short biography, visit www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0801303.html.
The Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri
State University have developed a fun
lesson based on the "Big Red Apple." To
view, visit www.mofb.org/webquest/wq20a.htm.
Switzer Candy Landmark
A vicious storm that hit St. Louis on
July 21, 2006, destroyed a long-time downtown
landmark building, the Switzer Candy Co.
From the late 1800s until the 1970s,
the sweet smell of licorice was a feature
of the LaClede Landing area of downtown
St. Louis. The big building was empty
for years but the large Switzer Candy
Co. sign was prominent to the end.
The building was adjacent to the Eads
Bridge. And when the walls came down in
the storm, bricks were found on the bridge.
The building had been scheduled for renovation
as lofts when the storm hit.
The good news is that the Switzer Candy
Co. survives. In a note on its website,
the company said the licorice and "cherry
red" candies are made at different plants.
For a short history, visit www.lacledeslanding.org/Tour/walking_pics.html.
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver is often considered
the world's foremost agriculturist. The
African-American's work with peanuts and
soybeans was particularly useful in the
South.
That's because it gave southern farmers
new cash crops to break their over-dependence
on cotton as the primary cash crop. That
was particularly true because cotton depleted
the soil while peanuts and soybeans actually
helped built up fertility.
Carver was born in extreme southwest
Missouri in the town of Diamond Grove
on July 12, 1864. (The town, now known
as Diamond, is southeast of Joplin, Mo.)
A national monument was established in
Diamond in 1943.
Born during the Civil War, Carver and
his mother were kidnapped by raiders.
He was later released after relatives
gave the raiders a racehorse as ransom.
His education started at age 12 and his
accomplishments were impressive, especially
in light of the segregation in schools
at that time. He enrolled at Simpson College
in Indianola, Iowa, as that school's first
black student.
He graduated from what is now Iowa State
University in Ames and was immediately
offered a faculty position. Later, he
was named director of Tuskegee University's
Department of Agricultural Research.
For more about Carver's accomplishments,
there are two different websites. One
is http://gorp/away.com/resources/us_nm/mo_georg.htm
and www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/carver.htm.
Battle of Vicksburg
The North's victory in the Battle of
Vicksburg was one of the two pivotal events
that changed the direction of the Civil
War. The other was the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Vicksburg battle also showed the
divided nature of the war for Missourians.
In the siege at Vicksburg, there were
nearly as many Missouri regiments fighting
for the South as for the North. There
were 17 Confederate and 22 Union regiments.
In all, there were 199,111 volunteers
from Missouri who fought in the Civil
War. That meant that Missouri had the
highest percentage of soldiers in terms
of total state population of any state,
north or south.
The surrender at Vicksburg was July 4,
1863.
For more about the Civil War, see www.missouribeautiful.com/missouri-facts.
Also, about the Vicksburg battle, see
www.nps.gov/archive/vick/vcmpgn/srndr.htm.
Tenth
in a series
Famous black St.
Louisans buried at St. Peter's
(Editor's note: This is
the 10th in a series about famous
St. Louisans buried in local cemeteries.
Information for this article is from
St. Louisan Kevin Amsler's book, "Final
Resting Place: The Lives and Deaths
of Famous St. Louisans.")
Many St. Louis sports personalities
were among those buried in Resurrection
Cemetery. Included are many associated
with the St. Louis Blues hockey team
but others included baseball, soccer
and sports writing personalities.
Others buried there included St.
Louis' first local TV personality
and the longest-serving St. Louis
alderman.
Opened in 1929, the cemetery was
first named New St. Peter and Paul
Cemetery. It was opened after original
St. Peter and Paul Cemetery accepted
no further burials in 1928.
Later, the new cemetery's name was
changed to Resurrection Cemetery.
It's located at 6901 MacKenzie Road.
(You can read about famous St. Louisans
included in previous articles in this
series. Go to the YSL.com home
page and click on Past
Stories and check October,
2006; November,
2006; December,
2006; January,
2007; February,
2007, March,
2007, April,
2007, May
2007 and or June,
2007).
(To buy Mr. Amsler's book, visit
a local bookstore or visit www.STL-Books.com.)
Among the St. Louisans buried in
Resurrection Cemetery were:
Joe Hoerner
(1936-1996)
Joe Hoerner was a left-handed
reliever who appeared in nearly 500
games during his baseball career.
He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals
for four years and appeared in both
the 1967 and 1968 World Series.
He had a major league
record of 39-34 with 99 saves and
a 2.99 ERA.
His tombstone in Section
40 is red granite with a cardinal
bird on each side.
Bob Gassoff
(1953-1977)
Bob Gassoff was noted
as a tough and aggressive defenseman
for the St. Louis Blues hockey team.
In four years with the
Blues, he played in 250 games and
amassed nearly 900 penalty minutes.
He scored only 11 goals.
But, his sports career
was cut short after only four years
in 1977. He was attending a post-season
party at the home of teammate Garry
Unger when his motorcycle collided
with another vehicle.
Gassoff's No.3 jersey
was retired and he's buried in Section
40.
Doug Wickenheiser
(1961-1999)
Doug Wickenheiser was
another St. Louis Blues player who
died young. He was traded to the Blues
in 1983 and is best known for his
winning goal in overtime to win Game
6 in the 1986 playoffs against the
Calgary Flames.
After retiring in 1994,
he had surgery on his wrist to remove
a cancerous cyst. However, three years
later, the cancer returned in his
lungs. He died in 1999 at age 37.
He is buried in Section
43, near the small St. Vincent De-Paul
chapel.
Lynn Patrick
(1912-1980)
Lynn Patrick came to
St. Louis in 1967 to be the first
coach and general manager for the
expansion St. Louis Blues.
Patrick had had a successful
career as a player and coach for the
New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.
Patrick died in 1980
when he suffered a heart attack while
driving home from a Blues game. His
car hit a fire hydrant near the Arena
and he died at nearby Deaconess Hospital.
He is buried in Section
48.
Dan Kelly
(1936-1989)
Dan Kelly became the
"Voice of the Blues" during his 20
years of broadcasting Blues hockey
games. His signature phrase was, "He
shoots….he scores."
A native of Canada,
he made a name for himself in hockey
announcing there before coming to
St. Louis.
KMOX founder Robert
Hyland said of Kelly, "In my opinion,
he was the greatest or, at least,
one of the two greatest hockey broadcasters
ever."
Hospitalized in 1988,
Kelly died Feb. 10, 1989. He is in
Section 43.
Frank "Pee Wee"
Wallace
(1922-1979)
Frank Wallace is a local
sports hero whose name isn't very
familiar. That's because his fame
came in international soccer, which
in his day wasn't very popular in
the U.S.
But, he was one of
five St. Louisans who were a part
of one of the biggest upsets in world
soccer. The U.S. team beat heavily
favored England, 1-0, in the 1950
World Cup.
The team's exploits
were revisited in the 2005 movie,
"Game of Their Lives."
He was inducted into
the U.S. Soccer Hall of Game in 1976.
He's buried in Section 48.
Bob Burnes
(1914-1995)
Bob Burnes wrote a sports
column for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
newspaper for more than 40 years.
He's nickname was "The Benchwarmer."
It was estimated he
had written over 15,000 stories in
his newspaper career, which started
in 1935. He also premiered on KMOX
in 1953 as the first host of "Sports
Open Line."
He died in 1995, just
three days before his 81st birthday.
He's buried in Section 42.
In his final column
in 1984, he wrote:
"It has been fun; it
had been the greatest experience of
my life. If in some small way it has
brightened a day, added a word of
explanation, espoused a cause or exposed
a fraud, I have had ample reward."
Charlotte Peters
(1912-1988)
Charlotte Peters started
out her broadcast career by winning
an amateur talent contest sponsored
by KSD-TV. Before she was done, she
earned a title as "first lady of St.
Louis television."
After her talent win,
she auditioned for and became a regular
cast member for "To the Ladies." It
was the first local daytime TV show
in St. Louis.
She became a popular
entertainment figure with "The Charlotte
Peters Show" from 1956 to 1964. She
interviewed many Hollywood entertainers
when they came to town. Among them
were Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Jerry
Lewis.
Her son, Mike Peters
is a Pulitzer-prize cartoonist and
creator of the comic strip, "Mother
Goose and Grimm."
Ms. Peters died at age
75. She is buried in Section 42.
Albert "Red" Villa
(1909-1990)
Albert "Red" Villa began
his political career as St. Louis
alderman in 1953. Before he retired,
his 37 years in office was the longest
aldermanic term in local history.
He died of cancer at
age 81. When he was buried in Section
13, he had one of his trademark cigars
in his coat pocket.
Places
to Go, Things to Do
No Mad Mud Mania but
plenty to do in July
(Editor's note: First, one
traditional event for kids won't happen
in July. That's Mad Mud Mania.
That well-attended event that finds thousands
of kids getting very dirty has been cancelled.
So many kids got skin rashes from the
dirt last year that the Saint Louis County
Parks Department decided not to have Mad
Mud Mania this year.)
With the arrival of summer, the number
of outdoor activities will reach a peak
in July. Fun things range from Fair St.
Louis and Live on the Levee in downtown
St. Louis to film showings and an Outdoor
Adventures Expo.
Ice cream also figures in several of
the July activities. That's both making
it and eating it.
Then, you can plan your own outdoor activities
around such things as a river ferry ride
or an ice skating party.
(Each month, Young Saint Louis.com
searches for neat activities and places
that would be fun for you and your family.
We especially look for things and places
where attendance is either free or reasonable.)
Here's information about some of the
fun things to do during July:
Fair St. Louis
Fair St. Louis has been scaled back in
recent years but is still a good way to
celebrate July 4th with the three essentials….fireworks,
concerts and plenty of food.
The riverfront event starts at 6 p.m.
Friday, July 3, and runs through the fireworks
display on Saturday, July 4.
On Friday, the concerts are by Lifehouse
and the Goo Goo Dolls. On Saturday, Everlife,
Kim Massie and Cyndi Lauper perform.
The 130th Veiled Prophet Parade will
be held Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
For details, visit www.celebratestlouis.org.
Live on the Levee
Live on the Levee will have 10 free concerts
this summer. Eight of them will be in
July, with the final two in August.
In addition, there is a separate Family
Fun Village with additional things for
kids.
The main concerts start Friday night,
July 6, with Los Lonely Boys with the
Incurables. On the next night, Saturday,
July 7, Grammy winner Emmylou Harris will
be backed by the local group Gentleman
Auction House.
Opening acts start at 6:30 p.m. with
the headliners at 8 p.m. Fireworks close
each show.
In the Family Fun Village, there will
be acts by the circus troupe St. Louis
Archers, the Muny Teens and others.
For more details, visit www.celebratestlouis.org.
Outdoor Adventures Expo
An Outdoor Adventures Expo will be held
Wednesday, July 25, at the Busch Range
and Conservation Education Center in St.
Charles County. Hours for the event will
be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free.
There will be chances to meet experts
to explain hiking., camping, GPS, canoeing,
hunting and fishing, birding and more.
You can enjoy free air rifle, 22-caliber
rifle and shotgun firing.
Also, there will be a chance for one-on-one
questioning of the outdoor sports experts.
No reservations are needed.
For information and directions, call
(636) 441-4554.
Ice Cream-linked Events
The National Day of Ice Cream is in
July. And there are a number of events
that include making and/or eating ice
cream.
On Sunday, July 15, the Missouri History
Museum will have both indoor and outdoor
activities. From 1:30-3:30 p.m., North
Star Frozen Treats will have samples through
the museum along with appearances of Norton
the Penguin.
From 1:15-2 p.m., a 1904 Worlds Fair
music program will be on the north lawn.
It will feature music by Dee Ban. Then,
from 2:30-4 p.m., a concert by The Buckhannon
Brothers will play "old tyme music".
For details on this and other museum
events, visit www.mohistory.org.
One of the Trailnet-sponsored bike rides
in July will be the I Scream for Ice Cream
Ride on Sunday, July 15. That ride starts
in Edwardsville, Ill., and includes special
discounts at Annie's Frozen Custard Shop.
For details on this and other Trailnet
rides, visit www.trailnet.org.
The Serendipity Ice Cream Co. in Historic
Webster Groves is holding a 4th Anniversary/National
Ice Cream Festival on Sunday, July 15.
Festival opens at 11 a.m.
There are fun events for the kids, including
rock-paper-scissors games, temporary tattooing,
"funky photo ops" and live music.
The store is located at 8130 Big Bend
Blvd. For information, call (314) 962-2700.
At West Tyson Park in St. Louis County,
a Makin' Homemade Ice Cream event will
be held on Saturday, July 28, from 1-3
p.m. You get to make the treat and then
eat it too.
The fee is $6 per person and reservations
are needed. Call (636) 391-0922.
River Crossings by Ferries
You can build your own outdoor adventure
in July by planning a trip to one of the
boat ferries that cross rivers in the
St. Louis area.
The Kampsville ferry over the Illinois
River connects northern Jersey County
and northwest Calhoun County at Kampsville.
For information, call (618) 653-4518.
The Brussels ferry over the Illinois
River connects Pere Marquette State Park
to the southernmost tip of Calhoun County.
For information, call (618) 786-3636.
The Grafton ferry over the Mississippi
River connects Grafton with St. Charles.
For information, call (618) 250-3103.
The Winfield ferry over the Mississippi
connects Winfield to central west Calhoun
County. For information, call (618)
396-2535.
The Golden Eagle ferry over the Mississippi
connects southwest Calhoun County to St.
Charles. For information, call (618)
396-2535.
Ice-skating Parties
You can also plan an ice-skating party,
regardless how hot it gets outside.
There are at least a dozen ice-skating
rinks in the St. Louis area. Just call
one of these rinks to check on public
skating times:
Affton Ice Rink, (314) 849-0605;
Brentwood Ice Rink, (314) 963-8689;
Lindenwood Ice Arena, (636) 332-4000;
Creve Coeur Ice Arena, (314) 432-3960;
East Alton Ice Arena, (618) 254-7465;
U.S. Ice Sports Complex, (618) 398-4600;
Forum Ice Rink, (636) 349-7860;
ICE Zone St. Louis Mills Center, (314)
227-5288; Kirkwood Ice Arena, (314)
822-5825; St. Peters Rec-Plex, (636)
939-2386; Summit Center, (636)
537-4200; Webster Groves Ice Arena,
(314) 963-5678.
Summer Film Series
The St. Louis County Library has classic
film screenings during the summer.
The Daniel Boone branch will show "Yankee
Doodle Dandy" Tuesday, July 10, at 2 p.m.
The Mid-County Branch will have a Humphrey
Bogart art film festival. Bogart films
to be shown on Tuesday, July 10, and Tuesday,
July 24. Two more films will be in August.
For more about library events, visit
www.slcl.org/events.
Trailnet's Bike Rides…and
a Run
In addition to the ice cream ride noted
above, Trailnet has a number of other
kid-friendly rides planned. The group
also has a Old Chain of Rocks Bridge run
scheduled.
The 8th annual Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
run will be Saturday, July 28, starting
at 8:30 a.m. There are eight heats for
adults, including seniors and those in
wheelchairs. A one-half mile run is for
kids 10 and under.
The Tuesday Night Riverfront Trail Ride
on Tuesday, July 3, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The ride will precede the fireworks that
kick off the St. Louis July 4th festivities.
Routes are from seven to 28.6 miles.
In addition, there are two arts bike
rides. The Pedal Through the Past by the
Missouri History Museum is Saturday, July
7, in Forest Park. The Petal Pedal ride
at the Missouri Botanical Gardens is Tuesday,
July 24.
The Big Bottle Bike Ride and Summerfest
in Collinsville, Ill., Sunday, July 8
and the Bike St. Louis City Tour is Saturday,
July 21.
For details of all these rides, visit
www.trailnet.org
or pick up the 2007 bike ride schedule
at your local bicycle shop.
The Child Mummy
The Child Mummy Exhibit at the St. Louis
Science Center will continue throughout
July. It is set up outside the Omnimax
Theater at the center.
The video display exhibit recreates a
3-D model of the famous Egyptian child
mummy. A thousand micro-slices of CT scan
data were taking through eight layers
of linen wrappings to make the exhibit.
For information, call (314) 289-4444
or visit www.slsc.org.
About Harry Potter Film
First a YSL.com
preview, then review
Young Saint Louis.com opens
this July edition with a brief
preview of the upcoming fifth
film in the Harry Potter series,
"Harry Potter and the Order of
the Phoenix."
Then, as the film opens in theaters
on Wednesday, July 11, YSL.com
will provide an exclusive review
written by Eddie Szewczyk of Belleville.
When Eddie began reviewing the
Harry Potter movies, he was a
13-year-old middle schooler and
did book and theater reviews for
the local Radio Disney station
here.
Now, Eddie is getting ready to
start his sophomore year at Penn
State University. But, he's back
in St. Louis for the summer and
is on hand to continue his exclusive
YSL.com reviews.
For more about Eddie, see the
sidebar
below. It tells about
his collaborating with some former
high school buddies last month
to enter radio station KDHX's
"48-Hour Movie" project. The buddies
worked Saturday and Sunday, June
9-10, to complete the movie.
Their movie-with Eddie in the
starring role-was given a screening
on Tuesday, June 12, at the Tivoli
Theater.
Here's a brief description of
the "Phoenix" book's plot: (You
could read a more thorough book
review that appeared in YSL.com
in the July,
2003, edition.)
"Harry Potter and the Order of
the Phoenix" opens with Harry
getting ready to start his fifth
year at Hogwarts. Harry is in
a bad mood; after all, he's now
a teenager and is tired of being
treated as a kid.
The plot revolves around the
regained strength of Lord Voldemort
and a plot to oust Professor Dumbledore
as the leader of Harry's school.
The long, long (870 pages) book
ends with a confrontation between
Harry and Lord Voldemort. But,
both survive to battle again;
after all it's just the fifth
in a 7-book series.
(Come back here on Wednesday,
July 11, for Eddie's film review.
He'll be attending a critic's
showing of the movie on Monday
and we'll be working hard to have
the review online on the day the
movie opens in theaters.)
|
Update on Eddie Szewczyk
Belleville
reviewer now making own
films
When Eddie Szewczyk of
Belleville began reviewing
Harry Potter movies for
Young Saint Louis.com,
he was a 13-year-old middle
schooler.
Now, he's in college and
last month joined some high
school buddies here to make
their own movie in the 48-Hour
Film Project. The film,
titled "Arrangements," was
only a few minutes long
and didn't draw any "Potter-like"
crowds.
But, it did get a theater
showing before a good-sized
audience at the Tivoli Theater
on Tuesday, June 12. Their
team was one of 72 teams
taking part in trying to
make a film in just 48 hours.
Sixty-seven teams actually
completed their films.
The 48-Hour Film Project
is a nationwide program
to let amateur filmmakers
try their skills. In St.
Louis, radio station KDHX
sponsored the local filmmaking
effort.
(If you'd like to know
more about the 48-Hour Film
Project, visit www.48hourfilm.com.
This spring, six of the
2006 national winners were
shown at the Cannes Film
Festival.)
Eddie said, "This was
the first time I've tried
this on such a short schedule.
The work was exhausting,
trying to plot, write, act
and produce a film in two
days."
He and his teammates took
naps in shifts so the filmmaking
could go on constantly.
But, he said he'd like
to try it again next year.
He said the team will know
to do advance planning before
the 48-hour time clock even
starts.
Under the 48-Hour format,
teams pick the type of film
they want to make. Eddie's
team picked a horror theme,
but they could have picked
comedy, drama or another
genre.
Regardless of theme, the
teams all had to incorporate
four things into each film.
They had to use a baby's
doll as one of the props.
They also had to have characters
by the name of Ryan and/or
Rita. The study of entomology
(bugs) had to fit in the
plot.
And all teams had to include
one spoken line: "Don't
look now, we may be in trouble."
The teams started working
at 7 p.m. Friday, June 8,
and had to have the completed
film ready for the judges
at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 10.
The deadline was absolute;
one team's entry was rejected
because it was handed in
20 seconds late.
In Eddie's plot, there
was plenty of trouble from
disease and violence. In
fact, Eddie's character
kills himself at the end.
In the fall, Eddie will
be a sophomore at Penn State
University. He said he picked
that school "because it
had good theater and communications
departments." He wants to
graduate with degrees in
both theater and communications.
He has a summer job with
Radio Disney, where he does
some news reporting and
works with the station's
Street Team. That's a group
that does station promotions
around town.
This is Eddie's 7th year
of working at Radio Disney.
YSL.com contacted
Eddie to be its Harry Potter
movie reviewer because Eddie
was reviewing for Radio
Disney by age 12.
At that time, Eddie was
also active in The Muny
Kids and appearing in Muny
plays.
At Penn State, he is active
in school plays and belongs
to The Outlaws. That's a
group that makes a film
every week and shows it
on campus.
In writing his review of
"Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix," Eddie will
be working on another tight
schedule. He sees the movie
Monday, July 9, and YSL.com
will have the review on
the website on Wednesday,
July 11.
|
Mastodon State Historic Site
Kid brings friends
to hunt for fossils
Joshua Porter visited Mastodon
State Historic Site in April
for his 8th birthday. He then
decided to invite some of his
school friends to join him for
last month's annual Fossil Day
event at the site.
Eight-year-old Joshua, 9-year-old
Austin Walker and 8-year-old
Francis Rappleye are all 3rd
graders at MICDS in St. Louis.
Francis was the first of the
trio to find a prehistoric fossil.
Missouri Department of Natural
Resource (DNR) workers brought
in loads of rocks from nearby
quarries so kids could try their
luck at fossil hunting.
The kids attending the fossil
day were given hammers and also
protective eyeglasses so they
could pick away at the rocks.
At first, Joshua and Austin
went at the rocks with a lot
of heavy pounding. That left
them with only tiny pieces of
rock. Those rock splinters didn't
show any full fossil shapes.
But, Francis chipped away at
his rocks with lots of soft
hits from his hammer. He was
rewarded by larger pieces of
rock.
He said, "I chipped off a large
piece of rock. When I turned
it over, you could see the whole
fossil."
Missouri is one area of the
country with the large deposits
of preserved samples of prehistoric
remains. The Mastodon State
Historic site gets its name
from the number of bones from
elephant-like mastodons that
roamed this area thousands of
years ago.
The state historic site is
located near Imperial, Mo.,
in what is called the "Kimmswick
bone bed." That's because the
rocks in the area show evidence
that early humans and mastodons
shared this area during the
last ice age, from 10,000 to
35,000 years ago.
The DNR has built a museum
on the site. It has a reconstructed
skeleton of a huge mastodon
as well as models of huge bears
and giant ground sloths from
the same period. (For more,
visit www.mostateparks.com/mastodon.htm.)
While the MICDS kids were relatively
new at the fossil searching,
13-year-old Tim Poropat of Kirkwood
had more experience.
Tim is an 8th grader at North
Kirkwood Middle School. This
was his third time at the Mastodon
site. But, he's got a collection
of fossils from around the country
at home.
"I've even got some dinosaur
bones that I picked up in the
Badlands of Montana. There were
bones just laying around on
the ground when we visited there,"
he said.
Some of the prehistoric samples
Tim has at home came from earlier
trips to Mastodon.
Last month, he was looking
for a specific type of fossils.
He wanted to find some star-shaped
fossils called Bryozans. Those
prehistoric animals were known
as "reef builders."
They helped build reefs when
this part of the country was
underwater. When they died,
their remains sank to the bottom
and were embedded. Then, when
the water levels fell, they
were a part of the rock that
covers much of Missouri.
Tim got his interest in geology
from his father, Rick. In turn,
Rick got his interest from his
father. "My dad took me to gravel
pits when I was even younger
than Tim," he said.
Rick went on to major in geology
in college. But, the market
for new geologists wasn't too
strong when he graduated. Therefore,
he went into mapmaking and now
works as a cartographer for
the Department of Defense in
St. Louis.
His interest in geology is
now a hobby. He is a member
of the Eastern Missouri Society
of Paleontology. He was manning
one of the booths at Fossil
Day while Tim was chipping away
at his rocks.
Tim wants to be a paleontologist
when he grows up. "I'd probably
work in a museum," he said.
How the Mastodon State Historic
Site came into being is a good
lesson on how individuals can
make things happen against long
odds.
The area was known for years
for its large number of prehistoric
remains. But, it almost was
lost to commercial development
in the 1960s.
The state had acquired lots
of land for building of Interstate
55 south from St. Louis. After
the highway was built, surplus
land-including the fossil site--was
put up for sale.
Local residents, led by Presiding
Jefferson County Judge Walter
Steinburk, asked for more time
to get a park bid ready. But,
in 1974, the Missouri Highway
Department put the land up for
sale and developers entered
the high bid of $568,725.
Four housewives organized the
Mastodon Park Committee. Included
in the fund-raising was $8,000
raised by local school kids.
Finally, in 1976, the land was
turned over to the DNR for use
as a state park.
Kid named Wentzville
Idol on first try
Eleven-year-old Megan Bishop never has
had singing lessons and never had appeared
before a panel of adult judges. But, last
month, she earned the title of Wentzville
Idol over 24 other contestants.
In a two-day audition, the 7th grader
won the right to represent the City of
Wentzville and sing at several community
events this summer.
Just a couple weeks after winning her
audition, Megan sang on July 17 at the
Wabash Days celebration in Old Wentzville.
That Father's Day event celebrated the
town's railroading history as a stop on
the old Wabash Railroad.
Then, on July 4, she'll sing the National
Anthem at the start of the Fourth of July
festivities in the St. Charles County
community.
She's also scheduled to sing at the city's
August Sunset Concert.
That's pretty good for a slight, blond
girl with little singing experience except
as a member of her school choir.
The win was especially surprising because
a number of audition contestants had much
more experience. One other contestant
was a 42-year-old woman who sang the National
Anthem at last year's Wentzville July
4 celebration.
Amy Hays represented the Wentzville Parks
and Recreation Department that sponsored
the Wentzville Idol tryouts. She said
the judges were three school music teachers
and a representative of the Parks and
Recreation Department.
Ms. Hays said the judges found Megan's
performance "refreshing, especially her
song on the second day of auditions."
On the first day, all contestants sang
the same song, "God Bless America" with
no accompaniment. On the second day, the
10 finalists got to pick their own song
and could have accompaniment.
Megan chose to sing a Cheetah Girls'
song, "Cinderella." She brought along
a CD of an instrumental version of the
lively song.
Megan said she picked "Cinderella" because
"I wanted to sing something that was fun."
She added the lively song also helped
to hide the fact she was nervous.
She said all of the Wentzville Idol judges
were "very nice." That was in contrast
to the American Idol judges on TV. Simon
Cowell can be very caustic.
Troy Keck was the Parks and Recreation
representative among the Wentzville judges.
The three music teachers were Gregory
Lawrence, Heidi Curtis and Kelley Wolff.
Although she hadn't had any singing lessons,
Megan said, "I started singing around
the house when I was real little."
She listens and sings along to music
all the time and has an alarm clock that
plays CDs.
She also has her radio tuned to local
pop and country western stations.
Megan said she likes country singer Tim
McGraw and also enjoys two American Idol
alums, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
She said she also has a CD of the music
from "High School Musical."
Megan said she got good placement at
the auditions. She sang 4th on the first
day and was 3rd on the second day. That
meant she didn't wait around too long
and get more nervous.
She sang three verses of the "Cinderella"
song, along with the chorus after each
verse.
Megan's mother, Teri, said she's now
thinking of enrolling Megan in some singing
lessons. "There's a music school near
our house," Ms. Bishop said.
Megan's family moved to Wentzville three
years ago after her father, Mike Bishop
Jr., retired after 20 years in the U.S.
Marines. Megan was born in Okinawa, Japan,
and lived for a time in Hawaii before
coming to the St. Louis area in 2004.
Although only 11, Megan will be a 7th
grader in Fort Zumwalt North Middle School
in the fall. She's one of the youngest
7th graders because she started kindergarten
overseas, where the admission age was
lower than in Missouri.
Megan said she isn't sure whether she'd
like to be a performer when she grows
up.
"I like performing but I'm not sure about
the future," she said.
Although she hasn't had any singing lessons,
she has taken dance lessons. "I like to
both sing and dance," she said.
She said her favorite class in school
is language arts and is considering being
a teacher.
She said she'd like to go to St. Charles
Community College for two years and then
finish at Lindenwood College. Both schools
are near her home.
For Filmmakers Showcase
St. Margaret of
Scotland films are picked
Kids at St. Margaret
of Scotland school are making quite
a name for themselves at the St. Louis
Filmmakers Showcase festival. This
month, eight of the schools short-film
documentaries are scheduled for showing.
Three years ago, three
filmmaking teams from the south St.
Louis school had their films shown
during the 2004 festival. Last year,
three more short films were screened
during the 2006 festival.
The 2007 Filmmakers
Showcase will show its selections
July 21-26. Most of the films will
be by adult filmmakers. For details
about the festival, visit www.cinemastlouis.org.
Chris Clark is artistic
director of Cinema St. Louis that
sponsors two film festivals here.
The Showcase is in July and the St.
Louis International Film Festival
in November.
Of the St. Margaret
kids' efforts, Mr. Clark said, "They
do consistently good work. Their topics
are very adult and their films are
very atypical of what you expect from
kid filmmakers."
Fourteen-year-old Victoria
Cacchione produced a solo film, entitled
"The Declaration of Independence:
Americans First Great Compromise."
The film outlines the negotiations
needed by delegates of the 13 colonies.
Her 10-minute film used
the theme from the movie, "1776,"
as background music. She located the
theme music on the Colonial Williamsburg
website.
Victoria was quick
to point out, "I paid for the download."
Victoria and other St. Margaret filmmakers
actually got double-duty out of their
efforts.
Since 2005, kids participating
in the school's filmmaking activity
have picked their topics from history.
That means they can use the film both
for the Showcase and as an entry in
the Missouri History Day competition.
Victoria said the chance
to go to the 2007 History Day event
at University of Missouri-St. Louis
was lots of fun for her. She said
history is one of her favorite classes
at school and the Revolutionary War
is her favorite historic period.
Also, she remembered
a family trip to Philadelphia when
she was younger. She saw many places
where the founding fathers met to
create the Declaration of Independence.
Fourteen-year-old Sonya
McCanna was another of the solo filmmakers.
Her film was entitled: "Oscar Romero:
I Will Rise In The People."
She said Oscar Romero
was an archbishop in El Salvador in
Central America. He was beaten to
death while trying to negotiate peace
between a repressive government and
opposing rebels.
Sonya said she got her
idea from her father, Shaun McCanna.
He is a documentary film producer
with a special interest in Central
and South American topics. He and
Lee Ann Nelson advice the filmmaker
teams at St. Margaret of Scotland.
The two have Flamingo
Productions in St. Charles. It's a
documentary film company. Mr. McCanna
recently traveled to Afghanistan to
get material to finish a documentary
about a soldier who died of drugs
at a military base there.
About her film, daughter
Sonya said, "I thought I'd do something
unusual about someone people didn't
know about."
Like Victoria, Sonya
drew some of her background material
from a motion picture. "Bishop Romero
isn't very well-known here but he's
had books and movies about him," she
said.
She did a lot of her
research at the Saint Louis University
library. Since Bishop Romero was a
Catholic cleric, the college had a
lot of material on the bishop, she
said.
Both of the girls said
their social studies teacher, Ms.
Alice Chase, was very helpful in moving
their script-writing along.
Sonya said she liked
the chance to work with her father.
She particularly liked the chance
to use "Final Cut Pro" computer software
that made editing the film much easier.
But, Sonya doesn't plan
to make filmmaking a career. She wants
to be an engineer. "I've gone two
summers to engineering camp at Purdue
University," she said.
Three other films picked
for Filmmakers showings were solo
efforts and three were done by St.
Margaret teams. The eight films have
a total of 66 minutes of action.
The other six selected
films and their kid producers were:
-
"Annie Sullivan:
Personal Tragedy to a World-Renowned
Teacher," by Stephanie Barker. Story
about a woman who overcame harsh
tragedies but went on to become
one of the nation's best teachers.
-
"Biko: Fighting
for a Cause," by Khalfani Mar'Na.
Exploration of life of Stephen Biko,
a South African freedom fighter.
-
"Let Me Win: Eunice
Shriver and the Special Olympics,"
by Emily Mulligan. The story of
Eunice Shriver and the start of
the Special Olympics.
-
"Roanoke," by Sami
Hanrak and Olivia Isom. About the
history of Roanoke, Virginia.
-
"September 11, 2001:
View from a Firefighter," Jackie
Bittick, Moira MacDougal, Kim Greiner
and Erin Kelleher. A look at the
firefighters who helped in rescue
and recovering of New York Twin
Towers victims.
-
"The Holocaust,"
by Finny Beatty, Alex Smith and
Emily Hanes.
Seeking hunting licenses
Kids attend hunter education
camps
Eleven-year-old Monica Smith of Webster
Groves said her favorite outdoor activity
is swimming and the only weapon she
owns is a pocketknife. But, she and
41 other St. Louis area kids last month
completed a weeklong Hunter Education
Day Camp.
Their goal was to earn a Missouri hunting
license so they can go hunting this
fall.
Eleven-year-old Brendan McCart of Cedar
Hill also attended the five days of
classes at the Henges Range and Education
Center off I-44 in southwest St. Louis
County. But, he didn't need any introduction
to hunting and owns two hunting guns.
He's already bagged four deer and three
turkeys in previous years. Not only
that, he knows how to clean the game
and has eaten the meat.
Those two kids represent the wide
range of personal outdoor experience
among kids 11 to 15 years of age at
the hunter day camp. The kids who completed
the camp and passed a test earned a
certificate that qualified them for
state hunting licenses.
This is the 10th year that the hunter
education day camp has been held at
Henges.
Eric Edwards is the supervisor of the
Henges camp. He said the enrollment
of 42 kids has been the largest of any
of the 10 years.
A similar camp was held at Busch Wildlife
Center in St. Charles County later last
month.
The weeklong camps are offered at Henges
and Busch once a year, Mr. Edwards said.
However, the Missouri Department of
Conservation offers other individual
sessions where kids can qualify for
hunting licenses. (If you're interested
in a complete listing of all area hunter
education classes, visit www.MDC.mo.gov/areas/stlouis
and click on Hunter Education.)
Eleven-year-old Hanna Toczylowski of
Pacific and 11-year-old Madeleine Briggs
of Shrewsbury were two other girls who
attended the camp sessions.
Among other boys at the camp were 13-year-old
Philip Bliese of Kirkwood and Geddy
Avery of Lemay.
Brendan was the only one with any extensive
hunting experience.
Monica said she's been fishing but
hasn't been on a hunting trip.
Hanna said she's been hunting and
fishing with her dad but hadn't bagged
anything.
The Henges day camp included a variety
of experiences for the kids. There were
class lessons from a hunter education
textbook. But, there were other unique
outdoor experiences. They shot .22 rifles
and had a demonstration of old muzzle-loading
rifles.
On the last day, Friday, June 15, they
got to throw Indian tomahawks at targets.
But, the kids' main goal was getting
the certificate so they get their hunting
licenses.
Madeleine said she's got an unusual
hunting trip in mind. "My aunt has a
house with a back deck that overlooks
a forest. There are lots of deer there.
I'm going to hunt deer from that deck,"
she said.
Hannah said she's got her eye on a
bow and arrow set. Then, she's going
to go turkey hunting during the bow
and arrow season later this fall.
Geddy said his favorite hunting trip
would involve going after turkeys. But,
he added, "Quail and ducks also would
be near the top of the list."
Philip said he's looking forward to
a deer-hunting trip. "It would be nice
to have a deer head mounted on our wall
at home," he said.
Madeleine said she taken archery lessons
at the Henges and Busch ranges. She
said she also visited her cousins where
they have archery competitions during
the year.
She's one kid with an odd assortment
of weapons. She has two bows and a pocketknife.
She also has a diving knife and "practice
bomb shell," both of World War II vintage.
"My uncle was in World War II and he
brought them back as souvenirs," she
said.
Several of the kids said they've enjoyed
overnight camping with their families.
Monica said one of her favorite vacations
was a camping trip in New Jersey. Hannah
said she's been on several vacation
camping trips to Michigan where she
was born.
Madeleine said she likes vacations
at her cousins. "I get to drive their
golf cart," she said.
Brandon said he's done a lot of his
hunting during vacations near Kirksville.
Philip said he's been on fishing trips.
Geddy said he likes overnight camping
while on fishing trips.
Unique school plan to
help kids' golf
Brandon, Kevin and Stephanie
Liu all want to be pro golfers when they
grow up. With help from their parents,
they now have a school plan to give them
the flexible time to pursue their goals.
They all are enrolled in
Laurel Springs School in California. That's
a distant-learning school with structured
lessons but allowing plenty of flexibility
for study. Their lessons and tests come
either printed via U.S. mail or electronically
via the Internet.
Kids enrolled in the school
are usually athletes or actors who need
to shape their schooling around the irregular
hours of their other interests.
Brandon is 14 but most classes
this fall will be at the 10th grade level.
Kevin is 12 and his classes will be at
the 8th grade level. Stephanie is 10 and
will be at the 5th grade level.
Basically, the kids work
on their schooling in the mornings. So
far, their mother, Elizabeth, said they've
maintained straight A averages.
That leaves the afternoons
for golf and more golf.
The kids usually arrive
at the Family Golf Complex in O'Fallon,
Mo., at noon. They'll hit balls for 1˝
to 2 hours. Then, they practice chipping
and putting two more hours.
Brandon said, "Then, unless
we have lessons with our professional,
we'll play a 9- or 18-hole round of golf."
The kids take lessons from Family Golf
pro Jeff Mullican. The lessons have ranged
from once to three times a week.
The kids started playing
only about two years. But, they've accomplished
plenty already.
For instance, Brandon last
month finished 7th in the Plantation Junior
Golf national tournament in Virginia.
He shot 77-76=153 in the two rounds.
Kevin finished first in
the recent Junior Optimist qualifying
tournament. He shot 88 to finish first
in the 10-11 year age group. He'll play
in the national meet later this summer.
This year, Stephanie earned
National Player of the Year in the 8-to-11
category in the Plantation golf program.
The Plantation golf competition
offers young golfers the chance to compete
year-around. In winter months, the meets
are in southern states.
But, winter or not, the
Liu kids practice year-around in St. Louis.
For instance, some of the practice tees
at Family golf are under a canopy. Brandon
said, "Even if it's snowing, we can still
hit balls."
The three kids are big
for their ages. Brandon is 6'2", Kevin,
about 5'11". Stephanie is about 5'4" and
already has to pick her golf shoes from
boys' models.
That height translates into
long distance off the tees. Brandon said
his drives are in the 290-295 range while
Kevin hits his drives "about 240."
When asked about her driving
distances, Stephanie mentioned she scored
a hole-in-one on a 190-yard hole with
a 6 iron.
But, while the drives go
long, sometimes the short shots don't
go straight.
Kevin said consistency is
a problem. He said, "Every day, at least
one thing will go wrong." Brandon said
chipping and putting can be a problem.
Stephanie said, "I hit
it far with all the clubs." But, she said
her long irons and sometimes her chipping
can give her trouble.
Brandon said his most disappointing
experience in golf was when his shot an
88 in the Callaway World Amateur tournament.
"Nothing went right that day," he said.
Kevin said his worst experience
was in the U.S. Kids tournament last year
when he shot 89-94-82.
Stephanie said, "I haven't
had any disappointing experiences in golf."
In one tournament last month,
the kids got to play on the same team
although in separate age groupings. That
was the World Youth Team Challenge tournament
in Bolling Brook, just outside of Chicago.
The kids played in two-person
teams. One day, it was best ball and the
next they played alternating shots.
Although the kids want to
be pro golfers, each of them has a Plan
B.
Brandon said, "My Plan B
would be something in business or maybe
be a pilot."
Kevin said he would go into
medicine. "I'd like to be a neurosurgeon,"
he said.
Stephanie said she'd probably
be a pilot like her older brother.
But, for now, they've got
their education structured so they can
play golf….lots of golf.
Young Achiever profile
Chandler Dalton likes
creativity, service
Eleven-year-old Chandler
Dalton's accomplishments both in school
and outside usually show his interest
in finding creative solutions. That creativity
helped Chandler earn one of 10 2007 Gateway
Young Achievers of the Year awards.
This year, his First Lego
League team earned second place overall
in the state robotics meet at Florissant
Valley Community College. Their skit during
the meet earned them the "most creative
presentation" award.
The skit was a parody to
show how characters in the "The Wizard
of Oz" would have been "helped with a
little technology."
Chandler of Mason Ridge
Elementary School co-wrote the skit. He
said, "The scarecrow got a new eye with
a brain attached. The TinMan got a medicine
bomb that cured his cancer. And the Lion
got a coating of liquid armor to make
up for his lack of courage."
He explained his TinMan
was suffering from cancer, not rust as
in the original play.
As a member of the Mason
Ridge Leadership Council this last school
year, Chandler also chaired the UNICEF
committee. That sub-group exceeded its
fund-raising goal by 30 per cent, raising
$300 more than the drive's original goal.
He said, "I like the UNICEF
drive because the instructions told exactly
what each dollar would buy for the children
it serves."
He has been on the Leadership
Council for four years at Mason Ridge.
Chandler was a member of
the Mason Ridge Live performance group
that put on dances or skits during the
all-school talent show. This year, their
skit was based on the TV show, "Deal or
No Deal."
"Our skit featured all
the things that could go wrong in the
show," he said.
Of course, not all of Chandler's
accomplishments featured "fun stuff."
For instance, he's been
in the Mason Ridge Elementary School's
gifted program ever since first grade.
Accelerated students go to gifted classes
one day a week at Mason Ridge.
In addition to studying
subjects in greater depth, the kids learn
extra skills. One emphasis is on learning
how to prepare and present reports on
special subjects.
Chandler said his end-of-year
presentation was on the subject of cloning.
His power-point presentation included
21 different reasons against human cloning.
He said, "I'm for many
types of cloning but against human cloning."
Another school activity
he enjoyed was Equations team. In that
activity, kids join together to solve
math puzzles. He was the captain of the
winning team at a 2005 tournament at Saint
Louis University.
Chandler has been active
in both baseball and soccer from kindergarten
to 5th grade. He plays second base and
catcher in baseball and a variety of positions
in soccer. Both of his teams are associated
with St. Anselm Church.
He said his soccer team
has only lost three games during the six
years he's competed.
Chandler also served as
a statistics runner for the last two years
at the Eric Lewis Memorial Wrestling Tournament
at MICDS. He is transferring to MICDS
next fall where he'll be a 6th grader.
He's also been active in
instrumental music. As a 3rd grader in
the Parkway School District, he was required
to take violin. But, he said he shifted
to the cello for 4th and 5th grade.
"I thought the violin notes
were too high and squeaky. The cello's
notes are lower on the scale," he said.
Chandler was active in the
Future Mason Ridge Student Guide program
and had a "kindergarten buddy."
In the Student Guide program,
he helped guide pre-schoolers and their
parents during their first visits to the
school. In addition to showing them around
the school, the student guides also read
books to the youngsters and help them
with crafts.
In the "kindergarten buddy"
activity, Chandler was paired with a kindergartener.
"We help them get used to school," he
said. This year, his young friend was
Ahmid Rehmani.
"We'd do something with
them at least once every two weeks," Chandler
said. One of the activities was to accompany
his "buddy" on a trip to the St. Louis
Zoo.
Chandler said he's considering
a career as a lawyer when he grows up.
His father, Jonathan, is a lawyer and
also mayor of Town and Country.
This month's book
reviews
Against all odds,
a twelve-year-old black boy
rides for the Pony Express
In 1860, Colton Wescott is traveling
with his family on a wagon train headed
to California. Colton's family is
made up of his father, who is white,
his mother, who is black, and three
younger sisters. Mrs. Wescott is about
to have another baby. The trip has
not been a pleasant one. The Coltons
are not treated very well by others
on the wagon train. As a racially-mixed
family, the Wescotts cope daily with
racial prejudice. The oxen pulling
their wagon are having a hard time
keeping up with the wagon train. It's
dry and already September and they
are coping with constant dust being
kicked up on the trail. The leader
of the train warns them to keep up
or be left behind to travel by themselves.
As if they don't already have enough
trouble, early one morning Colton's
father accidentally fired his rifle
and wounded Colton. Unable to deal
with all his accumulated problems,
the father got on his worn-out horse
and rode away. Although they didn't
know it at the time, the family was
never to see the father again. The
family was left on the trail somewhere
in Utah Territory without a husband
and father to keep them moving on
to California. Suddenly, twelve-year-old
Colton has his mother, three little
sisters, and a sickly new-born baby
brother - all dependent upon him.
Colton did manage for several more
days to keep the wagon moving with
the train. He managed to get help
and keep going when one of the wheels
broke on the wagon. But when he lost
two of the four oxen, it was just
impossible any longer to keep up with
the wagon train. Two oxen had been
butchered for food by members of the
wagon train. One woman, feeling guilt
over the butchering of the two animals,
gave Colton a twenty-dollar gold piece.
The family put up a tent near an
abandoned settlement. Sadly, the newborn
baby had already died. The mother
was ill and out of her head. Leaving
his sisters to tend to their mother,
Colton took off for a neighboring
town to see if he could find a doctor.
He could use the twenty dollars to
buy some supplies for his mother and
sisters and, possibly, he could find
some kind of work.
It just happens that the town is
a location where riders for the Pony
Express are being recruited. Colton,
who is an excellent rider, hopes that
he can get hired to ride for the Express.
The money is really good. Unfortunately,
even though they are advertising for
riders under eighteen years of age,
twelve seems just too young, even
for the Pony Express. Through an unusual
set of circumstances, however, Colton
does ride for the Pony Express and
delivers some historically important
mail to California. The mail is received
just in time to keep California from
joining the Confederate states in
a revolt against the Union.
"Black Storm Comin'" by Diane Lee
Wilson is filled with enough action
and adventure to keep a reader gasping
for breath.
The son of a Spanish
bullfighter is expected
to follow in his father's steps
Manolo Olivar lived in the town
of Arcangel in Spain. The town was
known for one thing - the great bullfighter
Juan Olivar was from there. However,
Juan Olivar, Manolo's father, had
been killed in the bull ring when
Manolo was just three years old. Manolo
grew up knowing that everybody in
the town expected him to be a bullfighter
just as his father had been. When
he started to grow taller at age nine,
a group of men in Arcangel began to
take him to bullfights and coach him
on the fine points of being a successful
bullfighter. They almost couldn't
wait until Manolo would be old enough
to fight his first bull.
By the time he was nine, Manolo knew
one thing for sure - he was a coward
and had no desire to ever get in the
ring with a bull. Still, he secretly
practiced with the bullfighter's cape
and tried to master the different
moves used to confuse the bull in
his attack. Sometimes he even managed
to convince himself that he could
be a famous bullfighter like his father.
But most of the time he knew he would
rather go on to school and become
a doctor like the town doctor. He
would rather treat and heal injuries
than risk being gored by bulls.
Manolo had a friend in town, Juan
Garcia, who was little and wiry and
who desperately wanted to be bullfighter.
Juan would sneak into pastures at
night and try to practice fighting
young bulls that were there. Manolo
had gone with him and tried to face
a bull himself. When he was old enough,
the men in town set up Manolo's first
attempt to fight a bull in public.
However, Manolo convinced the men
to also give Juan a chance to demonstrate
his bullfighting ability. The men
didn't expect much from Juan, since
he was not the son of one of Spain's
most famous bullfighters.
You need to read the book to find
out how Manolo manages to bring a
happy ending to his story without
appearing to be a coward to his fellow
townspeople.
A ghost who is a
"nerd" teams up
with a boy who is also a "nerd"
Grey Arthur is a ghost. He's tried
being a Chain Rattler, a Screamer,
a Sadness Summoner, and even a Poltergeist.
Somehow or other Arthur just didn't
fit being any of these standard kinds
of ghosts. After hundreds of years
in ghost time, Arthur is still trying
to figure out what his ghostly role
is meant to be. Then one rainy day
on a Tuesday in England on a bench
in a park he made a discovery. He
sadly was convinced that he'd never
be what a ghost should be. It had
started to rain and he had just said
out loud "Life isn't fair." To his
astonishment, he heard another voice
saying simultaneously "Life isn't
fair." Arthur had to seek out who
else was voicing his same thoughts.
Not far from Arthur was a small normal-looking
house. Coming out of the house were
the complaints of a human boy, about
eleven years old, and he was complaining
"And I don't know what I've done to
deserve this, and it's not my fault
I'm a freak, and I don't see why they
can't just leave me alone, and I wish
I wasn't so lonely and I wish we hadn't
had to move here and I wish I had
a friend here and…" Arthur knew this
had to be Tom Golden because a sign
outside the boy's door read: KEEP
OUT. BY ORDER OF TOM GOLDEN. And sure
enough, there he was - a human boy,
eyes red and puffy from tears, and
one eye slightly purple around the
corners. Arthur immediately knew what
his ghostly role was to be; he was
to become Tom's Invisible Friend.
Of course, there was no way Tom knew
he had a new friend, because, obviously,
he couldn't see the ghost in his room.
The next day, Wednesday, Arthur accompanied
Tom to school. He didn't like the
noise and confusion, but what did
a ghost know about schools? Yet, this
first day, Arthur found out how an
Invisible Friend could be helpful.
For one thing, he could pick up a
pen from another kid's desk without
being seen, when Tom frantically realized
he had forgotten to bring one in his
schoolbag. Arthur also was able to
get the teacher's attention by causing
a pen to hit her on the back when,
Big Ben, the class bully started to
pick on Tom. Tom was saved from being
socked in the face. Not bad for the
first day's work!
The connection between Tom Golden
and Arthur Grey gets to be even more
hilarious when Tom finally, by accident,
becomes able to see and hear Arthur.
Since nobody else can see or hear
Arthur, his parents and others begin
to wonder just what seems to be wrong
with Tom. He goes around talking to
somebody who is not there! You will
really find this ghost story fun to
read.
A trendy and popular
girl in her Texas school
moves with family to Maine
Cassie Knight is the most popular
girl in her class at a Texas middle
school. She was into unusual hair-dos
for her red hair, bright and stylish
clothes, colorful shoes, and lots
of glitter and make-up. She was used
to the "oh's" and "ah's" that came
from her wide circle of friends when
she showed up at school in her frequent
new make-overs. As a trend-setter,
Cassie just knew she would be elected
class president next year. So you
can imagine how she felt when she
is told at dinner one night that her
dad has been promoted in his company
and the Knight family is moving to
Maine - in just two weeks!
Cassie was expecting the worst when
she showed up at her new school -
it was old, dark, and foreboding.
But it turned out even worse than
she expected. Mary Ellen, the girl
who seemed to dominate everything
in her class, had a circle of witch-like
friends. This group on the very first
day began making fun of Cassie's clothes
and appearance. Kids laughed at her
"Texas twang." When she had tried
to sit with a group of girls in the
cafeteria and asked their names, two
of them, known, she found out later,
as the "Nightmare Twins," told her
their names were "Go" and "Away."
Later she was told in an unfriendly
manner that they just didn't wear
dresses at that school and, furthermore,
in Maine's winters, it was essential
to wear practical boots, not fancy
flats. Cassie was totally humiliated
the very first day. But, she sure
wasn't going to cry and let these
mean girls know they had gotten to
her.
Things would have gone from bad to
worse, if Cassie hadn't connected
with a girl named Etoile. Etoile wore
glasses, but somehow managed to look
chic and classy. When they began to
talk about clothes they both liked,
Cassie knew she had found a friend.
Between them, they decided to put
some color in this bland school.
The big question is can Cassie,
who is so different from the dominant
clique in her new school, ever hope
to be popular and seen as a leader
the way she had been in her old school?
You might enjoy reading the book "Miss
Popularity" by Fransesco Sedita to
find out how she accomplishes it.
