News

Kids collect mountain of food for needy

Kids at Our Lady of Sorrows School held a successful charity event during Lent this year.

The 508 kids in the Catholic school in south St. Louis collected 11,882 cans of food during the neighborhood drive.

Fourteen-year-old Tom Stevison said, "The food covered about half of the whole gym floor."

Stevison and other eighth graders played an especially important part in the fund drive.

All kids, from kindergarten to eighth grade, took part in the drive. But, it was the eighth graders who also came in to sort and box all the canned goods so it could be delivered to charities and food pantries.

Principle Rick Danzeisen said, "If it wasn't for the eighth graders sorting the food, we couldn't have completed the drive."

The "Care with Canned Goods" drive was the first for the school. The goal was to collect at least 10,000 cans of food. The kids' effort went over the goal by nearly 20 per cent.

A total of 10 different charitable agencies shared in the flood of canned goods from the school.

Fourteen-year-old Andrew Schmidt said the students made up plastic bags with the "Care with Canned Goods" slogan on them.

"We put a folded Schnucks paper bag along with the note inside the plastic bag. Then, we hung that on the door knobs," he said.

Fourteen-year-old Anna Mazzola said, "Each class was assigned a neighborhood to cover." After the homeowners had a week to buy canned goods, the kids went around and collected the filled bags.

Her classmate, fourteen-year-old Beth Lacheniecht, said, "It was fun going out with the bags and then collecting the food."

Fourteen-year-old Katie Wagener said, "We got out of school one day to pass out the bags. I liked that."

Tom Stevison said, "A lot of the neighbors were happy we were doing the food drive."

Paul Voss said the eighth graders' work was just getting started when all the bags were brought to the school. "We had to sort the cans into vegetables, fruits and other types of food. Then, we put them in boxes for the charities," he said.

Once the food was boxed, the charities came to the school one Saturday to get their allotment of food.

Principal Danzeisen alerted the families about the food drive at the beginning of Lent. The collection actually had three phases.

First, kids were asked to bring canned goods to the school's Ash Wednesday all-school liturgy on Feb. 28.

Parents also were asked to make a decorated box and take it to their workplace.

Then, the kids' organized the neighborhood bag collection. The bags went out on Monday, April 2, with collection of the filled bags the next Monday.

For those who wanted to participate but didn't want to send cans of food, money contributions were accepted. For each 50 cents donated, the kids were credited with one can of food.

The final count on the food drive indicated there were nearly 24 cans of food collected by each of the 508 students in the school. That's a pretty fine Lenten contribution to the needy from the kids at Our Lady of Sorrows School.

Don't miss Planetarium's re-opening June 22

The St. Louis Science Center's completely-redone Planetarium has plenty of neat things for kids. The grand re-opening is Friday, June 22.

The exterior of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium keeps its distinctive hour-glass shape. It looks like a round building that had it's belt tightened too much. It's located just across Highway 40 from the new Science Center building.

While the outside looks the same, the inside has been completely redone. The remodeling cost $13 million.

The ground level is called the "SkyPort." It shows visitors what the "airport of the future" might look like. There are live theater productions and even a video/computer link to NASA's TV system.

The top two levels are the Boeing Space Station.

First, there is the "StarBay." That's where you can see a projection of the sky with all sorts of stars blinking. There are also Space Station labs, where you can see how astronauts live in space.

There is a sleeping bunk attached to a wall. The astronaut can sleep standing up but has to be strapped in so he doesn't float away.

The third level is called "StarBridge." That's where you get to do experiments based on problems that come up on a space station. For instance, one hands-on exhibit lets you try out different patches that are needed if a small meteorite pokes a hole in the space station.

The grand re-opening is from 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday, June 22.

There will be fireworks, a laser show, appearances by the St. Louis Symphony and also live bands.

For information about St. Louis Science Center activities, call (314) 289-4419 or log on to the center's website at www.slsc.org.

 

Books

If you have a new puppy or are thinking about getting one, this is a book you might want to read. "Civilizing Your Puppy" by Barbara J. Wrede is not really a kid's book. It is written for grown-ups, but the pictures and information in it should be of great interest to kids. This little paperback is just what you need if you have a new puppy or are thinking about getting one in your family.

Just like little kids, cute little puppies have to be taught manners and when to be on their best behavior. They have to learn when to obey the person responsible for them or they can be hurt by cars in traffic or by bigger dogs who might attack them. Puppies have to be taught what they can use as toys to chew on and what they must leave alone. They have to learn not to even play at biting people and not to jump up on people. They have to be taught how to act in a car and how not to run out of the yard just because the gate is open. Dogs with good behavior are much more fun to be around and make much better pets than ones that just run around and do wild things.

The author of this book raised Great Dane puppies for years and entered them in dog shows. You all know how big a Great Dane is. It is one of the biggest dogs there is! So, if she could train Great Danes to be gentle and mannerly housedogs, her advice on training puppies is worth listening to. She has trained all kinds of dogs, though, big and little. One of her jobs through the years was to train people's misbehaving dogs so they could be kept as pets and not have to be taken to the dog pound to be destroyed. She makes the case very well that if people love their dogs, the dogs must be taught manners from their puppyhood.

Owning a dog is a lot of responsibility. We must take the trouble to teach a young puppy what is needs to know to be a good family member. If we do that, the dog will have a better life and so will we. "Civilizing Your Puppy" is meant to help us turn that new puppy into a member of the family.

A story about an "outcast"
from a family of "outcasts"

The character telling the story in "Reaching Dustin" is Carly Cameron, a sixth-grade girl who lives in a small farm community in rural Missouri. Just out of town and down by the river lives a family whose last name is "Groat." The Groats are kind of mysterious because they don't mix very much with the other people in town. The place where they live is like a junkyard and is kept pretty much hidden from anyone who ventures around their territory. The Groat men have a lot of tattoos on their bodies and like to shoot guns off every so often. The rumor is that they grow illegal marijuana to sell to the drug dealers down from the city.

The youngest Groat is Dustin, who just happens to be in Carly's sixth grade class. Dustin is a weird kid and is considered "gross" by most of the sixth grade class. Carly likes to write and wants to be an author of books when she grows up. First, though, she would like to be editor of the sixth grade newspaper. She has a class assignment to write an article about someone in her class. To get the editor's job, Carly knows her article needs to be more interesting than any of the other students' stories. The name of the person she drew to write about was Dustin Groat!

Carly starts out thinking that Dustin is pretty much "gross," just like the rest of the class does. However, as she gets to know more about him, she realizes how difficult his life has become not only as the class "outcast," but also as a member of the family that are the town's outcasts. She finds out how scared he is, how sensitive he is, and how talented he is as a musician. Before the book ends, the plot gets pretty complicated, as we find out more and more about the Groats and why they have the reputation that they do.

The author, Vicki Grove, is a prize-winning author of children's books. She also is a Missouri resident.

A history mystery about a girl
who is both French and Indian

Suzette is a 12-year-old who is a member of the Ojibwe tribe of Northern Wisconsin. Her father is a French fur trader who has chosen to marry an Indian woman and live with his wife's family and tribe. The time is the 1730's when trapping and trading furs with French voyageurs from Canada was the way the Ojibwe Indians supported themselves.

Suzette stands out among the other Indian children because she not only speaks the Ojibwe language but has also been taught to speak, read, and write French. There is a contest among the trappers to see who will bring in the most furs. All the trappers bring their furs to Fort La Pointe to trade during the big once-a-year celebration. Suzette's father needs to win the competition or he will have to spend the next year away from his family.

Some furs are stolen and Suzette's father is blamed and about to be tried for the theft. Suzette needs to find out who the real thief is in order to save her father from a terrible punishment. Her willingness to take risks and her ability to speak and read French play a big part in the way she goes about solving the mystery and clearing her father's name. A reader of the book will be really surprised at who the bad guy turns out to be, just as Suzette was.

The paperback "Trouble at Fort La Pointe" was written by Kathleen Ernst who lives in Wisconsin. She has written other historical books for young readers as well as one for adults, all about the American Civil War.

An adventure story for boys that
combines a mystery with history

Nathan MacAllister is a fourteen-year-old whose father is a lighthouse keeper. The location is on Cape Flattery at the tip of Washington State, a stormy and treacherous sea route for sailing ships. The time was 1874, when lighthouses were essential for keeping shipping lanes open. Nathan is big for his age and has learned to accept a heavy load of responsibility as he works with his father in the lighthouse. Because he is good with a canoe, he is accepted into the hunts conducted by the Makah Indians, a tribe that engages in fishing for salmon and seal hunting off the coast of Washington.

During a storm, a sailing ship breaks up near the lighthouse, and there are reported to be no survivors. But Nathan picks up clues suggesting that, in fact, there was at least one survivor. Since a killing had occurred on the sailing ship before the wreck, that survivor is very likely a murderer. Nathan gets involved in some exploring and some canoeing expeditions with the friendly Indians that put his life in serious danger. He tries to keep his father and mother unaware of the hazards he encounters when they let him take off on his own.

The key to the mystery he is trying to solve is found in a canoe hidden high in a tree, that is the burial site for a long-dead Indian leader. Nathan has to respect the traditions and spiritual beliefs of the Makah tribe, while, at the same time, he searches for the evidence to stop a killer. The killer knows that Nathan is on to him, so Nathan's life is in danger from him, as well.

"Ghost Canoe" was written by Will Hobbs, a popular writer of adventure stories for teen-age boys. We are told that the lighthouse that was the center of this story still stands today.

 

Sports

Underdog wins berth in AAU nationals

(For more about the AAU's all-sports program, see sidebar below.)

The St. Louis Game Face team will be making its first trip to the upcoming AAU national 12-under boys basketball tournament next month.

The team earned the nationals berth against long odds in the state finals last month. The Game Face team was seeded only eighth going into last month's double-elimination meet.

But, when the three-day meet was over, Game Face team had won all its games. That included a tight 61-55 double-overtime win over The Pack in the final game.

That victory earned Game Face a berth in the national 12-under tournament July 13-20. The meet will be played in Virginia Beach, Va.

Coach Terry Hickey's team includes players from many different areas of St. Louis.

For instance, 12-year-old Tyler Kiel goes to school at Sperreng Middle School in South County. He was the leading scorer in the final game with 20 points. He played every minute of the two-overtime game.

Twelve-year-old Connor Sexton goes to Corpus Christi School in the city of Jennings. He was the second leading scorer in the finals with 14 points and also played every minute.

The late-game hero was 12-year-old Ryan Goldkamp. He goes to St. Dismas School, which is located in Florissant. He had two important steals late in the second overtime to give Game Face the final lead.

And 12-year-old Reed Eason is from Parkway Northeast Middle School. He and Sexton did most of the heavy rebounding against the taller, heavier players from The Pack. He said, "They were knocking us around."

All four were first-year players on the Game Face team.

The final game against The Pack was close most of the way. Game Face had the half-time lead, thanks to a rebound basket with just four seconds left.

But, The Pack scored two quick fast-break baskets to open the second half and grab the lead. They opened up a 39-33 lead before Game Face put on an all-court pressing defense and finally tied the game at 45-all.

From then on, the two teams were never more than two points apart. The regulation time ended at 49-all.

Sexton tied the game at the end of the first overtime with a left-handed hook shot. That period ended, 53-53.

Sexton also scored the first basket in the second overtime. Then, Goldkamp got his important steals.

"They were throwing the ball over to my corner all game. But, I was just missing the steals. Finally, I got to a couple at the end," he said.

On the first steal, he was fouled and made one of two free throws. On the second, he made a lay-up and then converted a free throw. That gave Game Face the margin they needed to finish off the game.

Game Face had a series of close wins all through the tournament. Earlier, they defeated the defending champion Panther team with some hot shooting by Matt Hickey, the coach's son. Matt hit five three-point shots, including three in a 45-second stretch that gave Game Face the lead for good.

The Pack held Matt in check in the finals. Coach Hickey said, "The Pack knew where he was and played close defense the whole game."

Game Face was doubly pleased with the finals victory. First, it earned them a trip to the nationals. But, by winning, Game Face avoided having to play a second game with The Pack that same night.

In double-elimination, each team gets a chance to come back from a loss. The Pack lost early in the meet but made the finals by winning all its games in the losers' bracket.

If The Pack had won the first game against Game Face, both teams would have had one loss apiece. They would have played a second game immediately after the first.

The Pack is coached by Antonie Evans. That team finished third in the state finals last year and advanced to second this year. But, the Game Face team came from far back to claim the top prize this year.

AAU offers many sports for kids in St. Louis area The Ozark Chapter of the AAU organization sponsors competition in many different sports for kids in the St. Louis metro area. For information on the national AAU program, you can click on to the website: www.aausports.org. For specific information about sports programs in the Ozark region, you can click on to the website: www.myteam.com/go/ozaau.

 

Education

Kids get unexpected lesson
in hot-air ballooning

(For other hot-air balloon stories, see sidebar below.)

Parkway Central Middle School kids got an unwanted science lesson at the end of their hot-air ballooning class.

All year, eighth grade kids have been learning math, science and even history lessons linked to making and flying of hot air balloons. Last month, the kids held a mass balloon launching in the school yard.

A total of 120 eighth grade kids launched 30 balloons to see how high and far each of their home-made balloons can go.

Usually, in the spring, the outside air temperature is cool, especially in the morning when the launch was held. But, this year, the temperature on launch day was in the 80s.

Teacher Judy Green said, "There was too much temperature outside. And not enough inside the balloons."

That meant the temperature of hot air inside the balloon wasn't too much different than the outside air. It's that inside-outside temperature difference that gives a balloon it's "lift." That's the science lesson the kids would have just as soon not learned.

As a result, many of the 30 balloons just barely lifted off before they came back to earth.

But, the balloon of Ariehal Stephenson, Colin Schwartz and Kyle Meldrum did win the height and distance award. They also got a special bonus--their balloon traveled high and long enough to land on the top of the Parkway Central Middle School.

That meant the student "balloon chaser" team had to go up on the roof to retrieve their balloon.

Launch day involves a lot of organization and teamwork between students, teachers and parents. Also, there's special equipment and scientific instruments.

Math teacher Judy Green was the overall coordinator. She was on duty early in the morning to start the charcoal fire in a big barrel barbecue pit. Once the briquettes are hot, they are put into specially built ovens that vent hot air into the balloons.

Teams of parents held the tissue-paper balloons over hot air vents until they were filled.

Then, students on each balloon team measured the flight pattern with a scientific instrument called a "theodolite." That gives a reading to let the kids determine how high the balloon went.

Another team member had a stopwatch to see how long the balloon stays in the air.

The team of Kamryn Colatruglio, Brittane Todd, Jennifer Guenther and Kinsey Coker was one group that got it's balloon into the air early in the day. That was before the charcoal was its hottest but before the outside air got too hot.

Asked what she learned about ballooning, Kamryn said, "I know you can't have holes in the balloon and expect it to fly." She had to patch a hole in their balloon just five minutes before the launch.

Kinsey was in charge of timing the balloon flight. It stayed in the air 21 seconds.

Brittane said she liked the teamwork involved in building and flying the balloon. Jennifer said, "I always knew that hot air was lighter and this project proved it to me."

The balloon launching was done in five different shifts.

There was even a student crew armed with fire extinguishers to put out any fires that might be started by the hot charcoal. None of the balloons caught fire but there were a couple small grass fires near the hot-air loading ovens.

Mary Armstrong was one of the extinguishing crew that answered the fire alarm. She used a dry extinguisher to douse the small flames.

Kyle Feigerbaum and Kevin Moss were on one of the balloon-building teams. Kyle said it took their team about two days to put the tissue-paper balloon together. They had to glue the paper panels together.

The top of the balloon was tied shut and the bottom was fitted around a wire hoop that kept it open so the hot air could inflate the balloon.

Then, each balloon had to undergo a "hair-dryer" test. Heated dryer air was blown into the balloons to they could be checked for holes and leaks.

But, on launch day, there needed to be plenty of last-minute patches added. Sometimes a hole was poked into the balloon when it was being filled. In other cases, the original glued joint gave way.

Other stories on Parkway Middle hot-air ballooning Young Saint Louis.com has followed the Parkway Central Middle School hot-air ballooning class since the start of the 2000-2001 school year. Last October, we told about how Parkway teachers Judy Green and Tony Ambrose used the building of hot-air balloons to teach lessons in math, science and history. (If you'd like to read the first article, click here.) In February, we featured an article how the Parkway kids put together a teaching website, video and CD on the hot-air balloon classes. The lesson plans could be used by other schools wanting to use this subject matter. (To read this second article and learn how to get the teaching lessons, click here.) The Parkway teachers and kids also joined with Young Saint Louis.com to make a joint presentation in February, 2001. The presentation was at the 2001 Midwest Educational Technology Conference in downtown St. Louis.

 

Lifestyle

Seventh graders write, direct opera for kids

Seventh graders at St. Simon the Apostle School in South County last semester wrote an original opera.

And, last month, they helped direct the opera's first performance, which involved 50 kindergarten kids at the school.

Thirteen-year-old Kerry Nolan helped to write the closing song, "The Toothbrush March."

The song starts:

"We live in Veggie Ville.
"Our President's Drill N. Fill.
"We want veggies.
"We have veggies.
"They're delicious.
"And nutritious....

Kerry and 57 other seventh graders had a hand in writing the words and music for the original opera. It is titled: "It's a Yummy World After All."

They also helped with costumes, stage settings and direction of the actors and actresses.

Thirteen-year-old Kristian Sedlak helped with the stage scenery and handed out programs to the audiences.

She also had a chance to watch her younger sister perform. Asked how her sister did, Kristian said she followed stage directions very well.

Asked if her sister follows her directions when they are at home, Kristian said, "No."

Many of the seventh graders said their favorite part of making the opera was watching the kindergartners perform. There was an afternoon performance on Tuesday, May 15, for other kids in the school.

Then, at night, they performed again for parents, grandparents and other adults.

Thirteen-year-old Steve Ladd said his favorite part was watching the kids perform and "seeing how well they memorized their parts." He said the shows went off without a hitch.

The St. Simon students--both the seventh graders and the kindergartners--got plenty of help in writing and staging the opera from Opera Theatre of St. Louis. (For more information about Opera Theatre, you can click on www.opera-stl.org.)

Kindergarten teacher Mary Murphy and the school's music teacher, Barbara Roddy, got the opera idea last summer during an Opera Theatre of St. Louis workshop for teachers.

Then, in the fall, story teller Annette Harrison of Young Audiences worked with the seventh graders to develop the story line.

The plot involves a make-believe town, called Choctropolis, where candy is the favorite food. But, then the town's leader, President Choctropoly, gets a toothache while talking at a school assembly.

That starts a change in eating habits in the town. Pretty soon, vegetables are the favorites. The town dentist, Dr. Drill N. Fill, fixes Choctropoly's decayed tooth.

Later, the dentist is elected town president. That's when the residents change the town's name from Choctropolis to Veggie Ville.

This spring, Opera Theatre brought in professional Christopher Limber as a trainer and stage director. The school used sets from the eighth grade class play, "Anything Goes."

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Haffner was one who helped put the songs to music. But, she said her favorite part of the whole production was "watching the little kids perform."

Phillip Diehl, also 13, said he helped to come up with the town names and helped with the music. "It's nice to know that I helped to put on that performance," he said.

Joe Groeller helped in forming the ideas for the opera's story line. Then, on the day of the performance, he was in charge of running the spotlight to show off different kids on stage.

He said he enjoyed watching "my cousin, Tom (Groeller) up there performing."

The opera's closing song concludes:

"No more candy.
"Rots your teeth.
"We want veggies.
"We have veggies."

Then, as the curtain comes down, the kindergartners shout: "We All Got Veggies!"

 

Food

A special kids gardening program

(For more about gardening, see sidebar below)

Nine-year-old Kalli Conner has her garden in. Now, she's waiting for the chance to harvest the home-grown vegetables.

But, her friend, 10-year-old Tiana Haun said her family didn't plant any vegetables in their garden this year. "We're going to move to Minnesota this year," she said.

The two girls are among St. Louis area kids who are learning about gardening through a special Children's Gardening Club. The St. Louis Parks Department sponsors a year-round program to help kids learn the fun of home gardening.

The club meets each month to learn different aspects of gardening. In May, the kids learned how to make miniature gardens by planting in containers. These plants can be both inside and outside the house.

In May, the kids also decorated small containers with tissue paper. Then, they planted flowers in them so they'd have a good Mother's Day gift. They also got Krispy Kreme doughnuts for a snack.

Gardening subjects for later in the summer include:

On June 2, there's Perennial Kids Day; on July 7, it's Tropical Rain Forest; on Aug. 4, it's Bug Day, and one Sept. 8, it's Fall Harvest.

The lessons continue throughout the year. Topics later include Pumpkins, Bulbs and Holiday Plants.

For information on future meetings, call horticulturist Doug Wolter at (314) 615-4783.

Kalli thinks gardening will make a good hobby for the rest of her life.

However, for now, she admitted, "My mom does most of the work. But I'm her helper."

But, she said she did a lot of the seed planting this spring. They put in radishes, carrots, squash, zucchini, beans and peas along with tomatoes.

From last year's garden, she said she liked the carrots best.

The family garden is close enough to their house that they don't have to worry about not getting enough rain. Kalli said she can sprinkle the garden with a hose if it gets too dry.

Although Tiana isn't going to have any home-grown vegetables this year, she is getting some things from her garden. The family has permanent strawberry and raspberry patches, that yield fruit every year.

"We have to put netting over the patches so the birds don't eat all the fruit before we do," she said.

Last year, she said they had vegetables from their garden. They included radishes, lettuce, spinach and squash.

She said her older sister, 11-year-old Carol, likes the vegetables and says she's going to be a vegetarian. "She eats all sorts of beans and peas," Tiana said.

Tiana said she likes digging in the dirt in the garden.

Horticulturist Doug Wolter said he's interested in finding out what gardening subjects the kids want to study. If there's enough interest, he adds the subject for the next year. For instance, this year he added a class on bugs.

"A lot of boys love bugs. We talk about positive bugs, like lady bugs. We also talk about destructive bugs. But, most of the time, we focus on the beneficial bugs," he said.

Wolter also urges the kids to keep a Garden Journal. That can include a map of your garden, to show where all the seeds are planted. Also, you keep track of when you plant, when the plants break through the ground and when you harvest.

"Anyone who gets tomatoes by July 4th is doing good," he said.

The county's Children's Garden Club program is in its second year. The club has a relationship with the National Council of Garden Clubs. That's a national group that promotes gardening in this country.

Some good gardening information for kids In May, horticulturist Doug Wolter lists a number of books that provide kids with good information about container gardening. Each month, he provides reading lists on the topic of the month. The container gardening books include: "Gardens by Design Container Gardening," by Alan Too Good. "Gardening in Containers" by Ortho Books. "Hanging Gardens" by Jack Kramer. "Hanging Gardens" by Sunset Magazines. "Hanging Baskets" Window Boxes and other Container Gardens" by David Joyce. "The Book of Container Gardening" by Malcolm Hillier. "Container Gardening" by the American Horticultural Society. In addition, you can find out information about the National Council of Garden Clubs by clicking on the groups website at: www.gardenclub.org You also can find out more about other kids' programming by the St. Louis County Parks by going to the county's website at: www.St-LouisCountyParks.com.

 

Profile

Girl runner hopes to improve national ranking

(For information about AAU sports for kids, click here.)

Thirteen-year-old Taylor Scott finished second and third in two national AAU races last year.

This year, she's working hard to qualify again and maybe improve her rankings.

The seventh grader at Rockwood Valley Middle School finished second in the 800-meter (the metric half-mile) race in the AAU 11-12-year grouping. She also finished third in the 1,500-meter (metric mile) race in the same category.

That meet was held in Orlando, Fla.

Scott will move up to the 13-14-year competition this summer. She's even doing some practicing at the shorter 400-meter distance because she feels she's getting faster as she gets older.

"Two years ago, my stamina was my biggest strength. But, my speed has picked up in the last year so that stamina and speed are about equal," she said.

She said as the races get shorter the emphasis shifts from stamina to speed. She said the 400-meter race is virtually a sprint from start to finish.

"In the 1,500, I start fast for the first 400 meters. Then, I float for the next two laps or so. I start to sprint again in the backstretch of the last lap," Taylor said.

She added, "In the 800, I sprint for 200 yards, ease up for the next 300 and then go all out for the final 300 meters."

Taylor's interest in running started in the second grade. "I just started running around the neighborhood," she said. But, she joined the Blazers track team by the summer.

She's still a member of that club, which isn't associated with her school. "I run for the school team but we only have one tournament a year," she said.

By participating in a track team, her chances to compete increase. "We run against some other team about every other week," she said.

Taylor is five feet tall and weighs 84 pounds. She said she's never been hurt while running.

Now, she practices about four days a week.

On an "easy" workout, she'll run for about 25 minutes. A harder workout includes running five 600-meters with about a three-minute break between the runs.

Besides running, her other exercises involve throwing the medicine ball. That's a large heavy ball that athletes use to help develop their upper-body strength. Taylor is especially interested in strengthening her arms.

She points out the pumping action of the arms is a big factor in how well you run.

Taylor doesn't limit her sports to track and field. She also is involved in basketball and cross country.

Last year, her Angels basketball team won the 12-and-under title in the Show-Me Games. Her father, Jordan, is the coach of the Angels.

She's planning to attend a basketball camp this summer put on by the Lafayette High School coach. Taylor plans to attend Lafayette when she finishes middle school.

Taylor said she'd like to be a runner in college.

Her favorite athletes are Olympic champions Marion Jones and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She also reads books about running, including one that gives training tips from famous runners.

Asked about her career plans, she said, "I'd like to be an Olympic runner. But, if not that, I want to be a teacher. I'd like to teach second grade where you teach all the subjects to the kids."

Her mother, Beth, is an assistant principal.

Taylor says she feels her participation in sports helps her with her school work. "I do my homework before I go to practice, except if I have a big project. Then, I start it first and then finish after practice," she said.

She has a younger sister, 11-year-old Brooke, who is also a runner. However, Brooke admits she hasn't been able to beat her sister yet.

But, then, not to many kids Taylor's age have been able to do that either.

 

Entertainment

Former Muny Kid branches out as performer

Joseph Zahn was a member of the Muny Kids when he was 10 years old.

He's performed in a dozen Muny Opera productions. And he's branched out into other entertainment fields, including singing and work on radio and TV. (For more about the Muny Opera and Muny Kids program, see www.muny.com.)

Along the way, he's picked up a Midwest Emmy award for an interview he did with TV personality and actress Rosie O'Donnell.

Zahn is now finishing his junior year at CBC High School. He hopes to carve out a career in theater, starting with college work at New York University. He says the school "is No. 1 in theater."

If things don't work out with a theater career, he's looking toward elective politics. "They are quite similar," he said.

Zahn is a member of Team 11. That's the local pop music group that was started by Ted Koplar when he owned TV Channel 11. When Koplar sold the station, he kept the music group. They now perform throughout the Midwest.

Last year, they did nine performances at the Arkansas State Fair. They also performed at the St. Louis Convention Center during community entertainment activity associated with the 2001 NCAA Women's Final 4 weekend.

Team 11 also performed last year during Fair St. Louis' Fourth of July weekend.

Asked about the music they perform, Zahn said, "We do any type of music that people like on the radio." The group has seven singers and three dancers. They perform to pre-recorded musical tapes. "I sing and do a little dancing," he said.

He's also done work with the St. Louis Shakespeare Company.

He earned his Emmy award for an interview he did on the City 16 cable TV channel. Zahn reviews movies and also interviews stars of the movies that he's reviewed.

Rosie O'Donnell had starred in a movie, "Harriett, the Spy," which appeared on the Nickelodeon cable network.

Also, last month, he recorded a radio commercial for Coke. "They wanted a teenage voice for the commercial," he said.

He's done radio commercials for Busch Gardens, the Anheuser-Busch theme parks. He also has done a video commercial for Six Flags.

He gets paid for most of his work. "But, I couldn't make a living doing that in St. Louis. I'd have to go to New York, Chicago or Los Angeles to do that," he said.

But, he said the entertainment work does give him some extra spending money. It just wouldn't pay if he had to take care of all his expenses, including room and board.

Of all his entertaining, he likes theater the best. "I love to be out on stage in front of people," he said.

This summer, he's scheduled to be in the chorus in the Muny production of the musical, "Evita."

Asked about ever being nervous, Zahn said, "Everyone gets nervous. But, you try to overcome that and just perform."

Sometimes, he says keeping your cool gets a little hard when things go wrong on stage. He said his most difficult time came during a performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at his high school.

Zahn said, "While I was singing, a button on my jacket got caught in the hair of a girl near me. I couldn't get loose.

"I kept singing while I took off my coat. I left the coat with her. While I went on singing, she went off stage with my coat."

Asked about his favorite performers, Zahn named Oscar winner Kevin Spacey and singer Michael Crawford. He said Crawford was his favorite vocalist for his work in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

"I have respect for Spacey for his range of acting ability. He can handle every role," he said.

Zahn is the son of Mark and Anna Zahn. He also has a brother, Tony, 15, and Annie, 13.

 

Fun & Games

Fun and Games

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 - June

Across	Down
5. charcoal for grill 7. governing rule 8. to bring back 9. eats no meat	1. plant specialist 2. teams compete 3. classification, type 4. made the score 6. physical endurance

 

Young Saint Louis.com - June #2

Across	Down
4. remember in detail 8. please an audience 9. small replica 11. spray with liquid	1. portion, given part 2. good for you, helps 3. not good, ruinous 5. actors' clothes 6. place for performing 7. musical show 10. strongly encourage

 

Summer

Across	Down
3. hot season 6. cooling devices 9. electric cooler 10. leisure activity 12. live in the outdoors 13. free time 14. summer month	1. summer vacation (2 wds) 2. biking 3. sun's rays 4. rest 5. go over water on slats 7. windy day activity 8. hoops 11. walking for pleasure

 

Summer Olympics

Basketball Boxing Canoeing Cycling Diving Fencing Gymnastics Judo Rowing Shooting

Soccer Table Tennis Team Handball Track and Field Volleyball Water Polo Weight Lifting Wrestling Yachting

 

Poking More Fun at School

Pupil: Teach, I don't think I deserved the "0" you gave me on that history test.
     Teacher: Well, neither did I, but it's the lowest I could give!

Teacher: Simon, can you spell your name backward?
     Simon: No Mis!

Teacher: Where does your mother come from?
     Pupil: Alaska.
Teacher: Well, never mind! I'll ask her myself!

Teacher: In this exam you will be allowed 30 minutes for each question.
     Pupil: Okay, how long do we get for the answer?

Teacher: Mary Anne, do you file your nails?
     Mary Anne: No, I just throw them away!

Teacher: Use the word "fascinate" in a sentence.
     Pupil: Okay. I have nine buttons on my sweater but I can only fasten eight!

What did the buffalo say when his son left for school?
     Bi - son.

Some other random jokes that are just as corny

Where do pencils come from?
     Pencil-vania!

What dog can tell the time?
     A watchdog!

There was a woman whose house was on fire. She called the fire department and the fireman said, "Okay, lady, just tell me how to get there." The woman said, "How about coming in that big red truck!"

One more school joke

Teacher: When was Rome built?
     Pupil: At night.
Teacher: Why do you say that?
     Pupil: Because my dad always says, "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

Answers to Fun and Games

Young Saint Louis.com - June

 

Young Saint Louis.com - June #2

 

Summer

 

Summer Olympics