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Twelve Young Achievers of Year picked

Twelve young St. Louis area kids have been picked as Gateway 2002 Young Achievers of the Year. The kids were recognized for their school and community achievements.

The area Young Achievers of the Year will receive a $1,000 savings bond. They are entered in the national Achievers of the Year competition.

The Gateway achievers are:

Elementary school (grades 1-6):
Jazzmine Booker of Florissant, Mo.
Tori Fenemor of St. Charles, Mo.
D.J. Lampert of St. Louis.
Miles Toenyes of Highland, Ill.

Middle school (grades 7-9):
Hanna Dumey of Ellisville, Mo.
Freddie Hull of St. Louis.
Ben Levinson of University City.
Christine Parsons of House Springs, Mo.

High school (grades 10-11)
Ashley Coleman of Florissant, Mo.
Paul Lee of Bel Nor, Mo.
Jeff Price of Des Peres, Mo.
Sarah Schuessler of Belleville, Ill.

These dozen will be among over 500 area kids to be recognized Sunday, May 5, for their accomplishments. The recognition program will be at Saint Louis University's Busch Memorial Center.

Barbara Eichhorst heads the local office of the International Leadership Network. That group sponsors the Young Achievers of the Year program. Nominations are gathered from many groups and individuals before selections are made.

In addition to the Achievers of the Year, Eichhorst said 50 Medallion and 550 Gateway Achievers will be honored.

Here is a thumbnail sketch of the four elementary and four middle school Young Achievers of the Year. (Young Saint Louis.com will feature more complete profiles of these kids in future editions of the website.)

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

* Jazzmine Booker of the Ames Visual Performing Arts Center in Florissant.

She was recognized for work at her church, with the Girl Scouts and in school. She helped with her church's building program by personally raising $1,000. A top Girl Scout cookie seller for three years, she also helps raise funds for senior citizen services. When her father had a heart attack, she used her own money to take CPR classes so she'd be prepared in case of emergency at home.

* Tori Fenemor attends Hardin Middle School in St. Charles.

Shocked by the World Trade Center bombings last September, Tori and a friend set up a Kids Who Care program. With the help of a local store operator, they set up a table to sell homemade T-shirts and collect funds. They raised over $1,000 in a 10-hour period. Money went to the Red Cross. She is very active in school and youth programs.

* D.J. Lampert attends Wohlwend Elementary School in south St. Louis County.

He has been recognized by the United Nations for his efforts to promote awareness of organ donation. He received the UN's 2000 Millennium award. He also participated in the 2001 World Transplant Games in Japan as the only child on the U.S. team. He is the recipient of a liver transplant and makes talks to promote awareness of transplants.

* Miles Toenyes attends Highland Upper Elementary School in Highland.

He is another kid recognized for his fund-raising efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center collapse. He and two young relatives set up a lemonade stand at a local gas station and raised $400 for the Red Cross' disaster relief effort. He was recognized when he found a woman's wallet and turned it into police. The wallet contained $750, which was the woman's Christmas money. He also shows livestock at local and state fairs.

* Hannah Dumey attends Crestview Middle School in Ellisville.

Her recognition came because of active participation in a wide variety of school, church and community programs. She participates in her school band as a clarinetist and plays during the summer at a nursing home. She participates in Operation Christmas Child, which collects gifts to be sent overseas. She also works with her Girl Scout troop's April Showers community service project.

* Freddie Hull is a 7th grader at Gateway Middle School.

He is active in a host of school and community activities. He has been a science and math tutor at Gateway School. He also has been a Salvation Army volunteer. He also helps elderly neighbors with leaf raking and snow shoveling at no charge. He's placed in various science fairs and got a certificate of Excellence from the NFL's Punt, Pass and Kick competition.

* Ben Levinson attends the Brittany Woods Middle School in University City.

He was recognized for his school performance (a 4.0 GPA) and community and church activities. Through his temple, he has helped with winterizing, animal shelters, soup kitchens and putting on plays at retirement homes. He also helped at the Savvis Center to set up the arena for hockey games. He also volunteers in the summer at the public library.

* Christine Parson is an 8th grader at Northwest Valley School in House Springs.

Although she has degenerative eyesight, it hasn't caused her to reduce her school and community activities. She's an honor student and works to help parents of young blind people understand their children's situation. She has been published an Anthology of Poetry. She writes short stories, poems and essays and enjoys horseback riding and even whitewater rafting.

 

Sports

June meet features top girls basketball teams

If you're a fan of girls basketball, mark June 7-9 on your calendar. That's when as many as 80 select U.S. teams come to St. Louis for the Battle by the Arch tournament.

The AAU-sanctioned event is among the top 10 invitational tournaments in the country.

Teams in nine different age brackets, from 10-and-under through 18-and-under, will compete. Last year, 17 different states were represented. The teams came from as far away as Texas, Ohio and North Carolina.

Another thing about this meet that makes it very fan-friendly is that admission is free.

The tournament field is so large that six different sites will be used for games. The sites include Flo Valley Community College and St. Louis Christian College along high school gyms at Aquinas Mercy, Pattonville and McClure North in St. Louis and Duchesne High in St. Charles.

Rick Newkirk of the St. Louis Comets select team is the tournament director. In addition to coaching the Comets, Newkirk is girls' basketball coach of the Florissant Valley Community College.

He said fans attending the meet will see many young players who will be on major college teams in coming years. Previous players have gone on to play for top notch programs, such as Coach Pat Summit's Final 4 Tennessee Vols.

Other former AAU players have starred locally with teams such as Washington University's top-notch girls team.

Newkirk said, "As many as 90% of the top players in this tournament will go to major colleges. Some kids get as many as 50 recruiting letters from colleges."

The Battle by the Arch is one of the invitational tournaments that top select teams use to prepare for the summer AAU national meet.

"A lot of the teams coming this year will be in contention in this summer's AAU national tournament," Newkirk said.

Newkirk's Comets will enter three different teams in the 15-and-under category. The Comets' "main" team placed fifth in the 14-and-under nationals last year. Some players on Newkirk's team have been playing together since fourth grade.

One of his players who is attracting considerable attention from college coaches is Katie Dierdorf. She's the daughter of Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf. He played tackle for the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I'd think Katie would be one of those players with 50 recruiting letters," Newkirk said.

Although she's a 6-footer, Newkirk said Katie's main strength is that she is "lightning quick."

Young Saint Louis.com featured a story about the Comets in its April edition. To read that article, click here.

Among teams already entered in this year's Battle by the Arch are the Jaguars from Houston, Tex.; the Arkansas Mavericks, the Kansas Belles and the Phantoms from Springfield, Mo.

For more about the tournament and the Comets, you can log on to the team's big website at www.stl-comets.org. You'll be able to update the tournament entries during May by checking this website regularly. Make note of the games you'd like to attend.

The Comets' website also has lots of links to other basketball-related sites.

Competition in the tournament will be in the 10-and-under, 11-and-under, 12-and-under, 13-and-under, 14-and-under, 15-and-under, 16-and-under, 17-and-under and 18-and-under divisions.

There will be from eight to 12 teams in each age division.

All teams will play on Friday. The games start at 9 a.m. and will go on until 9 p.m. Winners advance with the meet's final games Sunday afternoon.

If you want to see some of the best young girl basketball players in the country, this is a good opportunity.

 

Books

Are being left-handed and wanting
to play baseball both really sinful?

Luke Bledsoe is naturally left-handed. He is thirteen-years-old and it's early spring in 1921. His father is a preacher in the Holy River of John the Baptist Church. His father also believes that being left-handed is unnatural and sets one up to be wild and a sinner. Luke's Uncle Micah, who is his father's brother, smokes tobacco, drinks liquor, dances all night, and just happens to be left-handed also. Luke's dad is so afraid that Luke will be like Uncle Micah that he kept Luke's left hand tied behind him for years trying to force him to be right-handed.

Luke's dad also believes baseball leads young people into sin, so he will not let Luke show any interest at all in the game. However, Luke has always liked to throw things with his left hand. Some of the kids in watching Luke throw rocks and apples realize that he is a natural left-handed pitcher. He can also play ball pretty good with his right hand because he has been forced to use it for years. Luke is pressured by his playmates to go out for the team, since they need a good pitcher.

Because of his father's strictness, Luke feels set apart from other kids in his age range. He also can't understand why his father tries to make him feel ashamed because he was born with the tendency to be left-handed.

Luke is tricked into demonstrating what a great left-handed pitcher he could be, if he would just try to play baseball. Even though he knows his father disapproves, Luke finally agrees to pitch for the local team.

The rest of the story is concerned with what happens when Luke's father finds out that his strict orders have been disobeyed. "Choosing Up Sides" by John H. Ritter is much more than just a baseball story. Be prepared for a really dramatic ending!

 

Can a really insecure kid hide
behind jokes all the time?

Gary Boone is a seventh grader at Floyd Hicks Junior High School. The other kids call him "Goon" and he has just sort of accepted that name for himself. Gary is sort of small for his age and is used to being pushed around by the other bigger guys. Girls don't take him very seriously either. He has learned to cover up his insecurity by telling jokes all the time - really corny jokes. He claims he wants to be a stand-up comic when he grows up. He's just practicing a lot while he is still young.

There was one girl named Angeline Persopolis who was the smartest kid in the whole school. She thought Gary was really funny and cracked up over about anything he said. But she was the exception. Besides, she was so smart that she was being sent away to a special school for gifted kids.

A talent show was being planned for the school. A $100 prize would be awarded the winner. Naturally, Gary was the first one to sign up. He was going to win the prize and show all the other kids he really wasn't a goon. He sweated over what kind of performance would be okay. Of course, Angeliine was impressed by anything he planned to do, but he knew that wasn't enough to impress all those other kids, the teachers, and the parents. Gary was so anxious that he tried to pull out at the last minute. They wouldn't let him!

What finally happens is a big surprise - to Gary and everybody else, including the reader of the story. If you like to read stories with a strange twist of an ending and one filled with lots of cornball jokes, you might like "Dogs Don't Tell Jokes" by Louis Sachar.

 

Another book about horses from
the Heartland series of books

Amy Fleming is a teen-ager who lives on a horse farm in Virginia. Called "Heartland," the farm was founded by Amy's mother to treat horses that had been abused or suffered trauma of some kind. Amy's mother had been killed in a tragic accident, but Amy had inherited her mother's talent at reaching horses that nobody else could help. Amy's older sister and her grandfather were around to run the farm, but it was Amy who had this unusual ability to understand and communicate with troubled horses.

"Out of the Darkness" is the seventh paperback in the series of books that are concerned with Amy's life and the story of Heartland. In this one, the plot revolves around the arrival of a high strung thoroughbred race horse named "Gallant Prince." The horse had been a famous racer who had won many big races. He had healed physically from being badly burned in a fire in the stables. His biggest problem, however, was that no one could work with him to retrain him after the fire.

For a while after Gallant Prince arrived at Heartland, it appeared that this horse was one that couldn't be helped. Not only was he dangerous to be around, but he was so wild that he was upsetting efforts to train the other horses at Heartland. Amy had to find a solution, or Heartland would face a much-publicized failure. Amy finds that she not only has a talent for helping troubled horses, but, while helping a horse, she can also help a troubled young man, who had given up on his life and family.

"Out of the Darkness" is another excellent addition to the Heartland series. The story stands on its own, but is more meaningful to that reader who has read the earlier books in the series.

 

A story about what it's like to live in a
country occupied by enemy soldiers

Pieter Van Dirk is only thirteen years old in 1944. Hie homeland of Holland is occupied by German invaders. The Allies, or friendly nations, are just about to invade Europe to free the occupied countries. The Nazi soldiers are cracking down on the Dutch people more and more as they both prepare for the coming Allied invasion.

Those Dutch who do what they can to help the Allies and disrupt the Nazis are called "the Resistance." Pieter wants to help out as much as he can. He knows that if he is caught by the Nazis while he is doing anything for the Resistance, he is likely to be shot. The Germans had already imprisoned his father and older brother earlier in the war.

Pieter helps out by carrying messages for the Resistance. In a surprising turn of events, an Allied soldier, injured as he parachuted into Holland, ends up in Pieter's home and taken care of by his mother. Pieter knows that someone in his village is a traitor and, if he or she knows what is going on, it will be reported to the Nazis.

You feel Pieter's fear and his distrust of anyone around him, as he tries to help the Resistance and, at the same time, protect his mother and his home.

If you want to know more about what young people experienced during World War II, especially those in occupied countries, "A Traitor among Us" by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, is a good place to start.

 

Science

Winning science fair idea from big hail storm

Twelve-year-old Ryan Kelley's idea for his division winning entry in the 2002 Greater St. Louis Science Fair came from a bad family experience. His family home was heavily damaged in a gigantic hail storm last year.

Kelley and his family live in north St. Louis County. That's in the area of St. Louis where a storm a year ago caused over $1 billion in damage. The Kelley's home roof and siding had to be replaced.

One of Ryan's outside activities is as a local severe weather spotter. He's been doing that for three years for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That's the federal agency that issues official weather forecasts across the country.

He and his brother, Shawn, reported to NOAA about the storm has it was happening. Heavy rain and hail 1 1/2 to 2-inch in size hit their neighborhood.

After that experience, Ryan decided to focus his science fair idea on weather forecasting. His experiment compared forecast accuracy of NOAA and two local television stations, Channel 5 and Channel 2. His science experiment was titled, "Did It Rain on NOAA?"

For five months, he kept track of forecasts of temperature and other weather conditions for the three groups. His conclusion was that NOAA's forecasts were more accurate.

Science Fair judges were so impressed with Ryan's work that he was given one of three first place medals in the 6th grade division. This was the second time Kelley had a science fair project make the finals. He was a third place ribbon winner two years ago.

A total of 1,800 science projects were entered in the elementary and middle school divisions in the 2002 Greater St. Louis Science Fair. The entries were displayed and judged last month at Queeny Park in west St. Louis County.

Another 1,500 science projects were entered in the secondary division of the fair.

The students who make it to the finals usually have to win at local school fairs. In all, the Greater St. Louis Science Fair is the largest competition of its type in the country.

Twelve-year-old Sydney Seidel of Chesterfield Day School was a 5th grade division winner. Her science fair idea also grew out of a family experience. But, this one wasn't as traumatic as that of Ryan Kelley.

Her experiment dealt with various sugar cookie recipes. She baked a variety of cookies with different ingredients left out of each batch. Like, a sugar cookie without sugar. Or a sugar cookie without flour.

The idea occurred to Sydney while she and her family was baking Christmas cookies last fall. "Cooking is going to be important to me in the future. It's important to know what different ingredients do for a recipe," she said.

She admitted some of the cookie recipes--with different ingredients left out--tasted pretty bad. "But, I had to taste them because the experiment was about taste testing," she said.

This was Sydney's first time in the science fair finals.

Twelve-year-old Jenna Clack of the Barrington Elementary School in north county was another 6th grade division winner. She got her "Blast Off" experiment idea from her dad.

"My dad did the experiment when he was a kid so I decided to try that also," she said.

The experiment's goal was to measured the distance tiny "match rockets" traveled when fired. The variable was the size of exhaust holes punched in the matches before ignition.

Jenna varied the hole sizes by using different sewing needles to make the exhaust holes smaller or larger. "Match rockets" with smaller exhaust holes traveled farther, she found.

Another 6th grade division winner was Melissa Elliott from Chesterfield Day School. She got her idea for the experiment from the internet. It was titled, "Osmosis." Osmosis is a process by which liquids get through membranes which have no obvious holes.

She said setting up her experiment turned out to be pretty tricky. It involved cutting holes in the shells of fresh eggs without puncturing the membrane just inside the shell. Melissa admitted that she broke "quite a few."

The goal is to find out how fluids passes through membranes under different conditions.

Melissa has been entering the science fair competition since she was in second grade. It's her second time in the finals. She earned a blue ribbon and a discovery medal in the previous entry.

For full results of this year's fair, go to www.jracademy.com and click on Kids section.

 

Health

Pavan Vinjamoori's award-winning science website was more than just a contest entry. He was looking for an answer to a personal health problem.

The Parkway Central Middle School student won the novice division of the 2002 CyberChallenge website competition. That's a Junior Academy of Science of St. Louis contest combining science research with creation of an internet website.

The 14-year-old Pavan's winning entry was called, "Lasik Eye Surgery-The New Frontier."

His selection of that topic had a strong personal interest. Pavan has suffered from the eye disease myopia since he was a small child.

He said, "Eye glasses correct the problem but I want to get rid of the glasses."

Pavan said the laser-based Lasik surgery corrects the problem of myopia "in 90 per cent of the cases." However, he said there is some chance the operation may not succeed. It could result in worse vision or blindness.

He thought the research needed to create his award-winning website might help him better understand his eyesight options. "I was skeptical at the beginning and I'm a little bit less skeptical now. But, I haven't made up my mind," he said.

Pavan still has time to make a decision. His doctor said he needs to wait until he's about 20 and is through growing before having the eye operation.

But, he said, "Having a personal interest made the science website project more interesting."

The CyberChallenge contest is a separate competition from the Greater St. Louis Science Fair, which was held last month.

The theme of this year's website competition was "Science--The New Frontier." The contestants were urged to select a science subject with big potential for the future. Then, they created their own website design to display their research report.

Pavan said he also participated in the Junior Academy's Spontaneous Challenge science competition. That's where a team of kids get a sack of mystery materials and create a science experiment on the spot.

He said he didn't submit an entry in this year's larger Greater St. Louis Science Fair.

For the CyberChallenge, Pavan used Microsoft's Front Page software to help him with his website design. "A beginner can learn how to use it very quickly," he said.

The purpose of any design is to attract attention, But, the designer has to make sure the design isn't so complicated that it distracts a viewer from the research content. Pavan's colorful design convinced the contest judges that he satisfied those goals.

To view Pavan's entry, log on to: www.jracademy.com/~vinjamp/ .

Pavan said he gathered information on eye diseases and Lasik surgery by using a "variety of search engines" on the internet. His website lists all these sources in a Links category at the end of the website.

In giving background on various eye diseases, Pavan put material about myopia at the top of his list. After all, it was the one in which he had the most personal interest.

He said gathering background material and writing his report took more time than doing the website design.

Pavan said math and science are his favorite subjects in school. He participates in his school's Math Team.

Also, the eighth grader said he plays tennis. He is considering trying out for the tennis team when he gets to high school.

Concerning a career, Pavan said he'd like to get a civil engineering degree. He hasn't picked a school or a branch of engineering as yet.

However, he said an engineering degree would allow him to use his math and science in "creative ways." He said he likes design work.

Whether he will have had Lasik surgery to correct his myopia is still up in the air.

For more information on how you can participate in local science activities, log on to www.jracademy.com.

 

History

The St. Louis area is rich in history of this country. In June, local kids can get a hands-on taste of how life was lived in four different historic periods.

The St. Louis County Parks have scheduled day camps next month to introduce local elementary and middle school kids to life in earlier times.

The camps are:

• Revolutionary War Summer Camp, at the Bissell House and Museum, June 10-13. For ages 8-15. For information, call (314) 868-0973.
  
  
• Pioneer Experience Camp, at Faust Park. There will be two five-day camping sessions, June 17-21 and June 24-28. For ages 8-13. For information, call (636) 532-3100.
  
  
• Civil War Summer Camp, at Jefferson Barracks Park, June 17-20. For ages 8-15. For information, call (314) 544-8714.
  
  
• World War Summer Camp, at Jefferson Barracks Park, June 24-27. For ages 8-13. For information, call (314) 544-8714.

There are fees for all the camps. Young Saint Louis.com is publishing this information early because advanced registration is required.

At all four camps, there are special pre- and post-camp hours for kids whose parents work. Adult supervision will be offered for up to two hours before camps open and also two hours after the camps close.

There will be an extra charge for this pre- and post-camp hours.

Here's a brief rundown of the schedules of the four camps:

* The Revolutionary War camp is four-days long, Monday-Thursday. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This camp will cover both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 periods. Adult leaders will be dressed in uniforms and costumes of the period. Every afternoon, kids will join in games from that period, including 9-pin bowling, croquet and wooden egg races.

There's a tour of Fort Bellefontaine, the first American fort west of the Mississippi River. From this fort, American went to fight the British in the War of 1812 in both Canada and in New Orleans.

One day, kids will design and built their own model forts. There will be chances to cook a pioneer meal, including making corn cakes. These are like pancakes but made with ground corn meal.

Kids also will learn about orienteering. That's finding your way with only a compass and topographical maps. There also will be an afternoon of swimming at the "old fishing hole."

* The Pioneer Experience camp is a five-day camp, Monday-Friday. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Highlights of this camp include Mountain Man and American Indian days. Also, they'll learn about pioneer cooking. There will be chances to learn about food preservation. That was all done without refrigeration.

Other hands-on chances include metal- and wood-working. Kids will learn to make "tree nails." Those are wooden pegs used to holds logs together in houses and barns. They also will learn how to spin wool and make felt cloth.

There's also a gardening day where kids get to harvest early peas and lettuce. They also will make cornhusk dolls. All leaders in the camp will be in pioneer costumes.

* The Civil War camp will be four days, Monday-Thursday. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This camp will include learning about military and civilian life in the Civil War period. One hands-on activity will involve making a bed. That included ropes for springs and straw-filled mattresses.

Kids will play Civil War era baseball. The rules were different from today's game. For one thing, a fielder could make an out if he caught the ball on one bounce. Also, the batter told the pitcher where he wanted the ball thrown. Rough language wasn't allowed. If a player swore, the game was stopped and the player had to apologize to the crowd.

There will be marching drills and kids will learn how to load rifle shells. There is a tour scheduled in the Jefferson Barracks Cemetery, where seven Congressional Medal of Honor soldiers are buried.

Kids also will make a meat stew and also learn to churn butter by hand.

The camp ends when kids divide into two "armies" and take part in a mock battle.

* The World Wars camp is four days, Monday-Thursday. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kids will be introduced to the life of a soldier and an ambulance driver in World War I. They also learn about army and navy life in World War II. Adults dressed in period uniforms will portray American, British and German soldiers.

A World War II veteran will talk of his war experiences, especially his part in the Battle of the Bulge. This famous battle was a turning point in the Allied Forces' in western Europe. It was the last major counter-attack by German forces.

Kids will divide into a group of seven "nations." Two nations get into a war and the others have to either pick sides or decide to stay neutral.

In another hands-on experience, the kids develop their own USO show. The USO was a wartime organization that put on entertainment for American soldiers.

For detailed information about these and other St. Louis County summer camps, log on to the county's website at www.stlouisco.com.

 

Lifestyle

Her summer will involve
work at mission control

Thirteen-year-old Amrita Seehra's summer vacation plans include working on a Challenger mission control desk. Well, it's not THE mission control in Houston but it's the next best thing.

She will get hands-on experience at the NASA-designed "Return to the Moon" Challenger Center in Kansas City. That's part of a two-week Advanced Space Academy sponsored by the Gifted Resource Council.

Her academy is one of 10 exciting GRC sessions available for kids this summer. Amrita's session is the most advanced of four space academy programs. In addition, there are academies in math, ecology and ancient history.

For information concerning the GRC and its programs, log on to www.cybam.com/grc.

The 8th grader from Mary Institute-Country Day (MICD) School already has had mission control experience at the Challenger center in Kansas City.

During her trip last summer, she worked on several different departments. She got experience in the medical, communication and radioactive materials units.

She also tried her hand at the simulated launch and navigation of the space shuttle.

"I had so much fun I'm taking the advance space academy for the third time," she said.

In addition to the flying trip to Kansas City, the advanced space academy includes work on other space projects. Amrita said her first summer her team developed parts of a proposed space station.

Last summer, she worked on making a pen that could be an all-purpose communicator.

Amrita said science is her favorite subject in school and she hopes for a career in medicine.

Thirteen-year-old Jacob Ohlemiller has been attending GRC academies for eight years.

Last year, he was in the space academy group that went to Kansas City. But, this year, he's decided to take an Ancient Academy course, "Middle Ages: From Castle to Village."

The Ladue Middle School 8th grader said he enjoyed flying to Kansas City in an airplane. He also liked working as a team member in the mission control center.

He also remembered "talking too loud" into his microphone. "They told me, 'Hold your face away from the mike; you're talking too loud," he said.

Jacob isn't planning a career in science. He wants to be a professional musician. He plays both the piano and the trumpet.

Asked if he thought he could make a living in music, he said, "I worry about that day and night." He said, if money were a big objective in his life, "I'd go into science."

Fifteen-year-old David Caldwell is too old to be a regular participant in the GRC academies this summer. However, he may get a chance to be a volunteer assistant in one of the academies for 1st and 2nd grade kids.

David is finishing his freshman year at Saint Louis University High School. He's a football player and finished his freshman wrestling season undefeated.

He took the Kansas City trip earlier and also participated in a trip to a South American rain forest with a GRC group.

Concerning the Kansas City trip, David said, "It was interesting to see how careful you have to be with something like space travel." He remembered he got to work in an isolation chamber where the students were analyzing moon rocks.

He said the trip was "the most interesting science experience I've every had."

David said math and science are his favorite subjects. He wants a career in computers.

The GRC academies will be held in two-week periods. The first ones are June 17-28. Then there are academies from July 1-12 and July 15-26.

Although the academies involve fees, there are some scholarships available for kids from low-income families. Those scholarships must be arranged ahead of time.

For information, you can call (314) 842-0666.

During the school year, GRC also sponsors Learning Labs on Saturdays and friendly competition during Academic Challenge. The GRC is in its 19th year.

 

Reading

Fun highlights county's
summer reading program

The 2002 St. Louis County Library's summer reading program is much more than just reading. There will be parties, contests and fun events throughout the summer.

Prize incentives will be offered to encourage kids up to 18 years of age to do lots of reading. Among the prizes will be St. Louis Cardinal baseball tickets.

This year's theme is "Mysterious Summer."

As last year, the county's program is divided into two age groupings. One is for kids up to 12 years of age. There's a separate teen program for those up to 18 years. (Kids who are 12 get a choice of participating in either program.)

Kick-off parties for younger kids will be Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at three different park locations. The sites are at Faust Park in west county; Kennedy Recreation Complex in south county, and North County Recreation Complex in north county.

Among features at the younger kids' parties will be petting zoos, clowns, balloon sculptors, magic shows, story telling and face painting. Louie and Lucy, the library lion mascots, and O.C. Bee, the Old Country Buffet mascot, will appear.

The teens kick-off will be Friday, May 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. at AMF Strike 'N Spare bowling lanes at 1309 North Lindbergh Blvd. Teens who sign up for the summer reading program get two hours of free "extreme" bowling.

Bianca Roberts is the county's youth services manager. She said the headquarters library and the 18 branches also will have separate kick-off events during the first week in June. Kids can sign up for the summer program at these events.

Branches will have other events during the summer, she said. The reading program lasts until mid-August.

Then, each branch and the headquarters will have separate season-ending parties Saturday, Aug. 17.

(You can check the schedules of all events at the headquarters and branches by logging on to the library's website at www.slcl.lib.mo.us and then click on the Kids Page.)

Over 18,000 kids took part in the 2001 summer program. That included 1,000 teens. The county decided to have a separate teen division last year. Roberts said it was too hard to design one program that covered all ages from birth to 18.

A feature of both programs will be incentive prizes that kids can earn for completing certain reading goals.

When registering for the reading programs, each kid will get a "Mysterious Summer" bookmark, a reading log, a program brochure and a Safe Summer bowling pass. The bowling pass lets each kid bowl one game a week free during the reading program period.

For the younger kids, the incentive programs are divided into three levels. The basic goal is to read for 1,155 minutes during the summer. (That's 19 1/4 hours.) Incentive prizes range from a puzzle bookmark to coupons for a St. Louis Science Center exhibit and a coupon for a free meal at Old Country Buffet.

The incentives for the teen program involve reading three "items" at each incentive level. An item can be a book, magazine or newspaper article. The incentives include a raffle for Cardinals baseball tickets as well as coupons for free food items.

Busy readers can go through the incentive cycle more than once and earn repeat prizes.

One feature of the teens' summer program will be a karoake contest for soloists and duets. Preliminary contests will be held at seven branch libraries. They are Cliff Cave, Grand Glaize, Indian Trails, Natural Bridge, Prairie Commons, Rock Road and Tesson Ferry.

Then, the contest finals will be held at the headquarters library on Friday, Aug. 2.

Other teen special events during the summer include Bookmaking Mania, Macabre Mystery Museum and Teen Trivia Nights.

The two-hour bookmaking workshop shows teens how to make their own artistic books. The mystery workshop shows drawing techniques for creating illustrations. And the trivia nights test your knowledge of things of interest to teens.

Younger kids also will get a chance at Bookmaking Mania. The St. Louis Children's Aquarium will bring various animals to branch libraries. And kids will get a chance to meet a real drug-sniffing police dog. There will also be story-telling, magic shows and fingerprinting demonstrations.

The summer reading programs are co-sponsored by Old Country Buffet, St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis County Parks, North Star, Children's Plus, McDonalds Restaurants, Dairy Queen, AMF Bowling Centers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

Update

Last November, Eddie Szewczyk of Belleville wrote a Harry Potter movie review for Young Saint Louis.com. We like to keep track of kids who have been featured on this website.

Early this year, Eddie (his last name is pronounced 'cev-check') narrowly missed winning election to the board of directors for the St. Louis chapter of AFTRA. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists represents actors in the entertainment industry.

Last year, we asked Eddie to write a special review of the blockbuster kids movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." He was doing movie reviews and other reporting for the local Radio Disney radio station.

But, Eddie also has appeared in plays by The Muny and starred in an independent movie, "Dad's Day." As a part of his acting, he became a member of AFTRA.

His activities attracted enough notice to earn a nomination in the recent local AFTRA board of directors election. Although he's only 13, Eddie came within four votes of winning against other adult candidates.

Jackie Dietrich is executive director of the St. Louis office of AFTRA. She said she's been involved in AFTRA since the 1960s.

She said, "If Eddie had won a board seat, he would have been the youngest board member that I'm aware of."

Meanwhile, Eddie's "Dad's Day" is getting some play this spring in a California family film festival. The film was picked for showing in the Santa Clarita Valley Family Filmfest. This year's film festival is a "salute to Roy Disney" and Eddie's movie fits that theme.

 

Math Puzzler

May's Math Puzzlers
feature lots of funny names

Don't be fooled by all the funny names Mr. Math Puzzler gives to things in the May questions. The secret to success will be to follow the numbers through winding paths.

You'll find that, if you think logically, many of these questions can be answered by common sense.

Why don't you tell your friends about the fun of solving the Math Puzzlers. Maybe you can get together with a group and each of you can send in an answer sheet for the puzzlers.

There were two winners in April's contest. That marked the second month in a row that two of you got all six puzzlers correct. And the winners in April were first-time winners.

Young Saint Louis.com started the Math Puzzlers last September to give you a way to participate in the website. Each month, math teacher Wayne Hesse of Green Park Lutheran School comes up with brain-teasing math questions.

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

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

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

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

A reminder: Although these Math Puzzlers are a little easier, they are still quite challenging, especially for younger kids. Remember, we don't mind if you get help from a parent or older brother or sister. In fact, you might want to make this a family activity.

Here's how to enter:

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

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

Entry for May, 2002, Math Puzzler Contest:

Name: _____________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

City:_______________, State:______ ZIP_________

Contact phone no.(____)____________________

The Math Puzzlers
(May, 2002)

1. There are five Koops in a Flan, seven Flans in a Blit and three Blits in a Zorch. What is the number of Koops in a Zorch, divided by the number of Flans in a Zorch?

Answer:_____________

 

2. Below are three normal playing dice stuck together. If you know the opposite sides of one die always total seven, what is the sum of the numbers on the four faces that are stuck together?

Answer:_____________

 

3. The houses on a street are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., up one side of the street and then continued consecutively down the other side until the last number is opposite house number 1. If house number 12 is opposite house number 29, how many houses are there totally on both sides of the street?

Answer:_____________

 

4. A jogger knows three different routes from A Street to B Street. From B street to G Street, the jogger knows six different routes. From G Street to D Street, the jogger knows four different routes. How many different routes from A Street to D Street can this jogger take?

Answer:______________

 

5. Alpers increased by 30% equals a Bon. Bons decreased by 20% equals a Cite. Cites increased by 40% equals a Dran. What percentage of an Alper is a Dran?

Answer:______________

 

6. What is the missing number in the following series?

43     41     37     31     29     ?     19     17

Answer:______________

 

Two more Math Puzzler winners in April

Just as in March, we had two winners in the Math Puzzler competition. Both of those were answered all six questions correctly in April were first-time winners.

The April winners were Jessica Cunningham and Kimberly Guardado, both of St. Louis.

Young Saint Louis.com congratulates both Jessica and Kimberly. And, as a special bonus, each of them will receive by mail a $10 Borders gift certificate.

Several other entries had five of six answers right. The question that stumped them was Puzzler 2, about the woman's age.

The April winners marked the second month in a row that we've had two winners.

We hope those who have entered before will encourage their friends to try also. It's easy to enter; just print out the May entry form and questions, write in the answers and mail them to us.

To see the May Puzzlers, just click here.

Now, for the answers to the April Puzzler competition:

Answers to April, 2002, Math Puzzlers

1. If you built a rectangular pyramid with the bottom being a square, using ping-pong balls, how many ping-pong balls would there be in a pyramid with seven layers with only one ball at the top?

Answer: 140 balls

The explanation: It will take four ping-pong balls (4) on the second layer to hold up the one ping-pong ball on the top layer and keep the pyramid square. Then, it takes three balls per side (total of 9) in layer three to support the second layer; four balls per side (total of 16) in layer four to support layer three; five balls per side (total of 25) in layer five to support layer four; six balls per side (total of 36) in layer six to support layer five, and seven balls per side (total of 49) to support layer six. Add 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36 and 49 and you get the answer of 140 balls.

 

2. A woman turned to her friend and said, "Three years from now, I'll be three times as old as I was 27 years ago. How old is the woman now?

Answer: 42

The explanation: The easiest way to explain this is with an algebra formula. In this, N will be the age we want to discover. There are five layers to the answer:

1. N + 3 = 3(N-27)
2. Multipling N - 27 by 3: N + 3 = 3N - 81
3. Eliminate 81 from equation: N + 84 = 3N
4. Eliminate one N from both sides: 84 = 2N
5. Divide both sides by 2: 42 = N

 

3. If you have a full glass of water and pour out half, then pour back in half of what you poured out, pour out a third of what you now have and pour back in a third of a glass, what fraction of the glass is full?

Answer: 5/6ths

The explanation: If you pour out one half of a full glass, you have one-half left. Then, pouring back one-half of what you poured out brings it back to three-fourths. Then, pouring out one-third gets you back to one-half. Then, putting one-third of a full glass comes out 1/2 + 1/3 = 5/6th.

 

4. See if you can determine the logic needed to provide the missing numbers in the last circle.

Answer:     

The explanation: You need to establish the pattern of increases in the numbers of all three segments. In the upper left, the 3 to 8 is an increase of five, 8 to 15 is an increase of seven, 15 to 24 is an increase nine. That indicates the next jump would be by 11 or 35. In the upper right, the sequence is 4 to 9 or five; 9 to 16 or seven, 16 to 25 or nine and then the next number would increase by 11 or 36. In the bottom segment, the increase is first 6, then 8, then 10 and finally by 12 or 42.

 

5. A picture frame that usually sells for $50 is on sale for 5% off. If a 5% sales tax were added to the sale price, what amount would be owed?

Answer: $49.88

The explanation: A 5% discount off $50 brings the sale price to $47.50. Then, a 5% tax on the $47.50 sale price is $2.375 (rounded to $2,38). That added to $47.50 makes the total $49.88.

 

6. Four friends--Dave, Mike, John and Terry--are nicknamed Stick, Batman, Atomic Head and Feaser, but not in that order. What is the nickname of each?

a. John is faster than Batman, but not as strong as Atomic Head.
b. Batman is stronger than Terry, but slower than Feaser.
c. Dave is faster than both John and Stick, but not as strong as Batman.

Answer: Dave=Atomic Head
Terry= Stick
John=Feaser
Mike=Batman

The explanation: A good way to determine this answer is by using a matrix and, by a process of elimination, use the clues to determine which guy matches up with which nickname.

	A.H.	Stick	Feaser	Batman
John	X1	X3	O	X1
Terry	X	O	X2	X2
Dave	O	X3	X	X3
Mike	X	X	X	O

 

1. Using first clue, you know John can't be Batman or can't be Atomic Head.
2. Using second clue, Terry can't be Feaser or Batman
3. Using third clue, Dave can't be Stick or Batman.
4. Then, checking the matrix you can see John is Feaser.
5. Checking further, Mike has to be Batman.
6. Then, the only two boxes open are Dave at Atomic Head and Terry and Stick.

 

Fun & Games

Fun & Games

Trivia Quiz (or what most kids remember
from when they were little)
(When you're done, click here for the answers.)

1. What king was a "merry old soul?"
2. What wall sitter became totally unglued?
3. Who was persnickety about her chair, bed and the temperature of her food?
4. What brother and sister ought not to go for walks in the woods?
5. What color did the girl wear when she went to visit her grandmother?
6. Who could ride in a pumpkin as long as it was fairly early in the evening?
7. What uncoordinated kid and his copycat girl friend needed water?
8. What feathered animal was prone to tell stories in rhyme?
9. This "guy's" name rhymed with clock. Who was he?
10. Who was the moralistic Greek who liked to tell little stories?

 

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

Young Saint Louis.com #1

Across	Down
1. hard to figure out 4. securing new members 5. prone to question 8. surface features 9. select participation 10. does not take sides	2. way to keep eatable 3. practice finding way 6. near-sightedness 7. non-military

 

Young Saint Louis.com #2

Across	Down
2. one who receives 5. showing how to do 6. plays instrument 7. protect from freeze 8. move to new place	1. gets steadily worse 3. clarifying pictures 4. rough boating locale

 

Young Saint Louis.com Book Reviews

Across	Down
1. horse healing place 7. showing capability 8. not normal 10. fought the Nazis 11. shocking, surprising	2. preference 3. also called Holland 4. a pureblood racer 5. unexpected ending 6. unsure of self 9. an injury, hurt

 

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

 

Animal, fish, and bug riddles

What do you call an alligator's helper?
     Gatorade!

What fur do you get from a skunk?
     As fur as possible!

What happened to the wolf that fell into the washing machine?
     He became a wash and werewolf!

What's the difference between a fish and a piano?
     You can't tuna fish!

What kind of ant can count?
     An accountant!

What kind of cat works for the Red Cross?
     A first aid kit!

When did the fly fly?
     When the spider spied her!

Why do chickens embarrass some people?
     Because they use fowl language!

Why is a ten-dollar dog a bad watchdog?
     Because a bargain dog won't bite!

If a rooster laid a brown egg and a white egg, what kind of chicks would hatch?
     None. Roosters don't lay eggs!

What's good advice for a fish to keep from being caught?
     Don't fall for any old line!

What do you get if you cross a raccoon and a kangaroo?
     A fur coat with pockets!

Why do bees hum?
     Because they don't know the words!

Why didn't the man believe what the sardine said?
     Because it sounded too fishy!

Why do cows wear bells?
     Because their horns don't work!

Why don't flies fly through screen doors?
     Because they don't want to strain themselves!

What kind of fish do you find in a cage?
     A perch!

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

Knock knock.
     Who's there?
Tennis.
     Tennis who?
Tennis five plus five!

Knock knock.
     Who's there?
Thermos.
     Thermos who?
Thermos be a better knock knock joke than this!

 

Fun & Games

Trivia Quiz (or what most kids remember from when they were little)

1. King Cole
2. Humpty Dumpty
3. Goldilocks
4. Hansel and Gretel
5. Red
6. Cinderella
7. Jack and Jill
8. Mother Goose
9. Hickery Dickery Dock
10. Aesop

 

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 #1

Across	Down
1. hard to figure out 4. securing new members 5. prone to question 8. surface features 9. select participation 10. does not take sides	2. way to keep eatable 3. practice finding way 6. near-sightedness 7. non-military

 

Young Saint Louis.com #2

Across	Down
2. one who receives 5. showing how to do 6. plays instrument 7. protect from freeze 8. move to new place	1. gets steadily worse 3. clarifying pictures 4. rough boating locale

 

Young Saint Louis.com Book Reviews

Across	Down
1. horse healing place 7. showing capability 8. not normal 10. fought the Nazis 11. shocking, surprising	2. preference 3. also called Holland 4. a pureblood racer 5. unexpected ending 6. unsure of self 9. an injury, hurt

 

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

 

St. Louis HistoryThis month in St. Louis history

Lindbergh's Atlantic flight

In May, 1927, world attention became focused on a relatively unknown flier, St. Louisan Charles Lindbergh. His life and that of aviation itself was changed on May 21, when he landed near Paris on the first solo non-stop airplane flight across the Atlantic.

That 33 1/2 hour flight from New York in the single-engined plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, served as the popularize transcontinental air travel. That 3,610-mile flight also made Lindbergh into an enduring 20th Century icon.

Although his flight was before the advent of television, Lindbergh's flight and the response from across the world was closely followed in the media. There was film footage shown in theaters and also heavy newspaper, magazine and radio news coverage.

Now, 75 years later, several events will allow us to re-live the adventure of those early days.

For one, the Missouri History Museum is opening a new Lindbergh exhibition on May 5. The exhibition will include many items from the museum's renowned Lindbergh College.

There are stories, photos, objects and interactive experiences for exhibit goers.

There is an admission fee for the exhibit. However, free attendance for the public is scheduled each Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. For complete details, visit the museum's website at www.mohistory.org. Or you can call for tour information at (314) 361-9017.

Lindbergh's grandson, Erik Lindbergh, also figures in the current attention on the famous St. Louisan. On May 1, Erik will take off from New York in his own specially-built single-engined plane. He will fly across the Atlantic following the original Lindbergh's route. Erik also will land at the same Le Bourget airfield near Paris that his famed grandfather used.

A documentary of Erik's flight and remembrances of the original Lindbergh flight will be shown on the History Channel. That show, titled "Lindbergh Flies Again," will air May 20.

There also are a number of biographies about the original Lindbergh. You can find them by contacting your local library or bookstore.

 

Places to go, Things to do

The 23rd annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival on May 1-4 will be a great place for kids and their families. Admission is free and story-telling will go on at many sites in the metro St. Louis area.

Of particular interest to kids will be a special youth storytelling "concert" on Saturday, May 4. It will be in the Cowboy section under the Gateway Arch from 10 a.m. to noon.

A special program for the deaf will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2. That will be at the J.C.Penney Conference Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. The stories are interpreted for both the hearing and the deaf.

The festival's "grand finale" will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in the theater under the Gateway Arch. All of the festival's featured storytellers will perform there.

But, the storytelling festival provides smaller sessions at various locations in the metro area in both Missouri and Illinois. You can find a location and program near you by clicking on to www.umsl.edu/~conted/storyfes.

The featured storytellers are from all over the country. Many have been featured on television and in foreign countries. But, the festival also has over 70 regional storytellers from Missouri and Illinois. Many are from the metro St. Louis area.

The storytelling festival is a special program of the College of Arts and Science at UMSL.

 

Here's a chance to get ready for your fishing adventures this summer. The annual Kids' Fishing Fair will be Saturday, May 18, at Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County.

This is a great place for kids under 15 and their families to learn the basics of fishing. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Conservation volunteers will be on hand to provide all sorts of lessons on fishing. They'll range from learning how to bait a hook and tying flies to boating safety.

(For an explanation of casting, click here as conservation agent Dennis Cooke explains and demonstrates. This story was from YSL.com's May, 2001, edition.)

Other lessons available include target casting, rigging your pole and cleaning and filleting fish. You'll also get a chance to sample freshly fried fish.

For the kids 15 and under, the Missouri Department of Conservation has set aside three lakes just for their use that day. They are Lakes 1, 2 and 15, where kids can fish for free and can keep up to two fish they catch.

In addition, families will have access to Lakes 3, 4, 5, 7 and 14. These will be stocked that day with catfish to increase your chances of catching fish.

Conservation officials recommend kids and families bring their own fishing poles. However, there will be a few poles on hand at Busch on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be fishing bait for sale at the recreation area.

The May 18 event is a combination of the annual Kids' Fishing Fair and the Family Fishing Fair.

The event is open to the public and no reservations are needed.

To get to the Busch Conservation Area, take Highway 40 to Highway 94 in St. Charles County. Then, go west on 94 and turn north on Highway D to the Busch Area entrance on the right. You can get information and directions by calling (636) 441-4554.