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Broadway
Diary
Broadway Diary
Neil
Shastri makes Broadway debut
St. Louisan Neil
Shastri has been in New York City for over two months. And,
he still hasn't visited the Statue of Liberty.
But, the 11-year-old
Neil has done something hardly any kids his age have accomplished.
Last month, he made his acting debut on Broadway in an Andrew
Lloyd Webber play.
Neil is in the
role of Munna, a slum kid in India, in Webber's "Bombay
Dreams." After being a hit in London, the show had its
American opening the last weekend in April.
The show is about
a man from the Indian slums who succeeds in Bollywood. That's
the name given to the film community in India. Munna is the
"best friend" of the play's lead actor, Neil said.
"The lead
actor betrays people from the slums. But, the story has a
happy ending," Neil said. He wouldn't give away any more
of the play's storyline before the opening.
Since Neil found
out in February that he got his Broadway role, his life has
been hectic.
First, he and
his mother, JJ, moved from their St. Louis home to New York.
They are living in an apartment just a 10 minute walk from
his theater rehearsals. "Bombay Dreams" is playing
at the Broadway Theater.
His days start
with three hours to school tutoring. He brought all of his
class lessons from Sperreng Middle School. His tutor is Muriel
Kester, a New York teacher. They work on the lessons which
are then sent back to St. Louis.
After his lunch,
he rehearses at the theater for four hours in the afternoon.
"Then, after
a dinner break, we have the preview shows," he said.
Those shows before a live audience are from 8 to about 10:30
p.m.
Because of all
the long hours, there are two boys who share the Munna role,
Neil said. The other boy is Tanvir Gopal, an Indian kid from
New York. The boys will take turns performing on stage.
That's especially
important when the show has two shows a day. One is a matinee
performance and then there's an evening show.
Neil said, "Tanvir
and I get along great." He adds, "The whole cast
has been awesome."
With the start
of regular performances, Neil's life is going to get a little
less hectic.
For one thing,
he's going to start to go to a regular school. "In May,
I'll go to a school in Chinatown. Classes are from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m.," he said. Then, he'll take his place on stage
for the evening performances.
Neil said, "I
kind of miss going to school and being with all the kids.
Of course, I'll have to make new friends at the new school."
He said, if "Bombay
Dreams" has a long run on Broadway, "I might start
school here in the fall."
Also, when the
show has a regular schedule and fewer rehearsals, Neil said
will step up his sightseeing trips around New York. That's
where a visit to the Statue of Liberty comes in.
He said, "So
far, I haven't been around very much. But, since I'm near
Broadway, even walking to the theater gives me a lot to see."
He said his tutor
did take him on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History.
"They've got lots of dinosaur bones and lots of stuffed
animals," he said.
But, one special
attraction has been the chance to see lots of stars coming
to be on the David Letterman's late night TV show.
"The theater
where the Letterman show is done is right next to our theater.
We can look out the back door of our theater and see the stars
show up for his show," he said.
Neil said he hasn't
been nervous during rehearsals or performances of "Bombay
Dreams." He said, "I'm just going with the flow."
And, he added,
"Since I'm from India, it's really fun to be doing something
with my culture."
Neil has taken
a realistic view of his acting career. He knows that his role
of Munna calls for him to be a 10-year-old slum kid. "If
I grow two inches or my voice changes, I might be out. They'd
have to get another boy to play that part," he said.
But, he added,
"That's all right. People will know I've been on Broadway."
(For more in
the New York adventures of Neil Shastri, watch Young Saint
Louis.com's June edition. We'll have a second installment
of his unique experiences on Broadway.)
Awards
2004
Young Achievers of Year announced
A dozen metro
area kids have been named the 2004 Gateway Young Achievers
of the Year. Awards go to elementary, middle and high school
students for their accomplishments in school, volunteer service
and leadership.
The 2004 Gateway
Achievers are:
Elementary
school (grades 1-6):
- Jimmy Gordon,
Fenton, Mo.
- Brianna Jones,
Hazelwood, Mo.
Middle school
(grades 7-8):
- Kalina Kutriansky,
Collinsville, Ill.
- Marcus Zamphier,
Mehlville, Mo.
High school
(grades 9-12):
- Gretchen McCready,
Festus, Mo.
- Aaron Fuller,
Florissant, Mo.
Community Service:
- Michael Arb,
Fenton, Mo.
- Micah Manary,
St. Louis.
Leadership:
- Vivian Harper,
St. Louis.
- Blake Slagle,
Eureka, Mo.
Music:
- Emily Sprague,
Chesterfield, Mo.
- Miriam Foltz,
O'Fallon, Ill.
Six of the award
winners were named in grade categories. The other six were
in subject categories: two each in community service, leadership
and music.
The 2004 award
ceremonies will be held Sunday, May 2. They will be at the
Busch Student Center on the campus of Saint Louis University.
Each Achiever
receives a $1,000 savings bond. They also are entered in the
national Achiever competition, later this year.
In addition, 50
other students will get medallions and $50 gift certificates.
Over 500 kids were nominated in the Young Achiever competition.
Barbara Eichhorst
heads the local office of the International Leadership Network.
The ILN sponsors the Young Achiever of the Year program. The
local Gateway program is made possible by support of the Millstone
Foundation of St. Louis.
Young Saint
Louis.com focuses primarily on metro area kids in third
through eighth grade. Therefore, we are providing thumbnail
sketches of the five kids in those grades. Two are winners
from elementary school category and two others from middle
school. The fifth, Michael Arb, a sixth grader, was one of
the community service winners.
(Starting in
June, YSL.com will run individual profiles of these
five youngest Achievers.
(For more information
about the Achiever program, you can call (314) 961-5978
or log on to www.YoungAchievers.us.)
Sketches of the
youngest Achievers:
* Jimmy Gordon,
5th grade, Uthoff Valley Elementary School in Fenton.
Jimmy has achieved
five different ranks in the Boy Scouts of America. He's also
taken part in the Fenton Park Clean-up, Memorial Day Good
Turn at Jefferson Barracks and Riverchase Beautification.
He is a member of the school's cross country and track teams.
He also is in the Uthoff Valley Strings and special chorus.
* Brianna Jones,
6th grade, Grannemann Accelerated Program in Hazelwood.
Brianna is active
in Student Council and DARE. She also volunteers for Lutheran
Family and Children's Services and Faith Beyond Walls. She's
a member of the Music Makers Children's Choir, the All-School
chorus and band. She enjoys gymnastics, soccer and cheerleading.
* Kalina Kutriansky,
7th grade, North Junior High School in Collinsville, Ill.
Kalina is active
in Junior Achievement and has received numerous Illinois District
29 honor awards and certificate of Award for Young Authors.
She participates in Student Council, band and dance, including
ballet, tap and jazz.
* Marcus Zamphier,
8th grade at Margaret Buerkle Middle School in Mehlville.
Marcus is involved
in Student Council and the Youth Progressive Connection anti-bullying
program. He is a peer mentor and tutor and also takes part
in school outreach programs. Marcus helped organize an event
with Drug Free Schools Program. He's also a member of the
technology, home economics and chess clubs.
* Michael Arb,
6th grade at Life Christian School in Fenton.
Michael is active
in the Mission Gate Prison Ministry and volunteers on mission
trips to orphanages in Thailand. He assists in construction
projects and has taught Sunday School classes at Full Gospel
Fellowship Church in Chaing Rai, Thailand. He also is active
in church youth groups.
Lewis
& Clark
About Lewis&Clark
A
rush to graduate so kid
can take two-year tour
A Belleville,
Ill., youth has had his mind set on joining the two-year Lewis&Clark
reenactment tour. But, he had a problem; he was still in school.
His answer: Speed
up his studies and finish high school in two years.
Seventeen-year-old
Josh Loftis said, "I wanted to graduate in two years
so I could make the reenactment journey with my grandpa."
He attended Faith Baptist School in Belleville.
Loftis and his
grandfather, George S. Anderson, from Marysville, Ohio, are
descendants of one of the crew member on the original 1804-06
exploration.
On the reenactment
journey, Anderson is playing the role of his ancestor, George
Shannon. Josh is one of the soldiers.
This winter, they've
been camping at the newly-built Camp DuBois historic site
in Wood River, Ill. That's the replica of the camp used by
the Discovery crew during the winter of 1803-04. The location
is across from where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi.
Their living conditions
are very similar. The only heat is from a fireplace and the
only light is from candles. Anderson said, "We try to
keep it like it was 200 years ago."
Anderson and Loftis
were on hand last month when 4th graders from Central Elementary
School of Roxanna, Ill., came for a field trip. They were
getting Lewis&Clark information before the reenactment
crew breaks camp.
A full schedule
of events has been set at Camp DuBois before the official
departure date of Friday, May 14. (For information about
those public events, see sidebar below.)
After the departure,
the reenacters will move up the Missouri and on to the Pacific
Ocean. They'll follow the original Discovery route and won't
be back until 2006.
Josh and his grandfather
are looking forward to "roughing it." But, some
of the Central Elementary kids weren't quite sure they'd like
to do that.
Nine-year-old
Justin Karpan of East Alton, Ill., and 9-year-old Jane Pratt
of Wood River said they're glad they won't be on the trip.
Jane has had no
camp-out experience. She said, "I don't think I could
last for two years." Also, she said she couldn't shoot
animals for food. "I saw my cousin skin a squirrel one
time. I didn't like it," she said.
Justin has had
previous camping experience, including tent camping in the
rain. He said his tent camping was usually at Pierre Marquette
State Park on the Mississippi. He said his favorite part of
camping is "sitting around the campfire and making 'smores'."
He said the family's
camping trips now are with a 30-foot trailer.
About roughing
it for two years, he said, "Probably not. I'd probably
get bored."
But, 10-year-old
Nate Voss of Wood River said, "I like camping. I think
I could last two years." He's camped in a tent and he
thought he could do without modern technology.
"We have
a no-TV rule at home now. TV goes off at 9 p.m every weekday
and at 10 p.m. on the weekend," he said.
Nate said his
favorite part of camping was "looking at the stars at
night."
He thought the
most interesting thing about the Camp DuBois field trip was
learning about soap making. "They made their soap out
of lye and animal fat," he said.
Jane's favorite
was the rifle demonstrations by Josh Noftis. The kids saw
two different types of firearms, a rifle and a musket. Jane
said, "I thought it was pretty cool that they could shoot
the musket three times in a minute."
She thought that
was pretty good time. Each time the gun was fired, it had
to be cleaned, loaded with new powder and shot before the
next shot.
Justin was impressed
by how primitive things were. "They must have had a rough
time since they didn't have all our technology," he said.
But, the new Camp
DuBois gives visitors a sense of that original camp.
From Clark's journal
of 1803, here's the description of the original site:
"Dec. 12,
1803. It was December 12 when the Corps of Discovery arrived
at the mouth of the DuBois River, Illinois, 18 miles above
St. Louis. Proceeded up the river for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 miles
to a high rise overlooking a very beautiful prairie to the
east and proceeded to clear and build a camp."
Many Central Elementary
kids said they'd like to come back to the camp during "departure
day" events in May.
The
departure events schedule at Camp DuBois
A number of events
are scheduled before, during and after the Lewis&Clark
reenactors depart from Camp DuBois. The actual departure date
is Friday, May 14.
Camp DuBois is
located at the northeast corner of Illinois Rtes. 143 and
3 in Wood River.
For more information,
call (618) 254-1993.
The departure
schedule:
- May 1-2:
Fifth annual Rendezvous at Camp DuBois. There will be a
black powder shoot, pioneer demonstrations, a children's
tent and more.
- May 7:
Lewis&Clark Trivia Night at Memories Banquet Center
in Wood River.
- May 12:
Farewell to the Corps' dinner at Midtown Banquet Hall in
Wood River.
- May 13:
Lewis&Clark Bicentennial celebration at Benbow Park
in Wood River.
- May 13:
Ceremonial tree planting and National Guard display at Camp
DuBois.
- May 14:
Departure of Corps of Discovery from Camp DuBois.
- May 16:
Haunted Campfire Tales with Troy Taylor at Camp DuBois
in Wood River.
Books
This
month's book reviews
Can
a boy who was bitten badly as a baby
get beyond his fear of dogs?
Ricky had been
attacked by a big dog when he was just a little kid in St.
Louis. He had to have sixty-three stitches to patch him up
and, later, had to have a painful series of rabies shots.
Now they had moved to a 160 acre farm in Oklahoma, and, even
though he was older, Ricky had a total fear of any dogs, even
little ones. He freaked out when one came near him.
There were a lot
of cats that hung around the barn. Ricky noticed one day that
a skinny stray of a dog was trying to eat with the cats when
his mom put out food for them in the evening. The cats turned
on the little dog and ran him off to hide somewhere away from
the barn. Later on the next evening, Ricky was stacking hay
bales in the barn when he saw the puppy. He was so frightened
at the dog that he climbed up out of the way and was about
to miss his supper because he was afraid to move. When his
mom called "kitty, kitty," the pup ran to try to
get some food. Ricky was able to slip out of the barn and
go in to the house. Of course, the cats chased the dog away
once again without his getting anything to eat.
The puppy was
so cute and friendly, Ricky started to feel sorry for him
and sneak him food after dinner in the evenings. Only gradually
did Ricky begin to accept the puppy as his pet and let the
rest of the family know that he had himself a new dog. He
named the dog "Kitty." As Ricky got over his fear
of dogs, the kids at school no longer could tease him about
his dog phobia. Ricky and Kitty go on to have some adventures
together.
A
young girl helps her family
survive during the War of 1812
When the British
army invaded the new United States of America in 1812, Mackinaw
Island, a great tourist attraction today, was taken over by
the British invaders. Mary O'Shea was a twelve-year-old farm
girl whose family was one of the few families who lived on
the small island. Her family included her fifteen-year-old
brother Jacque and her sixteen-year-old sister Angelique.
Their mother was deceased and their father had left the island
to join the American army At Fort Detroit. One of the other
families had promised to help keep an eye on the three kids
who stayed behind on the farm.
Mary was the
level-headed one of the kids who tried to keep the farm running
and the family self-supportive. Angelique was more into fashion
and romance. She looked forward to the dances that the British
officers held at the fort on Mackinaw after they took over
the island. Jacque couldn't wait until he was old enough to
move west with the fur traders who used the island as a trading
center. Mary's best friend was Gavin, a half-Indian orphan
who had been adopted and raised by a neighboring family.
As the war drew
on, the hardships increased for the family. As food became
scarcer for the British army on the island, the farmers were
gradually being forced to give up their farm products to support
the troops.
Angelique was
attracted to one of the young, handsome British officers.
It was just a matter of time until Jacque slipped away to
join the fur traders. Mary was having a hard time keeping
the family together. She was finding that her friend, Gavin,
was becoming more handsome and attractive. He was wanting
to find out more about his Indian family background, however,
and she feared he would leave the island altogether and join
the tribe from which he had been adopted.
The story has
a lot of questions to deal with. Will the Americans win the
war? Will the father return safely? What happy ending is possible
with Angelique falling in love with a British officer? Can
Mary and Gavin ever hope to have a romance? Will Jacque be
successful as a fur trader in the west? You need to read this
little historical novel to find out.
Two
boys of different races come
to examine their attitudes toward each other
Phil, a sixth
grader, was hurrying to class through the crowded school hallway.
He saw the back of his brother's jacket up ahead. When he
yelled, "Hey, Jimmy," the kid in the jacket didn't
turn around. Jimmy had forgotten his lunch money that morning
when he left the house. Phil was trying to get the money to
him. But the boy in the jacket wasn't Jimmy. Phil grabbed
the boy and yelled, asking the younger kid why he was wearing
Jimmy's jacket. The boy, who was a black kid named Daniel,
pulled away and said it was his jacket and he didn't even
know Jimmy. Teachers were immediately drawn to what was just
about to become a fight in the hall. Both boys were taken
to the principal's office.
Phil was sure
the jacket was his brother's because it had been his jacket
first before he outgrew it. His mother had bought it for him
when she was on a trip to Italy. But to his total embarrassment,
it turned out to have been given to Daniel by his grandmother
who had received it from Phil's mother just a few days earlier.
Daniel was so furious, he threw the jacket on the office floor
and angrily went to his classes. How could Phil ever make
it up to Daniel for making a scene and accusing him of being
a thief? Is it even possible? Why had he immediately accused
Daniel of being a thief? Was it because Daniel was black that
Phil had rushed to judgment? The rest of the story is concerned
with how Phil tries to connect with Daniel and in some way
bring them to a better understanding of each other.
Bill
Cody's Life as a Kid Before
Becoming Famous as Buffalo Bill
Bill Cody had
spent his childhood in a Mississippi River town called Le
Claire in Iowa. When this story begins, the Cody family is
getting ready to move to Kansas, where the government had
just opened up new land for people to farm. All they had to
do to get free land was file a claim and build a home on the
land.
Bill's teen-aged
older brother, Sammy, recently had been killed when his horse
fell on him. The parents were so saddened by the loss that
they wanted to move further west and start over. Bill was
only eight-years-old when, along with his two sisters, the
family moved west. Bill was especially proud that his father
let him ride a horse in front of the two covered wagons and
the family carriage. At this young age, he already felt like
a scout moving through what had earlier been Indian territory.
The mother and
two sisters are left with an uncle's family as Bill and his
father ride on westward to file a claim on land that they
hope can become their new home. With some help from a distant
cousin, Bill and his father build a temporary cabin. The cousin
is a young buckskin-clad frontiersman that Bill comes to admire.
When Mr. Cody is sure that his claim is recognized by the
government, he travels back to get his wife and daughters.
Bill is thrilled that his father trusts him to stay behind
with his cousin and protect their claim. There is danger and
a surprising tension in this new land. People are dividing
into two hostile groups - those who support slavery and those
who oppose it.
These experiences
in growing up help young Bill to develop into the man who
would become one of the most famous heroes of the West - Buffalo
Bill Cody. This little book, with the subtitle "To the
Frontier," is the first in a series of books by E. Cody
Kimmel that detail Buffalo Bill's life.
Sports
Basketball
success for Comet girls
The St. Louis
Comets girls basketball program this year produced five Division
1 college recruits. That included St. Louis Post-Dispatch
player of the year Katie Dierdorf, who will attend University
of Michigan.
In addition, several
younger Comets made contributions in their first high school
years.
In fact, Sarah
Sullivan will be hard-pressed to top her first two years in
high school. Two seasons ago, she was on the Duschesne High
School varsity team that won a Missouri state championship.
Then, last season,
her team was runner-up in the state tournament. The 5'4"
guard described herself as a "first off the bench"
reserve on that team.
About the state
meets in Columbia, Sarah said, "They were exciting and
nerve-wracking."
Now, the girls
are back with Comets select teams for this season's play.
The girls will get an early taste of national competition
next month. The Comets host the "Battle by the Arch"
national AAU invitational tournament June 18-20.
The Comets have
five teams entered. They include one each in the 13-and-under,
15-and-under and 17-and-under. They will enter two teams in
the 14-and-under bracket.
(For information
about the "Battle by the Arch" meet, visit the Ozark
region website at www.eteamz.com/aauozark.
The Comets have a special website layer, with full tournament
information.)
Twin sisters Kayla
and Alyse Gordon and Courtney Champagne were three other Comets
who made their high school varsity teams as freshmen. They'll
be on one of the 14-and-under Comet teams in the "Battle
by the Arch."
Fourteen-year-old
Courtney was the starting point guard for her St. Charles
West High School team. She averaged 7 points and 2.5 steals
per game on a team that finished 15-10 last season.
Asked about her
best basketball experience, she said it would have been playing
against West's arch rival, St. Charles High. "This year,
we won both games and they were both real close," the
5'5" guard said.
She said she makes
up in quickness what she lacks in height. As for weaknesses,
she said she needs to work on her ability to penetrate and
also her 3-point shooting.
The Gordon twins
were on the Mehlville High School varsity last season. Both
Kayla and Alyse are 5'11" in height.
Kayla said she
shared a starting forward spot at Mehlville and averaged 8
points a game.
She said she considers
her defensive ability as one of her strengths. "I work
hard on defense," she said. With her size, she often
ends up guarding the other team's biggest player. Her biggest
challenge last season: guarding a 6'5" player.
Kayla admits she
needs to improve her "ball handling skills." She
said, "I bounce the ball off my big feet." She wears
a men's size 12 shoe.
Sister Alyse said
she considers her "posting up" skills to be her
strength. She averaged 7.8 points per game on the Mehlville
team, which went 17-10 last season. Alyse said her shoe size
is 11.
Both said their
best basketball thrill came when Mehlville High won the district
title.
They said they
both want to play basketball in college. But, they differ
on their schools of choice. Kayla said she definitely wants
to go to the University of Connecticut. That team last month
won its third straight NCAA women's basketball title last
month.
Alyse said, "I
want to play basketball in college but I don't want to go
to Connecticut."
Their immediate
goals on this year's Comet teams is to earn a berth in the
national AAU tournaments at the end of this season. Then,
it's on to next season's high school play.
As the girls look
for ways to improve, they feel they have to be much stronger
and quicker. All take part in some sort of weight training.
At Mehlville,
the Gordon twins have a weight training class in high school.
They also have a weight machine at their home.
Sarah Sullivan
says she does bench presses to add strength to her shoulders
and arms.
Sarah admits she'll
have a big challenge to match her first two years at Duschesne
High. After two state tournament runs, she said her team next
year will lack size. "We lost a lot of height this year.
Next year, we're going to be short."
She's hoping speed
and quickness will make up some of the difference. That and
lots of tournament action this year with the Comets.
Bike
Riding
Two
kids start family bike ride season
Amanda and Alex
Vanderheyden spend a lot of their summers on their bikes.
And they've got a new list of Kids Ride "fun" routes
for them to follow throughout metro St. Louis.
Thirteen-year-old
Amanda and 10-year-old Alex took their first ride of the season
last month. The family took a Spring Chicken's Ride in Illinois
on Sunday, April 18.
Like a lot of
their rides, this one ended with a special social event. This
time, riders could end up at the Chicken's Restaurant in St.
Libory, Ill., for a hearty buffet lunch or brunch.
(For a full
2004 Trailnet Fun Club schedule, go to www.trailnet.org/events.html.
Trailnet, Inc., can be contacted by phone. In Missouri, it's
(314) 416-9930 and in Illinois, (618) 874-8554.)
Amanda said she
likes the socializing that goes on in the group rides. "I
like the whole atmosphere of the rides," she said. Her
favorite tour last year was an overnight ride near Edwardsville,
Ill. That overnight campout gave her plenty of time to mingle
with her bicycling friends.
Amanda and Alex
have been on bike trips with their parents, Brian and Betsy,
since they were very little. By the time Amanda was 6 months
old, she was belted in a special trailer behind her parents'
bike.
Her parents had
met while they were on a biking tour in 1986.
One bike the family
had was a tandem bike with a trailer. The parents pedaled
on a tandem bike, with the kids behind on a two-seat trailer.
All four seats had pedal sprockets so all riders could supply
power to the wheels.
Now, the family
has two tandem, recumbant bikes for their family rides. Each
rider sits in a seat with a back and pedals while leaning
back.
In addition to
the Kids Rides, the family takes part in several rides for
tandem bikes.
The kids also
have one-seat bikes. As Amanda has grown, she has had four
different bikes.
Amanda's dad recently
bought her a used bike designed by Georgena Terry. She's a
bike designer who specializes in bikes for women.
Alex said he especially
liked a bike ride last June that ended up with a stunt-riding
demonstration. A bunch of professional bike riders demonstrated
trick riding and jumping, using special ramps like skateboarders
use.
Alex also had
the opportunity to meet the famed American bike racer Lance
Armstrong. He said, "I saw him at University of Missouri-Rolla
and also at Forest Park."
So far, the Vanderheyden
family has focused on rides up to 35 miles. The kids say they
like the Trailnet routes in Illinois because they usually
have fewer high hills. That's especially important early in
the season before they get fully in shape.
The furthest the
family has gone for rides was near Duluth, Minn. There, they
biked in the heavily wooded areas along Lake Superior.
Of course, not
all of the rides go smoothly.
In a ride near
Carlinville, Ill., Amanda and her mother were on a tandem
bike. It was windy and overcast and the bike slid off the
road into a ditch. Neither they nor the bike were damaged.
But, Amanda said,
"We turned back. All I wanted to do was get into a hot
tub."
Amanda is a 7th
grader at Wildwood Middle School. She participates in volleyball,
soccer and basketball along with her bicycling. Her favorite
class is language arts. She's an avid reader and especially
likes books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
Alex is in 4th
grade and is home schooled. His favorite subject is art and
he wants to be a car designer when he grows up.
He's off to a
pretty fast start. When he was in lst grade, he drew his own
design of a PT Cruiser. He had his parents write a cover letter
and sent the design to the manager of Daimler-Chrysler's plant
in Fenton.
The manager, Les
Wolf who is now retired, came to Alex home. He gave Alex a
model PT Cruiser toy and a video of how the Fenton plant makes
minivans. The family also got to test drive a new PT Cruiser
for a couple days.
Alex's interest
in cars has gone up-scale. He's now drawing designs of Mercedes
cars.
His latest design
is of a car which could shift to run on 8, 6 or 4 cylinders.
He also wants the car to have both two- and four-wheel drive.
For a list of
Trailnet's 2004 Kids Rides schedule, see below.
The
2004 Kids Rides schedule
Trailnet, Inc.,
has scheduled seven Kids Rides programs for their 2004 schedule.
Most of the rides will include chances to take part in local
festivals along the routes.
The Kids Rides
schedule runs from May through October. Most of the rides
are in Illinois, where the routes are flatter with fewer steep
hills. The rides are all schedule on Sundays.
The schedule:
- May 16: Lewis
& Clark Bicentennial Bicycle Ride, starting 9 a.m. at
Hartford, Ill.
- May 23: Strawberry
Bicycle Ride and Festival, starting 9 a.m. at St. Jacob,
Ill.
- June 6: Route
66 Bicycle Ride and Festival, starting 9 a.m. at Edwardsville,
Ill.
- July 4: Fair
St. Louis Riverfront Bicycle Ride and Gateway Geyser Festival,
starting at 8 a.m. at East St. Louis, Ill.
- August 8:
Fahrradtour and Augustfest, starting 8 a.m. at Mascoutah,
Ill.
- August 15:
My Just Desserts Bicycle Ride, starting 8 a.m. at Alton,
Ill.
- October 10:
River to River Bicycle Ride, starting 10 a.m. at St. Charles,
Mo.
In addition, Trailnet
has a bunch of more challenging rides. Be sure to check Trailnet's
website at www.trailnet,org/events.html.
Read,
Right, Run
A
follow on Read, Right, Run
Kids at St. Luke
the Evangelist School already are looking forward to next
year's Read, Right, Run program. This year, 27 kids at the
school did all of the required reading, running and good works
and took part in a final Fitness Weekend in Forest Park.
A total of 1,050
kids participated in Read, Right, Run this school year. The
program was sponsored by the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon.
Starting last
fall, each week kids ran a mile, read a book and did a good
deed. Then, early in April, the kids participated in a Family
Fitness Weekend in Forest Park.
In all, Read,
Right, Run kids ran 26.2 miles, read 26 books and did 26 good
deeds.
The Family Fitness
Weekend came at the same time St. Louis was hosting the 2004
U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials. The top three women
make up the U.S. Olympic marathoners for the 2004 Olympic
Games in Athens.
Another highlight
of the weekend was the 2004 Spirit of St. Louis Marathon.
That last weekend,
the Read, Run, Right kids finished their marathon distance
with 3.2-mile or 1.2-mile runs. In the 3.2-mile run, two St.
Luke kids finished first in their divisions.
Julie Cronin was
the first 8th grade girl to cross the line while Eli Clampett
was the first 6th grade boy to finish. Both kids got medals
although the run wasn't a competitive one.
Thirteen-year-old
Julie said, "I had a real bad cramp midway through the
race. But, a woman running nearby urged me on. And I was able
to finish the race."
She said the Read.
Right, Run program helped me "get into shape" with
the running and "expanded my mind" with the reading.
Also, her gym
teacher at St. Luke urged her to try out for both track and
cross-country next year. Julie will be a freshman at St. Joseph's
Academy next fall.
Twelve-year-old
Eli said he'll be participating in Read, Right, Run next year.
He said, "I
like reading so I enjoyed reading the books. And then I liked
the marathon finish in Forest Park." He said he finished
his 3.2 miles in 24 minutes and 24 seconds.
Of the books he
read, Eli liked "Eragon" the best. (Young
Saint Louis.com did a special report on author Christopher
Paolini and a review of his fantasy book in the December,
2003, edition. To read those, click
here.)
Julie's favorite
reading was the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books.
Julie said her
favorite good deed was joining her grandmother to entertain
older women at a nursing home. She said her grandmother volunteers
at the home every week.
"It made
my grandmother happy and it made me happy," she said.
Eli said his favorite
good deed involved helping a neighbor get rid of junk in the
alley behind her home. "She had lots of stuff and couldn't
get it into the dumpster," he said.
Among younger
St. Luke kids who completed the RRR program were 4th grader
Clair Laufketter and second grader Noah Panicola. They ran
1.2 miles on the final weekend.
Ten-year-old Clair
said she also got a cramp in her run. "I started to jog
because of the cramp but I worked it out. I never had to walk,"
she said.
She said her favorite
book was "Holes." And her favorite good deed was
helping her mother when her family moved into a new home.
Clair said she
didn't take part in RRR last year. "I didn't know if
it was any good last year. But, this year, I tried it and
it was the best," she said.
Noah said his
favorite book was "Babe Ruth and Me." He described
the book as being about a boy who could travel back through
time.
His favorite good
deed: "I played with my little sister and her friend
when they didn't have anything to do," he said.
Gym teacher Rose
Murphy helped to keep the kids interested in the running during
the school year. She timed each one of them when they ran
a mile on the school grounds. She said the best mile time
she clocked during the year was 7 minutes, 32 seconds by 8th
grader Joe Graff.
Then, she posted
all the times outside her office. "The kids checked the
times regularly to see how they ranked. And, if I didn't put
the lists up soon enough for them, they told me about it,"
she said.
Teacher Carolyn
Landwehr was the RRR coordinator this year. "The kids
have been asking me about next year's program already,"
she said.
(Editor's note:
If you'd like to learn more about the Read, Right, Run program
you can go to www.stlmarathon.com.
If you or your school want to register early, you can e-mail
to the address on the website.
(Nancy Lieberman
of the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon said schools will be notified
of the 2004-2005 Read, Right, Run program in early August.
The final Family Fitness Weekend will be April 9-10, 2005.)
Reading
County
summer reading program filled with fun
There's a saying
that books open up windows on the world. Organizers of the
2004 St. Louis County Summer Reading program are offering
all sorts of experiences to go along with book reading.
The program's
theme is "Discover New Trails." That's in honor
of the 200th anniversary of the Lewis&Clark Corps of Discovery
exploration.
The county's program
kicks off for younger kids, up to 12 years of age, with three
outdoor parties on Saturday, June 5. Hours at 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. The parties will be at:
- North County
Recreation Complex, 2577 Redman Ave.
- Suson Park
in South County, at 6073 Wells Road.
- Faust Park
in West County, at 15185 Olive Blvd.
Older kids, ages
12 to 18, kick off their reading program with a bowling party
on Friday, June 4, beginning at 6:30 p.m. It will be
at the AMF Strike "N Spare bowling lanes, 1309 N. Lindbergh.
(Twelve-year-old kids can participate in both of the reading
programs.)
The reading plan
also involves events and activities throughout the summer
at branch libraries. Be sure to keep track of the local library
schedules by going to the St. Louis County Library website
at www.stcl.lib.mo.us.
Also, there are
prizes to be won for different levels of book reading activity.
Details of the prizes offered will be available closer to
the opening of the program.
But, one major
feature is the ability to qualify for St. Louis Cardinal baseball
tickets. Kids are entered in the ticket drawing after reaching
the 2nd Level of reading activity. That involves reading for
700 minutes and submitting a reading log to your library.
The Cardinals
have offered over 1,200 pairs of tickets for the drawing.
That's one ticket for a kid and another for an accompanying
adult.
There are three
reading levels in the prize program. After reaching each level,
kids will receive prizes. The different reading levels are:
Level 1-260 minutes of reading; Level 2-700 minutes, and Level
3-1,300 minutes.
The county's summer
reading program is a popular one. Last year, over 18,500 kids
participated. To join, check at the library headquarters or
any of the 19 branch libraries.
For the library
closest to you, again check at the library website at www.slcl.lib.mo.us.
Each of the June
5 outdoor kickoff parties has its own schedule of activities
and events.
At Suson Park,
master entertainer Troy Roark will do juggling and magic.
The Elsenpeter Marionettes will have show about Tom Sawyer.
A sing-a-long and balloon sculptures by Chapau are included.
At Faust Park,
there is an S&S Farms exotic petting zoo. Adventure tales
will be performed. Magician Eldon Roark will have a Magical
Reading Trail show. Juggling Jeff also will perform.
At North County
Recreation Complex, S&S Farms has another exotic petting
zoo. A Frilly and Miller Show with music, movement and audience
participation is also included.
Don't forget the
Ending Party at the Library Headquarters. This is a celebration
of reading accomplishments along with light refreshments and
crafts. There also will be an appearance of Biscuit the Dog.
Throughout the
summer, individual branches schedule special events. Check
your local branch library for dates and times.
Many branches
have adventure movies are scheduled. They include "Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom," "Spy Kids,"
"Star Wars IV," the "Three Musketeers"
and others.
You need to check
your branch library for scheduled showing times. Several branches
have Monday and Friday movie nights.
The Adventures
of LewLew and Cluck, as performed by Bebe the Clown is set
for several branches. This is the story of a brave lion and
a cute chicken in search of a new land.
Adventure Tales
involving knights, dragons and other magical beings also are
scheduled at several branches.
Some of the other
shows are:
- Chris Camp,
master of the bullwhip.
- The Culture
of Ireland, with students of St. Louis Irish arts.
- Explore the
Art and Science of Color, with "fireworks in a jar"
and "funglasses."
- Getting to
Know Greyhounds, with the Greyhound Companions group.
- Mad Science
presents Fire and Ice, with dry ice storms and bubbly showers.
Plan now to join
the St. Louis County Library's extensive summer reading program.
St.
Louis History
This Month
in St. Louis History
Birthdays
for Cool Papa Bell, Miles Davis
May is the birthday
for two famous St. Louis African-American entertainment figures.
Baseball player James "Cool Papa" Bell was born
May 17, 1901, and jazz musician Miles Davis was born May 25,
1926.
Also, Father Jacques
Marquette, one of the founders of St. Louis, died on May 19,
1675. He and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to discover
and map the Mississippi River.
And, a holiday
that is taking on more significance is celebrated in May.
That's the Cinco de Mayo festival, honoring the independence
of Mexico from European rule.
St. Louis's growing
Mexican-American population enliven the city with their Cinco
de Mayo activities.
Editor's
note: Information for This Month in St. Louis History
is provided by the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.
Cool
Papa Bell
James "Cool
Papa" Bell was born in Starkville, Miss., in 1901. But,
most of his athletic achievements were tied to the St. Louis
area.
Like many blacks
from the American South, he moved north in 1920. His father
told him he'd be better off in St. Louis because "you
could just live better and make more money."
He started his
baseball career as a knuckleball pitcher for the Compton Hill
Cubs. His day job was with a meat packing plant here. Later,
he pitched for the East St. Louis (Ill.) Cubs for $20 a week.
While playing
for the St. Louis Stars, Bell made the changes that led him
to stardom. He began playing centerfield exclusively and also
started switchhitting. Both of those changes allowed him to
make best use of his amazing speed.
Bell's the guy
who famed pitcher Satchel Paige said was so fast he could
switch off the light in his room and be in bed before the
room got dark.
He played baseball
across the country and even in Cuba. His Cuban career began
after he spent his honeymoon in that country.
In 1951, the St.
Louis Browns of Major League Baseball offered him a contract.
But, he turned them down. He said, at age 50, he was too old
to play his best.
He was inducted
into the MLB's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1974.
For more information,
visit www.ericenders.com/coolpapa.htm.
Miles
Davis
Miles Davis was
born in Alton, Ill. He and his middle-class family moved to
East St. Louis, where he was playing trumpet by age 10.
At 18, he went
to New York City and enrolled in the Julliard School of Music.
But, he dropped out after he got a taste of jazz music.
He was one of
the jazz heavyweights before and after World War II. He was
in groups with such stars as Coleman Hawkins, Rubberlegs Williams
and Charlie Parker.
In 1948, he started
a 9-piece band which pioneered what became known as the West
Coast "cool jazz." In 1955, he teamed with John
Coltrane in a quintet. Then, three years later, he was with
Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans and Philly Joe Jones.
Despite periodic
bouts with drug and alcohol addiction, Davis was still touring
in the 1980s. He died in September, 1991, after a career that
established him as a great in jazz music.
For more information,
see www.jazztrumpetsolos.com/miles.htm.
Cinco
de Mayo
The Cinco de
Mayo celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over a superior
French force in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. St. Louis
has a significant population of immigrants from Mexico and
their celebrations enliven the city.
Two websites that
give more information about Cinco de Mayo are:
www.mexonline.com/cinco.htm
or www.vivacincodemayo.org/history.htm.
Father
Jacques Marquette
For more about
Father Marquette's contribution to the French settlement of
the St. Louis region, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Marquette.
Places
to go, things to do
Places to Go,
Things to Do
Lewis&Clark,
storytelling, kids fishing and more
The month of
May has a bunch of neat participation events for St. Louis
area kids. The Lewis&Clark reenactment group will be on
the move from Camp DuBois, Ill., to St. Charles, Mo., during
the month.
The departure
events from both Camp DuBois and Hartford, Ill., are from
May 13-16. Then, arrival events at St. Charles are from May
14-23.
One great first-of-season
outdoor events is the annual Kids' Fishing Day on May 15 at
the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County. There are
all sorts of how-to-do instructors available.
Other activities
include:
- The 25th annual
St. Louis Storytelling Festival from Wednesday, May 5, through
Saturday, May 8. There are several storytelling venues around
St. Louis.
- The annual
Kids Day at the Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site in
Illinois will be Sunday, May 23.
- The St. Louis
County Parks have three beginning fishing lessons set for
Suson Park in South St. Louis County. They are on Wednesdays,
May 5, 12 and 19, beginning at 6 p.m.
- The first
of several special Kids Ride bicycle tours will be held
Sunday, May 16, beginning at Hartford, Ill. The rides are
sponsored by Trailnet, Inc.
(Details for
the Lewis&Clark departure activities at Camp DuBois and
the Trailnet Kids Ride bicycle tours are covered in full stories
in this edition. Check the home page Lewis&Clark
and Bike Riding stories.)
Lewis&Clark
Departure and Arrival
The original
Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery exploration began from
St. Louis on May 14, 1804. And 200 years later, a reenactment
team will depart from Camp DuBois on the same day.
The original L&C
group next stopped at St. Charles where they spent time getting
all their provisions for their exploration. That trip up the
Missouri River and to the Pacific Ocean took two years before
they got back to the St. Louis area.
The reenactors
will follow the same schedule and route before returning in
2006.
To check departure
events at Camp DuBois and Hartford, Ill., see the Camp DuBois
article in this edition. Just click
here for the camp story and event sidebar.
For the schedule
of the St. Charles arrival events, check out www.lewisandclark.net.
Kids
Fishing Day on May 15
The Kids Fishing
Day at the Busch Conservation area teaches kids an activity
they'll enjoy all their lives.
The event is open
to kids 15 years of age and under. It will be on Saturday,
May 15. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. No reservations are
needed.
There are conservation
agents and volunteers available to instruct kids in all sorts
of fishing activities. They include fishing techniques, tackle
craft, ethics and aquatic ecology.
And after the
lessons, there's plenty of time for trying to catch fish in
Lakes 1, 2 and 15.
Kids are urged
to bring their own tackle and bait. But, there are a limited
number of "loaner" poles available on a first come,
first served basis.
For directions
or further information, call (636) 441-4554.
Annual
St. Louis Storytelling Festival
Dozens of storytellers,
both professional and amateur, will be on hand for the 25th
annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival. It runs from May 5
through 8th.
There's even a
Youth Storytelling concert set for Saturday, May 8, at the
Gateway Arch. That event starts at 10 a.m.
For the complete
schedule, see www.umsl.edu/~conted/storyfes/
Cahokia
Mounds Kids' Day
The highlight
of the May calendar at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
is Kids' Day. The special event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Sunday, May 23.
The historic site
was the location of the largest Indian mound community in
the United States. There's a neat Indian museum to explain
the significance of the Cahokia Mounds development.
All sorts of hands-on
activities, crafts, games and dancing are available for kids
and their families.
For a complete
schedule, see www.cahokiamounds.com.
St.
Louis County has kid fishing classes
The St. Louis
County Parks Department can help you get started in fishing.
In May, department agents will sponsor three beginning fishing
lessons at Suson Park in South St. Louis County.
The evening classes
will be on Wednesdays, May 5, 12 and 19. The classes start
at 6 p.m.
The lessons are
open to kids from 7-14. The kids will get instruction from
experienced anglers. The county provides "loaner"
fishing tackle and has set aside a stocked lake just for use
of the kids.
Reservations are
required. Call (636) 391-FISH.
Math
Puzzler
Mr.
Math Puzzler eases up
a little with May questions
Mr. Math Puzzler
thought it might be time to ease up a little with his questions
for the May competition.
For the first
time in several months, there were no winners in the April
Mr. Math Puzzler contest.
Besides, Mr. Math
Puzzler thought he'd like to encourage younger kids to enter
into this fun math exercise.
But, don't get
too cocky. Mr. Math Puzzler may think his May questions are
easier. But, Young Saint Louis.com still thinks some
of the questions are pretty tough.
This would be
a good time for you to tell some of your friends about Mr.
Math Puzzler. Maybe you can even ask your math teacher if
she would give some "extra credit" if you and some
others in the class enter the May contest.
As we've suggested
in the past, first time entrants don't often win. It always
helps to do some practice before sending in your completed
entry form.
Mr. Math Puzzler
is Wayne Hesse, a math teacher at Green Park Lutheran School
in south St. Louis County. He's been doing the Puzzlers for
YSL.com since September, 2001.
That's nearly
200 Puzzlers that have run in previous issues. Also, for all
of those past editions, there's an answer story in the month
following the questions.
By going to the
Past Stories tab at the top of the Home Page, you can get
access to all past Puzzlers. Pick a sampling of months, look
at the questions and then see how Mr. Math Puzzler figures
out the answers.
After you and
your friends have checked out the past editions, come back
here and enter the May contest by filling out the entry form
below.
A reminder:
These Math Puzzlers can be quite challenging, especially for
younger kids. Remember, we don't mind if you get help from
a parent or older brother or sister. In fact, you might want
to make this a family activity.
Here's how to
enter:
- Print out
the following entry form.
- Fill out your
name, address and telephone number.
- Give your
answers to the six Math Puzzlers.
- Put your completed
entry into a stamped envelope.
- Mail your
entry to:
Math Puzzler Contest
Young Saint Louis.com
231 So. Bemiston Ave., Suite 800
Clayton, MO 63105
- All entries
must be postmarked by the 15th of the month
to be eligible.
-------------Clip
here to make entry-------------
Entry
for May, 2004, Math Puzzler Contest:
Name: ___________________________________
Age: ___
Address: _____________________
School: ______________
City:_____________________,
State:_____ ZIP___________
Contact phone
no.(____)____________________
The
Math Puzzlers
(May, 2004)
1. What day would
yesterday be if Wednesday was five days before the day after
tomorrow?
Answer: _______________
2. Susie is throwing
darts at a dart board shown. Assuming that all her darts hit
the board, how many darts will she need to throw to get 100
points exactly?
Answer: _____________
3. A car-rental
agency charges $37.50 per day and 23 cents-per-mile to rent
a car. How many miles (whole miles) can be driven in a day
before the charge reaches $100?
Answer: _____________
4. How many terms
(or numbers) are in the sequence that follows?
3,
7, 11............439.
Answer: _____________
5. Find a number
X that makes this statement true?
(x
÷ 32)
- 4 + (3 times 23) = 36
Answer: _____________
6. What is the
sum of ALL the prime factors of 1,260?
Answer: _____________
Mr.
Math Puzzler stumped
everyone with April Puzzlers
For the first
time in several months, we didn't have a winner in the April
Mr. Math Puzzler contest. Even the Hsu brothers from Chesterfield
had an off month.
Several entrants
got five of the six Puzzlers correct. But, no one got all
six.
As you know, Eric
and Phillip Hsu have had winning entries for the first three
months of 2004. But, in April, both of the boys missed one
Puzzler, getting five of the six correct.
There weren't
as many entrants during April, probably because of spring
breaks for most of the schools in the St. Louis metro area.
But, now that
school is back in session, it would be a good time to pick
up the habit of having fun with the Mr. Math Puzzler questions.
Mr. Math Puzzler
is Wayne Hesse, a math teacher at Green Park Lutheran School.
For years, he
has given his math students fun questions to do if they get
all their assignments ahead of time. The purpose of the "extra
credit" questions is to encourage them to think of math
as a fun thing to do, not just homework.
That's the type
of questions he's been doing for Young Saint Louis.com
since September, 2001.
That means he's
created nearly 200 Math Puzzlers for your enjoyment.
You can sample
some of the past Puzzlers. And by using the next month's answers,
you can get better understanding of math. (You can find
the past Puzzlers by clicking on the Past Stories tab
on the home page and looking at any edition from September,
2001, to the present.)
Mr. Math Puzzler
tries to take his questions from real life situations. That
way, you'll be able to see how math fits into your everyday
life. And Mr. Hesse also encourages you to try "educated
guesses" when trying to find the answers.
Before entering
the May, 2004, Puzzler competition, sample some of the past
issues and find out how Mr. Math Puzzler thinks.
Then, when you
think your reading, click here
for the entry form for the May contest.
The
April Math Puzzler answers:
1. The area of
a nine-meter square is how much larger than the area of a
square containing nine square meters?
Answer:
72 square meters
The explanation:
A 9-meter by 9-meter square contains 81 square meters. Then,
subtracting the nine square meters from the smaller square,
the answer is 72 more square meters.
2. Lisa and Ruth
each have $10 in the bank. Every month, Lisa plans to add
$1 to her account. Ruth plans to add $3 to her account every
month. If you don't consider interest, in how many months
will Ruth have twice as much money as Lisa?
Answer:
10 months
The explanation:
This is a good place to use a chart to figure the answer.
| Month |
Lisa |
Ruth |
| 0 |
$10 |
$10 |
| 1 |
$11 |
$13 |
| 2 |
$12 |
$16 |
| 3 |
$13 |
$19 |
| 4 |
$14 |
$22 |
| 5 |
$15 |
$25 |
| 6 |
$16 |
$28 |
| 7 |
$17 |
$31 |
| 8 |
$18 |
$34 |
| 9 |
$19 |
$37 |
| 10 |
$20 |
$40 |
3. On a prime
day, the month and the day are both prime numbers. How many
prime days will occur in the year 2004?
Answer:
53 days
The explanation:
There are five prime months in the year, February (2), March
(3), May (5), July (7) and November (11) There are a maximum
of 11 prime days in a month, depending on the length of the
month. (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29 and 31). In February,
there are 10 prime days; in March, 11; in May, 11; in July
11 and in November 10. (If you happened to have counted 52
prime days in prime months, you probably didn't figure February
2004 as a Leap Year with an extra prime day.)
4. Assuming that
both boy and girl births are equally likely, which is more
common in a family of four children: an equal or unequal number
of boys and girls. Or is neither more common?
Answer:
Unequal
The explanation:
This is a probability question and Mr. Math Puzzler recommends
using a tree diagram to find the answer.
Following the
arms of the tree diagram, you'll find that six of the 16 possibilities
end up with two boys and two girls in a family. The other
10 possibilities involve an unequal number of boys and girls.
(The check marks on the right side of the tree show the families
with two boys and two girls.)
5. A quantity
of dirt can be moved by people in 12 days, by horses in 4
days and by a steam engine in 2 days. If all work together,
how long will it take to move that quantity of dirt?
Answer:
1.2 days
The explanation:
This answer can be arrived at with a combination formula.
A person would move 1/12th of the dirt in a day; the horse
would move 1/4 of the dirt in a day, and the steam engine
would move 1/2 the dirt in a day.
1/12
+ 1/4 + 1/2 = X
1/12 + 3/12 + 6/12 = 10/12 or 5/6
The three
together would move 5/6th of the dirt in one day. To move
the other 1/6th of the dirt would take 1/5 of an additional
day. Therefore, the answer is 1.2 days.
6. If 3@7=1 and
4@2=2 and 9@15=3 and 8@12=4 and 10@20=10, then what is 6@6?
Answer:
6
The explanation:
The @ stands for a greater common factor, the biggest number
that goes into both numbers. The biggest number on the final
6@6 equals 6.
Fun
& Games
Fun
& Games
Trivia - Mammals,
Birds, Reptiles, and Fish in Sports
When you're
done, click here for the answers.
- What popular
songbird gives its name to the major league baseball team
in St. Louis?
- Chicago's
NFL team is named for what wild animals?
- A university
football team in Florida is named after what reptiles?
- Baltimore's
NFL team is named after large black birds. What are those
birds?
- The University
of Connecticut or UConn basketball team is named after what
domesticated animals?
- Denver's football
team is named after what kind of animals?
- In the St.
Louis area, a minor league hockey team is named after what
animals that live in water?
- Boston's hockey
team has a name similar to but different from Chicago's
football team. Can you give their animal name?
- Miami, Florida's
pro football team is named after what big marine creatures?
- The University
of Kentucky named its basketball team after what animals?
Crossword Puzzles
When you have
completed the puzzles, you can click
here to find the answers!
Young
Saint Louis.com #1
| Across |
Down |
3.surrounding
feeling
4. parts of engine
5. supported the event
7. large trash holder
9. requires two riders
10. cloudy, darkening |
1. assures
things work
2. stress causing
6. made larger
8. do wrong to someone |
Young
Saint Louis.com #2
| Across |
Down |
4. break
through
7. uncomplicated
8. for qualifiers only
9. beyond belief
10. level of competition |
1. true to
life
2. play preparations
3. performed during day
5. the one just before
6. prehistoric reptile |
Really
hard words
| Across |
Down |
2. move across
4. police department
6. frugal, stingy
7. a crook or fraud
8. unforgetable feature
9. found everywhere
10. a trace, small part |
1. dismay,
confusion
3. snakelike
5. gluttonous |
Really
easy words
| Across |
Down |
2. quack,
quack
6. bow wow
7. trumpets
10. baa, baa
12. neighs
13. ribbit, ribbit
14. hiss, hiss |
1. cock-a-doodle-doo
2. hee haw
3. meow, meow
4. roars
5. squeak, squeak
8. gobble, gobble
9. grunts
11. oink, oink |
Some school-related
jokes to start off with
Son: "Dad,
can you write in the dark?"
Dad: "I think so. What
is it you want me to write?"
Son: "Just your name on this report card!"
Teacher: "You
know you can't sleep in my class."
Boy: "I know, but maybe
if you were just a little quieter, I could!"
Teacher: "Why
are you late?"
Boy: "Because of a sign
down the street."
Teacher: "What does a sign have to do with your being
late?"
Boy: "Because the sign
says, SCHOOL. GO SLOW!"
Some questions
a teacher hopes her pupils will never ask:
- Why does monosyllable
have five syllables?
- Why isn't phonetic
spelled the way it sounds?
- Why do we drive
on parkways and park on driveways?
- Why are there
interstate highways in Hawaii?
- Why doesn't
glue stick on the inside of its bottle?
- If vegetarians
eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?
- If nothing
ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make TEFLON stick to
the pan?
- How does the
guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
- Is there another
word for synonym?
Dumb Riddles
What kind of house
weighs the least?
A lighthouse!
When is a ballplayer
like a judge?
When he sits on the bench!
What do you do
to a bad ping pong ball?
You paddle it!
Where do little
dogs sleep when they go camping?
In a pup tent!
What kind of
running means walking?
Running out of gas!
When is a door
not a door?
When it's ajar!
Why should you
never tell a clock a secret?
Because time will tell!
Our usual
knock knock finale
Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Anita.
Anita who?
Anita nother minute to think this over!
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Ketchup.
Ketchup who?
Ketchup with ya later!
Answers
to Fun & Games
Trivia - Mammals,
Birds, Reptiles, and Fish in Sports
- Cardinals
- Bears
- Gators
- Ravens
- Huskies
- Broncos
- River Otters
- Bruins
- Dolphins
- Wildcats
Crossword Puzzles
Note that the
words used in Young Saint Louis.com crossword
puzzles are all taken from the articles appearing in this
months issue.
Young
Saint Louis.com #1
| Across |
Down |
3.surrounding
feeling
4. parts of engine
5. supported the event
7. large trash holder
9. requires two riders
10. cloudy, darkening |
1. assures
things work
2. stress causing
6. made larger
8. do wrong to someone |
Young
Saint Louis.com #2
| Across |
Down |
4. break
through
7. uncomplicated
8. for qualifiers only
9. beyond belief
10. level of competition |
1. true to
life
2. play preparations
3. performed during day
5. the one just before
6. prehistoric reptile |
Really
hard words
| Across |
Down |
2. move across
4. police department
6. frugal, stingy
7. a crook or fraud
8. unforgetable feature
9. found everywhere
10. a trace, small part |
1. dismay,
confusion
3. snakelike
5. gluttonous |
Really
easy words
| Across |
Down |
2. quack,
quack
6. bow wow
7. trumpets
10. baa, baa
12. neighs
13. ribbit, ribbit
14. hiss, hiss |
1. cock-a-doodle-doo
2. hee haw
3. meow, meow
4. roars
5. squeak, squeak
8. gobble, gobble
9. grunts
11. oink, oink |
