News

A "MAP attack" 

Fourth graders Ashley Cooper and Adriana Love said a new plan that has them writing every day in every class helps them be better students.

The Write Focus program also helped Meadows Elementary School show strong year-to-year improvement in the Missouri Achievement Placement (MAP) program. This is the statewide testing to find out how well Missouri students are learning.

The faculty and staff in the Riverview Gardens School District adopted several new programs after the district achieved only a "provisional accreditation" rating in 1999. That rating was an indication the district's students weren't learning enough. 

But, last month, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) singled out Riverview Gardens for making good improvement on 2000 tests. 

However, the state officials weren't ready to say the district was where it needed to be in educating their children. 

But, Meadows Principal JeanAnn Staley said, "Everyone, from the administration on down, is focused on student achievement." That includes new learning programs, more help for individual teachers and much more work with all students. 

Staley said the school has nicknamed its new plan the "MAP attack." It includes more than just teaching. "We analyze test scores. Teachers work as a team with groups of eight students. We improve their vocabulary," she said.

Another part is to help students understand the MAP tests. These tests ask students to explain concepts, not just recite facts. 

Staley said, "In 1999, we had students look at the test, not understand the questions and just start bawling." 

Teachers worked on explaining what concepts were. They also worked on the students' self-esteem about taking tests. "We saw a lot more confidence this year," she said.

Ashley Cooper and Adriana Love are examples of students who were helped. 

Ashley is now a fourth grader at Meadows school. She said, "We worked on writing almost every day. We even had to write out a plan for our dance steps in gym." She added, "By the end of the year, I thought I was a good writer." 

Adriana is in the fourth grade class with Ashley. She said, "The writing everyday helped me learn my words and write my stories." She said the writing also helped her learn in her math and science classes.

Jackie Griffin was the third grade teacher for Ashley and Adriana. This year, she moved with them to fourth grade. Principal Staley said having a teacher with the students for more than one year helps the youngsters feel more at home. 

Meadows school also improved their teaching of science with the Rise Program. This gives students more hands-on science experience rather than just learning out of a book. 

For instance, youngsters got a chance to actually count the spots on a lady bug, with the help of a magnifying glass. They looked at other bugs under a microscope. 

Teacher Griffin said, "We had a 'curator' who brought science materials right to our class."

The students also were able to build homes for insects and could take them home. But, Adriana admitted that didn't go over too well with her mother. "She didn't want any crickets chirping away at home," she said. 

Ashley said a part of the science program she liked was the "moon calendar" that the class kept. They would chart the stages of the moon. "We got to know about the waxing and waning of the moon," she said. 

These new programs helped Meadows school to reverse the score results for language arts  from 1999 to 2000. In 1999, third graders at Meadows had 74% of its students in the bottom two classifications, with only 26% in the top three classifications.

In 2000, 79% were in the top three classes while only 21% were in the bottom two. 

In science, the improvement also was dramatic. In 1999, 59% were in the bottom two classes while 41% were in the top three. In 2000, only 13% were in the bottom two while 87% were in the top three classes. 

The MAP news for Riverview Gardens wasn't all good. The district's middle school scores showed much smaller improvement. The high school students actually got lower scores in some categories in 2000 than in 1999. 

Assistant Superintendent Bobby Gines said, "The high school is a real challenge." 
 
 

At Woodland school

Third-grade students Juanita Wyms, Eugene Jones and John Latimore like their new daily reading and writing lessons at Woodland Elementary School.

Their teacher,  Juliana Luckett, is confident the new Readers and Writers Workshops will help her third graders learn more.

Daily reading and writing exercises are part of the new plan Woodland and other schools in the Jennings School District are using to help learning. The district needs to improve the students' Missouri Achievement Placement (MAP) scores. 

The new plans helped Woodland students make better showing in the 2000 MAP scores. 

At a news conference last month, state officials praised the Jennings district for its improved scores in the 2000 MAP tests, compared to 1999. 

But, Woodland Principal Pat Harris says more improvement is needed. Jennings schools only have "provisional accreditation." That means state officials want more improvement in learning. The district will be re-checked a year from now.

Ms. Luckett's students are more interested about their learning now. And Juanita, Eugene and John like the special attention to reading and writing. 

The daily reading lesson include reading aloud in a group. There's also time for individual silent reading. Then, there are discussions about what they've read. Books in the class are sorted by color--red for easy, yellow for harder and green for hardest. 

Luckett said, "Early in the semester, we are trying to improve their 'reading stamina.'" By that, she means to increase the length of time they can concentrate on reading. 

Eight-year-old Juanita said, "I pick the yellow books because I like hard books." 

But, she admits she has trouble with group discussions. "I'm pretty shy so it's hard when I have to share with the class. But, I'm not shy when I'm discussing one on one," she said. 

She also reads at home. She's reading the fourth Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." She said, "I'm only on the second chapter because I just got it."

Eight-year-old Eugene said he likes the discussion periods after the reading. But, he also likes the individual reading sessions. 

He also reads a lot at home. "I read every night. I'm got a book chest and my Mom buys me new books," he said. 

Ten-year-old John said he likes the writing workshops. Students each have a personal writing notebook. "I wrote about our family trip to Indiana. We got to play basketball and pool. And, when it was hot, we got to use squirt guns outside," he said. 

Ms. Luckett's classroom is one of six technology classrooms in the school. Those have computers for each kid right in their regular classroom. 

Woodland school also has a computer lab where Gary Koeller is the teacher. He is a former policeman who has been a teacher for five years. 

He said, "Every fourth day, each of the 675 kids in the school come through here." Kids work on general typing and computer skills. But, he also gives writing assignments.

He said, "I incorporate 'concept skills' into the writing assignments." That's where a student doesn't just write about facts. They write about what the facts mean. 

This idea of "concept skills" is very important in learning. It's also very important if the schools are to improve their MAP scores. The MAP tests don't ask about facts; they expect students to tell what the facts mean. 

Woodland third graders improved their 2000 MAP scores in all four categories: communication arts, math, science and social studies. 

Ms. Luckett feels her current third grade class can do better. For one thing, she said she is better prepared this year. 

"Last school year was our first to teach these new learning strategies. We were a little bumpy at first but we got results," she said. Over the summer, she took a trip to learn more about how to teach these new lessons. 

"We've straightened out the bumps," she said. 
 

Entertainment
 

An aviation family

Aviation is a total family activity for the Baker family of O'Fallon, Mo. 

Michael Baker was only 12 and his brother, Danny, only seven when the family built its first scale replica of the famous World War II P-51 fighter plane in 1991. 

Then, four years later, Michael and Danny, along with younger brother David and sister Heather helped build a bigger model. Father Jim said, "We sort of outgrew the first one." 

Danny, now 16, said, "We started construction in the backyard and then completed it in the front yard." 

The family built a special trailer for transporting the model for display in parades and air shows around the country. Mother Gail, said, "We're known in the subdivision as the house with the plane in the driveway." 

Michael is now 21 and he owns a single-engine Cessna 140 plane with his grandfather, Tom Baker. They keep the plane at a private airstrip in rural St. Charles County. His uncle, Dennis Baker, has built a new home next to the strip. 

All the homes next to the 3,000-foot lighted airstrip are owned by families who either own planes or are connected with aviation. The strip is called Woodliff Air Park and is located off I-70 between Wentzville and Foristell. 

Last year, Heather, now 11, won first place in a 4th grade science competition for her model of an airport weather station. It was complete with a wind sock, temperature gauge and a gadget to measure wind direction. 

Heather said, "When we display our plane, I teach kids how to make parts of the weather station." She said her favorite thing at air shows is to "hear what kids say about our plane." 

The family travels far and wide to show their P-51 model at parades and air shows. For out-of-state trips, they plan the trips around the kids' school schedules. 

For instance, they will go to Tennessee in November for a big "Celebrate Freedom" event at Pigeon Forge, Tenn. That's near where singer Dolly Parton has her "Dollywood" theme park. 

In October, the family will display their model at the Columbus Day fly-in at Creve Coeur Airport Oct. 7-9. (See a sidebar story on the fly-in at the end of this story.) 

Concerning the Tennessee trip, Gail said, "We can go because the kids will be off for the statewide teachers meeting in Missouri." 

Their P-51 model doesn't fly. But, it looks like it could. There is a two-seat cockpit with a canopy. The wing flaps and tail rudder move. At air shows, kids can get into the seats and work the controls and instruments. 

Before the model could be displayed, there was a lot of hard work to be done. Everyone in the family helped with the construction. 

Except for the frame and some specialized parts, the model is homemade, "using materials you can get at any hardware store," said Jim. 

First, they designed the plane from pictures and plans of actual P-51 fighters. The body frame is from a plane heavily damaged at Creve Coeur Airport in the 1993 flood. 

The wings were built from storm door frames and coated with 1/8" plywood. The body was formed with fiberglass sheets that were nailed to the frame. 

The tail frame is made of electrical conduit. The propeller is shaped from wood. The "spinner cone" in front of the propeller was made with construction paper, coated with fiberglass resin and strengthened by "$1-a-yard fabric from Wal-Mart," Jim said. 

Instruments in the cockpit were purchased at aviation "flea markets." The plane's wheels are the same as those on "ultralight" planes.

Although the parts are unusual, the workmanship is excellent. Most people looking at the plane don't realize it has no engine and can't fly. "We wanted the plane to look like a real airplane," Jim said. 

The construction is also sturdy. It has to be because kids are climbing over it at air shows. 

When a show is over, the whole family checks the plane for any damage. Then, they do repairs in their front yard so it'll be ready for the next show or parade.
 
 

The 3rd annual World War One fly-in will be held Oct. 7-9 at the Creve Coeur Airport in west St. Louis County. The show is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. 

The main features of the even are World War I aircraft as well as antique automobiles. 

But, other displays such as the Baker's P-51 model also are included. 

The Saint Louis Escadrille organization is hosting the fly-in. That group is dedicated to preserving knowledge of the early days of flying. Members focus on aviation's growth from the Wright brothers flight in 1903 up to 1929. 

Creve Coeur Airport is located at 3127 Creve Coeur Mill Road, just northwest of Creve Coeur County Park. To get there, take I-270 to Dorsett Rd, then west to Marine Avenue. Turn north to Creve Coeur Mill Road and follow the signs. 

Admission is free but there is a $5 parking fee. 

For more information, you can visit the event's website at www.aerodrome.org. Or you can e-mail to KillianONeal@msn.com.
 
 

Money
 

After earning money,

Thirteen-year-old Chelsea DeShetler works hard at baby-sitting to earn money. 

Now, she's looking for ways to make her money work hard for her. 

The seventh grader from Eureka has joined thousands of young people across the country who are turning to stock-market investing for help. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal says more young Americans own investments than another other generation of kids in history. 

Chelsea said, "At first, I made a bank out of a plastic jug and put my money in it. But, in the middle of my first year of baby-sitting, I had so much money I didn't want to keep it at home.

"I was afraid that I'd either lose it or spend it." 

First, she opened a savings account at her family's bank. Her baby-sitting earnings amounted to $300. But, she felt the interest the bank paid on her account was too low. 

About three months ago, her father, Steve DeShetler, contacted broker Jeff Risley of the Edward Jones Co. He showed Chelsea how to get started with a mutual fund investment. She needed only a small opening payment.

In her first month, her mutual fund grew by $23. That's nearly four times as much as the bank interest for a full year. 

Then, in August, her investment plan got a really big boost. Her grandmother in Florida gave her $10,000 invested in another mutual fund. That's to be kept for her college education. 

Also, her father agreed to put $25 a month into Chelsea's own mutual fund.

Chelsea is now starting to gather information about how the stock market works. She's got a three-ring binder to keep reports on her mutual funds. She also collect and studies other information about investing. 

She knows her mutual fund investment can go down if the stock market gets weak. But, she's sure she'll be ahead by keeping her money invested for the long term. 

Chelsea doesn't plan to touch her money for several years. "I'm saving for when I get older. It's for college, a car or maybe a house," she said. When she goes to college, she wants to study to be an orthodontist.

This year, Chelsea is taking part in program at LaSalle Springs Middle School in the Rockwood district that will teach her more about money. 

The "dream dollar" program lets students earn play money for doing good things in class and around the school. Each student has a "savings account" where the play money is deposited. 

At the end of the year, the school holds a festival where students can use their "savings" to buy tickets for games, food and other activities. 

Chelsea wants "to be the person who keeps track of the 'dream dollar' accounts,"  That will give her a way to learn more about money and practice her math. "I've got a 98 in math so far," she said.

Lots of financial companies are taking note of young people like Chelsea. Young people control more money than their parents did when they were young. For many companies, that looks like a chance to do business. 

The big brokerage house, Merrill Lynch and Co. has 200 financial consultants visiting schools with videos and comic books to teach about investing. More than 700,000 students participate in an investment competition called Stock Market Game. 

Chelsea is having success in her first try at investing. She's about to get some good luck in her future baby-sitting efforts. 

When she started baby-sitting, her family lived in south St. Louis County. Her best customer was a family with four pre-school kids who lived next door. Then, Chelsea's family moved more than 20 miles away to Eureka.

However, she continued to baby-sit for the other family. She did full-day baby-sitting two days a week during the summer. 

"They're sweet kids. I really love them," she said. 

Just recently, Chelsea found out that family is also moving west. They'll soon be very close to where Chelsea lives. She'll have only a short trip for future baby-sitting jobs.
 
 

Sports
 
 

Classes are mandatory

Three good friends took 10 hours of weekend classes last month so they could have fun outdoors together later this fall. 

Joshua Holzhausen, 12; Nick Mare, 14, and Kai Holderby, 11, were classmates in a Missouri Conservation Commission hunter safety class at the Jay Henges Training Center off I-44 in west St. Louis County. 

The boys and other youngsters were taking a mandatory two-day training class in order to qualify for their Missouri hunting permits. 

Twelve-year-old Joshua said he was taking the class "so I can hunt safely with my friends and they'll accept me as a safe hunter." The seventh grader at Westminster Christian Academy said the boys and their families plan to hunt deer in north-central Missouri. 

He said he'll be using a rifle when hunting. "I'm not a very good archer," he said. 

Like the others, fourteen-year-old Nick said he already has experience with firearms. "My grandmother has a farm where we can go skeet shooting," The eighth grader at Westminster Academy said he owns a shotgun. 

Eleven-year-old Kai said he also plans to hunt deer "and maybe some squirrels." He owns a .243-caliber rifle and also has a bow and arrows. But, he said his bow isn't strong enough to use for hunting deer.

The boys and their families plan to hunt at the Thomas Hill Reservoir area in north-central Missouri, north of Columbia.

Jim Engel is the range officer at the Henges Shooting Range and Training Center in High Ridge, Mo. The center holds hunter safety classes on weekends twice a month.

He said there are similar classes held throughout the St. Louis area. Anyone interested in finding a hunting class near them can call Kurt Kyser, a regional supervisor for the state commission. His number is (636) 441-4554. 

In addition to classes, the Henges center has public shooting ranges where hunters can practice firing their guns and rifles. For information about public shooting times, call Engel at (636) 938-9548. 

The commission's other manned center is at the August Busch Memorial Center in St. Charles County. The number there is (636) 441-4554. 

The two manned centers include ranges for pistol, rifle, shotgun and archery. Both centers also are handicapped-accessible. 

Keith Anderson was the chief of instruction for the classes that Joshua, Nick and Kai took. A big part of the instruction was on how to be both a safe hunter and a responsible one. He said no one likes a "slob hunter." 

He said an important part of being a safe hunter is making sure each hunter is familiar with his or her firearm. He urged all the class members to practice shooting often on a range  before going into the field. 

He also pointed out it is important to get landowner permission to hunt. He said more than 80 per cent of hunting in Missouri is done on private land. "And be sure to get the permission in advance and in writing," he said. 

One of the young people attending the Henges classes wasn't likely to be shooting in the field. Sarah McDonald, 13, came to class with her father, Kermit, and her younger brother, Skyler, 11. 

"I had the choice of sitting around the house or coming to the class. I don't think I'll go hunting but I got some good information about the outdoors," she said. 

Sarah is familiar with firearms. She's gone "plicking" cans with a .22 rifle. But, she didn't like the idea of killing animals. Her father said she's likely to be the family photographer on any hunting trips. 

Her brother, Skyler, said he's looking forward to bird hunting, rather than hunting deer. "I'm not the stay-still type of person," he said. His dad said, "He's afraid there's too much sitting and waiting during a deer hunt." When hunting birds, the hunters usually are on the move through the fields.
 
 

Books
 
 

Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart

If you are a Britney Spears’ fan, you may have already noticed that there are at least half a dozen “biographies” of Britney in the bookstores.  A closer look shows they are “unauthorized,” which means that some writer put them together without Britney’s permission or cooperation. The one reviewed here certainly has Britney’s permission, because it is written by Britney herself along with her mother, Lynne Spears.  Its title is “Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart.”  It is published by Three Rivers Press, sells for $12.95 in paperback, and has 135 pages. It is found in the grown-up’s section of bookstores and not back with kid’s books. 

One of the best features of the book is that it has pictures of Britney from her earliest childhood up to her present success as a musical superstar.  Also included are pictures of Britney with her family members and various friends as she grew up. Britney’s mother is an elementary school teacher.  She has two other children besides Britney.  Bryan is a brother four years older than Britney, and Jamie Lynn, is her younger sister. 

Britney was a “Mouseketeer” when she was eleven years old.  She describes how involved her neighbors in the small town of Kentwood, Mississippi, were and how excited they were to see a local girl appearing on the “Mickey Mouse Club.”  She had been entertaining people with her singing from the time she was very little.  By seven, she was taking classes in dancing and gymnastics. Her mother took her to New York where she had various stage experiences before being accepted for the Disney Channel television assignment. 

If you want pictures and details about Britney’s growing up experiences, this is the book for you. 
 
 

101 Fun Facts about Kurt Warner

This is a book that has no plot.  It is just what its title says it is, “101 Fun Facts about Kurt Warner.”  It’s a little book with 101 pages – a picture and a separate fact about Kurt Warner on each page.  For example, did you know Kurt lettered in football, basketball, and baseball when he was in high school?  Did you know he led his high school basketball team to the state playoffs with a 19-5 record?  Of course, it goes on to tell the amazing things he did in his first year in the NFL as the quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.  For instance, Kurt threw for more passing yards (1,217) in his first four starts with the Rams than anyone in NFL history. 

There are also some personal facts about Kurt.  He and his wife, Brenda, have two sons, Zachary (10) and Cade (1), and a daughter, Jessie (7).  He enjoys going fishing and hunting with his father when he is not playing football. 

If you’re a football fan and like Rams collectibles, and especially Kurt Warner collectibles, you are likely to be interested in this book.  It is published by Sports Publishing Inc. and sells for $4.95 at you local bookstore. 
 

Lewis and Clark for Kids

If you live in Missouri, you are surrounded with signs along the highways and other reminders of Lewis and Clark. How much do you know about their famous “Journey of Discovery?”  Did you know the journey began and ended in Missouri?  Did you know the explorers’ trip was ordered by President Thomas Jefferson and was one of the great adventures and events of the 1800’s?  The discoveries the explorers made had a major impact on how our country was to develop?  The 143-page paperback book, “Lewis and Clark for Kids.” tells the story of these two discoverers and the adventures they had as they journeyed through parts of the North American continent previously unexplored by white men. 

Included in the book are drawings and photographs that help bring to life the people, places, and events described in the story. Twenty-one “hands on” activities are also included.  Among the activities are directions on how to make a pair of moccasins or how to make common hand signs used by Indians to communicate with members of other tribes. There are directions for making an Indian basket or a drum.  Some of these suggestions might help you with ideas for social studies projects in your classes. 

The book was written by Janis Herbert, published by Chicago Review Press, and sells for $14.95.  For those of you who are really caught up in American history, this author and publisher also produced “The Civil War for Kids.” 
 

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

This story is told by a 10-year old named Kenny.  Kenny has a little sister and a 13-year-old brother who is known in the family as an “official juvenile delinquent.”  Kenny likes school and is a good reader.  That causes him problems with his brother who doesn’t like school and can’t read very well.  There are bullies in the school who want to go after Kenny, but they tend to back off because of his tough big brother.  That doesn’t mean his big brother won’t pick on him, though. 

Kenny is living in Flint, Michigan, an automobile manufacturing town.  The time is 1963, a key year in the Civil Rights Movement.  Kenny and his family are African-Americans and his mother is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Cold winters are especially hard on his mother, since she grew up in the warm winters of the South.  His father works in the automobile factory. The biggest part of the story deals with the family’s day-to-day activities in Flint, with the focus on Kenny, since he is telling the story. 

The big event in the family is the trip they make to Birmingham in 1963 to visit their grandma.  They don’t have much money.  The car they are traveling in is not too dependable.  Mother and father have different views on how to make such a long trip.  Big brother doesn’t want to go.  So just the description of the trip makes a story within a story.

The last part of the book deals with the family’s involvement in a tragedy that occurred in Birmingham in 1963.  Racist terrorists bombed a Church in Birmingham and killed some innocent children.  How Kenny coped with the event and the part he played in “saving” his little sister makes up the final part of the story.  “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963,” by Christopher Paul Curtis is a Yearling Book.  In paperback it sells for $5.99.
 
 

Lifestyle
 
 

At Parkway Central Middle

Eighth grade students at Parkway Central Middle School will get a unique "hot air" treat this year that goes beyond book learning. 

This fall, a team from Judy Green's math classes will create a teaching video and website. It will be used later his year to teach a hot air balloon project. 

Then, next spring, math, science, social studies and English students use the video to learn how to make hot air balloons. The climax is a "flight day" when up to 35 homemade, six-foot balloons will be launched from the school yard.

This whole project goes under the name of "Balloon-a-tics."

Parkway Central Middle students have been building hot air balloons for the last five or six years. This year, Green and Tony Ambrose, a Parkway teacher and educational technology specialist, are adding the video and website work. 

Ambrose said, "Kids pay attention to other kids. Sometimes they pay more attention to them than they do their teachers. So, we're going to take the best from previous years' work and show how kids learned in the past." 

Green will pick two students from each class to edit the video and website. The website will go on the Internet. That way, other St. Louis kids can see how the balloon-making works. Also, teachers can see how to put lessons together for their classes. 

The "Balloon-a-tics" project involves more than math. There are science principles, such as the properties of air when it is heated. There are English and social studies aspects, such reports on the history of ballooning.

Looking back in history, manned hot air balloon flights came long before anyone flew an airplane.

Green said her balloon experiments are a new experience for her students. "We'll build and fly kites during math class in the fall. But, everyone has flown a kite. But, none of them will have flown a hot air balloon," she said. 

Green learned about teaching about hot air balloons from teachers from New Mexico. The first 50 teachers got a balloon kit with instructions how to use it. 

She started balloon making into her classes in 1994. 

This year, about 125 students will be working to build the balloons. Students work in teams of four. They glue seven tissue paper panels together to make the balloon "envelope." 

They then put a draw string around the top of the balloon. It closes the top to keep the hot air in. At the bottom, they fix a wire loop to keep that end open. Green said the tissue is strong so the balloons can be rolled up and stored during construction. 

Next May, the students gather in the school yard for "flight day." 

A now-retired science teacher built special charcoal furnaces to heat the air in the balloons. There are six furnaces. Teams use two at each of three hot air stations. 

As the balloons begin the rise, they are released from their ground lines. Right after that, the math experiment kicks in. 

Using trigonometry lessons they've had in class, the kids measure how high their balloon goes before the air cools or the wind blows it off-course. 

Green said, "The highest any balloon has gotten so far is 96 feet."

She said the balloon flying "brings together all sorts of things the students have studied." 

But, there's more. Last spring, the students got to take a field trip to Spectrum Balloon Flights. They got into the type of giant hot air balloons which flew in the Great Forest Park Balloon Race last month. 

Green said this year's students will get to take that same field trip in the spring. 
 
 

There are a number of ways you can get further information about ballooning in the St. Louis area. 

Spectrum Balloon Flights maintains a ballooning museum near the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield. The museum is located at 641 Sepi Drive, just before the entrance to the airport. The phone number there is (636) 530-9888. 

Another source of information is the Gateway Aerostatic Assn.'s website, which gives information about the activities of the St. Louis Balloon Club. The website address is a simple one: www.gaa.cc.

 The St. Louis area has a number of ballooning racing activities. Probably the most well-known is the Great Forest Park Balloon Race, which was held last month. But, a number of other communities in the area hold races during the year. 
 
 

Health
 
 

Red Ribbon Rally

Eighth graders Meaghan Holley and Nikki Stecich are among student leaders at their school's Red Ribbon Rally. The goal is to teach kids to remain drug- and alcohol-free. 

North Kirkwood Middle School will be one of 80 area schools in the program. 

Holley, Stecich and about 900 other students will get leadership training. They'll learn how to teach others about the value of staying off drugs and alcohol. 

Holley said, "Last year, we were taught how to go back to our schools and teach others how to avoid peer pressure to use drugs, tobacco and alcohol." 

The students don't just teach in their school. They also go into elementary schools. 

Stecich was impressed about her training last year. The leadership classes included speeches by Saint Louis University basketball coach Lorenzo Romar and former Cardinals pitcher Rick Horton. 

"They were such good role models for us," she said. 

One of the unusual parts of the Red Ribbon Rally is the planting of tulip bulbs on the school grounds. 

Stecich said, "The tulips were planted near the playground so everyone could see them every day." 

Former President Ronald Reagan's wife, Nancy, announced the first national Red Ribbon Week in 1987. It was in honor of a drug enforcement agent killed in the line of duty.

The death of agent Enrique Camarena got a lot of national publicity. People began wearing red ribbons in his honor. 

It was natural for red tulips to become a symbol for the program. 

Holley said, "Every school gets a bag of tulip bulbs to plant. When the red flowers pop up in the spring, it's a reminder." 

Tulips always bloom in April. That ties in with Alcohol Awareness Month, which is in April. 

This year, there will be three leadership rallies to train students to take projects back to their schools. Then, the Red Ribbon Rally Week is Oct. 23-31. 

The area event is sponsored by the St. Louis area National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse (NCADA). Kelley Weston is the prevention specialist working with the program.

At leadership rallies, students learn about a wide variety of school projects they can sponsor. 

One special part of the this year's city-wide Red Ribbon Rally will be free tickets to a St. Louis Steamer indoor soccer game. Students, teachers and advisors can get a free ticket to the game on Oct. 27. 

After the game, kids can go on the field and meet the players. A disc jockey and refreshments will be offered. For information, call (314) 216-2000. 
 
Connie Otto is a 7th and 8th grade counselor at North Kirkwood Middle School. She works on the Red Ribbon Rally program. 

She said, "The Red Ribbon Rally is part of our school's service learning program. We stress service projects to the community. We've found, if kids are trained to be leaders, they are 'less at risk' to use drugs, alcohol and tobacco." 

Both Meaghan and Nikki participate in other community service projects. 

Meaghan has worked at Faith House, a central-city orphanage for kids born to mothers who were on drugs. "We go down to play with the kids. We also had a Christmas party where we got presents and made cookies," she said.

Nikki has worked at the Today's Lost Children's Ministry. That's a place where kids can go after school to play or study. They go there because there is no one at their home when school is out. 

She said this year "we're going to help refinish a food pantry." She also plans to work with children in an adopted parents program. 
 
 

Games
 
 

How about some “chicken crossing the road” jokes?

Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
   Because chickens hadn’t been invented yet.

Why did the turkey cross the road?
   Because the chicken was on vacation.

Why did the chicken cross the playground?
   To get to the other slide.

Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?
   Because he didn’t have the guts. 
 

Try these on for a laugh

How do you stop an elephant from charging?
   Take away his credit card.

What kind of car does a cat drive?
   A  Cat-ilac

What do you call a blind dinosaur?
   A Think-he-saw-us Rex

Doctor:  Have your eyes ever been checked?
   Patient:  No, they have always been blue. 

Why do cows have bells?
   Because their horns don’t work.

What did one mountain say to the other mountain after an earthquake?
   It wasn’t my fault.

Do you think you can come up with better jokes?  If so, send them to us on YOUR TURN and we will use them along with your name. 
 
 

Kids' Profiles
 
 

An OPUS scholar

Shanelle Williams was 11 years old when she found a battered, old violin in the basement of her grandmother's house. 

Fixing the violin--together with a lot of hard work and practice--has earned Shanelle a full academic scholarship to Thomas Jefferson School in south St. Louis County. 

Shanelle said, "About all that was left of the old violin was the wood. I had to get just about everything else new. It had belonged to one of my aunts." 

Before the violin, Shanelle's musical activity consisted of "about six months of piano lessons." 

She started playing with the orchestra at McKinley Elementary School in north St. Louis County. She moved on the Normandy Middle School and worked with the orchestra director Deborah Antoine. 

Her conductor recognized Shanelle's musical talent and gave her extra lessons. Then, at age 15, Shanelle began private lessons with noted teacher Lucia P. May. 

Shanelle said she likes best "romantic, expressive" music, such as by composer Franz Schubert. 

In 1999, she was selected to play during KFUO's "Young Heroes in Music" (FM99.1) concert. The program gives young African-American musicians a chance to play before a live audience as well as being broadcast.

The station also sponsors the OPUS scholarship. That's given to an African-American youngster. Now 17, Shanelle has started her junior year at the school.

Shanelle has graduated from her aunt's old violin. But she had a recent scare with the new one. In June, her home in Normandy was heavily damaged in a fire. Although no one was injured, her 100-year-old Chanot violin came close to being destroyed.

"I told the firemen to rescue my violin and they did," she said. The fire burned about half of the house and the rest had heavy smoke damage. 

Shanelle will be playing later this month in a 5th anniversary "Young Heroes in Music" concert. She plans to invite the firemen who saved her violin to the concert. 

Despite her musical success, Shanelle doesn't think she'll pursue a musical career after school. "Maybe I'll do something part-time," she said.

She has her heart set on being a special agent for the FBI. 

She's an Explore Cadet with the police department of the north county community of Beverly Hills. She wears a uniform and goes with the regular officers on patrol and investigations. She also has directed traffic. 

Recently, she and other regular officers searched a vacant house, looking for drugs. She worked with the department's "sniffer dogs." 

After Thomas Jefferson School, Shanelle said she'd like to go either to the University of Indiana or Washington University. From there, she wants to go to training with the FBI. 

"I like law enforcement but I don't want to be a police officer," she said. 

In high school, she stays on campus for five days. Then, she can go home on weekends. Concerning campus life, Shanelle said, "I'm used to it. I've gone to music camp in the summer at Indiana University." 

For anyone interested in Thomas Jefferson School, you can visit their website at www.tjs.org.

Shanelle has three sisters. She's the second oldest. Her parents are Rosiland Jackson and Michael Williams. 
 
 

Station's outreach

The "Young Heroes in Music" concert series is only a part of radio station KFUO's efforts to bring classical music to the minority community in metro St. Louis. 

The 5th anniversary "Heroes" concert will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The concert before a live audience is held in the Shoenberg Auditorium. It is also broadcast live as part of the station's "Classic Kids" program series.

Nine previous "Heroes" soloists will play in the concert. 

The concert series has introduced 22 classically trained African American youth to St. Louis since it started in 1995. The youngest was 10-year-old Lauren Bryant, who was featured in a Young Saint Louis.com article in the May, 2000, edition. 

Another addition to the KFUO outreach for minorities is the "Classic Kids at School" program. 

This involves five one-hour music appreciation classes for 3rd and 4th graders at participating schools. The sessions include fun activities and listening to popular classic tunes. 

Tricia Oates is the station's educational initiatives coordinator. If schools are interested in signing up for the "Classic Kids in School" program, she can be reached at (314) 725-0099. Also, you can log on to the station's website at www.classic99.com.