News

Part of national effort

Students at the Iveland Elementary School in the Ritenour School District are gearing up for a busy political season this fall. 

And it won't be just the presidential campaign they'll be watching. 

Kids at Iveland hold an election campaign on a local school issue. They hold an all-school mock convention. There are home-made campaign signs, campaign speeches and casting of delegate votes in a non-binding referendum. 

They even shoot and edit a videotape record of all the in-school campaigning. 

In addition, the students monitor closely the progress of the general election campaigns. On election day, Nov. 7, they go to the polls like their parents to vote for president as well as other national, state and local candidates. 

Their school building is an official adult voting station. So, when their parents come to vote, the youngsters go to their own polling place to cast their ballots.

The next day,  youngsters compare their vote totals with those of adult voters. 

Students at Iveland school and other Ritenour schools were the first St. Louis schools to test this type of voter education. This year, 19 Missouri districts will involve 160,000 students in the national Kids Voting USA program.

The Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH) at University of Missouri-St. Louis administers the program. 

Professor Timothy O'Rourke heads the Kids Voting Missouri program. He said the program has two main purposes. 

First, it helps to educate students on the rights and responsibilities of voters. Also, it helps young people to think clearly before making their voting decisions. 

The second purpose is to stimulate additional voting participation by their parents.

But, how much the kids get out of the program will depend largely on the effort of local schools. At Iveland, the effort involves every youngsters as well as all faculty members. 

Jackie Kofsky, head of  Project Challenge at the school, said, "Kids Voting 2000 is very cross-curricular." She means the voter activities involve every class in the school. 

For instance, the art classes are involved in making campaign signs and delegate hats for each student. The math classes are involved in tallying the votes. 

Fifth grade teacher Sue Houston said, "Students also learn what a majority is."

The music classes help with the convention entertainment. Kofsky said, "The students learn how to research the issues. Social studies classes compile maps to show where the national candidates go during the campaign."

Two years ago, the Iveland school mock convention debated the issue of whether students should be required to wear identical school uniforms. After a lively debate, the students gave a narrow majority in favor of school uniforms. 

This year, the faculty will pick a new issue before the school holds its Red, White and Blue Day on Sept. 28. That's the day when the students dress up in red, white and blue and are told what the local issue. They also start the voter registration process so they can vote in the campaign. 

The mock convention is slated for Oct. 24. That's the same day as the first PTA meeting of the year. First, the kids vote on the issue during the day and the parents vote on the same issue at night. 

The next day, the students compare the votes and hold discussions on the results. 

The study of the national elections is also important. And, the students put special emphasis on encouraging their parents to vote in the November election.

Teacher Houston said, "I came from a large family of nine kids. On election day, we waited until everyone was home from school and off work. They, we all went to the polls as a family." That even included the young kids who couldn't vote, she said. 

Barb Morris, the library media specialist at Iveland, said the current students can serve a valuable function this year. "For the parents who weren't planning to vote, they get badgered by their kids to go to the polls."
 
 

Books

This is the year of political conventions for the Republicans and the Democrats.  The country is getting ready for another presidential election.  It’s a good time to think about past campaigns and the presidents who served since our country began.  A new book has just been published that can help bring those past presidents to life for us. 

“Presidents,” was written by James Barber in association with the Smithsonian Institution.  It is a 64-page book containing brief biographies of all the presidents from George Washington to William Clinton.  The book is loaded with pictures not only of the presidents but also of campaign buttons and artifacts from each of their presidential campaigns and terms of office. 

At first glance this large and colorful book looks like just another picture book.  It is loaded with pictures. But, in addition, there is a surprising amount of information about each of the 41 presidents and the times in which they served in office. 

Some presidents, such as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, or the two Roosevelts, are given three or four pages of coverage because of their accomplishments or the major events which occurred while they were in office.  Others, such as Van Buren, Harrison, and Tyler share pages. 

The publisher of the book is the British publisher Dorling Kindersley, which has published other titles in the “Eyewitness Books” series. This publisher has offices in London, England;  Auckland, New Zealand;  Delhi, India;  Johannesburg, South Africa; Munich, Germany;  Paris, France; and Sydney, Australia.  It is interesting to note that kids all around the world may be reading this same book about American presidents. 
 
 

“Bud, Not Buddy” is the story of a 10-year-old boy, who just happens to be African-American, and his growing up during the years of the Great Depression of the 1930’s. 

Bud, as he prefers to be called, lost his mother when he was six years old. He had never known his father.  He had gone back and forth between various foster homes and the orphanage after his mother died. 

She had left an old suitcase with some advertising flyers in them.  The flyers pictured a small group of musicians and featured a bandleader that Bud suspected was his father. 

After being placed in a foster home where he was mistreated, he decided to run away and go looking for his father in a city hundreds of miles away. 

This was a time not too many years ago when money was scarce and people were without jobs.  Men who were out of work were sneaking on freight trains in order to get rides to other parts of the country, where they hoped to find jobs. 

Sometimes, entire families were “riding the rails.” Camps, close to the railroad tracks, where these people banded together were called “Hoovervilles.” These camps were named after the president, Herbert Hoover, who happened to be in office when the country’s economy collapsed.  Bud, during his search for a home of his own, shares life with these desperate people. 

While reading about Bud, the reader learns about a period in history that many older people still remember as part of their actual lives.  “Bud, Not Buddy” was published in 1999 and has won many awards as an excellent book for older children and young adults. 

The author is Christopher Paul Curtis, who grew up in Flint, Michigan, and had worked on an automobile assembly line before becoming an award-winning author.  Published by Delacorte Press, the hardback version of the book sells for $15.95. 
 
 

The amazing popularity of the Harry Potter books has led to a lot of interest in the author of the series.  A  new arrival in the bookstores is “J. K. Rowling, the Wizard Behind Harry Potter,” an unauthorized biography by Marc Shapiro.  Published by St. Martin’s Griffin in August 2000, the 105-page paperback sells for $4.99. 

Shapiro has written other celebrity biographies.  In the front of the book he lists all the sources from which he drew the information presented in this bio.  He brings together details of the early life of Joanne Kathleen (J. K.) Rowling and describes how her childhood experiences led her to come up with the ideas for her Harry Potter books. 

Joanne had enjoyed making up stories to entertain herself and her younger sister from a very early age.  She was an avid reader and kept collections of stories that she had written throughout her pre-teen and teen-age years. 

Even though she wanted to be a writer, she was afraid she could not make a living as an author.  She did office work and, later, became a teacher. 

When she first began writing about Harry Potter, she read parts of it to the same younger sister she had told stories to as a child.  Luckily, her sister, Di, liked the story about the young wizard and laughed at the right times.  Joanne was encouraged to finish the first book about Harry Potter and submit it for publication. 

And now, of course, almost overnight, her books have made her one of the most successful authors in history.  The biography contains a number of photographs of Joanne as she toured Britain and the United States, signing autographs for fans of Harry Potter. 
 
 

This 234-page paperback is an exchange of letters between two girls who have long considered themselves to be best friends.  They are separated as seventh graders when one family moves several hundred miles away.

The girls try to keep their friendship alive through their letter writing.  At the beginning of the correspondence, the family of one of the girls lives in an expensive home with a swimming pool and hired servants. The family of the girl who moves away lives much more modestly.

The girls write about such things as holidays, hobbies, pets, clothes, jewelry, little sisters, boys, and teachers.  But along with all the chatter, family problems unfold and each of the girls tries to cope with quite different sets of problems.

During the period of letter writing, the economic position of the two families does a flip-flop.  The friendship is strained to the breaking point. 

The book is titled “P. S. Longer Letter Later.”  Published by Scholastic, Inc., the authors are Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin.  The price is $4.99.
 
 

Lifestyle

An expanded program

Last year, the St. Louis Rams stressed how inner strength and character of its players helped win the Super Bowl  championship. 

Now, St. Louis educators are counting on Rams players and cheerleaders to encourage students to develop their own character to make them better persons and more successful citizens.

Over 100 St. Louis area schools are expected to participate this year in a special character-building program to teach the virtues of respect, perseverance, responsibility, self-esteem and service. 

A main feature of the program is a video featuring interviews with Rams players and cheerleaders about these principles.

About perseverance, All-pro defensive end Kevin Carter: "A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. My father told me that over and over again when I was a kid." 

Concerning self-esteem, receiver Torry Holt said "building an inner confidence and self-esteem" is essential to building a better life. 

Eight schools that create and execute the best plans for teaching these character traits will be honored with 10 tickets to a Rams game in December and a one-hour personal visit to their school by a Rams player.

The program is a collaboration of the St. Louis Rams Foundation and the Cooperating School Districts. Last month, two teachers workshops were held at Rams Park in Earth City to explain the program to area teachers. 

Another workshop is scheduled for Sept. 12 at the Hyland Center at St. Anthony's Hospital in South County. The third workshop will give additional schools a chance to sign-up for the 2000-2001 school year. 

Any school interested in participating should call Nyla Snyder at the Cooperating School Districts office at (314) 692-9723. 

Participating teachers receive a handbook outlining different ways to teach five different  on lessons. In addition, each teacher gets a 12-minute video in which Rams players explain how these character principles influenced their lives.

Concerning responsibility, All-pro running back Marshall Faulk said, "To be successful, you have to be great at personal decision making." He said making right personal decisions as a teenager is "the big one" when it comes to success later in life.

About respect, Rams cheerleader Bridgett Jones said, "You must respect your faith, your body and your talent." 

On self-esteem, linebacker London Fletcher said, "Never say die; never give up. I've always felt I could come out on top." In the past, Fletcher had been considered to be too small to be a successful middle linebacker. 

Concerning community service, Carter said, "You can't help yourself without helping others. And, I'd never be what I am today without the help of others." 

The announcers for the video were Channel 4 sports editor Steve Savard and Rams color commentator Jack Snow, a former Rams player. Savard said Rams players can be "true role models" for St. Louis youth. 

The Rams Foundation, which helped underwrite both the video and the school program, has pledged $1 million in community outreach funds for "positive youth development" in the St. Louis area. 

This program is one of several CHARACTERplus programs by the Cooperating School Districts. 
 
 

Your Health

After 5-year illness,

Until last February, Laticia Mayweather had been in and out of hospitals since she was 10 years old. 

Even when she was out of the hospital, she was tired all the time. 

"All I did was go to school, come home, iron my clothes for next day and then go to sleep," the 16-year-old said. 

What had started as flu when she was 10 turned into something much more serious. 

In March, 1999, she was diagnosed with serious liver disease. That's quite unusual for someone so young. 

"I was shocked...it shocked me a lot," Laticia said. "I kept thinking, why me? No one in my family ever had been sick with liver failure." 

By last February, the situation had gotten much worse. 

"My doctor said, 'If you don't get a liver transplant within a month, you might pass away,'" she said. But, help was on the way. 

Because her situation was so bad, Laticia had moved up on the list of people waiting for an organ transplant. Earlier, doctors had estimated it might take three years for a donor to be found. 

But, the sickest patients go to the head of the list. Laticia was very sick.

She said, "The same night they said I was so sick a liver donor was found. I had my operation the next morning." One good aspect was that Laticia has Type-O blood. That means she is better able to accept an organ even if the donor has a different blood type. 

Now, Laticia is in school full-time at Beaumont High School. She's a junior and is planning a full schedule. 

From the third grade on, she was so sick she couldn't take gym classes. But, this year, she's hoping to play volleyball. Her doctors say she can participate in all aspects of school life. 

She's also planning for her future. For a career, she'd like to be either a veterinarian or a children's nurse. She said she'd like to be a nurse at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, where she got such good treatment. 

A month after her liver transplant, Laticia was still in the hospital on her birthday. "The nurses threw me a 'Sweet 16' birthday party," she said. She was 16 on March 12. 

Her school classmates also remembered her with balloons and posters. Although she had missed considerable school time, she's been able to keep up with her class. "My principal was helpful in keeping me up on my classwork," she said. "My grades are A-OK," she added. 

Laticia said this summer she's been getting acquainted with residents in her north St. Louis neighborhood. "Nobody in the neighborhood even knew who I was because I was sleeping all the time," she said. 

But, she said, "They know me now. I'm up and about the neighborhood all the time now," she said. 

Although she still has some trouble with her lungs, most of her other illnesses have gone away. "And, I think I'm outgrowing the lung problems," she said.

She said she was very depressed when she was sick all the time. But, now, her attitude is much better and she's happy to be going back to school full-time. 
 
 

Laticia Mayweather's liver transplant operation was coordinated by Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS) in St. Louis. 

This organization handles everything about organ transplants except the operation itself. Those are handled by six hospitals in the St. Louis area. 

One of the most important programs for MTS is to sign up potential organ donors. These are area residents who agree to donate their organs after their death. 

Most of the time, there is a long time between a person agreeing to donate an organ and when it's actually available. 

The decision to donate your organs is obviously a very personal one. Oftentimes, the decision comes after lengthy family discussions. 

After her operation, Laticia urged people to consider making a donation decision. In an article on the MTS website, Laticia said, "They need to think how they would feel if one of their kids or family members needed a transplant. How would they feel if this happened to them?"

For information about how you and your family can participate in the organ program, you can contact MTS in various ways. The MTS website is at: www.mts-stl.org

The address is: 
 

Mid-America Transplant Services 1139 Olivette Executive Parkway St. Louis, MO 63132

Telephone: (314) 991-1661 e-mail: info@mts-stl.org Hotline: 1-800-87DONOR

 

Entertainment

On Sept. 9

St. Louis kids will get a chance Saturday, Sept. 9, to see how families worked and played in the early 1820s at the Historical Children's Festival on the St. Charles riverfront. 

Hours for this year's event on the First Missouri State Capitol grounds will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. 

And a lot of the demonstrations will be taught by kids. 

There are two other events being held on the same weekend at the riverfront. The city of St. Charles holds its annual Civil War Reenactment on Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3. p.m. Also, there is a Blue Grass music festival on Saturday night. 

So there are plenty of things to do for the whole family. 

The Historical Children's Festival puts a special emphasis on hands-on activities for kids. 

Doug Jacobs and his family of St. Charles will be on hand to display a wide variety of homemade toys from the 1800s era. Kids will get demonstrations and then actually can play with most of them. 

Jacobs is a special education teacher in the Fort Zumwalt School District. He and his family have made a hobby of making and demonstrating pioneer artifacts. He said he got involved 15 years ago because "I love history and kids." 

"Playing with the kids at these historical events is a big part of the attraction for us," Doug said. 

His daughter, Lacey, is now 17 and a senior at St. Charles High. She said she's been along on festival trips to various festivals "like forever, since I was 2."

One of Lacey's crafts is to help kids make handkerchief dolls, made from cloth and string. 

Her brother, Zack, also has been a part of the events since he was a tiny baby. Now, 15, Zack also demonstrates toys. One of his specialties are the stilts that kids get to try at the festival. 

The family also has a nine-pin game and a wood-and-cloth Jacob's ladder toy. They also demonstrate a Lacrosse game that features two woven-wood baskets and a cloth ball that is tossed back and forth. 

Doug said, "We've made most of the stuff ourselves." One homemade tool is a hammer made by cutting off a tree section at a point where a limb sticks out. The trunk piece is the head of the hammer and the limb is the handle. The tool is used for pounding garden stacks into the ground. 

At the demonstrations, the whole family wears homemade clothes with designs from the 1820s era. 

Other activities at the children's festival include butter churning, quill pen writing and candle dipping. Also, there is an old-fashion mortar and pestle, where kids can grind corn. 

Then, they can feed the corn meal to the mounted police horses that are on the grounds. 

There are also story-telling locations and Anheuser-Busch has a special exhibit of furs. St. Charles was a fur-trading center in pioneer days. In pioneer days, trappers came to St. Charles from throughout the Missouri River basin to sell their pelts.

Families can tour the restored First Capitol Building, with its displays of pioneer living and the earliest state government chambers.

Another local girl who has gotten into the pioneer mood is Rebecca Mantia. The 14-year-old will be volunteering at various points on the festival grounds for the second year. 

Rebecca got interested in historical things when she was a spectator at events on the St. Charles riverfront. She then called Dave Klostermeier, the First Capitol site administrator, and volunteer to help. 

She also has a special pioneer costume for her work. About her interest, she said, "I like to see things people did in the 1800s," she said.
 
 

Sports

With a 72.2 average

When Andy Ahlering started playing golf at age 6, his parents shortened a set of adult clubs to match his size. 

But, the next year, Andy insisted he wanted to use full-sized clubs. 

Andy said, "That meant I had to stand farther from the ball and use a flatter swing. I've gotten closer to the ball and more upright in my swing as I've gotten taller."

His rather unorthodox start certainly hasn't hurt his golf game. 

Andy is now 15 and 5'10 1/2". This summer he was named the Gateway PGA's Dutch Harrison Junior Stroke Average Champion. The trophy is given to the junior player with the lowest stroke average for five area PGA youth tournaments. His average was 72.2 strokes per 18-hole round. 

His name will go on the trophy along with PGA tour pros Jay Delsing and Jerry Haas who won the trophy as junior golfers. 

Andy also won the Metro Junior Amateur championship this summer at the Westborough Country Club. 

He has branching out this summer to compete in American Junior Golf Association tournaments in such places as Kansas City, Galena, Ill., and Dallas. There he finished in the top 20 in the 19-and-under age classification.

Andy said, "I have a good natural swing but I need to tone it up a bit to get better. Sometimes, I'm too quick."

The "toning" of his game amounts to a lot of hard work. He said he usually practices or plays every day in the summer. 

During the week, he works on his short irons and putting for 1 1/2 hours on the practice range. He works another 1 1/2 hours on his long irons and woods. 

"Then, I'll play a round if I want to," he said.

Until recently, he has taken lessons at Bellerive Country Club from club pro Brian Fogt. But, Fogt is now on the Nike tour where golfers try to earn an exemption to play as a PGA tour professional. 

"He's played on the PGA tour before. But, he hasn't done well enough to earn an exemption. He thinks this is his year. He's been doing well," Andy said.

On weekends, Andy usually is playing in a out-of-town junior tournament somewhere. Oftentimes, he and his friend, Parker LaBarge, go together with either Andy's mother, Julie, or Parker's dad as chaperones. 

If it's a 36-hole event, the tournament usually is played Saturday and Sunday. For 54-hour events, the play is usually on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Andy holds an adult handicap of plus-1, which means he usually shoots near par for an  round. 

Andy will be a sophomore at Desmet High School this fall. He carries a 3.2 grade point average and says his best courses are English and math. 

Concerning the future, he said he plans to go to a southern college where he'll be able to play golf year around. "I want to become a real good amateur player and eventually be a pro golfer," he said. 

"I'd go through the Nike qualifying. But, what I'd like would be to do well in amateur tournaments while in college. Then, I could earn exemptions to go directly to the PGA tour," Andy said. 

If he doesn't become a pro golfer, he said he'd like to either follow in his father's footsteps as a doctor or become a golf course architect.
 
 

Careers

Checking on careers

Fourteen-year-old Tierra Ford had never considered that she might find a career in the construction industry. 

But, that was before she heard about the unique Minority Youth in Construction Program. The new program was started this year at Washington University.

Tierra was one of 33 St. Louis area youth accepted for the summer program. The youngsters agreed to take part in 6-week sessions not only this summer but for the next three summers as well. 

The classes and other activities will familiarize them with the many opportunities in the construction industry. In addition, the youngsters also get daily instruction to improve their math and computer skills. 

After her first summer, Tierra said, "I'm very interested in construction now. When I got to college, I want to major in computer science. Then, I'd like to manage construction projects."

She will be a freshman this fall at Hazelwood East High School. 

Some of her other classmates were more familiar with the construction industry before they joined the program. But, they said the summer program also increased their interest in a construction career. 

Fifteen-year-old Lakeesha McKinney said she had developed an interest in carpentry by helping her father with fix-up projects around the home.

But, after her time in the summer program, she said, "I'd like to do construction work with steel."

Marvin Dorsey will be a freshman at Normandy High School this fall. The 15-year-old said his interest in construction was aided by helping his father on home repair projects. 

He added, "My grandmother also owned her own construction company." 

After high school, he plans to study to be an electrician at Ranken Tech in St. Louis. Ranken combines an education in trade skills with regular college classes. Their two-year graduates then qualify for college associate degrees. 

Ricky Hughes is a freshman at Lutheran North. The 14-year-old has uncles in the construction industry. He also plans to go to Ranken Tech after high school to study engineering or electricity. 

Organizers of the new Washington U program weren't sure how much interest there would be among local minority youngsters who would be giving up six weeks of their summer vacation. 

Sandra Marks, director of supplier diversity programs, said, "We were surprised at the overwhelming response. We planned on having about 25 kids." 

But, a total of 75 African-American youngsters applied. From that group, 33 were accepted for what turns out to be a commitment for four summers. 

Marks said another drawing card for the program was that the youngsters got to study on the Washington University campus. 

Tierra Ford said her experience is causing her to lean toward going to college at Washington U. 

Another attraction of the program was the "math and computer enrichment" classes. 

Washington U grade Metra Gilliard was the instructor for "enrichment" classes. She said, "The sessions are designed to build their skills for entry into high-skill levels of the construction trade." 

She said the youngsters understand math theory better when they get to apply it to "real-world" applications like the construction industry. 

Washington University will be recruiting another group of middle-schoolers in the 2000-2001 year. If you were interested, you could contact Arthur Porter, the program director, or Sandra Marks at (314) 935-5661.
 
 

Games & Puzzles

A small boy visiting the U.S. Senate with his father asked him: 
“What does the Chaplain of Congress do?”
“Well, son, he stands up, looks at the Congress, and prays for the country,” the father answered.

A candidate for office was scheduled to be a luncheon speaker.  During the meal the president of the organization hosting the luncheon turned to the politician and asked:  “Are you ready to speak or should we let them enjoy themselves for awhile?”

Why did they have to bury Washington standing up?
      Because he would never lie.

Why was Washington buried at Mt. Vernon, Virginia and Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois?
     Because they were dead.

What did Abe Lincoln do with his boots when he wore them out?
     He wore them back home again.

What does the U.S.A produce that no other country can?
     American citizens.

What did Benjamin Franklin say when he discovered the lightening rod?
     Nothing, he was too shocked.

Hey, we’re still waiting for you to send us better jokes!  E-mail them to us at the address in YOUR Turn and we’ll print them with your name. 
 
 

Kids' Profiles

Profile of good readers

The process that makes kids avid book readers often starts long before they know how to read. 

At least, that fits the profiles of three kids who were identified as strong readers in the St. Louis County Library's summer reading program. 

Julie Bellm of Florissant, Jonathan Holmes of Hazelwood and Rebecca Champion of Ballwin all were exposed to books within months of their births. Their parents would hold them in their laps and read to them before they went to bed. 

And, now that they're older, they read a wide variety of books and really connect with characters in their books. They also like fantasy although only one of the three--Rebecca Champion--was very involved with the Harry Potter series about wizardry. 

Rebecca Champion is 11 and will be a 6th grader at Parkway South Middle School. She said, "I can picture what the characters look like and how they sound when they talk." 

Jonathan Holmes said his favorite book this summer was "Cloudy with a Chance of Meat Balls." In the book, food rains from the sky. Jonathan, 9, said, "I like it best when it rains pancakes for breakfast." 

Julie Bellm likes to read about mysteries and sports. She's always on the look out for books that involve sports characters involved in mysteries. 

Although most of their reading involves books of fiction, they also read non-fiction books, especially biographies. 

Rebecca read several books about John F. Kennedy while preparing a report for class. She added, "And last week, I got a couple books about Anne Frank." Anne was a young girl who wrote a diary of her experiences during World War II before she was killed. 

Jonathan said, "I read a biography of Malcolm X but I needed help with some of the bigger words." Malcolm X was a controversial African-American figure who was assassinated. 

Julie read a biography of Madame Marie Curie, the discoverer of radium and a two-time winner of the Nobel Prize. That reading was for a verbal book report in class. She dressed in her father's laboratory coat and safety glasses from his work at Mallinkrodt Co. while giving the report. 

Rebecca is the only one of the three that has read much in the very popular Harry Potter series. And even she hasn't read the fourth book in the series, which had 3.8 million books pre-sold before its publication this summer. 

Rebecca said, "I've read the first three and I'll probably get the fourth one for my birthday in October." She says she gets a lot of her books as gifts. She often offers suggestions about which books she'd like.

Julie said she's only read about three chapters of one of the Harry Potter books. Jonathan said, "I haven't read any of them but I hear they're good." 

Although they read a lot, the three also have other outside interests. 

In keeping with her interest in sports, Julie Bellm enjoys skating, soccer, roller hockey, basketball and volleyball. She says she's best at soccer where she plays either forward or on defense. 

Rebecca Champion said she played basketball, soccer and dodge ball during intramurals last year. She added, "Our P.E. teacher said we'd have skiing this year. I'd like to do that." 

Jonathan said he's looking forward to playing baseball at school this year. 

Concerning the early reading, Rebecca's father, Ken Champion, said, "We started reading to her every day when she was just a baby, still in the crib and holding a bottle. 

"Then, when she was about four, we were going to read 'Little Mermaid' again. But, she recited the whole book from memory, including the right voice inflections for each character." 

Lamontetia Holmes, Jonathan's mom, said, "I started reading to him when he was about three months old. I'd sit him in my lap and read books with lots of pictures and lots of colors." 

Janet Bellm, Julie's mother, read to her every evening before she went to bed. Then, she was ready to start reading by the time she was three, during her first year of pre-school.