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Kids Voting 2002 matches up
with Sept. 11 anniversary

Mehlville school kids will start their Kids Voting 2002 election studies early this year. The kickoff events in their schools will be on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Starting on the first anniversary of the World Trade Center disaster focuses special attention on the importance of our election process. The semester-long program ends in November when kids go to special polling places to vote on national and local candidates.

An estimated 200,000 Missouri school kids will be exposed to the Kids Voting 2002 program this fall. Over 140,000 kids in 11 St. Louis area school districts will participate.

Besides Mehlville, other area districts participating are: Clayton, Ferguson-Florissant, Fox C-6, Francis Howell, Jennings, Normandy, Parkway, Ritenour, University City and the St. Louis Public Schools.

(If you and your classmates would like to participate, ask your teacher to contact the Citizenship Education Clearing House (CHEH) at University of Missouri-St. Louis. See sidebar below for contact information.)

The national Kids Voting-USA program is held every other year. That's so kids can learn at the same time either national presidential or off-year congressional campaigns are on.

In 2000, St. Louis area kids learned all sorts of new things coming out of the controversial election of President George W. Bush.

Judy Burnette is a veteran Mehlville school teacher. She organized the district's Kids Voting 2000 plan. She's retired now but will coordinate the district's plan this year also.

Burnette said the Mehlville kids really were excited about election campaigning and voting two years ago. It was the district's first participation in the Kids Voting program.

After the balloting in November, 2000, she said, "Some kids came to school the next day crying because they didn't know who the president was." She added, "That whole Florida thing was a special lesson in itself."

Burnette said the anniversary of the Sept. 11 disaster will add to this year's Kids Voting 2002 program.

To make the connection closer, Mehlville schools decided to have their kickoff event early this year. "Usually, we don't have that opening event until late in September," she said.

One part of the Kids Voting 2002 program is establishing a "wish tree" in the elementary schools. That's a display in the schools where kids pin on written "wishes for something good for the country," Burnette said.

She said, "There'll probably be lots of wishes this year that mention Sept. 11."

Each school district decides how complete their Kids Voting 2002 lessons will be. Mehlville and Ritenour districts usually have the most complete programs. (Young Saint Louis.com wrote about Iveland Elementary School in the Ritenour district in Sept. 2000. To read about Iveland's Kids Voting 2000 program, just click here.)

The complete program for the Mehlville schools will be decided in September. It's likely to include many of the things that were done two years ago, Burnette said.

One thing that will be include is special polling places for kids in November. Those kids voting places are right next to regular polls for adult voters. While their parents vote in the real election, the kids are casting ballots nearby.

Then, the Kids Voting 2002 officials tabulate the kids votes just as if they were going to count in the real elections. (Two years ago, YSL.com published a story that compared Missouri kids' vote totals to adult totals in the same voting precincts. To check out that story from December, 2000, just click here.)

In addition, the Mehlville kids will have special election-based lessons in various classes.

Two years ago, Principal Bill Eydman of Rogers Elementary School dressed up as Uncle Sam to give his election lesson. He talked about the importance of everyone's vote. He used an example that kids could understand.

He talked about a make-believe election where 10 kids were going to decide what would be served at school lunch. The choices were: ice cream or broccoli. He said three kids voted for broccoli, two for ice cream and the other six didn't bother to vote.

Eydman said that meant everyone got broccoli although only three of 10 voted it.

In some schools, the kids pick a local issue to decide. For instance, two years ago, several schools discussed and voted on whether kids should wear uniforms to school. Whether to require uniforms is always controversial issue and encourages a lively campaign.

Burnette said, two years ago, kids in one Mehlville school wrote and performed an election song. That meant the Kids Voting lessons went into even the music classes.

 

Kids Voting 2002 is at UM-St. Louis

There's still time for St. Louis schools to get involved in Missouri's Kids Voting 2002. State headquarters for the Kids Voting-USA is at the College of Education at University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Sandy Diamond is the acting coordinator for the state program. She can be contacted by phone at (314) 516-6823. Her fax number is (314) 516-5227. She also has an e-mail address at sdiamond@umsl.edu.

Most of the school districts already signed up are in the St. Louis area. However, other Missouri districts that will participate in 2002 include those in Kansas City, Jefferson City, Fayette, Marshfield and Springfield.

After the November, 2002, off-year elections, the kids votes from all over Missouri will be tabulated and will be available on-line. (Young Saint Louis.com also plans to cover the November voting and will contrast the kids' votes with those of adult voters in the same voting precincts in the December, 2002, edition.)

 

Outdoors

Kids can get a look at Missouri's prairie history

If you want some hands-on experience with Missouri's pioneer prairie history, mark your calendar on Saturday, Sept. 21. That's when the whole family is invited to an expanded Prairie Day event.

(For a brief description of the evolution of Missouri prairies, see sidebar below.)

The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Botanical Garden co-sponsor the event. It's to be held at the Garden's Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Mo., just west of St. Louis.

The event, which is held every two years, celebrates a time when one-third of Missouri's land was in open prairie.

Tom Meister of the Conservation Department is a coordinator of this year's event. He said, "In terms of number of different stations, this will be bigger than ever before."

Among the stations will be many with special appeal for kids. There are chances to play pioneer games and take guided prairie hikes. You can win wooden nickels and use them at a trading post or watch a pioneer blacksmith at work.

Meister said there also will be displays of prairie animals. But, he admitted one breed of prairie animal will be missing this year. Those are the live bison or buffalo.

The sponsors decided to leave the bison on their home farms after the experience two years ago. That's when some bison escaped from handlers at the end of the Prairie Day.

Meister said it took searchers two weeks to recover all the animals. By that time, some had gotten all the way to Pacific, Mo. Before they were captured, some had to be shot with tranquilizer darts.

"It got pretty ugly," Meister admits. This year, the bison displays will be limited to hides, horns and other parts. And, of course, there'll be buffalo burgers at the concession stands.

But, there will be up to 30 other activities or demonstrations. The Prairie Day event is held at the Shaw Nature Reserve, which includes a 150-acre tallgrass prairie.

The reserve is located just south of 1-44 at the Gray Summit exit (#253). There will be signs directing visitors to parking areas.

Admission is $3 for adults. Children 12 and under as well as Botanical Garden members and MDC Nature Reserve passholders will be admitted free. No reservations are needed.

In previous years, an average of 5,000 people have attended. Hours of this year's event will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Several stations at Prairie Day will show examples of the animal, insect, reptile, amphibian and bird life that was plentiful on the early Missouri prairie. Besides bison, animals include the badger and prairie dogs. There also will be a demonstration station for draft horses that pioneers used to farm the prairies.

The St. Louis Zoo will provide examples of prairie insects. Songbirds from the prairie also will be shown, as well raptor birds such as hawks.

At the trading post, kids can take part in a scavenger hunt where they earn wooden nickels for finding various items. They can then use the nickels to "buy" trading post items.

Other "fun" stations include a place where your family can have a picture taken against a prairie background. Kids can play games that were popular in the pioneer days.

Family hikes through the 150-acre prairie will be led by a naturalist. They will identify different plants and explain how the Missouri prairies evolved.

Hands-on stations include a stamp station where kids use rubber stamps to make prairie pictures. There's also an archery shop that shows how bows and arrows were made.

There will be demonstration of horseshoe making, candle dipping, tomahawk throwing and Osage rock art.

Here are examples of other stations where you can learn about Missouri's pioneer prairie:

• Medicinal plants and natural dyes: There will be examples of prairie plants used by pioneers as medicines and for clothing dyes.
• Archeologist: There will be displays of Native American artifacts.
• Indian weaving: Displays of Indian weaving of rugs and blankets.
• Flint Knapper: An artisan will make useful objects from pieces of flint.
• Spinners: Other hobbyists will show how clothes were made from spun yarn.

 

How prairies developed in Missouri

Tom Meister of the Missouri Department of Conservation has written a brief history of Missouri's prairies.

He said the tallgrass prairie came to Missouri about 10,000 years ago. Before that, much of this territory was covered by woodlands more typical of Canada.

But, Meister said, "A combination of climatic warming and a growing human population set the stage for formation of the modern prairie."

After the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier 15,000 years ago, this area went into a period that was too dry and warm for many woody plants. That's let the southwest prairie grasses and other dryland plants move in.

Meister said the movement of Native American Indians into the area also speeded the prairie takeover. He said the Indians used fire to stimulate new grass growth which attracted wildlife.

Fire was also used by Indians to clear vegetation, manage nut and fruit crops and facilitate travel. He added, "It was also a tool of warfare."

"Our (prairie) landscape reflects the influence of thousands of years of human-set fire, augmented by lightning fires," he said. "In the absence of fire, the prairie degrades into weedy thickets of trees and brush," Meister said.

He said only about 90,000 acres of native prairie remains in Missouri today. Of that, 22,000 acres are in public lands, the other 68,000 acres are privately owned.

Now, Missouri has a program for restoring those public lands to as close to early prairie conditions as possible. Seeds from original plants and grasses are gathered and reintroduced.

The Shaw Nature Reserve's "experimental prairie" is an example of these reclamation efforts, he said. That's the site of this year's Prairie Day on Sept. 21, 2002.

A one-mile trail winds through the prairie and includes an observation deck which offers a panoramic view of the prairie. Family prairie hikes will be a part of the Prairie Day event.

 

Food

Have you ever tasted dandelion fritters? What about frozen violet candy? Or maybe persimmon bread?

These are just some of foods that can be prepared from wild plants in Missouri. And there are recipes that can make these and other wild plants into interesting foods.

But, you have to follow the "Eleven Commandments of Wild Edible Foods." Make sure you pick the right plants and prepare them correctly. Otherwise, you can make yourself sick. (For a complete commandment listing, see below.)

Keri Lanning is a naturalist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). She teaches classes to show which wild plants are edible and how to prepare them.

"We have the classes at different times of the year and we feature plants that are in season," Lanning said.

So far this year, there have been classes for spring and summer plants.

The next classes will deal with plants that ripen in the fall season. Two classes will be held Thursday, Oct. 24, in the Soulard office in south-central St. Louis. The classes are from 10-11:30 a.m. and from 12:30-2 p.m.

If you want to attend, you can call the Soulard office at (314) 231-3803.

However, you also can study on your own. The MDC sells a 248-page book titled "Wild Edibles of Missouri." It includes recipes for food dishes made with wild plants. It has a section with pictures to show you which plants not to use, because they are poisonous.

You can order the book from department's website at www.conservation.state.mo.us. Just click on the Nature Shop and the books listing. Then, you can find the "Wild Edibles" book under Plants or by clicking on All Products.

Young Saint Louis.com also has interviewed Keri. This article tells about some of her lessons and recipes.

Lanning reminds kids about the rules for harvesting wild edible plants in Missouri. All harvesting must be done on private lands. You can't use plants from city, county or state parks. If you don't own the land, be sure to get the landowner's permission.

One of the main subjects of Keri's fall cooking classes will be plants with potato-like roots. These include wild potato-vine, arrowheads, yellow pond-lilies, Jerusalem artichokes, American lotus and great bulrushes.

One of the best times to harvest them are in the fall. These plants store sugars in rootstocks or tubers underground. Lanning said a good way to cook these is just like you would a potato. You clean and peel them, then slice and fry them, she said.

Some of the leafy plants that make good cooked greens are chickweeds, thistles, amaranth and wintercress. Lanning said it's important not to cook these wild plants too long. Rather, you should either steam them or, if boiling them, use only a little water.

Cooking them too long not only kills the vitamins but also drives off the aromatic oils that give the plants their distinctive tastes, she said.

Chickweeds and thistles also can be used raw in salads. Other salad plants include watercress, yellow wood-sorrels and wild onions. Use the onion bulbs, not the tops.

All of the cooked or raw greens taste better if you pick the youngest shoots. The older leaves have a more bitter taste, Lanning said.

"And, kids like sweet things better than tart things," she said.

Of course, wash all wild plants carefully before eating, just like with store-bought vegetables.

Lanning said in some classes she has let kids eat the persimmon fruit raw. But, she said, "Many of them thought the fruit was too pulpy." She said they liked persimmon best when it was used in her persimmon bread recipe. (For that recipe, see below.)

One easy recipe that kids like is a tea made from seeds of white pine trees. The seeds are steeped in hot water and then the tea is flavored with honey, Lanning said.

The dandelion fritters are easy to make. First, you pick the yellow flowers and make sure they are clean. Trim off the green part of the flower. Then, dip the flower in pancake batter and deep fry them.

The violet candies are even easier to make. Pick the flowers and clean them. Then, you brush the flowers with egg whites and put them in the freezer. No cooking is necessary.

"The flowers look like they have been glazed and are sweet to eat," Lanning said.

 

The 11 Commandments of Wild Edible Foods

1. When in doubt, throw it out. If you aren't sure the plant is edible, don't use it.
   
   
2. Eat new foods in a graduated manner. At first, eat only small helpings.
   
   
3. Pick and eat only healthy plants.
   
   
4. Never eat new edibles when you feel poorly.
   
   
5. Gather foods at their seasonal best.
   
   
6. Leave experimentation to fools or experts. Never guess at whether a plant is edible.
   
   
7. Look out for look-a-likes. Cattails are edible but the look-a-like wild iris is poisonous.
   
   
8. Don't assume all plants in the same family are edible.
   
   
9. Gather uncontaminated foods.
   
   
10. Prepare foods properly.
    
    
11. Never pick all of one kind of plant in one area. Leave some plants so you can have another crop next season.

 

Persimmon Bread

Fun to collect and great to eat. Try out this recipe this fall:

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flower
• 1 cup persimmon pulp
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup raisins

Baking instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. In small bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nuts and raisins
3. In a large bowl, blend eggs, sugar and oil. Mix baking soda into pulp and add to sugar mixture. Fold in flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake for 75 minutes or until center is done.

 

Books

A young girl survives a yellow fever
epidemic in historic Philadelphia

In 1793 Philadelphia was the capital city of the newly formed United States of America. The nation's founding fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were managing the national government from there. Toward the end of a long, hot summer, the people of Philadelphia start dying off from a terrible disease. It was a yellow fever epidemic. Doctors of those days didn't know what caused it or how to treat it.

People who had enough money to do so fled from the city in panic. Those left behind watched as one in ten of the city's population died from the fever. Before cold weather came to stop the spread of disease, the city ran short of food and water. The bravest of the survivors had to see to burying the dead, nursing the sick, and caring for the many orphaned children.

In "Fever 1793" fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook tells her story and how she survived the outbreak of yellow fever in her home city. We learn that her widowed mother ran a popular coffee shop where some of the founding fathers came to meet and discuss the politics of the day. Mattie helps out in the coffee shop and is leading a fairly normal life until the yellow fever epidemic appears and starts to cause her life to unravel.

If you like your history as told through the experiences and adventures of life-like characters, you will enjoy "Fever 1793." You will find out about an important part of our nation's early history that most of today's Americans do not know about.

 

Skellig - a strange name for a book
and for a strange creature

A lot seems to be happening at once in ten-year-old Michael's life. With his Mom and Dad, he has just moved into what is a new home for them. But it's an old house with a falling down garage and a weed-tangled garden. His parents, especially his dad, are excited about fixing it up for their growing family. A new baby sister arrives just as they have moved in. She is not home very long before they find out there is something wrong with her health. She has to be put back into the hospital where it is not certain that she can even be kept alive.

Amid all this commotion in his life, Michael wanders into the old garage. He is not supposed to go in it because the garage is ready to collapse. To his astonishment there is a strange creature lying there in the trash and spider webs. The creature looks almost human and even talks like a human being. But he's bony and skinny and pale as death. And he appears to eat spiders and bugs and, even, mice. Yeach!

While his mother is at the hospital with the baby, Michael and his dad are surviving on Chinese take-out food. Michael discovers that the creature, who calls himself "Skellig", really loves Chinese take-out also. He had become accustomed to eating it since the prior owner of the house had ordered out from the same Chinese eatery. With Michael bringing him food, the creature seems to be getting more lively and talkative. When Michael brings his new friend, Mina, a girl in the neighborhood, to visit Skellig, she helps Michael move him to a secret location that's safer than the old garage.

As the story progresses, Skellig comes to play an increasingly important part in the life of Michael's family. Yet nobody but Michael and Mina ever see Skellig or are even aware of his existence. Is Skellig real or only the product of two kids' vivid imaginations? You have to read the book and make up your own mind. Be prepared for a really different reading experience.

 

To help conquer her fears, a
thirteen-year-old goes to sea

As an orphan in New England, Sophie had longed to be part of a family. Now, she had a family, and was trying to erase the bad memories of that earlier time in her life. Three of her uncles and two male cousins from her adopted mother's family are planning to sail to England on a 45-foot sailboat called "The Wanderer". They want to visit Bompie, the family's 72-year-old father and grandfather, who had returned to his British homeland just a few years earlier. Sophie insisted on going along. She felt like she knew Bompie very well even though she had never really met him.

Sophie begins to have some qualms about trying to sail across the Atlantic Ocean when she sees the bad condition the sailboat is in. But along with her five relatives, she pitches in to help get the boat ready for the voyage. After a couple of trial runs up and down the coast, the six crewmembers set out for England. The story of their voyage is told in the words of Sophie and her slightly older and seemingly irresponsible cousin, Cody. Each of them kept a journal. We are able to read of their adventure from their two differing points of view.

The real test of courage and seamanship comes when a violent storm threatens to end their voyage and leave them all at the bottom of the sea. Sophie and Cody have to take charge when the uncles (one of them Cody's father) for various reasons cannot cope with the aftermath of the terrible storm. We learn how crossing the ocean is a voyage of personal discovery for each member of the crew, whether adult or teenager. The book has enough adventure and surprises for anyone.

 

A late summer family camping trip
turns into a night of terror

Imagine this. As a twelve-year-old you go on a camping trip to a small island with your parents and your little sister. While hiking to the campsite, your mom falls and breaks her leg. Your dad has to carry her a mile back to the car and get your mom to a hospital emergency room. Because your little sister is crippled, you need to stay with her so you dad can get your mom quickly back to town. There is one bridge to the island and your dad should be able to get back to you and your sister within three or four hours. After your parents have been gone a couple of hours, an earthquake occurs and trees come crashing down all around you. You find that your camping equipment and food are inaccessible. The bridge to the town has collapsed. To your horror, water is rising around you. In a short time the island is going to be totally flooded and nightfall is coming.

Jonathan Palmer and his sister, Abby, find themselves in the situation just described. As a companion, they have the big family dog, Moose, with them. Jonathan realizes that he has to figure out how to save all three of them from drowning, as the water starts to come up around them.

If that plot sounds exciting enough for you, then "Earthquake Terror" is a paperback you won't want to miss. Does it have a happy ending? You'll have to read it to find out.

 

Health

Last month, kids from Rockwood South Middle School got a head-start on planning for this year's Red Ribbon Week. In the October event, kids work to promote drug-, smoke- and alcohol-free behavior in their schools.

The Rockwood kids sponsored a garage sale and a car wash this summer to earn money to pay their way to the 2002 National TREND Conference. The 4-day event was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield in early August.

The Rockwood South kids even had a display booth to show others about their program.

Red Ribbon Week is in October. This year, it's Oct. 21-25. St. Louis area kids will get Red Ribbon Week training Oct. 1, 3 and 4.

If your school would like to participate, call Ginny Shaller at the St. Louis office of the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NCADA) at (314) 962-3456.

Mary Corsair is the sponsor of the Rockwood South Middle School's TREND program. That school has one of the most comprehensive programs in the St. Louis metro area.

One popular event is Drunk Driving Awareness Day, when "grim reapers" stalk the school halls. The "grim reapers" are kids dressed in black costumes and masks like those worn in the movie "Scream."

Every few minutes during one school day, a "grim reaper" will tag a student to represent a drunk driving victim. National statistics indicate someone dies as a result of a drunk-driving accident every 20 minutes.

Last year, 12-year-old Toni Maraldo and 12-year-old Heather Haberberger got to be "grim reapers." Heather said, "We went into a class and picked out one person. Then, we make them look dead."

That involves painting the kid's face white with black markings around the eyes. The victims then couldn't talk during the rest of the day. Each kid also wore a hand-made sign identifying him as a drunk driving victim.

The kids said that by the end of the day the number of white-faced victims made it pretty easy to spot them in the halls during the change of classes.

Twelve-year-old Megan Campbell was one of the victims last year. But, she's hoping for better things this year. "I want to be a grim reaper this year," the seventh-grader said.

She said not talking was hard for her. The only good part of that was that she wasn't picked as a victim until after the lunch period. "If I had been picked in first period and not be able to talk all day--that would have been really hard," she joked.

The "grim reaper" event is just one of the special activities being planned at Rockwood South Middle School this year. The kids will be putting the final touches on this year's program during September.

Last year, Heather Haberberger's dad, Joe, helped by providing tulip bulbs for the school's garden. Red tulips are the official flower of Red Ribbon Days. The bulbs are planted during Red Ribbon Week in the fall.

Then, when they come up in the spring, they help promote the national Alcohol Awareness Month and the Great American Smokeout in April.

Another feature of Rockwood South Middle's past programs has been the creation of "warm fuzzies." Those are tiny red pompoms made out of knitting yarn. Then are worn around the neck like a necklace during Red Ribbon days.

Twelve-year-old Marjorie Powers said "warm fuzzies" are "fun to make and pass out to other kids."

They also pass out individual red ribbons to other kids and make red ribbon displays for every door in the school.

Twelve-year-old London Hansbrough said he helped make red ribbon displays and posted some of them in the nearby Chesterfield Mall.

Asked about the TREND chapter at school, he said, "I get to help other kids and talk to them about not using drugs."

The TREND kids also are active elsewhere in school and in the community.

Marjorie Powers is in her fifth year with the Muny Kids program. She appeared in Peter Pan this summer at the Muny. She also plays violin in the school orchestra.

Toni Maraldo is in the school choir and on the advisory council for TREND. Heather Haberberger is in orchestra, choir and in the school's art club.

Megan Campbell will be on the student council and is in the choir and in school plays.

London Hansbrough is in the choir and "this year, I'm going to do basketball."

 

Music

A financial boost for kids' private music lessons

Fourteen-year-old Jolene Hibbler is getting a unique chance to improve her musical skills. A new program helps her pay for private violin lessons.

The 8th-grader at Normandy Middle School has been playing the violin for two years. But, until last spring, her only instruction was as a member of the school orchestra. Her family couldn't afford private lessons.

But, early last spring, she was selected for the Whitaker Music Lesson Program. That's a program financed by the Whitaker Foundation and run by KFUO-Classic 99 radio station.

The Whitaker plan subsidizes promising musicians in the Normandy School District. The kids are from low-income families and receive either free or reduced-cost school lunches.

The Whitaker grant can pay over 90 per cent of the cost of a private music lesson. Free-lunch students pay only $2 per lesson and reduced-cost students pay only $5. Such lessons can cost as much as $40 apiece.

Jolene is getting her private instruction from music teacher Marie Brown. Her lessons are 30-minutes once a week on Fridays.

If Jolene or other Whitaker kids keep their grades up and maintain a dedication to music, they can get these subsidized music lessons through high school.

She said, "The private lessons are helping me more than when I was getting only instruction at school." She's already participated in a recital for Whitaker students where she played two solos.

Jolene admits she was nervous at the beginning of the recital. "My right arm (the one she uses for the violin bow) was shaking. But, I don't think it hurt my playing and, after awhile, it didn't shake anymore."

She added, "I thought I did well for how much I practiced." The recital came just a short time after she started her private lessons.

She said the private lessons have motivated her to practice more at home. Her home practices are at least 30 minutes a day during the week and "up to one hour each on the weekends." She said she can already tell the improvement in her playing.

She has over 20 musical pieces on tape. "I play them over and over so I can make my playing sound nearly like the tapes," she said.

Now that she's been getting the private instruction, Jolene said she has been thinking about a career in music. "Maybe I could play with an orchestra," she said.

The Whitaker Foundation got interested in the music lesson subsidies because of studies that show kids who participate in music generally are better all-around students. One report said disadvantaged 8th graders involved in instrumental music score much higher in math.

Also, the longer kids take music lessons, the higher their SAT scores are, another study indicated.

To earn the Whitaker grant, the Normandy students have maintain a C+ grade average and be recommended by their music teacher.

Jolene said she won't have any trouble maintaining grades. "I'm already a good student," she said. Her favorite classes are language arts and communication. She also likes to write poetry and "I read a lot," she said.

Jolene said the private lessons also have increased her interest in music. She said she'd like to continue with private music lessons through high school. Keeping up the lessons also improves her chances in college if she wants to pursue a music career.

Most music majors in college have had from four to eight years of private lessons, according to KFUO's Tricia Oates. She is the station's educational initiatives manager.

Jolene said, if she doesn't pursue a music degree in college, she'd like to study to be a teacher or lawyer.

She said she doesn't have a favorite musical performer. But, she said she likes the music of composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

KFUO also has other programs to help young musicians. The Young Heroes in Music program identifies young African-American musicians. There are two concerts each year that are broadcast live on KFUO from the Missouri Botanical Garden.

The station's AmerenUE Bright Star program honors young beginning musicians.

If you would like more information about the Whitaker program or other KFUO music initiatives, contact Tricia Oates. Her phone numbers at the station are (314) 505-7814 or toll-free (800) 844-0524.

 

Education

Last spring, 14-year-old Nathan Strauss co-authored an environmental study on the proposed new St. Louis Cardinals stadium. This summer, that study got recognition at a national conference in San Diego.

A specially designed poster summarizing the stadium study won second place in the K-12 competition at the national GIS in Education Conference. GIS stands for geographic information systems.

The poster also will be included in the mapping archives at the Library of Congress.

Nathan co-authored the environmental impact study on the stadium with Drew Trovillion. Both were eighth graders at John Burroughs School last year.

Asked why he picked the Cardinal stadium as a subject, Nathan said, "I like baseball."

But, the study wasn't about the art of playing baseball. The kids studied the environmental costs against the economic benefit of construction and operation of a new stadium.

Nathan and Drew looked at the stadium proposal in terms of light, noise, water and air pollution. They also considered dangers to workers and surrounding property during construction.

Nathan said their conclusion was that the "project was a good one and the Cardinals should build it."

However, the two thought the developers should consider putting the new stadium where the old one is now. The current plans are to build the new stadium on a nearby open parking area. That's so the old stadium could be used while construction was going on.

The reason they recommended the reversal: Building the new stadium on the parking would put the new building too close to Highways 40-61.

"If a car accident were to occur (on the highways) during a game, it could be dangerous for all of the spectators and the players," their study concluded. Also, being so close to the highways posed "a grave threat of bioterrorism," they said.

The boys used GIS mapping techniques in putting their study together. That's a computer software system that maps a site and then brings in other data for that particular site.

For instance, they were able to analyze the site for soil types, rock formations and topography. They also check on where the site fit in the flood plain of the nearby Mississippi River.

They also checked on conditions of light, noise, water and air pollution.

They looked at the past history of the site and found it had been used for a lot of different things. There had been a metal-working shop, a printing plant, a gas station and auto repair shop. Also, in the 1800s, trains ran over the area.

They recommended soil samples be taken to check on groundwater pollution.

However, their conclusion was that "there wouldn't be much pollution and the new stadium would benefit the community."

Nathan has been profiled before by Young Saint Louis.com. In July, 2000, we wrote about Nathan after he won first place in an international geometry competition. To read that earlier story, just click here.

He's keeping up his achievements in math. Last spring, he had the only perfect score among Missouri 7th and 8th graders in the American Math Association's competition. He received a plaque from Governor Holden at an open house in Jefferson City.

He also received an honorable mention in a regional competition by the National Science Teachers Assn. That was for his report called "The Exsponger of Prion Diseases."

The competition asked kids to suggest solutions to scientific problems that haven't been solved yet but might be in 20 years. Nathan's report suggested a possible direction for experiments into curing "mad cow" disease.

His idea: invent a new protein which will undo the impact the "mad cow" prions have on the brains of livestock. These prions cause the brains of cows to turn spongy and cease to function. The disease can be transmitted to human.

The title of Nathan's study uses a play on the word, "expunge." That means "to erase." But, he invented a new spelling of "exsponger" so it would contain the word, "spong."

Although he's had a lot of success in math and science, Nathan says he's leaning toward a career in law. However, he admits that his career plans are "still evolving" and he hasn't decided on a college yet.

He is a freshman at John Burroughs this fall.

 

Profile

Fourth in a series

Volunteer work continues for Young Achiever

Last spring, Ben Levinson won a Gateway 2002 Young Achiever of the Year award for his strong volunteer efforts and top scholarship. He continued both of those this summer.

He was back at work as a volunteer in the University City Library's summer reading program. Then, during August, he volunteered in the University City East organization's summer day school at All Saint Church. He worked every day playing with the kids and then cleaning up after the sessions were over.

He also served as a softball umpire for 2nd and 3rd grade teams playing in the University City summer program.

This summer was his third as a reading volunteer. He was one of the youngest to qualify as a full-fledged volunteer. "I plan to do that a few more years," Ben added.

The 14-year-old said, "I like helping people and animals. I like seeing their reaction to what I have done."

Levinson now is a freshman at University City High. He used the summer also to go over past school work. "You tend to forget the previous year during the summer," he said.

He was trying to get a head start on classwork he expects this fall.

"I've had straight As all my life," he said. All his freshman coursework will be in honors classes.

"I think I'm ready," he said. He paid particular attention to math. "I think I've got everything I'm going to need as a freshman," Ben added.

He said he expects his toughest class to be language arts, especially the writing assignments.

Ben's also got some of his fall volunteering assignments lined up.

He'll be back as a computer volunteer at the UC Library. He is on hand to help kids use computers for their homework assignments "if they don't have one at home to use." Much of the help is in using search engines and on-line encyclopedias to find material.

Ben's also on the lookout for other volunteer opportunities. "Other things will come up during the year in high school," he said.

His all-around lifestyle earned him one of 12 Gateway 2002 Young Achiever of the Year awards. He was an eighth grader at Brittany Woods Middle School in the 2001-2002 year.

(Young Saint Louis.com is profiling the elementary and middle school winners. To read the May, 2002, announcement story, click here. For the June, 2002, profile, click here; and the July, 2002, profile, click here, and for August, 2002, click here. The other four profiles will be in future issues.)

Ben's Achiever application outlined other community work such as volunteering in animal and homeless shelters. He also worked in a soup kitchen and was on a crew from his temple that winterized homes of low-income families.

Among his extra-curricular activities at school are sports. "I've played soccer my whole life," Ben said. He's planning to try out for the UC High soccer team. This summer, he worked out with high school kids to be prepared for the higher level of competition.

He likes to play chess but hasn't entered competitions. "I do have a computer program where you can set the experience level almost all the way to masters," he said.

He also has a keyboard at home where he is teaching himself how to play the piano.

Concerning his future plans, Ben would like to earn a scholarship to attend college. About his career, he said, "I'd probably like to do something with computers. I don't know exactly what; maybe in programming or new technology."

Ben is the son of Frank and Deborah Levinson. He has two younger brothers, Charlie, 13, and Zachary, 11. He's lived all his life in University City.

He got recognition of his Achiever of the Year award during an honors assembly at the end of the last school year at Brittany Woods.

 

St. Louis History

This Month in St. Louis history

Famous St. Louis authors; a baseball milestone

September is a good month to talk about St. Louis' rich literary history. Two famous authors--one a kid's poet and the other a giant of adult literature--were born in St. Louis during September.

The baseball milestone came only four years ago. Mark McGwire passed Roger Maris' season home run record when he hit his 62nd homer on Sept. 8, 1998. He went on to hit 70 that season. (Maris broke Babe Ruth's record of 60 homers while a New York Yankee. But, Maris also played for the St. Louis Cardinals late in his career.)

But, the Giants' Barry Bonds toppled McGwire's record in 2001 and this year has topped 600 total homers, a total McGwire never did reach.

The two famous St. Louis authors with September birthdays were Eugene Field and T.S. Eliot. Field was born on Sept. 2, 1850, while Eliot was born on Sept. 26, 1888.

Field was known as the "children's poet" for books like "Wynken, Blyken and Nod." His childhood home on South Broadway near Busch Stadium is now a children's museum, filled with historic children's toys.

For more on Field and the museum, go to: www.eugenefieldhouse.org/history.html.

Field and T.S. Eliot are just two St. Louis authors who have their stars on the Walk of Fame in University City's downtown loop. A walk on Delmar Avenue to read about the Walk of Famers is interesting.

Among other authors with stars are natives Maya Angelou and Tennessee William along with humorist Stanley Elkin, and poets Howard Nemerov and Mona Van Duyn. Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson before changing her name.

Nemerov and Van Duyn both were poets laureate of the United States.

For more about McGwire, Bonds and baseball, you can go to Major League Baseball's website at: mlb.com (you don't need www.)

A footnote: Although not a St. Louisan, outlaw Missourian Jessie James was born Sept. 5, 1847. For more about James, see: www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sept05.html

 

Things To Do

There are always great sights and activities for kids at the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. This year, the event will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21.

This will be the 30th annual race. The event has become the nation's largest hot-air balloon event held inside a city.

Friday's main activity is the "balloon glow" at dusk. That's when all the balloons inflate and the hot-air gas burners make the balloons glow at sunset. The "glow" will be from 7-9 p.m.

The Saturday activities start at noon with opening of the Purina Puppy Chow Children's area. There are games and other activities for younger kids. Later, the Monsanto Youth Stage opens for performances.

The race gets underway about 4 p.m. when the Energizer Bunny hot-air "chase" balloon takes off. Seventy balloons are entered in this year's event. The object of the race is to see which balloon can come closest to matching the flight of the Energizer balloon.

For detailed information about the Forest Park weekend, you can listen to a recorded message at (314) 993-0407.

 

Dog museum has weekly events on Sundays

For kids who love dogs, the St. Louis Dog Museum offers something new every Sunday. Each week, a different dog breed is featured.

Most Sunday events are from 1 to 4 p.m., unless otherwise noted. They are at the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in Queeny Park, in western St. Louis County.

Here's the schedule of Sunday events for September and October. (Open dates mean the dog to be honored hasn't been selected as yet. Just call the museum a few days ahead of the event for final details. The number is (314) 821-3647.)

• Sunday, Sept. 8: open
• Sunday, Sept. 15: English setters
• Sunday, Sept. 22: Great Dane Rescue
• Sunday, Sept. 29: Chinese Shar-Pei
• Sunday, Oct. 6: Eskimo
• Sunday, Oct. 13: Siberian Husky
• Sunday, Oct. 20: The 10th annual Pug Party
• Sunday, Oct. 27: open

The 10th annual Pug Party is a special event featuring 200 pugs in a parade and in costume.

Every Sunday event has a variety of activities centered around the breed-of-the-week. These can include obedience and agility demonstrations and panel discussions. Kids get a chance to see the dogs up close.

 

Math Puzzler

A couple of odd Math Puzzlers for September

Have you ever tried to answer a math question and said, "There is no right answer to this?" Be on the lookout for just such a question in Mr. Math Puzzler's questions this month.

Also, he's put in a funny-looking picture puzzle with an unusual answer.

Now that you're back in school, why not suggest to your math teacher that he or she give extra credit if you enter the Math Puzzler competition. And, maybe, offer extra-extra credit if you get all of the answers right.

That's a win-win situation for you and your teacher. You can have some fun with math after school and not worry about getting a bad grade. Your teacher gets you to think about math while Mr. Math Puzzler supplies the questions--and the answers.

Young Saint Louis.com's Math Puzzlers started one year ago, in September, 2001. We began the math quizzes as a way to let kids have fun with math--outside of the classroom.

We've been at it long enough so you can check previous quizzes--and answers. That way, you can see how Mr. Math Puzzler thinks before trying this month's questions.

(To check, click on the Past Stories tab at the top of the home page to access our past issues. Starting September, 2001, you can check questions and then, in the next month's issue, check the answers.)

Now, you're ready to enter this month's competition. We've included a ready-made entry form that you can use to send in with your answers.

If you get all Puzzlers correct, YSL.com prints the names of winners the next month and offers an added bonus for up to three of those getting all the answers right. All winning entries are put in a hat and up to three are selected to receive a $10 Borders gift certificate.

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

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:

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

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

Entry for September, 2002, Math Puzzler Contest:

Name: _____________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

City:_______________, State:______ ZIP_________

Contact phone no.(____)____________________

The Math Puzzlers
(September, 2002)

1. Remove only one matchstick to make the math correct:

Answer:_____________

 

2. The local bottling plant recycles old bottles to make new ones at the rate of 10 old bottles to produce one new one. Remarkably, every bottle the plant produces gets recycled. Starting with 1,000 new bottles, how many bottles can be made if the bottles are recycled continually?

Answer:_____________

 

3. An entire group chartered a boat for the day for $840. Unfortunately, one couple had severe colds and had to cancel, so those remaining had to chip in another $35 for each person. How many were there originally?

Answer:_____________

 

4. A messenger capable of running long distances set out to deliver a message so that reinforcements could be brought to help fight a horde of glubs. The messenger had to run for 24 miles. For two-thirds of the distance, he averaged 8 miles per hour. At what rate did he have to run the remainder of the distance in order to average 12 miles per hour for the entire journey?

Answer:______________

 

5. An officer on horseback rides slowly down a line of 60 mounted troops placed 10 feet apart. Beginning with the first man, the officer takes 29 seconds to reach the 30th man. At that rate, how long will it take him to reach the 60th (last) man?

Answer:______________

 

6. Thirty-six coins will buy one knife, one sword and nine arrows. Two swords can be traded for one knife and four arrows. What is the price of each item purchased separately?

Answer:______________

 

 

We've got a first-time Math Puzzler winner

Stephanie Roberts of Florissant answered all the August Math Puzzler questions correctly. She's a first-time winner in the "fun math" competition.

The stumbling block for other entrants was the visual Question 4.

August marked the end of the first year for Mr. Math Puzzler on the Young Saint Louis.com website. We started the Math Puzzlers last September at the start of the 2002-2003 school year.

We began the Math Puzzlers for two reasons. First, we wanted to have more YSL.com features where you — the readers — could participate. Second, we wanted to give kids a chance to have some fun with math--without having to worry about whether you'd get a good grade.

But, just because the Math Puzzlers are outside the classroom, you might get a chance to get some extra-credit in school.

Why not suggest to your math teacher that he or she give extra credit to any one answering each month's questions and sending in the entry. Maybe your teacher might like to collect all the entries and send them in as a group.

Then, if anyone gets all the answers correct, that might be worth some extra-extra credit. Suggest that to your teacher today. Also, entrants who get all answers correct have an opportunity to get a $10 Borders gift certificate.

(Before trying for this month's answers, why not check previous questions--and answers. Just click on Past Stories at the top of the home page and look up past questions and answers. Math Puzzlers started in September, 2001, and those answers were in October, 2001.)

(Since this edition is the start of the second year for Math Puzzlers, you have 12 sets of questions and answers to review. By checking past questions and answers, you'll get an idea how Mr. Math Puzzler thinks.)

To enter the September competition, just click here.

Now for the answers to last month's Puzzlers:

Answers to August, 2002, Math Puzzlers

1.) Six sterling silver teaspoons and six soupspoons cost $300, but three soupspoons and nine teaspoons cost $270. How much would a dozen teaspoons cost?

The answer: $240

The explanation: Here are both the algebraic formula method and trial-and-error methods for finding the answer. First, trial and error. If six tsps and six soupspoons cost $300 and nine tsps and three soupspoons cost $270, it means the tsps cost $10 less than the soupspoons. That means the tsps cost $20 and the soupspoons cost $30. Therefore, 12 tsps cost $240.

Using the addition method under the system of equations:

6t + 6s = 300 -2(9t + 3s = 270)   (Multiply the second equation by -2 to clear one variable.)

6t + 6s = 300 -18t - 6s = -540 --------------- -12t      = -240 ----        ---- -12          -12                 t = 20

 

2.) If you reverse the digits of Rachel's age, you will have the age of her grandmother. Her grandmother's age also is the two digits of Rachel's age added together and then squared. What are their ages?

The answer: 18 and 81

The explanation: This is a good trial-and-answer question. First, we know Rachel's age is two digits, so she's over 10. With trial and error, you start with the numbers that make sense. For instance, if Rachel is 15, her grandmother could be 51. But, squaring 1 plus 5 won't yield 51. But, Rachel at 18 would work. Her grandmother could be 81 and 1 plus 8 squared is 81.

 

3.) After your guests leave and you are cleaning up, you find an equal number of dimes, quarters and nickels under the sofa cushions totaling $8. How many of each coin did you find?

The answer: 20 of each

The explanation: This question opens the way for either an algebraic or a trial-and-error answer. With trial and error, you start with the number of each coin it takes to make $8. That's 80 dimes, 24 quarters and 160 nickels. Starting with 10 each, you won't get an equal number of three coins to add to $8. Keep going. When you get to 20 each, you'll have 20 dimes at $2, 20 quarters at $5 and 20 nickels at $1.

For a formula, use this:

.05x + .lx + .25x = 8

              .4x = 8
                —   -
               .4  .4

                x = 20

 

4.) Which diagram in the bottom row best completes the sequence when placed in the right-hand position in the top row?

Answer: diagram C

The explanation: This is a visual thing. There are actually two patterns at work here. First, on the top line, the second and third circles have asterisks and the shaded segments just opposite each other. The left hand circle in the top row has the asterisk in the upper left and the shaded segment in the upper right. Diagram C has the asterisk in the upper right and the shaded segment in the upper left.

Another way to look at it, think of the asterisks in the top row as a sequence that is rotating 90 degrees counter clockwise and the shaded segments as a sequence rotating 90 degrees clockwise. Again, Diagram C is the one that completes those sequences.

 

5.) There is an unknown number of hideous monsters known throughout the land as glubs. Glubs live underground but can rapidly burrow to the surface if they smell a human--one of their favorite treats. Between them, Garbus and Hylar, two knights, have slain 24 glubs. Garbus has killed four more glubs than Hylar has killed. How many glubs has each man slain?

Answer: Hylar, 10; Garbus, 14

The explanation: Here are two ways to figure. First, trial-and-error. If they had slain the same number, each would have slain 12. For Garbus to have four more, that would mean increasing Garbus to 14 and dropping Hylar to 10.

Using a substitution method of the system of equations, with g as Garbus and h as Hylar:

g + h = 24 or
g = h + 4

(h+4) + h = 24

   2h + 4 = 24
                -4   -4
       --   --
       2h = 20
       --   --
        2    2

        h = 10

 

6.) While out exploring, a group of girls came upon an apple tree whose fruits were ripe for the picking. One of the girls climbed the tree and picked enough apples for each girl to have three, with none left over. Then, along came three boys, making it impossible to divide the picked apples evenly. However, after picking one more apple and adding it to the total, each child had two apples with none left over. How many apples were divided among how many children?

Answer: 16 apples among 8 kids

The explanation: A key is to remember you don't know the number of girls in the group. Don't just assume it was three girls just because three boys showed up. By trial and error, if one girl picked three apples for each girl, the possible ratios could be two girls and six apples, three girls and nine apples, etc. Then, you know three boys were added to the group and one more apple would allow all kids to have two apples each. The number works with five girls and 15 apples and then 8 kids and 16 apples.

Using an algebraic formula with g for girl,

 3g + 1 = 2(g + 3)
 3g + 1 = 2g + 6
-2g      -2g
---      ---
  g + 1 =      6
     -1       -1
     --       --
  g     =      5

 

Fun & Games

Fun & Games

Fun Animal Trivia

1. What animal reputedly huffed and puffed until he could blow a pig's house down?
2. What bird has become the emblem of the United States?
3. What scaled animal, according to legend, was the favorite target of knights?
4. This animal holds the jungle's highest royal station.
5. What animal had been responsible for costing a vengeful mariner one of his legs?
6. What persistent animal supposedly beat a rabbit in a race?
7. What breed of dog, first made famous in a book, later spent a long time on TV "coming home"?
8. A bearded Kentucky "colonel" made this bird both "regular" and "crispy".
9. What animal is often depicted as rising from a basket to a flute player's tune?
10. What movie star animal had a girl friend, a pet dog, and a duck as an acquaintance?

 

Crossword Puzzles

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

Young Saint Louis.com #1

Across	Down
2. has healing traits 4. comes before 7. land's surface 8. harmful deposits 9. growing, developing	1. seeks discards 3. pulpy plant fruit 5. indian hand ax 6. common yellow plant

 

Young Saint Louis.com #2

Across	Down
2. academic award 5. submitted papers 7. unpaid worker 8. characteristics list 9. use in salads	1. thorough, complete 3. numerical data 4. accepted to compete 6. musical group

 

Young Saint Louis.com #3

Across	Down
3. group of musicians 5. helps with finances 6. argument causing 8. unfortunate event 9. try to get votes 10. unmatched, special	1. single performances 2. taking part in 4. commitment 7. count the votes

 

September

Across	Down
1. countdown begins 4. daylight shortens 6. now just a memory 7. much more important 9. gets underway 11. changes for TV shows	2. begins to moderate 3. unpacked to wear 5. start to turn color 8. days in September 10. honored by holiday

 

Some jokes - school and otherwise

Mom: How do you like your new teacher?
      Son: I don't. She told me to sit up in front of the room for the present, but then she didn't give me one!

Mom: How did you find school?
      Daughter: No problem! I just got off the bus and there it was!

What's worse than finding a fat worm in your lunch at school?
      Finding only half the worm!