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St.
Louis History News Stories
Health
Careers
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Twelve-year-old Joel Dubinsky of Manchester says he wants to be a surgeon when he grows up. At a health careers workshop this summer, he got a taste of what it would be like to do an operation. Thirteen-year-old Haley Baer of South County wasn't sure what she wanted to do for a career. But, in another workshop, she found there several areas that might be interesting. The two kids were among many who got to explore the wide variety of jobs involved in health care. The health care field is the biggest employer in the metro St. Louis area.
Each summer, BJC Health Systems sponsors career workshops for 7th and 8th graders. The weeklong meetings were located at several BJC hospitals in the St. Louis area. Joel's workshop was at Missouri Baptist Hospital. Both of his parents, Jerry and Susan Dubinsky, work for Missouri Baptist. Mr. Dubinsky is manager of the media resources department. Mrs. Dubinsky is an operating room nurse. The kids got to visit such departments such as radiology and "labor and delivery." One of the highlights of Joel's health career sessions was a visit to an operating room and a chance to wield a scalpel. He didn't operate on a real person. Actually, he did his work on a partially thawed catfish that was prepared especially for the kids. Inside the catfish were a paperclip, a car key, a safety pin, a triple-barbed fishhook and a dime. The fish had been x-rayed and Joel could see where the items were inside the fish. Joel said, "I was the only one who wanted to operate. The fish was a little squishy. But, I found all the items." Joel is a 7th grader at Parkway South Middle School this year. He said his interest in his math and science classes will be useful in earning a medical doctor's degree. He's even done some scientific experiments at home. One of them got a little out of hand. He and his dad collected tadpoles from a stream. Joel admits all of the first batch died but they tried again. This time, they were able to film the change from tadpole to frog. The finished film was used for a class project. But, one of the frogs escaped in their house and hasn't been found yet. Haley Baer is an 8th grader at Assumption Catholic School. Her mother, Lynn, is a clinical nurse specialist at the BJC office in Kirkwood. Her father, Curt, is a recreation therapist. Haley said she wasn't sure she wanted to attend the health careers workshop. But, after she completed the five days, she found several areas of career interest. She said, "I liked the emergency room. The staff staged an emergency so we could see how the department operated." Haley said she also liked the tour of the "sterile processing" department. That's where all sorts of instruments are sent after use to be thoroughly cleaned. "We put on surgical gowns and caps. We saw all sorts of bloody instruments," she added. "Some of the bigger pieces took a whole day to be cleaned. They had to go through a lot of different processes before they were ready to be used again," she said. Haley said she was interested especially in the sessions involving nutrition and diet. She said, "I want a career that helps people. And dietitians help people stay healthy, rather than fix them after they are sick." "I'm pretty motivated to helping people," she said. Haley said the nutritionist gave the kids a quiz on which foods had the most calories and fat. "We had foods from McDonald's, Taco Bell and Subway. I got the order all wrong," she said. She said she thought McDonald items would be highest in fats and calories and Subway the lowest. But, she said it made a big difference which specific menu items were measured. Haley said she's good at math and science. And, although she's not interested in surgery, she isn't worried about dissecting things. She said she thinks she'll be operating on cow eyes and pig fetuses in science this year. Joel and Haley said a career in health would be satisfying. Haley said, "You'd know every day that you were going to help someone feel better." The kids at the workshops have one advantage over other kids trying to pick a career. Their parents will be able to get them chances to "shadow" health care workers and, later, even help them get summer jobs and maybe even internships. Young girl seeks to repeat karate successThis month, 12-year-old Danielle Nuckolls of Chesterfield will try to repeat her success earlier this year in her first regional karate tournament.
The 7th grader at Ascension Catholic School won two golds and one silver in a Windy City karate tournament in Chicago. This was the first tournament action in which Danielle ever had participated. And, she'd been taking karate lessons only for a year. She started her lessons in the summer of 2006. She's a member of the Missouri Karate Assn., which practices at the Chesterfield Athletic Club. Danielle said she started karate lessons because her father, Jon, "wanted me to learn about self-defense." She admitted she was reluctant at first. "But, after the first lesson, I loved it," she said. The Missouri Karate Assn. will host a regional tournament late in September. It will be Danielle's first tournament action since the Chicago meet. Danielle has been warned that other contestants will be trying extra hard against her. They'd like to prove that her Chicago wins weren't flukes.
In Chicago, she won gold in the kumite division (kumite is a Japanese word that means fighting) and in the one-time attack division. She also earned a silver trophy in the kata division, which stresses defensive form. Barry and Daryl Power run the Missouri Karate Assn. Of Danielle's Chicago showing, Barry said, "Danielle was our star athlete. She's a complete natural; she's a 100 percent athlete. "She stays late and asks questions. Others look at the clock and she's still working." The Missouri team made a good showing in Chicago. Team members won eight golds and 12 silvers. Barry won the black belt division for adults. Of the upcoming tournament here, Barry said, "It will be the first Missouri Karate Championship." He said teams from Kansas and Iowa have been invited along with teams from Chicago and Atlanta. (If you'd like to know more about the Missouri Karate Assn., you can visit its website at www.mokarate.com.) Danielle said she attends karate practice three times a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. She said she plans to maintain that three-times-a-week practice schedule even after school starts. The hour-long practices include stretching, exercises and practice on moves. Danielle said some of the moves in karate are "almost like a dance routine, with flowing movement." That fits in with another of Danielle's extra-curricular activities. She takes dance lessons regularly. She also plays soccer and takes classical guitar lessons. Danielle also shows some artistic ability. For instance, she designed the family's Christmas card for this December. The drawing features Santa holding a snowman. It was done in colored pencil, paint and markers. Her mother, Debbie, has her scheduled for art classes. Concerning her karate, Danielle said her best experience so far was her showing in the Chicago tournament. But, she said the first action was quite a surprise because most of her work up to then only had been practice with team partners. She said she lost her first match in the kumite competition because she wasn't used to the attacking style by a real opponent. She admitted she got hit pretty hard in the nose at the tournament. "But, it didn't bleed," she said. But, she said, "In later matches, I learned to anticipate my opponent's moves." In one-time attack competition, kids are judged on their skill in making a single move. Danielle said her goal in karate is to become a black belt, which is the highest ranking. "It might take me four years to get that but I want to keep after it," she said. Tour of Missouri bike race Fun rides and cycling activity booklet for kids
One tour-related kids' attraction is the 30-page "Tour Of Missouri Youth Activity Book." That multi-colored booklet mixes trivia about Missouri's surprisingly rich biking history with lessons in math, geography and history based on cycling facts. In the St. Louis area, Trailnet has scheduled a special "fun bike ride" on Saturday, Sept. 15. The ride will be between St. Charles and Augusta, Mo., along the Katy Trail route. (For instructions how to participate, visit www.trailnet.org.) That's the same trail the pro bikers will use as they finish up their 5th stage from Jefferson City to St. Charles.
Stacey Blomberg is a special assistant in the Missouri Department of Tourism. That state agency is coordinating planning for the Tour. She said kids and families might like to do part of the "fun ride" before the pro cyclists come through. Then, they can stop and watch and then finish their ride after the racers go through. She also said each "stop" city will have "health and wellness expos" to give kids information on bike safety and maintenance as well as general health information. Ms. Blomberg also urged kids to visit the Tour website (www.tourofmissouri.com) for the latest, up-to-date information. Because this is the first event of its type in Missouri, there will be last-minute details that will be completed just before they happen. The Tour of Missouri race will be in six stages and total nearly 600 miles. It runs from Tuesday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 16.
For a first-time event, the race had attracted an elite field. Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain and 3rd place finisher Levi Leipheimer of the U.S. are entered. They anchor the Discovery Channel team, previously led by famed Lance Armstrong. This race will be the final one for the Discovery Channel team, which is disbanding.
The stages are (1) An 85-mile circle route in the Kansas City area; (2) A 126-mile road race between Clinton and Springfield; (3) An 18-mile time trial around Branson; (4) A 133-mile road race from Lebanon to Columbia; (5) A 127-mile road race from Jefferson City to St. Charles, and (6) A 74-mile circuit race in St. Louis. Ms. Blomberg said each "stop" city is planning its own local supplementary events. For instance, in Springfield, the city is planning routes for both kid and family rides. She said, at Branson, a "celebrity" race will feature some of the entertainment personalities, riding tricycles. But, one of the highlights of kids' programming for the Tour is the 30-page activity book. It is a combination of information about bicycling in the state and lessons suitable for classes. The colorful booklet features illustrations from Michael Ward's book, "Mike and the Bike." Mr. Ward is a musician in a touring band who is also an avid biker. In addition to his Mike book for kids, he's recently finished another, "Lucille and the Wheel." (If you're interested in more about Ward, visit his website: www.mikeandbike.com.) One of the features of the activity book is the trivia information, including a lot of past Missouri cycling history. For instance, one of the coordinators of the Tour of Missouri is Kevin Livingston. He's a native Missourian who was a pro racer for eight years. He is now a personal trainer at PedalHard.com.
Also, the World Championship Bicycle Race was held in Clarkville, Mo., in 1887. The area in Pike County was picked because it had a network of paved road that made it ideal for racing. The St. Louis Cycling Assn. is the oldest continuously active racing and touring club in the U.S. It was organized in 1887. The U.S. national biking championships have been held in Missouri three different times. In 1936 and 1953, the meet was in Forest Park; in 1962 at the Penrose Park Velodrome. At the end of the booklet, there are two pages of biking vocabulary words. For instance, the term "Big Ringing it" refers to a bike chain that goes around a larger-than-normal pedal ring to allow for maximum speed. "Wheel Sucker or wheelsucking" refers to a rider who stays close behind another rider and refuses to pass. This is done to let the lead rider break the wind for the follower. The booklet also includes math, science and geography lessons based on biking. A total of 36,000 booklets have been distributed to elementary schools in "stop" cities, Ms. Blomberg said. But, other kids or schools can download the booklet's entire content from the Tour of Missouri website. (To download, your computer needs Adobe Acrobat Read software. Such software can be downloaded for free from the Internet.) Seek to expand Safe Routes to School programThe director of Trailnet's Safe Routes to School program is looking to broaden the effort to get more kids to walk or ride their bikes to school. Cindy Mense is Trailnet's community outreach programs manager. Trailnet is a non-profit organization that is broadening the number of hiking-biking trails in metro St. Louis. It also sponsors family-friendly biking tours in the area. But, Trailnet also has a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) to organize Safe Routes to School programs at individual St. Louis-area schools. Trailnet also is working with Illinois schools in Mascoutah and O'Fallon to set up programs on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Ms. Mense said, "We want to have Safe Routes groups set up in at least a dozen schools in this school year." She said she's especially interested to hear from kids who'd like their schools to have such a program.
The search identifies "collection points" where a number of kids can meet early and walk to school as a group. The spots are identified with signs and groups call themselves "walking school buses." There would be several routes that approach the school from different directions. (If your school would like to investigate a Safe Routes to School program, contact Ms. Mense at (314) 436-1324, ext. 113. Of visit www.trailnet.org/saferoutes.php.)
The first is Encouragement, which calls for promoting participation among kids. The second is Enforcement, calling for getting police involved. The third is Engineering, which involves making physical changes to insure route safety. And the fourth is Education, letting kids know the values of the program to them. The Missouri MODOT grant does include some funds to improve route infrastructure. Ms. Mense is already working with Edgar Road Elementary and Hudson Elementary in Webster Groves, Fairway Elementary in Rockwood and Clark Elementary in the St. Louis Public Schools.
Some schools also sponsor Bicycle Safety Rodeos or bike safety demonstrations. Todd Messenger, the MODOT Safe Routes to School coordinator, said, "The Safe Routes program encourages children to walk, ride or wheel to school. The goal is to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle for these kids. An added benefit is to reduce traffic and air pollution around schools."
The team of adults that plan and supervise the Safe Routes to School program at each school includes parents, teachers, school administrators and local police. Ms. Mense said, "We especially like to have community policing officers involved." Last year, Clark Elementary in the City of St. Louis was one of the most active schools in the Safe Routes to School program. In addition to establishing regular "walking school bus" routes, the school's kids participated in both the international and spring Walk to School days. Also, they took part in the Heart Healthy Month program and held bike safety rodeos. Clark officials said 170 of the school's 260 students took part in the International Walk to School event. Fairway Elementary in Rockwood had the largest participation, with 492 of the school's 550 students taking part. (Young Saint Louis.com has covered the Safe Routes to School program previously. If you'd like to read about Fairway Elementary's participation in a Walk to School event, go to the top of the Home Page and click on Past Stories. Then, go to October, 2005.) (You can also follow developments for the 2007 Walk to School program in the United States. Just click on www.walktoschool-usa.org. They give a state-by-state rundown of activities in different states.) Junior Achievement Local girl wins national scholarship to YaleFour years in the Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley, Inc., program has earned 18-year-old Rui Bao a tremendous award. The Metro High School graduate has received a Walt Disney Company Foundation scholarship, covering four years of tuition to Yale University.
And Rui had some advice for younger kids who might be considering membership in JA. She said, "Don't be afraid to try new things. The JA experience will be good for you whether you stay with the program or not." Rui said she always had an interest in business. "I heard about JA at school and decided to join," she said. For her, the decision was a good one and she had leadership roles in running four different profit-making companies. But, she said, "Even if you don't like JA, the experience will be worth it. Why not try." She said, "I learned how to prioritize, how to set goals and timelines and how to work with other people. These are necessary skills that can be applied to many other fields." Kids can get involved in JA while in elementary and middle school. They get involved in running their own businesses in high school. (If you'd be interested in exploring Junior Achievement, visit www.jastl.org.) Rui did like the business-building experiences of JA. And, her successes gave her unique opportunities both within and outside the after-school program's activities. Born in China, her family came to the U.S. when she was six. To make sure she didn't lose fluency in her native tongue, she took Mandarin language lessons in St. Louis. She served as a student master of ceremonies at a 2005 JA Worldwide U.S. Business Hall of Fame event in St. Louis. Anheuser-Busch representatives offered her a summer internship. With her language skills, A-B had her working in its international marketing division. She also joined "America's Promise," a group dedicated to improving practical education opportunities for kids. The national program is headed by retired Gen. Colin Powell. She gave an example of how the program works: At a conference, officials from Minnesota said they had received a large amount of money to establish a program to help kids learn about business. They were seeking help in designing a new program. Rui said delegates mentioned the success of the already-established JA. "The Minnesota delegates decided to bring in JA rather than try to build their own program," she said. "One of the goals of America's Promise is to build coalitions so that we don't re-invent the wheel many times," she said. In her senior year, Rui had an unusual experience within the JA organization. "I was president of a company that went through a merger with another company," she said. "Both of our companies were on the verge of not being profitable," Rui said. The two organizations decided to try a merger although the products they made were quite different. Rui's company made candy wreaths and earrings. The other company made wineglass charms and potpourri jars. But, after the merger, the companies streamlined operations. "By the end of the year, we were profitable," she said. She said the two staffs learned to work well with each other. Young Saint Louis.com ran an earlier story about Rui's Junior Achievement efforts. (You can read that story by clicking on Past Stories at the top of the Home Page and going to the June, 2006, edition.) In that earlier story, Rui said she was interested in a career in international business. However, she said she'll be pursuing a college education that is broader in scope. At Yale, she's enrolled in an "Ethics, Politics and Economics" course of study. "Everything in the world is interconnected and a broad range of liberal arts subjects will be good for me," Rui said. "What I really want to learn in college is how to make good judgments. A broader range of subjects will help me make those better judgments," she said. Rui said her senior year at Metro High School, a magnet school, got "pretty hectic." In addition to a full course of study and her JA activities, she played volleyball and ran track. She also was active in student council and worked on the yearbook. . "Some days, I'd be in class all day and then practice volleyball. Then, I'd have to grab a sandwich and rush to JA. But, I have no regrets. I like to be busy," she said. At Yale, she'll live in a dormitory suite with five other girls. Her roommates are from Massachusetts, California, Illinois and Philadelphia. She said the Yale campus is "very pretty" and its Gothic buildings are covered with ivy, just as an Ivy League college should be. 2007 Gateway Young Achievers Teen runs babysitting like a businessFourteen-year-old Ashley Heryford has turned her neighborhood babysitting into a full-time job this summer. She's been working five days a week. And her detailed planning for each job gives a good indication of how she organizes her busy life year-round. She excels in just about everything she does in school, sports and her community service activities.
Her accomplishments earned the St. Charles teen one of ten 2007 Gateway Young Achiever awards. The awards are given to elementary, middle and high school metro-area students for their all-around accomplishments. The Young Achiever winners receive a $1,000 savings bond and a chance to compete for national Young Achiever honors. (Young Saint Louis.com covered the announcement of the 2007 winners last May. Then, starting in June, YSL.com is creating a series of individual profiles on the elementary and middle school winners. (For previous YA coverage, click on Past Stories and visit May, June and July profiles. Similar profiles will appear monthly through December.) Ashley started her babysitting over three years ago. Now, she's a regular babysitter for seven families with a total of 10 kids. She said, "It's been full-time this summer, five days a week." Before taking on a babysitting assignment, she meets with the parents to learn the routine the kids are familiar with in their family. "I stick to the schedule that the parents want," she said. Asked if the schedules always work out, Ashley said, "Pretty much, except maybe for naps." As usual, kids oftentimes have a different idea of when a nap is needed. But, she said, "I haven't had any crises so far." She said she feels the role of a babysitter is to "show compassion, respect, responsibility and honesty to both parents and kids." With school starting soon, her babysitting will cut back to nights and weekends. But, she's going to be busy with classes, sports and a different type of service. Ashley won her Young Achiever award for her accomplishments at Francis Howell Middle School. This fall, she will be a freshman at Francis Howell High School. She plans to continue her work at the Retirement Home near her school. She began visiting senior citizens in 6th grade and continued all through her middle school years. Kids who volunteer at the home help the seniors with arts and crafts and serve refreshments. One of the fun activities is Bingo. "Some of the seniors will have as many as four Bingo 'mats' going at the same time. They get very competitive," Ashley said. Another part of her service is to have conversations with the seniors. She said they often compare life for youngsters now with the way things were when they were young. Asked about differences, Ashley said, "They talk about gasoline at 10 cents a gallon." Ashley will be in the honors academic program in high school. She was on the honor roll all three years in middle school. She won awards in math and communication arts. Her academic achievements have earned her a place in Duke University's Talent Identification Program (TIP). As a part of that program, she's taken the ACT test early. She was also a member of the Character Council all three years. That included serving as a "peer mediator" when there were student disputes. Asked about her toughest "case," Ashley said it involved a fight after one student accused another of stealing his IPod. She said the "case" ended when the first student discovered the IPod at the bottom of his own backpack. Ashley said, "The other student wasn't very happy." Ashley is playing on select soccer and basketball teams. Her soccer team is schedule to play in Detroit, Mich., late this month. She's a center middle fielder. She said she plans to go out for her high school soccer and basketball teams. "I also may apply to be a manager on the boys soccer team," she said. Ashley said she wants to go to Kansas University Medical School in Lawrence. She's planning to be a surgeon but hasn't picked a specialty | |||||||||||||
The
Great Forest Park Balloon Race has been
held in St. Louis in September since
1973. But, St. Louis' involvement in
balloon racing goes back much further.
Of
course, when it comes to "adult beverages,"
St. Louis is known now mostly for beer.
(Editor's
note: This is the last in a 12-part
series about the burial spots of famous
St. Louisans. Information comes from
St. Louisan Kevin Amsler's book, "Final
Resting Place: The Lives and Deaths
of Famous St. Louisans.) 
Eugene
Field was born in St. Louis to Roswell
and Frances Field in 1850. His father
was an attorney for Dred Scott, the
slave who sued for his freedom in a
famous pre-Civil War case. 
Thomas
Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis,
the 7th son of Henry and Charlotte Eliot.
His father was president of the St.
Louis Hydraulic Press Brick Co. His
grandfather, William Greenleaf Eliot,
was a founder of Washington University.
Josephine
Baker was born Freda McDonald at Female
Hospital of St. Louis. Her mother was
an impoverished 20-year-old laundress.
The family was so poor and the baby
slept with three siblings on a single
mattress. 
Vincent
Price was born the youngest of four
children in his family's home at 3748
Washington Ave. His family tree was
traced all the way back to Peregrine
White, who was born on the Mayflower
in Boston Harbor shortly before the
first Thanksgiving.
Harry
Caray was born in St. Louis as Harry
Carabina. He became one of the nation's
premiere baseball announcers with stints
with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Oakland
Athletics, the Chicago White Sox and
finally the Chicago Cubs. 
Movie
star Betty Grable was born Ruth Elizabeth
Grable in South St. Louis to Conn and
Lillian Grable. 
The
10th annual Big Muddy Blues Festival
will be held in the LaClede Landing's
historic district in downtown St. Louis
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1-2.
The
31st annual Japanese Festival will be
held at the Missouri Botanical Garden
on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Sept.
1-3. 
The
St. Louis County Fair and Air Show runs
four days, Friday, Aug. 31, through
Monday, Sept. 3 at the Spirit of St.
Louis Airport. 
The
35th annual Great Forest Park Balloon
Race will be in Forest Park on Sept.
14-16. 
(For
a full description of the first Tour
of Missouri pro bicycle race, Sept.
11-16, see the featured article on the
YSL.com home page. There are
kids activities as well as an activities
booklet associated with the event.)
One
of the featured Missouri Department
of Conservation activities is watching
the return of the Monarch butterflies
to Missouri. They usually return late
in September but the MDC gives you chances
to do some advance investigation. 
The
St. Louis County Parks Department's
September schedule includes catch and
release fishing at Lone Elk Park and
"full moon" bike ride/walk and canoe
paddling at Creve Coeur Park.
A
summer-long series of neighborhood outdoor
movies shown on portable screens will
end in September. The series of 40 free
outdoor movies has been moving around
the City of St. Louis to give entertainment
to 20 revitalized neighborhoods. 
The
Missouri History Museum in Forest Park
has announced its "Thursdays at the
Museum" and "Storytelling in the Galleries"
series that begin in September.
Teams
of professional bicycle racers will
be the featured attractions of the first
Tour of Missouri held this month. But,
there also are a number of unique activities
especially for kids during the six-day
race, Sept. 11-16.
Kids
and families taking part in the "fun
ride" might want to use their ride to
scout out ideal viewing spots where
they can watch the pro riders come through
later in the day. 
Each
school program involves a committee
to explore the best walking or biking
routes to school from surrounding neighborhoods.
The emphasis is on finding direct routes
that have a minimum of traffic obstacles
and hazards.
The
Safe Routes to School program has four
elements, called the "Four E's."
Schools
in the program also participate in several
national and state biking and hiking
programs. The first will be the International
Walk/Bike to School day in October.
Others include Heart Healthy Month and
the Spring Walk/Bike to School Day.
Ms.
Mense said the "walking school bus"
grouping helps kids socialize while
they are getting needed exercise. 
