In the wake of recent security issues, new safety precautions have been implemented. On

Wednesday, April 13, a student was apprehended with a gun clip !lled with empty casings in his possession. School o"cials responded initially by

closing all entrances and exits except three: the commons, the gym lobby, and the front entrance.

#e morning of April 19, students

and teachers arrived to discover that all but one door was locked until 6:45 a.m. From now on, students are not allowed inside the building until that time. Teachers are allowed to enter the building starting at 6:30 a.m.

Teachers are concerned they may lose time to work with students and make up missed assignments. Math department head Barbara Stavely is concerned for students who arrive early to take tests or seek guidance.

“#e Math Help Center has made a commitment to be open at 6:30 a.m. everyday,” Stavely said. Since doors do not open until 6:45 a.m., the Help Center will be unable to function until

As more students bring per-sonal technology to class, schools are trying to !nd a

balance between restricting and em-bracing the use of such devices. iPods and smart phones with Internet ac-cess are at the heart of a debate about what technology use is appropriate in the classroom.

#e current Pattonville High School policy of restricted cell phone and iPod use is under review. Next school year, it is probable that these devices will be allowed during passing periods and at lunch. Classroom use would be at teacher discretion.

“How long do you !ght this when it’s [a student’s] way of life?” Sara Keene, principal, said about personal technology use at school. Keene cited her own technology use as a reason for the possible policy change.

“I don’t even use my laptop as much as my phone,” she said.

Personal Technology in the Classroom

#e technology department is looking for ways to utilize student technology for an educational reason while minimizing extraneous technol-ogy abuse.

Jamie Richter, technology support specialist, is a big advocate for taking advantage of student technology.

“In a perfect world, every student would have a personal device,” he said. “We currently don’t have a 1:1 ratio on students to computers.” Richter said personal technology use could curtail the e$ects of the lack of technology provided by the school.

#e technology department is considering using iPads as a way for students to have more technology at their !ngertips, especially for those students who do not have their own personal device. #e iPads could be used for note taking, research or even reading a textbook.

Richter suggested there are educa-tional bene!ts of students having In-ternet access anywhere in the school.

“It’s like having a set of encyclo-pedias in every classroom [when you have] the Internet at your !ngertips,” he said.

However, in the classroom, teach-ers are !nding it much more di"cult to embrace students using their own technology.

“I think that the average high school kid isn’t savvy enough to han-dle multitasking and be able to get everything out of a class and check their e-mail,” Amy Adam, English teacher, said. Adam participated in a pilot program in which her English classes used iPads to write a paper.

“People had mixed reviews,” she said of the experience. “#ey loved having the device with them. I think it helped students who didn’t have computer access at home.”

Adam believes that it is the stu-dents’ job to use their own technology responsibly.

“#ere has to be a shift in students being more responsible with tech-nology and not texting every three seconds,” she said.

Compiled by Jessica Brunts

PattonvilleBriefs

By Elise Moser

By Brendan Everson and Hannah Johnson

A note on the B-wing entrance door states:“E$ective 4/18/11...Due to procedure changes, please enter and exit through Com-mons doors.#ank you!Pattonville School District”

Northwest Screen Printing do-nated T-shirts to aid fundrais-ing e$orts for tornado victims. #ese shirts will be available in the STUCO Store during all lunch sessions. #e cost is $10.

#e Silver Pattonville Bowling Team !nished the season as the Suburban North Conference Champions. Team members include Jacob Owen, Julia Mullineaux, Christian O’Brien, Roilee Bartel, Peter Banko, and Zach Haub.

Seniors Samantha Twyman, Alex Dalton and Jessica Wil-liams placed 3rd in Entrepreneurship at the Future Busi-ness Leaders State Competition. Twyman and Dalton also placed 4th in Management Decision Making.

Senior Madison Emerick received the Gold Key award for her paint-ing “Her Violin” at the Iowa Multi State Region Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. #e honor is bestowed by the nation’s largest and longest-running visual and literary arts program. Emerick’s work will next be shown to a panel of art professionals who will deter-mine possible scholarships.

Senior Khalil Gri"n is one of 700 students nationwide selected to receive a $2,500 scholarship through the National Achieve-ment Scholarship Program. #e program, which is part of the National Merit Scholarship Program, honors scholastically talented black American youth by providing scholarships to the most outstanding participants in the annual competition.

Scan this QR CODE with a SmartPhone to see a full slide-show of pictures:

Allie Jennings, Elena Bray, Ja-cob Johnson, Adam Kaminsky, Megan Jones, Kim Edwards, Tori Mayo, Lora Hakanson, Lexi Kendall, John Sorsen, Da-vid Lindsay and Elise Moser all earned a 1-rating at the State Music Festival at the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Jane Eyre: How the movie measures up to the classic novel pg. 6Track pg. 8

Collecting donations for storm victimspg. 8

Pattonville School District will be making budget cuts. By the end of 2013, the district

wants to save a total of $3 million. “Our No. 1 goal is to make budget

cuts without hurting student pro-grams,” Luke Lammers, assistant principal, said.

Currently, summer school and transportation factors are key aspects of budget cuts. In order to stay eco-nomically stable in the future, these cutbacks will occur.

A common misconception of the budget cut discussion is the concern of Proposition K funds. It is believed rather than making budget cuts, Pat-tonville should simply not improve the stadium or build a natatorium in order to limit the amount of budget cuts made.

“Many people don’t understand the funding for our improvements come from a completely di$erent pot of money than the money we are making budget cuts for,” Assistant Principal Cara Hiripitiyage said. #erefore, even if Pattonville did not make the new improvements, budget cuts would still be a topic of discussion.

One of the district’s largest expens-es is summer school. “An estimated $500,000 to $600,000 is spent yearly on summer school,” Lammers said.

In the summer of 2012, there is a plan to cut back on classes o$ered. Summer school gives those people the opportunity to take the electives they would have taken during the regular school year if they did not have to

take their required class. Many students easily take summer

school to get credits out of the way, such as team sports, personal !nance, and driver’s education.

“#e students who will be e$ected the most will be band, orchestra and choir members and fall athletes,” Lammers said.

Athletes in the fall who would have failed classes during second semester of the previous school year would have to re-take the failed courses in summer school in order to play in their fall sport.

Students who are involved in band, orchestra, and/or choir which are o$ered as an elective class during the school year would be required to !t the failed class into their schedule. #is takes away one of the schedule spots for their electives. If summer school readjustments will be made, then required classes will be altered.

“Our [Pattonville’s] graduation requirements are higher than the state’s,” Lammers said.

Academic essentials required at Pattonville include speech and debate. “If speech classes are not required at Pattonville, then no one will want to take those classes, which is that per-son’s loss because they wouldn’t know how to give presentations,” English teacher Ken Lopinot said.

“Our main focus is putting stu-dents’ academic needs before ours,” Assistant Principal Ti$any Besse said.

#e anticipated change has been discussed through various sta$ members throughout the district. “Every school level has a committee that discusses potential changes and how they would a$ect our students,” Besse said.

One of the biggest concerns about the idea is what is best for the stu-

dents. Another budget cut involves bus transportation. “We want our students to be as involved in school as possible and without transporta-tion, it would be di"cult for some students,” Hiripitiyage said. Limiting !eld trips is one way to do so. Every time a bus is needed, the bus driver is paid for transport. Pattonville also wants to limit bus routes and com-bine sports teams’ transportation.

“#ere is no possible way we can make budget cuts without e$ecting some programs,” Lammers said. As a resolution, the school district is look-ing over the o$ered job opportunities.

“We want to keep the e$ect as far from students as possible,” Lammers said. #ere will be more cuts on the adminstration side of things than in the classrooms. “#e learning center is taking one of the biggest hits,” Lammers said. Whereas, when some-one leaves their position, normally they would hire an individual to !ll that position. Now, another adminis-trator will just take on the responsi-bility of that un!lled position.

#e same goes for sta"ng posi-tions within the district.

#is year, the high school will be losing two guidance counselors due to retirement and math teacher Brooke Michel will be switching departments to !ll those vacancies.

Pattonville has the luxury of hav-ing major corporate businesses within the district.

#e revenue generated by Fred Weber, Lambert Airport, and Harrah’s Casino is what keeps the district stable. “Pattonville’s budget is far more greater than other districts,” Lammers said. In order for Pattonville to stay out of the hole, these budget cuts will have to occur as soon as possible.

l l

By Jacqueline Neil and Gabby Pirrie

at least 6:50 a.m. #e science department also !nds

the new restrictions frustrating. Science teacher Danel Pals has al-

ways gotten to school early, often for the purpose of setting up labs. She does not !nd the current solutions e$ective. Pals wonders, “How do you monitor the rush [of students]?”

Due to sports, clubs, jobs and other after-school commitments, many students are unable to stay af-ter school to make up assignments, take tests or get help.

Coaches also feel limited by the new restrictions. Pole vaulting coach Rob Lamb will be forced to !nd another teacher to supervise his students while they make up tests and labs.

According to school resource o"-cer Mike Mooney, the new measures have been instituted to ensure police and administrator supervision at all times.

#ere have been “upgraded secu-rity measures” to guarantee student and community peace of mind.

Mooney asserts that higher se-curity is intended to make students and sta$ feel safe.

However, some teachers like Stavely simply “don’t feel trusted.”

PattonvilleBriefs

Donna Buus, Justin Emch, Jacob Lewis and Nick Mell-ring were awarded gold medals in the 2011 Special Olym-pics Bowling Tournament. At the event, Nick Burse and Hosea Kent received silver medals, and Nancy Villinger and Carli White received bronze medals.

#e Pattonville band attended a music festi-val in Atlanta and the Jazz Band earned 3rd place with a Silver rating, the Symphonic Band earned 2nd place with a Silver rating, and the Wind Ensemble earned 1st place with a Gold Rating. #e Wind Ensemble also received the Adjudicator’s Award which is presented to the most outstanding band at the entire festival. Because of its Gold Rating, the Wind Ensemble received an invitation to perform at next year’s Festival of Gold.

Serious education.Serious value.The University of Missouri–St. Louis offers top-ranked academic programs,and we’ll work to ensure you receiveone of the best dollar-for-dollar educations in the Midwest.

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explore.umsl.eduadmissions@umsl.edu314-516-5451

In the next few years, students at Pattonville High School, as well as district-wide, could

see the time they come to school in the morning change. #e idea, still in its planning stages, would end up with Pattonville following suit with many other schools in the area such as Parkway, who have already moved their start times back.

Many scenarios have been put for-ward, some involving switching the middle school and high school start times, and others switching start times for all three levels of school. Either way, it has been con!rmed that the changes, if enacted at all, would take place sometime after the 2011-2012 school year.

“I think pushing the schedule back could be a great thing, because the ev-idence shows that biologically, teens work better with more sleep, but we

have to be careful,” Cara Hiripitiyage said. “#ere are some concerns about the after school activities. We’ll look to other schools to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Currently, Parkway School District high schools start at 8 a.m., but are planning to move forward to 7:50 a.m., still 27 minutes after Pattonville High School’s current start time.

A teacher at the forefront of the move to push the high school start time back is Randy Pierce, who is pas-sionate about teenage students and his conviction that they need more sleep than the current schedule allows them.

“I am in favor of pushing every-thing back. Research shows there is a huge upswing in grades, behavior, and general mood if teens get more sleep and wake up later,” Pierce said. “With more sleep, teenagers are less likely to take risks and they have fewer atten-tion and memory problems.”

Pierce has done a large amount of research on the positives of teen sleep and the drawbacks of having a lack of it. #e debate teacher even went so

far as to compile a list of points argu-ing his point and submitted it to the School Improvement Team.

“Some say students would just stay up later if the school day started later, but that’s just not true for most, ac-cording to research,” Pierce said. “#e body wants to go to sleep and has its own system to do so. #e combination of melatonin and the body’s natural circadian rhythms ensure it.”

With the majority of schools in the area having later start times, Pierce brings up another point that sometimes Pattonville’s athletes are waiting around after school for the team that they are competing with to get dismissed and be able to compete.

Other students agree with Pierce’s stance.

“Teenagers need nine and a quarter of hours of sleep a night,” senior Khalil Gri"n said. “With the current schedule, that’s just not possible.”

Senior Erica Ream felt the same. She says that a later start time would allow more people to eat a good breakfast at home and not have to run out of the house.

“It should be pushed back,” sopho-more Jimmy Sorsen said. “Some things are just easier to take care of in the morning, like meet with a teacher or talk to your counselor.”

According to sophomore Anthony Hubbartt, a later start time would lead to better grades, and ultimately more money for the school. Gri"n agreed, and added, that it could also lead to students performing better and earning more scholarship money.

Sophomore Joe Copeland is on the other side of the fence and doesn’t have much faith in a schedule change.

“Kids are just going to say up later,” Copeland said. “Ending school later would also waste more daylight to enjoy after school.”

English teacher Dr. Janet Baldwin is also skeptical of the change.

“Research shows that kids need more sleep, but ultimately kids are just going to cram more and a zero hour would likely develop before school, so most kids would still be waking up earlier.”

By Jacob Sharp

Senior Ricky Barry, juniors Alex Maierho$er, Jake Masek and sopho-more Shaun Treat have advanced to the Super Sectional to be held at Old Hickory Country Club in O’Fallon. #e Top 12 !nishers advance to the state !nals in Spring!eld, Mo., May 16-17. Masek and Treat have also been named to the All-District Team.

#e National Federation of State High School Association presented the Outstanding Service Award to Randy Pierce for his services and contributions to speech, debate and theatre. Pierce has served 19 years on the national debate topic selection committee as the Mis-souri representative.

Community service hours for seniors are due May 6 to be eligible to walk in graduation and receive a diploma. Bring hours to the Community Service O"ce.

News

l l

Gene Grimshaw, social studies teacher, thinks students’ personal technology has no place in his class-room.

“I have trouble trying to !nd au-thentic ways to bring technology into the classroom,” he said.

Grimshaw teaches Advanced Place-ment European History, along with teacher Ben Schamber. Schamber is !nding more ways to use technol-ogy in his classroom and, like Adam, tested out iPads in his class.

He found that the iPads were su"cient for note taking. He cited a

student who used the device through-out a lecture to take notes.

“She was an average typer,” he said of the student. “It didn’t seem to slow her down. It was no more di"cult than taking notes by hand.” Schamber thinks personal technology devices, such as iPads, are going to change education.

“I think that in a handful of years, we won’t be using paper textbooks,” he said.

Senior Kirsten Gindler uses her laptop in class everyday.

“I have horrible handwriting and taking my notes on my laptop helps,” she said.

Schamber said that teachers are

struggling to !nd a balance between using personal technology as an education tool without abusing the privilege.

“I think that’s one of the areas in which teachers feel apprehensive about using an iPad because it is an educational and entertainment tool,” he said.

EtiquetteAnother question that stems

from the debate is whether or not schools have a responsibility to teach students etiquette with their personal technology devices.

Grimshaw believes schools do not have that responsibility.

“If you want to say it’s for an

educational reason, you’ve got me. I’m on board. But if your argument for more technology in school is to teach etiquette, then you might as well teach table manners,” he said. “At what point do you stop saying that the schools are the end all for everything?”

Adam thinks the classroom might be a good place to teach students how to responsibly use their personal technology.

“I think that we have to be teaching that kind of technology etiquette,” she said.

Schamber thinks teacher discretion is the right way to handle the issue.

“From the minute the bell rings to the minute the bell rings, I think what I’m doing is more important,” he said. However, he understands that not all teachers will be consistent.

“You’ve got to pick your battles and I don’t think that’s one to !ght. You’re not going to get rid of [cell phones or iPods],” he said.

Safety and Legality Pattonville High School works to

be on the cutting edge in educational technology use. However, monitoring students’ use of their own personal technology has proved to be some-what of a challenge.

Currently, students are restricted from accessing wireless Internet at school from iPods and smart phones. Although access is password pro-tected, students who know the visitor password can get onto the Internet from these devices.

In order to access the Internet from personal laptops, students must register their computer with the technology department. How-ever, devices such as iPods and smart phones cannot be registered. Wireless

Internet access is always restricted on these devices.

#e password to the guest wireless Internet was recently changed to prevent students from logging on.

“[#e password] was recently changed because it was never meant to be a permanent solution,” Ray Brown, technology support specialist, said.

Although the district technology policy would allow for registration of iPods and cell phones, the high school’s “Bag and Tag” policy keeps students from registering such devices.

However, if policies on personal technology change for next school year, then students would be able to register their devices.

Richter thinks it would be ideal to be able to monitor wireless Internet use on personal devices.

“Personally I think it’s a good idea. One for the security purposes,” he ex-plained. “I think if we allow registra-tion of laptops, which we do, I don’t see the di$erence in those personal devices…if we’re registering comput-ers I think we should also register phones and any Internet device.”

According to the Pattonville Student Electronic Communications Policy, the district reserves the right to monitor Internet usage, including wireless access.

If students are using personal In-ternet devices that are not registered and violating the communications policy, there is no way for the technol-ogy department to track it.

“We do live in a restricted environ-ment in education because we have to. We are mandated to protect our clientele [the students],” Richter said.

Starting next year, every other “C” Day will have Contact Time replaced with a di$er-

ent period known as Pirate Connec-tions.

#e goal of Pirate Connections is to give students a teacher they will be able to build a relationship with

over four years. Also, there will be an emphasis on getting students ready for college and their careers.

“Basically, we will o$er students one adult to connect with for four years,” said Stacy Leonard, counselor.

“I think it is a great idea,” said Randy Pierce, debate teacher and coach, “as long as it does not reduce instructional time.”

Fortunately, the actual schedule will, essentially, be unchanged, as Pi-rate Connections will replace Contact

Time every other week. However, an extra six-minute passing period will be added after second hour for students to travel to their adviser’s classroom which will extend the school day to 1:14 p.m. on “C” Days.

“#e plan will call for each teacher being assigned about 15 students,” Leonard said. “#e advisers [class ros-ter] will be assigned by grade level.”

During Pirate Connections, stu-dents will meet with their advisers to work on a career portfolio over four years and also help review academic progress. In addition, students will end up choosing a career pathway based upon Missouri Connection

assessments, interest inventories and personal interests.

“#ere will be various activities such as videos and computer ac-tivities,” Rebecca Krohn, community service counselor, said. “All of them will be based upon career choices and academics.”

In additon, the period will provide a time for lessons on topics such as writing transcripts and resumes, study skills and time management skills. Furthermore, students will be able to review their courses to make sure they support their paths.

However, Contact Time will not be completely abolished. It will simply

alternate with Pirate Connections during the same time period. Stu-dents will still be able to meet with teachers or go to the library. Pirate TV will still air during Contact Time. Class and club meetings will still be held. Scheduling will just have to be better managed. #e main di$er-ence as far as Contact Time goes is that students will go to their advisers instead of staying with their second hour teachers.

“It’s not that Contact Time is completely useless,” Pierce said. “It’s just that we come here primarily for classes and not so much for Contact Time.”

By Andrew Tyahla

News

On Friday, April 22, a violent storm ravaged areas in the Pat-tonville School

District. A tornado touched down in areas near Rose Acres Elemen-tary School and Harmann Estates subdivision, leaving many homes severely damaged.

#e night of the storm, emer-gency responders were dispatched to Bridgeton and Maryland Heights. Pattonville High School served as a home base for !re departments and police crews.

O"cer Mike Mooney, school resource o"cer, was dispatched at 10 p.m.

“We served as a liaison between the Pattonville Fire Department and the Maryland Heights Police,” he said.

Superintendent Mike Fulton said the high school played a critical role in providing support. Fulton was on scene at the high school the night of the storm and said the emergency response teams did an excellent job.

“#ey would meet in the commons—that was the team meeting area,” he said. “As crews from across the metro area came in, they’d have their team meet-ings and then they’d roll out and another crew would come in.”

Fulton said it took a day to really understand the amount of devastation.

“I think it was di"cult in those early hours for anyone to un-derstand the magnitude of this storm,” he said.

Rob Lamb, chemistry teacher, also went to help on the night of the tornado. Lamb’s friend from high school lives on Diane Marie Drive. His home was destroyed in the storm.

“It took me three di$erent ways to get in and then they stopped me because of the gas leaks. So I had to hike in,” he said. Lamb described the scene that night.

“It looked like what you see in the movies,” he said.

KSDK reporter Frank Wiley was sent on assignment to Maryland Heights on the night of the storm. He had trouble getting to the scene.

“We circled the block several

times...the police had blocked ev-erything o$. I actually had to walk a mile and a half,” he said. Wiley added the scene was chaotic.

“#e only lights we had were the lights we provided for our lives shots and the %ashing lights from police cars,” Wiley said.

#e Pattonville community began organizing a relief plan on Monday, April 25. Classes were not in session for students but sta$ members went out into af-fected areas to try to help.

Fulton said canceling school on Monday gave the district time to regroup. Fulton spent Mon-day organizing bus routes with the transportation department and getting district counselors together to prepare for students on Tuesday.

Fulton said coming back to school on Tuesday was important.

“We needed to get back to school…but I think the most im-portant part was that we needed to get people back together,” he said.

Fulton said returning to school was important for students to establish a routine. It also al-lowed the district to collect more information about which Patton-ville families were a$ected by the storm.

While school was not in session on April 25, sta$ and students worked around the community to start rebuilding.

“We want to make sure we can provide as much assistance to this community as possible,” Gene Grimshaw, high school social studies teacher, said to KSDK reporter Heidi Glaus on April 25. Grimshaw drove several high school teachers to Harmann Estates to help clear debris.

Other sta$ members organized a place for people to drop o$ donations for storm victims. Stu-dents and sta$ collected clothing and toys for those in need.

Beth Moritz, high school Eng-lish teacher, helped organize the drive.

“We are trying to do sort of a ‘day of service,’ so that people who want to help can help,” she said on April 25.

Although students were o$ school on April 25, many went out into the community to help with the clean-up e$orts. Senior Melissa Fulton used Facebook to

get out the word.“I just got on Facebook and

posted a status to meet up at the school at 8:30 or 9 a.m. and people came.”

At least 100 students helped organize donations or went out into the a$ected neighborhoods to clear debris on April 25. Dan Johnson, 12, was among the stu-dents who helpd on his day o$.

“#at was the !rst thing I thought of, ‘how can I help?’ It’s something I look forward to, help-ing him,” he said.

#e relief e$orts did not end on April 25. High school students were released early on April 28 to participate in another service day. Contact Time was eliminated so that students could help in the community.

Donations are being col-lected through the Pattonville Care Foundation. As of April 30, PattCare had collected over $16,000, according to Nancy Henley.

Many students also helped with Service International, a relief or-ganization that came to help after the storm.

Volunteers from all over the St. Louis area have helped with the organization, which requires its volunteers to be at least 16 years old.

“We’re taking volunteers who are walking up and saying ‘We want to help,’” Patti Fasnacht, a Service International volunteer, said. “A lot of these volunteers have never done this before.”

Service International required walk-on volunteers to provide some personal information. #e organization also has many volun-teers in a database called “Rapid Responders.”

In addition to Service Interna-tional, the Red Cross has been a big factor in storm relief. #e Red Cross set up a shelter at the Mary-land Heights Center on Friday night. #e shelter was available to anyone a$ected by the storm.

Renee Washington, a Red Cross volunteer, was a manager at the shelter. She said the !rst step to setting up a shelter is to collect supplies.

#ose who stay at the shelter receive what the Red Cross calls “comfort kits.” #ese kits include soap, shampoo, a comb, tissues and other toiletry items.

#e shelter also o$ered food to those who needed it.

“We’re feeding people three times a day,” Washington said. “#e com-munity has really rallied around the Red Cross and they’re providing a lot of the food.”

Freshman Clareonta Banks spent some time at the shelter. Her home was not damaged, but without power, her family needed a place to stay.

“It makes me feel sad [to stay in the shelter] because the other people that we’re talking to are saying that their house is completely damaged,” she said. Banks said staying at the shelter was not ideal.

“It’s not as comfortable as a bed would be,” she explained.

Susan Warren of Ferguson also spent time at the shelter at the Maryland Heights Center. She was at church when she became a victim of the “Good Friday Storms.” She went back to her neighborhood to a scene from a disaster movie.

“It was unreal. Just unbelievable,” Warren said. “Our street was in

ruins. Police were in the streets just trying to keep peace and keep the order. People were running around wailing in the streets. My grand-children were crying in my backseat when we pulled up to our house, which was just gone.”

Because of a heart condition, War-ren needs a machine in order for her to sleep, which required electricity. #e shelter was her only option.

“#ey feed us good, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, give us clean clothes, and I found a new pair of shoes,” she said.

Many students at Rose Acres Elementary were a$ected by the storm. #e tornado ripped through Diane Marie Drive and Beckford Estates Drive, which are both near the school.

“We have at least 10 homes that were destroyed,” Steve Vargo, Rose Acres Elementary principal, said. Sta$ members at Rose Acres worked near the school on April 25.

“We have a lot of our teachers helping families that we know were a$ected,” he said.

By Geri Farrell, Elise Moser, and Jacob Sharp

ruins. Police were in the streets just trying to keep peace and keep the order. People were running around wailing in the streets. My grand-children were crying in my backseat when we pulled up to our house, which was just gone.”

Because of a heart condition, War-ren needs a machine in order for her to sleep, which required electricity. #e shelter was her only option.

“#ey feed us good, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, give us clean clothes, and I found a new pair of shoes,” she said.

Many students at Rose Acres Elementary were a$ected by the storm. #e tornado ripped through Diane Marie Drive and Beckford Estates Drive, which are both near the school.

“We have at least 10 homes that were destroyed,” Steve Vargo, Rose Acres Elementary principal, said. Sta$ members at Rose Acres worked near the school on April 25.

“We have a lot of our teachers helping families that we know were a$ected,” he said.

Vargo said he is making sure his students feel safe, since disasters such as the April 22 storm can be traumatizing for young children.

“Our counselor is working with other counselors in the district and they’re coming up with an action plan to support students,” he said.

Kim Zuccarello, a third grade teacher at Rose Acres, was directly a$ected by the tornado. She lives on Rose Acres Lane.

“All of a sudden, you could hear the wind blowing and it was like a really deep foghorn going o$,” she said as she described the storm. “It lasted about 30-45 seconds.”

After the storm had passed, Zuc-carello and her family went outside.

“It was just unbelievable. I couldn’t even describe it…really there was nothing to be done. We just walked the street trying to see if everything was OK,” she said.

Zuccarello lives near many of her students and some of them lost their homes in the storm.

“My students walked to my house to check on me and they’re the ones

whose houses have blown away,” she said, !ghting tears.

Relief has come in from all over the St. Louis area, even outside of the Pattonville area. Kim Fitterling, Bridgeton resident and Pattonville parent, is principal at St. Charles West High School, where she orga-nized a prom dress drive for girls who lost their dress in the storm.

“It is a way for me as a community member and a parent…it is also a way for my students at St. Charles West, right across the river, to help,” she said.

Fitterling said donating dresses is a very personal way for her students to help. One student even wrote a note to go along with her dress.

Since the storm, news coverage of the Pattonville area has been abundant. Fulton believes this is a positive thing for the district.

“Pattonville de!nes community. You don’t always get a chance to make that as public as we’re being able to,” he said.

The latest !lm production of Charlotte Bronte’s clas-sic Jane Eyre captures the

mood of the novel, but fails to repli-cate the depth and breadth of the tale.

“Jane Eyre” the movie is an excel-lent visual supplement although it is far from a replacement.

It is understood that some scenes must be cut to create a movie of reasonable length. #e 2011 adapta-tion of Jane Eyre is Rated PG-13 with a running time of 120 minutes. However, fans of the novel cannot help but lament the loss of beloved content.

For example, Mr. Rochester’s tryst as a gypsy was not at all included. Much of Bertha’s nighttime escapades were eliminated along with Jane’s suspicion of Grace Poole. On a similar note, Bertha does not tear Jane’s veil on the eve of her wedding. #ere are also missing details from aspects of Jane’s existence at Lowood and her time with her cousins. Mr. Roches-ter’s apparent courtship of Blanche to make Jane jealous was much more

subtle in the !lm. Jane’s subsequent depression was also somewhat sub-dued.

#e format of a movie also forfeits the narrative voice of both Charlotte Bronte and her character, Jane.

#is means that the !lm does not impart the same emotional weight as the book.

Despite these pitfalls, “Jane Eyre” is a triumph of mood. #e grey palette of the moors strips human nature down to its stark reality. v

Mia Wasikovska makes Jane’s character pop boldly out of the screen and under the viewer’s skin.

What this movie loses in symbol-ism, it attempts to make up with passion.

Michael Fassbender and Wasikovs-ka have extraordinary chemistry on screen. Even without the mystic connection that is highlighted in the book, the pair still conveys an intense and everlasting relationship.

#eir acting skill is the glue that transforms misty England into an exquisite fairyland-!t for the fanciful Jane herself.

Altogether, “Jane Eyre” the movie captures the mood of Jane Eyre the novel, but fails to equal the classic’s power.

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By Hannah Johnson

The juniors are organizing this year’s senior prom to be held

on May 6 at the Sheraton Hotel in Westport Plaza.

“#e prom is held at the Sheraton Hotel because the setting is nice, it has a great atmosphere and it’s in the area,” Madison King, 11, said. “At the Sheraton, they have a nice ballroom and catering.”

#e junior class led by o"cers Audrey Masek, Natalie Beck, Sydney Finn and King do the planning for prom, along with social studies teacher Heather Lopez.

Taking the stress o$ senior class o"cers, the juniors assume responsi-bility of planning prom.

#e young leaders assure the best prom possible by holding school functions and gathering money, all of which goes toward the Senior Prom.

With the recent storm events that occurred on Good Friday, Pattonville is considering other uses for the funds.

According to Masek, girls who lost their dresses could be assisted.

#e school is also seeking ways to help those a$ected by the EF 4 tornado which could include paying for their tickets and possibly buying substitute prom out!ts.

“Mrs. Lopez is the main person in charge for prom. It’s her second year doing prom and Mr. [Doug] Newton helps building and setting it up,” Masek said.

#e junior class works on prom decorations starting at 5 p.m. each day of the week leading up to the Friday night event.

According to Activities Director Bob Hebrank, after all the days for ticket selling are done, the amount of money the Sheraton receives depends on the number of students attending.

#e cost of the 2011 Senior Prom was set at $55 and tickets were sold during all lunches.

#e money still needs a !nal count as of April 28.

“We get a lot [of money] from the dodgeball tournament, the fashion show, and donations,” King said.

From choosing the theme of the year, organizing the date, and even picking out the napkins, the class of-!cers take on a great deal of responsi-bility and accomplish it every year.

According to Masek, once the

money is given to Westport, the hotel takes care of the catering.

#e junior class o"cers have taken time after school on numerous days to go to the Sheraton Hotel in West-port Plaza.

“One of the things we do is sample the food for catering at the prom,” Masek said.

With all of the planning being handled by the junior class, this leaves the seniors preparing for noth-ing except their own evening.

From men renting tuxedos and women getting dresses, prom can be a pricey event.

Pattonville o$ered cost-saving alternatives this year by selling cor-sages and boutonneires at all lunches. A varierty of colors and styles were available for purchase.

However, for those wishing for a more extravagant evening, a limo can be rented with a cost of about $100 per hour. In the St. Louis Galleria at Savvi Formalwear, renting a tuxedo can cost $160, including shoes, tie, vest, and jacket in a prom promotion.

For an average prom dress, prices can run at about $100 to $350, de-pending on where it is purchased.

Lopez was contacted numerous times but was unavailable to com-ment.

By Armand Hayes and Lexi Kendall

When 26-year-old Zach Anner submitted his audition for Oprah

Winfrey’s Your OWN Show, he had no idea of the journey that he’d experi-ence when he wound up with his own travel show.

Anner submitted his winning au-

dition on June 2, 2010, with nothing but charisma and enthusiasm, and not even being a su$erer of Cerebral Palsy would slow his roll. Using his generally uplifting spirits to explain his condition, Anner poked fun at his own disabilities to express the need for a travel show for those who have disabilities, and expressed that everyone has the capability to take on any obstacle during a what-may-seem-to-be-ruined vacation. Anner wants to prove that “no obstacle is too big, no mountain is too high, no

volcano is too hot, and no Atlantis is too underwater or !ctional!”

#e tides seemed to be against Anner during the online voting por-tion of the contest. Contestant Dr. Phyllis was suspected of rigging the votes against the other contestants when her votes spiked to 30,000 votes in a matter of 20 minutes. An-ner remained hopeful when he said, “I sincerely doubt that Oprah would do anything like that. She’s probably too busy building schools and helping children to even notice someone like

me.” When Anner saw that his video had produced 2 million votes, he was absolutely shocked.

Anner received mostly support and high hopes from the online community. Even support from musician John Mayer surfaced on Mayer’s blog, alongside Perez Hilton, Harry Knowles, David Hasselho$, and Daniel Tosh. He also received cover-age from New York Magazine, Time, Entertainment Weekly, ABC, Fox, and G4, while also receiving support from fans of his previous Web-series

entitled #e Wingmen. When Feb. 26 rolled around,

Winfrey announced that Anner and another contestant, Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco, would be the host of their own reality show. Winfrey had voiced that she was concerned with Anner’s health due to the stress of produc-ing a show. But once again, Anner’s charisma convinced her that he had everything it took to be a star.

“Rolling Around the World with Zach Anner” can be seen Friday nights at 8 p.m. on OWN.

By Chris Babb

Entertainment

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#e Pirate Press is the open forum news-paper of the Pattonville High School.

#e opinions published are of the publication and are open to criticism. As the members of the 2010-2011 sta$, we

dedicate ourselves to the accurate and objective dissemination of informa-

tion to all readers. We will protect and exercise our First Amendment rights.

#e viewpoints of all sta$ members are to be regarded as being seperate from those of our administration, faculty,

peers and adviser.

At this point, we are enter-ing the last grading period of the year. For seniors,

graduation is in sight. I’m sure that many of you have acceptance letters and are ready for college. Seems like it is time to simply coast through the remainder of the year, right?

Wrong! #is is actually one of the most

important semesters of your school career, and I would hate to be one of the fools who cannot walk across the stage at graduation.

But I think the only reason you would really be denied graduation is if you are lazy.

First of all, if you are failing any classes right now, put down this newspaper, go pick up your text-book, and start studying like there is no tomorrow.

If that does not work, stay after school every day possible and attend tutoring sessions.

#at way, you’ll be less tempted by distractions. After all, your Face-book page will still be there when the year is over.

Now, how many community service hours have you earned and logged? If it is less than 50 hours, then pick up the pace. I am appalled when I hear my fellow seniors say

that is so. After all, we had at least 35,040 hours as high schoolers, so 50 hours should have been done by the !rst day of senior year. What have you been doing for four years aside from coming to school?

To underclassmen, act now while you still can. #e next few years of high school will be gone in a %ash.

Furthermore, don’t do anything that you will regret later. I admit that I have made mistakes that came back to get me later, but I have had time to recover.

During this last grading period, however, a single mistake can ruin your chances at graduation. In fact,

getting suspended at this time could cause you to be held back, due to you missing too many assignments or simply ending up on attendance probation.

So instead of walking the stage at graduation, you could be sitting at home, brooding over a mistake that held you back, while your friends go on to begin their own careers.

In the meantime, take all of this into account before attending any of the late year activities.

If you are on track in your classes and have your community service out of the way, go ahead and enjoy prom, trivia night and other senior

activities. You’ve earned it. If you’re among those who are

falling behind at this point, you might want to consider skipping these activities.

You have limited time to turn things around, so you need to make every minute count.

If some of this seems harsh, I apologize, but it is true. I only wish for everyone to be able to graduate on schedule. After all, do you really want to have to spend more than four years at high school?

So we’re in the homestretch, people. You’ve worked four years for this. Don’t screw it up.

By Andrew Tyahla

Opinion

The devastation left in the wake of the Good Friday Storm is still evident

throughout the Pattonville com-munity. #e storm struck a devas-tating blow, severely damaging at least 2,000 homes in the Pattonville School District area. However, even more amazing than the devastation left by the tornado, is the commu-nity’s response to it.

Many Pattonville students have taken an active role in repairing their broken neighborhoods. #eir e$orts have been truly commendable.

Instead of taking Monday’s “Emergency Day” as a day to rest and unwind, many students volunteered their time to help others in need.

Some joined the teams of Service International while others simply walked the streets looking for a place to lend a hand.

#e tremendous compassion of

the Pattonville School District is overwhelmingly evident through the mounds of donations piled in Room B104. In fact, due to the generous contributions of the community, Pattonville is no longer accepting donations.

Student support for the victims of the storm is impossible to ignore when walking through the halls of Pattonville High School. Students write encouraging messages to those a$ected by the storm on posters tacked to the wall and wear green and black tornado relief shirts to show their support.

#rough a combined e$ort of sta$ and students, Pattonville High School even eliminated Contact Time on April 28 so that students would have another chance to aid their community. While some students were unable to participate in this opportunity to help, many %ocked to

the streets of Maryland Heights and Bridgeton to aid the victims.

Although much of the district area is still in disrepair, it is important to remember that houses can be repaired, new trees can be planted and rubble can be removed.

Some other areas within the country cannot boast such a simple clean-up.

#e recent storms in Tuscaloosa,

Ala., left the area with a death toll of over 300 people.

Instead of sifting through rubble looking for keepsakes, some people in Tuscaloosa are looking for loved ones.

While the destruction in Patton-ville is undoubtably devastating, it is vital to remember how fortunate we are to know our loved ones are alive and safe.

A few days after the storm, alphabet magnets were arranged on a Bridgeton resident’s mailbox on Old St. Charles Road. #e magnets formed a message that read: “We will rise again.”

#is message serves as a striking beacon of hope for the future. It reminds us that in the wake of this utterly devastating tragedy, together we can weather through and indeed “rise again.”

Sta! Editorial

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Track and !eld got o$ to a fast start for both the boy’s and girls’ teams. #e track

runners have done well in recent events and have placed well.

#e runners this year have been practicing diligently to prepare for their meets.

Freshman Kirby McClain is a long distance runner for track this year.

“Every practice starts o$ with a 10 minute warm up run and then we do our work outs. #ese runs are usually three miles or more,” McClain said.

#ese practices help the runners get ready for their meets.

“Meets are scary but once you get there you can do it.” Laura Fulton, 9, said.

Athletes have to achieve qualifying times for the district meets.

#e district meet is on May 14 with sectionals being hosted on May 21.

With high expectations, track participants strive for sectionals, then state.

“Runners’ expectations are higher than they were last year,” senior Mar-quis Jones said.

Senior Tyran Brooks runs hurdles. “State is looking good for me this year. I am working with a great coach [Coach Wessels] who has helped me improve a lot,” Brooks said.

State is in the mind of many track participants.

Senior #eresa Ford is taking

steps in order to prepare for the state competition.

“I am going to practice and dropping time in my 400 and 330 hurdles,” Ford said.

Pattonville’s !eld event partici-pants have been placing well in events as well.

#ere are many new athletes in !eld competitions. One of the new participants is senior Dominic Greenlee.

“#e season started out slow for me but it is picking up,” Greenlee said. “I am starting to learn [how to compete] and trying to get the tech-nique down.”

Another !rst year participant is

senior Brock Montgomery. He throws discus for the !eld team this year.

“Everyone who throws gets along great and practices are fun,” Mont-gomery said.

State is in reach for some Pat-tonville throwers. #ey are preparing diligently for state this year.

#e conference meet for the boys’ and girls’ track and !eld teams will be held on May 4-5 followed by districts, sectionals and then state.

Junior Becca Keathley throws shot put and discus. She has participated in track and !eld for two years.

“I want to go to state. I have to gain more arm strength but it’s worth it,” Keathley said.

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By Kristen DehnerThe 2011 spring season is a rebuilding year for the Boys’ Varsity Tennis team. Last

year, the boys graduated !ve seniors, including its top two singles players. “It doesn’t have that much a$ect on us, [there’s] just a lot of newer play-ers,” McKenzie Davenport, 12, said.

With head tennis coach Je$ Grass out due to a newborn baby, assistant coach Shaun Patrick is stepping up at matches while Grass is absent. “With all the new boys on the team I’ve seen them working very hard at practices and they are very willing to learn and enjoy the game,” Patrick said.

One of the greatest enemies of the boys is the weather. For a lot of the new players, it’s the !rst time playing organized tennis. With the sun glaring into their eyes it makes it di"cult for the players to see the ball because they have to work around the sun. “#ey just have to learn how to work around

the serves and when they are at the net,” Davenport said.

With the weather hindering the newcomers from excelling, the boys have still managed to work around it by beginning the season with a four-game winning streak.

“Competition has been fairly easy, so far” Elliot Greene, 11, said.

Due to recent Missouri State High School Activi-ties Association (MSHSAA) rule changes, the boys team was allowed to play Christian Brothers College (CBC) High School on April 20. “CBC will be our hard-est match [this] season,” Greene said.

#e boys’ tennis team also faces competition in the Suburban North conference.

“Ritenour and McCluer North are our toughest competitors in the conference,” Greene said.

#ere are many adjustments this

season. “We’re a very young team,” Patrick said. For some of the new players it is their !rst time playing Pattonville tennis.

“We struggle against most teams with experience, but we should be better in the next few years,” sopho-more Isaac Caverley said.

By Jacqueline Neil

Sports