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Patterson wins first place in chess tournament

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By Kaniya Gardner

The Patterson chess team won first place in a novice tournament at Green Street Academy on November 4. Everyone on the team had at least two wins and the team tied with Forest Park with a combined score of 17.5, securing the win for Patterson.

Members Keith Tooles and Nelson Vasquez tied for third place individually and they both won medals. 

“I actually enjoyed the competition”, said chess team member, Kailani. “At first I was nervous but after the first game I was alright.”

According to some of the players, it was their first time competing in a tournament ever, so the win surprised them. 

Make sure to congratulate everyone on the team when you see them!

Patterson wins silver medal in tennis championship

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By Deontay Blackwell

The Patterson High School unified tennis team competed in the City Championship at Coppermine Fitness Club on October 24, 2023. Patterson faced off against six other schools: ACCE, Edmondson, Forest Park, Western, Carver, and Frederick Douglass. Each school had three to four matches to determine the winner in its respective section, with Patterson taking home silver medals for placing second in the B section. 

 “It was really fun… I was kinda nervous.” Said Nalia Jenkins, one of the tennis players who competed at the City Championship.

Ms. Mahoney is the unified tennis coach for Patterson and has been coaching it for two years but has been coaching other sports, such as swimming and softball, for the past eleven years. Patterson’s tennis team is new, having started only two years ago. In the previous year, the Clippers won third place in the City Championship.

The Patterson unified tennis team still has a bright future ahead as the team is still very new with many more games to come.

Patterson holds “Sneaker Ball” for Homecoming

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By Deontay Blackwell

Students let loose at the Homecoming dance (photo by Deontay Blackwell, Patterson Press)

Patterson High School held a Homecoming dance inside the school’s gymnasium, on Friday, October 20, 2023 from 7:00-11:00 PM. This year’s dance had a theme advertised on posters as a “sneaker ball” where people wear their best suits and dresses but with their best pairs of sneakers.

On the night of the dance, the girls wore long colorful dresses with some ignoring the theme and wearing nice heels to match, while the boys wore suits with ties and some wore polo shirts and jeans.

During the dance, the gym was kept dark with funky neon lights flashing all around. Music was blasted throughout the gym, featuring songs like Deli by Ice Spice and Back End by Finesse2tymes, with people forming dance circles and hyping themselves up. There was even a photo booth in the corner.

“It was good. We had tons of space to walk around and dance.”, said Henry Lewis, a student who participated in the dance.

Food was offered to the students with options like meatballs, pigs in a blanket, etc. They also served fruit and cookies as desserts with drink options like water and sodas. Most students did not express strong feelings one way or the other about the food, but some students complained about having to eat standing up.

“Where was the tables? Where was the chairs?” asked student Andre Green.

Despite this small complaint, it was clear that most students enjoyed themselves quite a bit. Overall, the 2023 Homecoming Dance was a big success. It was a Friday night that most attendees will never forget.

(Photos by Deontay Blackwell, Patterson Press)

Students and staff show their Patterson Pride during Spirit Week

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By Kylayah Davis

Every year, on the week of Homecoming, we have Spirit Week, where the student body shows their school spirit for the upcoming football game, and this year at Patterson High School the Clippers really showed their school spirit!

This school year, Spirit Week took place on the week of October 16. The first day of Spirit Week was “Manic Monday”, where you dress up in your sports paraphernalia. While most students committed to wearing sports clothes, others took a different approach and wore hospital gowns to truly be manic. 

Our beloved hall monitor Mr. Walker, affectionately known as “Snitch”, is considered by many to be our school’s most manic sports fan, as his everyday attire shows his support for the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles. 

On Tuesday, it was Celebrity/Decades Day and there were a variety of outfits on this day. Students and staff wore outfits from the 80’s and 90’s or dressed as Chris Brown and other celebrities.

Wednesday was “Wacky Tacky” day where, as the name suggests, you dress in your wackiest, tackiest clothes. 

Thursday was Class Colors day and each cohort wore their colors: 

  • Class of 2024: Red & white
  • Class of 2025: Green and gold
  • Class of 2026: Maroon and gold
  • Class of 2027: Green and white

Friday was our pep rally, which took place in the football stadium and was attended by the entire school, and a Homecoming dance where the theme was “Sneaker Ball”.

All of these festivities were to prepare for our Homecoming football game on Saturday, October 21.

Read more about the Homecoming dance here.

MANIC MONDAY (SPORTS):

CELEBRITY/DECADES DAY:

WACKY TACKY WEDNESDAY:

PEP RALLY – PART 1:

PEP RALLY – PART 2:

PEP RALLY – PART 3:

PEP RALLY – PART 4 (includes earlier photos from a second camera):

PEP RALLY – PART 5 (second camera):

HOMECOMING GAME – PART 1:

HOMECOMING GAME – PART 2:

(All photos by Patterson Press)

Patterson celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

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By Mirian Maurizaca

Patterson High School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a special event on Friday, October 13 from 5:00-7:00 PM.

Patterson staff and students wanted to bring different aspects to the event that are used to represent different cultures. The Patterson band performed at the event. There was also a typical dance from Colombia that was performed by three students from Colombia. Another group named “Bailes De Mi Tierra” performed Mexican Folklore.

Everyone that participated brought something with them that represented their culture, such as unique clothing styles. There was also typical foods from different countries in Latin America. Additionally, there was an organization of lawyers there to provide guidance on immigration laws and policies.

This event was planned by the department of World Language which include the Spanish teachers as well as the ESOL teachers. Other teachers and staff members that are not from that department also helped to plan the event, including Ms. Jones (graphic design teacher), Ms. Williams (music teacher), and the art teachers. 

“We want to highlight the Hispanic culture as they do throughout the United States in a full month from September 15 to October 15.”, explained Mrs. Perez, who helped organize the event.

Other ways that Patterson celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month include a door decorating contest, a performance by Hispanic comedian, Ernie G., and morning announcements in Spanish and English about important Hispanic people in history.

Hispanic Heritage Month has become an annual event that is celebrated across the United States and internationally. Here at Patterson, there are plans to continue holding events here at Patterson in the years to come.

“We already created that expectation that we are going to do it every year”, Mrs. Perez said.

The Hispanic Heritage Month celebration was a great idea because it helped other people get to know different cultures. Many people are already looking forward to next year’s celebration.

(Photos by Patterson Press)

Ernie G. empowers Latino students through comedy

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Empowerment comedian Ernie G performing live at Patterson
(Photo by Kylayah Davis, Patterson Press)

By Mirian Maurizaca

Comedian Ernie G. performed at Patterson High School on October 12, 2023, as part of Patterson’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. He visited Patterson for two days.

His first presentation was for students who were taking Spanish for Heritage Speakers or AP Spanish, along with upper level ESOL students. It was an audience of about 150 students. The second presentation was on the next day, and was only for students who were in the Spanish for Heritage Speakers class, because that audience could relate to him the most.

Ernie G. is a motivational speaker. He uses comedy as a way to engage students. 

Mrs. O-G, who planned the event, has known Ernie G. since 2010. She met him through an organization that helped students become leaders in their community.

Mrs. O-G recalled, “He actually reached out to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going back to the East Coast. I’ll be around for Hispanic Heritage Month. Do you think your school might want me to come and present to kids?’, so I thought it was a great opportunity because our kids don’t necessarily get the opportunity to listen to a speaker [very often].” 

Ernie doesn’t just do motivational speaking but also talks about social/emotional learning, self awareness and understanding, and loving yourself.

Ms.O-G said, “ It was motivational. It was more geared towards [empowering messages] like ‘You were born out of love and your purpose in life is to let your light shine and be the best you can be.’ ”

Ernie G.’s visit had an impact on the Latino/Hispanic community at Patterson by building a connection with Latino students. The event was an important part of Hispanic Heritage Month at our school.

(Photo by Kylayah Davis, Patterson Press)

Boys soccer team defeats City twice

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By Kylayah Davis

Clippers celebrate their victory over City
(Photo by Patterson Press)

The Patterson varsity boys soccer team won against City College on October 11 at Clipper Stadium–a win which put them at first in the division for championships and cemented their 6-0 inter-city record this year.

Despite City getting the first point of the game, Patterson quickly put a point of their own on the board. After securing their second point, the Clippers kept the defense tight, ending the game with a final score of 2-1. 

“You can’t scare me; I’m a goalie. The goal is my home and you are not welcome here.”, said Tyler Harrison, stating that he had to lock things down after City scored their goal. 

Coach Ober said that he’s proud of his team and their win and that they will continue to work on marking corners and playing with energy. He also said that if they continue to improve, the team is on track to win the City Championships for the first time in six years. 

Coach Ober named Angel Guevara as the game’s MVP for “scoring both goals and playing amazingly in the mid field, helping to control the game, and leading with positivity and energy.” 

Turnout at the game was great. There was strong support for the Clippers by friends, family, community supporters and Patterson’s volleyball and football teams. 

Update:

After this game, the Clippers went on to defeat Dunbar 6-1, Digital Harbor 2-0, Catonsville 2-1, and Edmondson 13-0 in their last game of the regular season. They then went on to defeat City again in their first playoff game, advancing them to the regional finals where they faced Poly for a chance to represent Baltimore City in the State Quarterfinals.

Patterson lost that game by one point, with a final score of 2-3, bringing Patterson’s season to an end. Despite this loss, the team had a spectacular season and remained undefeated in the regular season.

(Photos by Patterson Press)

Fiesta Baltimore celebrates Hispanic culture

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By Rancel Lagombra 

Fiesta Baltimore, which took place on October 7th and 8th, is an annual event held in Patterson Park. With the festival lasting from 11 AM to 7 PM both days, there was also a parade that took place on October 8th at 2 PM. This event is a family and community oriented event and it is also free, with food, arts, and craft vendors where people will be sharing their creations.

The parade had a diverse array of contingents, like folkloric groups, marching bands, cultural associations, community-based organizations, businesses, nonprofits, local schools and universities, cars, floats, and trucks.

“I like walking around there and seeing different Hispanic cultures and I like to have fun there.”, says John Swift, a Hispanic student who lives to see these Hispanic festivals. 

This festival is a good way to express yourself and have fun even if you’re not Hispanic. “I ain’t even Hispanic, but I still go to these events…It’s very fun to be there and to try these different foods,” says student Jeliel.

Events like these really show the cultural appreciation in Baltimore. It makes you feel welcome and accepted here. It can also make you feel proud of being Hispanic. I think this event can be important for the people at Patterson as a big portion of the students that go here are Hispanic and it can help them get reconnected with their culture. It also can give the Hispanics here a breath of fresh air if you can call it that, since a lot of them can struggle with English and seeing this festival can make them happy. Also, we are currently celebrating Hispanic culture with Hispanic Heritage Month. Although the event has already ended, you can still celebrate Hispanic Heritage here with a celebration night coming up. 

Editor’s note: This article was written in October during Hispanic Heritage Month. The celebration mentioned in article is over but you can read about it here.

Volleyball team shuts down ACCE in double victory

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By Jamira Ellison

The Lady Clippers volleyball team defeated ACCE on October 5th at Patterson–both at the varsity and junior varsity (JV) levels.

Coach Jones explained that the JV team narrowly lost the first set by a score of 24-26 but came back to win the next set 25-18 and then won the tie breaker 15-12.

The Varsity team worked really hard. They beat ACCE three sets in a row. The score for the first game was 25-19, the second game score was 25-13, and the final game score was 25-12. So this game was a 3-0 sweep. In these games the MVPs were No. 26 Destiny Johnson for Varsity and No. 21 Amberlly Perez for JV.

“Varsity did do their best; JV–the first game they did not do their best but they tried their best, but they picked it up and won [the next set] 25-18.”, said Coach Jones.

The JV team could have done a little better, but they still did really well. Originally, JV was not even scheduled to play that day, so it may have caught them off guard and caused them to rush. At first, they were really excited and happy and then after a while they got serious and played their best. These ladies did such a excellent job and everyone is so proud of them.

Photos by Patterson Press

Student loan debts remain major problem in U.S.

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By Jennifer Iraheta-Delcid

Whether you want to become a teacher or a doctor, both require a degree and education. Students all over the U.S have been experiencing overwhelming stress with the fact that they owe so much money from their loans. Student loan debt has grown a huge amount over time. Those debts determine which dreams students can achieve and which ones will simply stay a dream.

Student loans have increased tremendously over the past few decades. For example, as of March 2023, around 44 million U.S borrowers owed more than $1.6 trillion in Federal student loans. The average total student debt continues to be about $30,000 dollars. In the 1980s and ’90s, many high school students did not attend colleges and universities and those who did less than half borrowed money. On the other hand, in 2022, almost two-thirds of high school graduates attended college and took out loans. Student debt surpasses auto and credit card debt which shows how tremendously it has grown.

Student debt affects more than your ability to independently cover your living expenses and enjoy a decent standard of living. It also affects your dreams and your mental health. While you worry about your academic performance and finding a well paying job, you also have to worry about paying back your student debt. Having to pay back your loans can take many years, which can force you to sacrifice your dream job for one that financially supports you better. Student loan debt can cause high levels of stress and worrying thoughts. This takes a big toll on your mental health and well being.

Student loan debt is a major problem in the U.S that I hope gets fixed. It affects many students’ ability to accomplish their dreams due to the large amount they have to pay back. It impacts their levels of stress and worry as many other expenses need to be paid. Paying the students’ debts through loan forgiveness or reducing the cost of higher education would boost the nation’s economy by a huge amount while also benefiting everyone.

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