About 43% of car accidents involve drunk drivers in the United States. About 10,850 people have passed away every year because of drunk driving crashes. In Austin, Texas, a new law was made in which drunk drivers who have killed a parent or parents have to pay child support until the kids turn 18.
The law took effect on September 1, 2023. This law was made after a fiery car crash that killed Cordel, Lacy, and their four-month-old son, leaving behind Bentley and Mason under their grandparent’s care. Cecilia Williams, the grandmother of Bentley and Mason, and the mother of Cordell, said that kids of this circumstance no longer have parents and she wants people who cause that sort of pain to be held accountable. She believes they should pay child support for the consequences of their actions.
At the moment, four states have passed the law. Tennessee was the first to pass the law, along with Kentucky, Maine, and Texas. Cecilia Williams is hoping that by December of this year, all 50 states will have passed this law. She also hopes this law prevents people from driving drunk and helps the victims who are struggling.
Incidents of gun violence involving teenagers is rising in Baltimore. Teenagers are being injured and even killed in 2023 at a pace never seen before in at least a decade. On average, one victim is shot every two days and one is killed every week. The cause of the highly elevated rise in teenage brutality may be because of disagreements and rivalries.
This year, Baltimore City made a significant advancement in reducing overall violence by seizing 398 guns while seeing a 25% reduction in homicides and 27% in non-fatal shootings. Yet many Baltimore residents still have easy access to these guns, which is also a reason for this increase in gun violence among teens. High school-age teens continue to be shot in record numbers, with the year 2023 ending with 16 juvenile homicides and 94 non-fatal juvenile shooting victims. This generation of young people can’t resolve problems peacefully like talking it out. Most situations like this are victims younger than 19 years old. These conflicts can affect the well-being and mental health of many students, teachers, and parents by inducing fear and worry, and it’s devastating to the community.
“This makes me feel sad and worried at the same time because there is no security anymore… This affects me because I have a daughter in high school”, stated Joselyn Delcid. She added, “ I believe they should have more security like metal detectors and the state should remove the easy access to guns. I would feel more at peace with the security and well-being of my daughter and everyone in the school.”
Mayor Brandon Scott associates gun violence with the lack of responsibility and care of parents or even the way they raise their children. He is looking for ways to hold parents accountable. Scott is partnering with a program called “We Our Us“ in hopes of making progress through numerous small efforts that can add up to have a big impact. Scott also said he will be placing more mentors and specialists in Baltimore City schools to see if it makes an impact. The Mayor said the state and the country need stricter laws and a more efficient justice system to hold criminals accountable. Whether or not we will see a decrease in violence in the future is unclear, as teenage gun violence continues to be an unsolved problem.
Patterson High School’s first two quarters are coming to an end already. Final exams are soon to start right when we students come back from Winter Break. Right now, teachers are wrapping up their final lesson for students before they head off for their Winter Break.
I asked several students if they were ready to start a new year with new classes.
”It’s whatever”, said one student. “I had gotten used to in my classes so it’s going to feel weird when we have our new classes.”
“It is gonna be a change for students.”, another student replied. “This is the first year that Patterson High School does this [semester schedule], but students will adapt to their new classes. Some will have the same lunch and some will change.”
I followed up my first question by asking these students if they like the classes they will be taking next semester.
One student responded, ”Nah, really I will be having geometry–and I am not great at math–and chemistry, which I think I properly will do not good.”
So far, there are students that like this new semester-based schedule and some that don’t and wished that they could just stay in the same classes throughout the whole school year. It’s going to be difficult for students once they come back from their break and have to take a lot of final exams for each class.
“I am feeling really sad because I wont be with the same people I was in class with.”, one student lamented when asked how they felt about the semester ending.
Hopefully students will enjoy their new classes and get used to their new schedules for next semester.
Today, Patterson High continues to mourn the loss of Ivan Carlos Funez. Ivan was a 17 year old boy who was originally from Honduras, a country in Central America. He was educated at Patterson High School in Baltimore, Maryland. He had a passion for wanting to join the military when he was older and even decided to join the JROTC program at Patterson.
During his free time Carlos would make music and experiment with his friends because he loved music. He was also a big fan of cars. He would collect a bunch of hot wheel cars and put them up on his wall. He was really proud of his background. He would always rep his country, no matter what. He would always mention his country and even post his flag. He was into trap music. He would often experiment in his room and rap about his love. His lyrics were always really deep, talking about having it hard and his romantic life.
His friends at Patterson always referred to him as the chillest dude they’ve ever met. He was always helpful, always thankful for everyone and everything he had in his life. They referred to him as being one of the best people to have a friendship with because he was always putting others before himself.
He went missing in the Month of December, then was reported to be dead. There were a lot of rumors telling multiple stories such as he was shot and then others said he was stabbed but later on people found out it was due to gun violence. it was confirmed he was dead on December 1, 2023 at 9:09 AM.
People were devastated. His family prayed that their son would be found alive. They had spread awareness on social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. His friends helped set up a GoFundMe and hoped they would make enough in just 3 days to send Carlos back to his home country to get buried. His death made a lot of people and students tear up. Several people broke down in school crying.
Thankfully, Patterson is a very supportive high school that cares about their students. They offered support and comfort to students who were heartbroken and affected by the death of their loved one. They would check up every day on their students and go around the hallways asking every student they saw if they needed comfort or anything or wanted to talk about Carlos. This all lasted until the day it was finally time to bury Carlos.
Several of his friends and relatives went ahead to post a black ribbon bow and their profile to honor him. They made a shirt of the year he was born and the year he passed with his name and a lot of signatures of his loved ones. On the day of his funeral, everyone wore little badges of his face on their shirts and wore black. It was a really depressing death and affected a lot of people, especially his parents.
On Thanksgiving in Baltimore, many have lost their loved ones and Thanksgiving doesn’t feel the same to them. Additionally, many Baltimore residents don’t have the resources to celebrate this holiday. Fortunately, there are many generous people who want to help out and give to those in the community.
Firstly, In West Baltimore there is an event called ‘The Giveback’ celebrated on Thanksgiving. The reason for this event is to help out the community and give back to them, especially to those who are not financially able to celebrate this day. Secondly, There is another group of people who provide meals to the families of homicide victims in order to share their kindness to someone who is grieving the loss of their loved ones. These simple but thoughtful events are able to unify everyone, provide for those in need, and bring joy, cheer, and reassurance to the community.
Jade Harper started the Overcame Foundation and also teamed up with the City of God apparel shop where she provides hot meals, dancing and music, and even warm clothes. It has almost been a decade since this celebration first occurred. This event is able to bring joy and hope to many. Many children and adults benefit from this since they are able to walk away with free warm new clothes. There were 40 volunteers from the city ready to give back. Being able to give back and see the glow in people’s eyes is “monumental” to them. Jade’s main goal is to show people in the community that there are still people who care and are there to support them.
Peggy and Kevin Callahan, organists of the Sacred Heart Glyndon Catholic Church teamed up with the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Grief Ministry Program to provide meals to 30 families who have lost family members to homicide. The Archdiocese was focused on bringing joy to the families on this holiday. Additionally, parishioners donated enough to be able to provide meals and gift cards to families on Thanksgiving. The grief ministry program has helped 365 families in the past two years who have gone through traumatic losses by providing many things such as groceries, care packages, relocation costs and funeral expenses. Peggy and Kevin, as well as the everyone else involved in the program, feel blessed to be able to help these families and bring some joy and hope to their homes.
Also, in Belair, the R.I.C.H. Foundation (Reaching Innocent Children’s Hearts) is having a holiday giveback for Christmas on December 22.
Many take for granted what they have and don’t cherish it, while some people suffer the loss of their loved ones during the holidays where most families are united. Then there are others who don’t have the resources to celebrate this holiday. Fortunately, there are many who care and have kindness in their hearts who are able to volunteer and help these families and the community and give back to them and also provide them with a joyful holiday.
Students perform in “Shuddersome: Tales of Poe” (Photo by Patterson Press)
Patterson High School Clipper Productions hosted its annual fall play on November 15 and 16 at 7:00 PM. The play was called Shuddersome: Tales of Poe. Tickets were $2 for students and $5 for general admission.
The play was inspired by the works of the famous writer and Baltimore native, Edgar Allen Poe. At first some of the students were unfamiliar with Poe but they quickly gained interest when they learned more about Poe and his spooky stories.
“Production of the play was long, hard and rigorous.”, recounted lights operator, Kayla Cain. “At the start of the play everyone was like, ‘Edgar Allen Poe, who?’. And now the crew were definitely more interested in the play.”
On opening night, the student performers were excited and a little bit nervous.
“I am just praying that I remember my lines and hoping that everyone else remembers their part.”, said actor Caleb. “I hope it goes well and I’ll do the best I can.”
The first story was a very creepy story. The main character started greeting a girl every morning and being nice to her, but then quickly her thoughts shifted and she started to get thoughts of killing her. Eventually she actually did it. One night she killed the girl in her sleep. The next day the police showed up and arrested her and took her away.
The second story was a beautiful one but a creepy and nerve-racking one. It started off as a painter wanting to paint a girl because she was beautiful. But the artist was taking her soul and putting it into the portrait. Actors would dance around, grab little parts of her soul and return it to another painting with another girl being given life while the first girl was losing her life.
In another story, there was a village and nobody who lived there had a nose but one. He was praised for having a nose that no one else had and one day they took him to see the prince and the prince called him ugly and funny looking. When people found out what the prince had said, they stopped praising him. Everyone hated his nose after that. His own father was disappointed and turned him away.
In yet another story, there was a prince who locked his gates to escape from a very dangerous plague, but one day he decided to throw a masquerade ball. Each room in his house was decorated with a single color. He showed his guests around. The first room was blue, the second was purple, then green, orange, white, violet, and finally the last room was black with red windows and an ebony clock. When the clock struck midnight a new guest appeared with the face of a corpse. The guests were afraid but the prince was angry. They went into the other rooms but the strange guest found them. When they tried to get the prince to help, they realized he was dead and they all died a gruesome death.
In the post play interview the cast and crew said the play went about as well as they expected, with a few more mistakes that they would clean up for the next day’s show.
“[The] progression of the play was positive and attendance definitely improved as the play went on.”, floater Salem Garrett reflected. “I don’t know how the play will go [on the second night], but I know I’ll laugh a lot.”
Audience member and Patterson Press Editor Kylayah Davis said, “It was very funny, I didn’t really know what was going on but it seemed like they were having fun and I’m glad I came to support my friends.”
All in all, the show was great, filled with laughs, occasional mistakes, and lots of fun. The cast and crew are already looking forward to the next Clipper Production, which is scheduled to take place in the Spring of 2024.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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