Category Archives: Arts (Visual Art & Music)

Patterson hosts Black History Night show

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by Kylayah Davis

Patterson High school hosted a Black History Night show on Wednesday February 28th. The event was organized by Mr. Fowler with performances from Patterson’s newly established Performing Arts Academy. 

In total, the Performing Arts Academy put on three shows in honor of Black History Month: two during the day on Tuesday, February 27th during 2nd and 4th period for students who made Honor Roll and Principal’s List, and then another event on Wednesday evening for families at 6:00 PM. The hosts would like to extend a thank you to all those who came out to support our young creatives and their hard work during the stormy weather on Wednesday night. 

The show opened with the Black national anthem (“Lift Every Voice and Sing”), followed by introductions and a welcome message by the man who produced this great show, choir director Mr. Fowler.

After this opening, a song called Siyahamba was performed by the choir called while student performers danced to the music. This dance was the debut of Patterson’s newly established dance program under the direction of Mr. Kwame and our modeling troupe under Coach Z. After this, the band went on to play “Wade in The Water”, a negro spiritual code song with solos by Korey Spruill and Christian Yates. The Show was split into four sections representing four key elements of Black culture: style, movement, gestures of dismissal, and music.

The style portion hosted by 10th grade student Araya Brinkley featured Patterson’s newly formed modeling troupe. The troupe performed a dance to the song “They Don’t Really Care About Us” by Michael Jackson and showcased African American fashions from multiple decades. 

The show also featured the poems, “I too am America” By Langston Hughes, performed by Micah Mcdonald and Caleb Johnson, and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou performed by Dinea Griffin, Octavia Caldwell, Tynazia Burgess, Tammie Gordon, Syniah Rawlings, and Demi Hines.

Christina Johnson showed her art which featured representations of Black girls. Cristina created four works of art for this collection:

  • Buttons for hair – Uses actual buttons to represent the kinky coils of Black hair 
  • Perm at home – Shows a Black girl getting a perm at home to fit Western beauty standards
  • Solitude – Showcases the loneliness of Black girls in ballet 
  • Damage – a representation of the words Black girls have heard or experienced because of their natural hair

The musical portion of the show was a fan favorite and was hosted by Mr. Fowler. This section showcased quick lip sync performances by students representing different genres of music, including R & B, HipHop, and Rap, with songs by The Temptations, Mary J. Blige, New Edition, Tupac, and Biggie.

“I’m Goin’ Down” was performed by Tynazia Burgess, “Hit ’Em Up” was performed by Sincere Bartfield, “Juicy” was performed by Charles Goodman, “Billie Jean” was performed by Caleb Williams, and “My Girl” was performed by Zion Woods, Devon Brown, Tyshawn, Aaron Washington and La’ron Howard.

To conclude the night, the choir sang the song “Glory”, featuring the band, with instrumental solos by Kylayah Davis and Winner Mbenga and vocal solos by Jeanette Giles, Octavia Caldwell and Sincere Bartfield. “Glory” was made for the movie Selma which depicted the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, where African Americans and their allies marched for voting rights and an end to discrimination. 

The show was so well received that students wished for another one. Many students hope that we can make this an annual tradition with even better performances in the years to come. Once again, the organizers of this event would like to extend a thank you to all who helped with the production of the show. Finally, a special “thank you” to everyone who came out to support the show, and please come out to support more events from our Performing Arts Academy.

Clipper Productions brings Poe’s “Shuddersome” tales to life with dramatic performance

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By Jamira Ellison

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.

(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)

Drama Club performs unique adaptation of Snow White

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By Deontay Blackwell

The Patterson High School Drama Club, led by Mrs. Ritter, portrayed the story of Snow White on its opening night on April 27 at 7 PM. Mrs. Ritter, the cast, and the stage crew all worked hard over the 3 months of rehearsing. In between times of rehearsing the people behind making props were people from different classes of the art teachers and outside help. Beforehand Patterson had no costume for the play and Mrs. Ritter had to make and buy costumes but with the school help and money coming out of her own pocket to make this incredible play happen. Overall, the people behind the play were mostly Freshmen and Sophomores along with some Juniors and Seniors. For many, it may have been their first time performing in or assisting with a play.

The main character in the play, Snow White, was played by Jazzy Blessett–a sophomore. This play featured a different portrayal of the story of Snow White than the Disney version most people are more familiar with, with comedic aspects ranging from sarcastic new lines to recreating a popular dance from the platform TikTok. With a different portrayal of the story, there comes a new perspective focusing on the Evil Queen from the story with the leading actor Jenny Beanszsz  giving an outstanding performance of this version of the character. A new character not seen in the original was the dancing chicken, a best friend of Snow White played by Salome Birindwa with the stunning costume and eventfully doing a popular dance on Tik Tok, usually to the music “Her Way” with Snow White. The play itself came in two acts with an intermission for selling snacks and drinks with the money from that and the ticket sales to put into future projects next year. 

All of this could not have been possible without the director Mrs. Ritter and Ms. Weygant as co-director both working hard on ensuring that the acting and the technical aspects of the play all went smoothly for the second ever play in the new building. There was an encore performance of the play the following night, which was also a big success. A special thanks to the crew members who were working backstage and the people in the sound booth keeping the lights on this play.

Shout out to the cast:

  • Salome Birindwa (ACTRESS 2/DANCING CHICKEN)
  • Jayzanay Blessett (SNOW WHITE)
  • Jenny Beanszsz (ACTRESS1/WITCH/QUEEN/OLD WOMAN/DOOFY)
  • Re’Mya Spence (ACTOR 1, TREE #1/KING/TEACH)
  • Joy Conde (NARRATOR 1/QUEENS GUARD/TIMID)
  • Maiyia Oliver (ACTOR 2, MIRROR, GROUCHY)
  • Joann Conde (NARRATOR 3/TREE 2/QUEENS GUARD/SNOOZY)
  • Myaira Jones (TREE 3/ GLEEFUL/ HANDSOME/ PRINCE)
  • Nalia Jenkins (GESUNDHEIT)

And the crew:

  • Araya Brinkley (RUNCREW)
  • Kayla Cain (STAGE MANAGER/LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR)
  • Estrella Cardenas (RUNCREW/PROPMASTER)
  • Kaleif Mumford (RUNCREW/PROPMASTER)
  • Kendall Shaw (RUNCREW/PROPS MASTER)
  • Amira Plummer (RUNCREW/CURTAIN OPENER)
  • Salem Garrett (PROPS MASTER/RUN CREW/STAGE MANAGER)
  • Kevin Allen (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)

A blast from the past: Fashion inspired by history

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Students in Ms. Tucker’s cosmetology class created hairstyles, makeup and nail designs inspired by several different cultures and time periods from history.


1. The Middle Ages

We were inspired by the Middle Ages.  Why, one might ask?  Because this age falls between Classical Antiquity and the Renaissance Period (A.D. 476~1450), we wanted to see how the previous and the following era influenced the Middle Ages.  “Madam Butterfly” was created as a result of us demonstrating the towering hair styles from the Middle Ages which were considered very flattering and elegant.  This striking presentation was accented with complimentary nail color bringing this look into the twenty-first century. 

-Mo-Yah Jones Benjamin, Author

-Olga Reyes Villanueva, Contributor


2. Victorian Age

In the Victorian Age (1837-1901), women preferred a more soft and natural look.  Because of her fair skin and blonde hair, we decided to use earth tones both with her make-up and nail color.  Women from the Victorian Age pinched their cheeks to create a natural blush effect.  When wearing subtle makeup, earth tones such as dark chocolate nail color is very complimentary.  Her overall look, including her conservative hairstyle, is perfect for a professional woman.

-Bryonna Butler: Author

-Bre’Asia Thomas, Aislinn Garcia: Contributors


3. The Greek Culture

Hairstyling became a highly developed art in the Greek culture (~500 B.C.).  “The Mermaid” reflects the Greek contributions to beauty because of her curly locks and hair accessories.  We used shells to create a decorative hair clip emphasizing her soft waves.  We used multi-colored loose glitter that could be mistaken for such minerals as chalcopyrite, epidote and apatite to mimic the colors and textures of fish scales.  The Greeks used lavish cosmetics made from ground cinnabar (an orange to brick-red mineral) and kohl around the eyes creating what we now call the ‘smoky eye’. 

-Shauna Key, Author

-Meylin Diaz, Co-Author

-Beontae Carter, Contributor

-Dayonna Ckyyou, Contributor


4. The Egyptians

The Egyptians were very innovative with their creativity.  They used minerals, insects and berries for makeup. That’s amazing!  Don’t you think? Not only that, they used henna paste to stain their nails red.  Red is the color of power, so we painted the mannequin’s nails fire engine red and applied the same color to her lips.  The Egyptians were the first to cultivate beauty in an extravagant fashion, which is why they used a lot of jewelry in their hair.   Wearing jewels was believed to protect the owner and give them strength.

-Adamary Reyes, Author

-Arnyah Brown, Contributor


5. The Chinese Culture

Throughout the Chou Dynasty (1100 B.C.), gold and silver nails were  strictly reserved for royal family members.  The color purple is also associated with luxury, power, and ambition. Naturally we selected our home football team to create our Ravens Girl a.k.a. Ms. Jackson #8. Not to overdo it with the gold, we incorporated silver glitter with her purple nails.  We also used clip-in hair streaks, colored hair spray and gold hair accessories to complete her look.

-Shayla Jackson, Author

-Ariell Hayes, Co-Author

-Luz Amaya, Contributor

-Ayslinn Garcia, Contributor

Back to School Night brings smiles to Patterson faces

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By Hailey Shifflett

Ms. Williams and the band as they are walking in to perform at Back to School Night (Photo: Patterson Press)

Patterson High held its 9th annual Back to School Night and Community Fair on September 26th from 5-8 pm in the school cafeteria. There were many things to do and many more things to see. From belly dancers to our own marching band’s performance, Back to School Night was a fun time.

Patterson has multiple groups and clubs that you can participate in during or after school. Back to School Night introduced students and their families to the teachers and organizers that host many different clubs. There were many tables for clubs like Art Club, the Student Government Association, the Patterson Press, etc along with a number of other groups from the community. Everyone who attended enjoyed Back to School Night, including some parents.

Ms. Ciera Garner, mother of Destiny Garner, remarked, “I love this Back to School Night. It is a lot of fun and I love how they have music too. My favorite event so far is the band performance.”

Not only parents enjoyed it, but students did too. Moussa Bombwe, a tenth grader, felt that Back to School Night was “good.” His favorite table was Soccer Without Borders, one of the groups that were featured at the event.

Some more clubs and groups at Patterson are SGA, run by Adam Sokolski, a social studies teacher, Roberta’s House, and Empowering Minds.
The SGA is the Student Government Association, The SGA’s goal is to teach student leadership, and to work with SGA all around Baltimore, and to work on teamwork skills. Also, in the past the SGA went to City Hall.

Roberta’s House is a family support group. They have multiple programs that help both parents and children for family loss (death, deportation, missing, etc.) Also, they help mothers with child loss (miscarriage, child died, etc.) They work here at Patterson and any student can join. Lastly, There is Empowering Minds. They are also a support group which has therapeutic counseling and talks to you about your problems, mental health, and many other things.

Mr Benton, Patterson’s principal, also shed light on what he thought about the Back to School Night. “I’m always excited about the Back to School Night. It doesn’t matter about the amount of people that come, but the smiles on their faces.”

His favorite event of the night was the band’s performance and the people enjoying the band’s performance as well. He’s appreciative for the adults that help out at Patterson and spend their own time with students to make new and exciting clubs. Mr. Benton loves all of the Back to School Nights because people showed up and had a good time and he is grateful for that.

Overall, Back to School Night was a good time. People had fun and enjoyed themselves. Some joined new clubs or met new people. Back to School Night was a way for the community to join together and forget, even for a second, the problems that might be going on in their lives. Their main focus was to just have a good time. And that is what Back to School Night is all about.

A collection of some of the groups that were featured at Back to School night (Photo: Patterson Press)
Our principal, Mr. Benton, showing that he is even having a good time (Photo: Patterson Press)

African dancers celebrate Black History Month at Patterson

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Dancers and SGA members (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Sartre Ndebaneza

Patterson High School hosted a group of Imani dancers on February 24, 2017, to celebrate the history of African Americans as part of Black History Month. It was an exciting event that Patterson High School students enjoyed, as they have testified. “I liked the dance and music. It was fantastic.” a Patterson student, Jonas, said.

The group performed a variety of songs and dances in the auditorium. All of the songs performed had a different story to tell and dancers wore different clothes to illustrate the message of each song. Imani dancers began with African traditional songs and dances, which showed African culture before slavery. Dancers were wearing clothes made of grass. Other songs performed were to honor Black activists who fought for freedom, and other songs were to recognize the part religion played to help African Americans express their opinions and feelings through music. When they started dancing in African style, the audience screamed and turned around to look at their immigrant classmates.

It was surprising to see those young dancers perform varieties of songs that awaken the spirit of unity in young generations. In conclusion, the leader of Imani dancers left a message of hope and love to the audience. “We have come together like never before,”  said the leader of Imani dancers, Eme Funderburke. The performance wasn’t only for fun, but also recalled the history of African Americans. The Imani dancers announced their next trip will be to Ghana, in Africa.

 

Patterson band performs at City Festival

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(Photo: Ms. Williams)

(Photo: Ms. Williams)

By Lionell Green,

The Patterson band had been working hard all semester to perfect their songs, and they took their talents to City College High School on March 29, where they were in the yearly City Festival with several schools, including Carver and a couple of middle schools. It was not really a competition; it was more like a showcase of skills.

It was very entertaining to see the band do great in another setting. Multiple other schools praised Patterson’s band and the three judges were impressed. They played a total of three songs called “The Thunderer,” “Aftershock,” and “Chillaxin.”

Ms Williams was asked, “How did you feel about your band traveling to another school to play? She responded, “Traveling to City High School was  an amazing opportunity for our students to showcase their musician skills that they acquired during the year. They got to experience listening to other bands and perform their best at the City Festival! As their teacher, I am proud, but as a musician I’m even prouder.”

Here are some of the comments from the judges:

“Very strong playing today!”

“Good job with a small ensemble!”

“Let me congratulate the bands from Carver, Reginald, and Patterson;  I personally thought your students had great performances.  Many times even the students get wrapped up in the sizes of the group or the ability of the players, but I thought your groups were confident, well-rehearsed, and committed to making you proud.”

 

 

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