Category Archives: Academics

Psychology with Mr. Baron

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Photo: Physicsworld.com

By Jessica Branch,

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. A Psychology class is being taught here at Patterson High School by Mr. Baron in room 216. Throughout the course, students learn the basic fundamentals of Psychology while digging deeper into the brain.

One of the most popular projects Mr. Baron has done with the class is called the ESP Project. ESP stands for Extrasensory Perception. ESP or Esper, also called sixth sense, includes reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The project was a test to show students that some people may have the talent to read other people’s minds and to tell them things about themselves that they couldn’t have possibly known. It was also a well-liked project in the class because it was out of the ordinary.

E.M.T. seniors visit Fire Academy

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EMT students get hands-on experience (Photo: Patterson Press)

When they are not visiting the fire academy, EMT students practice their skills in the classroom (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Christian Pietrowski and Morgan Mccaffity,

Every Wednesday and Thursday, the seniors in the E.M.T. (Emergency Medical Technician) pathways at Patterson, Vivian Thomas,  Douglass and Dunbar go to the Fire Academy on Pulaski Highway to learn E.M.T and fire training. This program prepares students for a career as an E.M.T. or firefighter after high school.

Baltimore City has been wanting to do this program for years but the funding just wasn’t there. This is the first year the City has done this. Once, when students went to the Academy, they did hands-on learning, which was learning how to do suctioning.

The day before winter break, the E.M.T. students worked with kids from Armistead Elementary School as well as another school to show the younger students what goes on. The event helped to build community-based relationships. Lionell Green, a student in the program, said, “It helps me prepare for when I graduate to become a EMT and helps me get a good paying job.”

The City hopes this program goes on for years to come.

Does Patterson have what it takes to become a “Top 500” school?

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(Photo: Mikal McCoy, Patterson Press)

Will Patterson High School become one of the top 500 high schools in the U.S.? (Photo: Mikal McCoy, Patterson Press)

By Sartre Ndebaneza,

For more than 5 years, Patterson High School has had a goal of being ranked in the top 500 best high schools in the country, as rated by the magazine U.S. News and World Report.

Some seniors at Patterson don’t believe in this academic goal that Mr. Benton and the school staff have set. They refer to Patterson’s reputation and performance, and compare them to the schools that are on the list of Best High Schools in the country for 2016. According to these students, Patterson’s goals are unrealistic.

“We gonna die of old age before that happens,” one senior at Patterson said of the goal. Discipline problems, low attendance, and poor academic performance on state and national assessments are still issues at Patterson. Patterson High School was unranked in the 2016 national ratings.

Mr. Benton insists that Patterson has the potential to be one of the top 500 schools in the country. (Photo: Faran Nadeem, Patterson Press)

Mr. Benton insists that Patterson has the potential to be one of the top 500 high schools in the country. (Photo: Faran Nadeem, Patterson Press)

However, regardless of these challenges, Mr. Benton, principal at Patterson High, who has served the school for almost 6 years, believes that Patterson has improved already. He stated that “we are no longer identified as a turnaround school,” which is a big step for Patterson High School.

Mr. Benton is optimistic about the future of the school, but many students’ views are antithetical to the principal’s. Students see it as an impossible goal to achieve. The rank is based on student performance, but Patterson still needs to invest a lot of effort to improve school issues, including food fights in the cafeteria, security and student motivation. Students who attended Patterson for four years say hope for a better Patterson is an unbelievable thing.

“Things are getting worse every year. Students are misbehaving, racist, and don’t want to study,” Natasha Abrev Moran, a  senior at Patterson High School, said.

In spite of the pessimism of many students, Mr. Benton is ready to challenge students and teachers in order to achieve Patterson’s goals. “We need teachers’ commitment and students collectively to improve academic success.” Mr. Benton said.

So what specifically does Patterson have to do to qualify as a “top 500” school? In order for any school to participate in the elimination process they must meet specific criteria established by U.S News and World report and North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm. There is a four step process for determining which schools will be considered for the list:

  1. The school must be performing better than statistically expected for students in that state.
  2. The school’s disadvantaged students – black, Hispanic and low-income – must be outperforming disadvantaged students in the state.
  3. The school must meet or surpass a basic benchmark for its graduation rate.
  4. Schools that make it through the first three steps are judged on their college-readiness performance (based on Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test scores).

19 schools in Maryland made the top 500 list in 2016, although none of them were in Baltimore City.

As the saying goes, if your dream doesn’t scare you, know that it is not big enough. Patterson High School’s leaders have already crossed that limitation off their minds. They are determined to make Patterson a “Top 500” school, even if it may take many years to achieve. The journey is long to reach the goal, but Patterson is making changes for the better every day.

To read the 2016 “Best High Schools” report, visit http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools .

U.S. News and World Report ranks the top 500 schools in the United States each year. (Photo: US News and World Report)

U.S. News and World Report ranks the top 500 schools in the United States each year. (Photo: US News and World Report)

 

Students create Japanese tea bowls

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Some of the finished Japanese tea bowls that Mr. Pesa's students made (Photo: Patterson Press)

Some of the finished Japanese tea bowls that Mr. Pesa’s students made (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Alvaro Flores-Villegas,

Mr. Pesa’s World History students made Japanese Tea bowls out of clay and decorated them in October with Ms. Holter as part of an arts integration project. The students were learning about the history of Japanese culture and how the tea bowls were very essential in history. The old tea bowls were actually made from clay.

After the students learned about the bowls, they actually made the bowls out of clay. So the next day the students went into the art classroom. Ms. Holter, who is one of the art teachers at Patterson, helped them all make the bowls out of clay and decorate them in the process. So Ms. Holter made the clay hard by putting them in a kiln. A kiln is a special type of oven made for making ceramics. After the students painted the bowls she put them back into the kiln to give the paint a glossy appearance.

“My experience with the bowl was nice because I got to try and make one like the Japanese did theirs back then”, reflected Aisha Alavez, one of the students who participated in the project.

Mr. Latanishen’s World History students also worked on an arts integration project with Ms. Holter around the same time. Their project involved making cuneiform tablets out of clay using symbols that the students created.

These projects overall were quite enjoyable to the students because they got to learn about art and world history all together. Mr. Pesa, Ms. Holter, and Mr. Latanishen plan to work together on more arts integration projects like this one in the future.

(Photos: Patterson Press)

Zeta team upset after STEM loss

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The winning team at the STEM competition

The winning team at the 2016 STEM competition (Photo: Christian Pietrowski, Patterson Press)

By Alvaro Flores-Villegas,

Students competed in the 2016 STEM competition on November 11th. The STEM competition is an annual event at Patterson that involves challenges based mainly on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Students from all cohorts were getting in their teams as they prepared for that day. One team called the Zeta team, which consisted of Amadou Bah, Edward Torres, Yamen Khalil, and Nan Wang declared that they were going to win 1st place in the whole competition. “I already had a spot to put the trophy in my room and dreamed to have my first STEM trophy before I graduate”, said Amadou Bah.

Yet at the end of the competition, the Zeta team did not win first, second or even third place. Rather than accepting the loss, Bah has accused Mr. Yates of rigging the competition. Mr. Yates is the main teacher in charge of organizing the STEM competition. Bah finds it difficult to believe that a younger, less experienced team could beat his team of seniors. He also points to the fact that the winning students were all students from Mr. Yates’ engineering class. Bah alleges that Mr. Yates showed favoritism by letting his own students win the competition. Edwin Torres, another member of the Zeta team, agrees with Bah. “When the winning teams were being rewarded, everyone was caught by surprise on who took first place”, Torres told the Patterson Press.

In response, Mr. Yates said, “the judges were volunteers from various Engineering or other STEM Businesses and Universities. I had no influence on their scoring; they simply followed the event instructions and rubric which all students had access to”. Mr. Yates pointed out that the STEM competition has a long history of upsets, including one year when a team of ninth graders beat all the upper grades.

“The STEM Competition is not about rote knowledge, but about creativity and applying STEM knowledge and skills in a new setting. So even inexperienced teams can bring their creativity and problem-solving skills to bear”, Mr. Yates explained. Unable to resist a little trash-talking, Mr. Yates added, “My students are the best; that is why they won! Unlike the [Presidential] election that same week, the STEM Competition was not rigged!”

In conclusion, I was really shocked myself when I competed in the competition and found out we were not the winners, but at the end of the day we had a good laugh and just accepted it. It was a close game after all!

The industry partners who served as judges during the STEM competition Photo: Christian Pietrowski, Patterson Press)

The industry partners who served as judges during the STEM competition Photo: Christian Pietrowski, Patterson Press)

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(Photos: Christian Pietrowski, Patterson Press)

Interview with Ms. Ball about VEX Robotics Competition

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A student works on his robot. (Photo: Patterson Press)

A student works on his robot. (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Brian Clark Jr.,

Below is an interview with Ms. Ball about the VEX Robotics Competition.

Patterson Press: Why do you do this competition for the students? 

Ms. Ball: The reason I do this competition for the students is to teach them problem solving, communication and programming skills. In addition to learning about engineering, students are able to interact with each other in a positive manner while applying Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) concepts.

Patterson Press: Who can participate?

Ms. Ball: Anyone can participate. We welcome students, parents, and staff.

Patterson Press: What made you want to start a Robotics Club in Patterson High School?

Ms. Ball: The reason I wanted to start a Robotics Club at Patterson High School is because at my old school, we had a VEX team and a FIRST Robotics team. So, when I came to Patterson, we were able to implement a VEX team with the resources we had. The students were able to engage the robotics concepts right away so the program grew.

Patterson Press: What do the students do with the skills they learn from the Robotics Club?

Ms. Ball: They use the skills to improve robot designs and to increase their gaming skills and/or to learn about engineering.

Patterson Press: Do any of the students go on to college to study robotics or engineering?

Ms. Ball: Yes. Several of the students in the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering Program use robotics to get scholarships to pay for college. Last year, two PLTW students in the robotics club got over $170,000 in scholarship money. They both are studying engineering and computer science in college.

Patterson Press: How many students are on the robotics team?

Ms. Ball: Right now there are 15 students who come on a regular basis. A lot more are interested, but we don’t have the resources to support more students. Though students work in teams of two and three, at some point they should be able to build their own robots, not to just learn about the concepts. We are writing grants to fund our club, but until we get more resources we have to turn some students away.

Patterson Press: How many faculty members help with robotics?

Ms. Ball: Everybody at Patterson supports our robotics team, but currently only two teachers (Ms. Ball and Mr. Funk) runs the program. We would like to have more teachers attend the club meetings to help the students.

 

Students testify at MTA bus pass hearing

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Students and parents lined up testify against recent changes to the MTA student bus pass (Photo: Brian Clark Jr., Patterson Press)

By Amadou Bah,

Students, teachers, parents and others attended a public hearing on Thursday, January 5th to testify to City Council about the need to extend the MTA student bus pass to 8:00 PM. The hearing took place at Frederick Douglass High School at 4:00 PM.

Until this school year, students were using S-PASS, which allowed users to ride the MTA bus for free between from the hours of 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. The S-PASS allowed for multiple rides throughout the day, making it possible for students to go from home, to school, to after-school activities and back home again.

However, with the new “One Pass”, this has changed. The current contract between the school district and the MTA limits the hours students not taking part in school-sanctioned activities can ride the bus for free, cutting it from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. In reality, this is also impacting many student athletes as well as students who participate in after-school clubs like Coding Club, the Patterson Press, Chess Club and many others.

Many critics of the new MTA policy believe that the changes are being implemented in order to save MTA money. However, Sean Adgerson, deputy chief operating officer at MTA, denies this. In an interview with ABC2 News, Adgerson asserted that “any suggestion that the MTA has changed its S-PASS policy to save money at the expense of Baltimore City’s school children is simply inaccurate”. Adgerson told ABC2 News that MTA has created a process for the school system to provide bus fare for after-school programs.

Despite these assurances, students participating in non-athletic after-school clubs at Patterson are still not being provided with any additional bus fare and often have to leave their activities early to ensure that they get on the bus before 6:00. With a dismissal time of 3:35 PM, after-school programs at Patterson often do not start until 4:00 or later. Also, many Patterson students live far from the school and have to transfer busses multiple times. This makes it necessary for some students to board a bus after 6:00 PM if they stay for an after-school activity.

Additionally there is the issue of students who work after school or participate in other activities outside of school, such as volunteering, buying groceries for their families or spending time at a community center or a place of worship. MTA officials insist that this is not their concern. “Our contract was always designed to take kids to and from school and school related activities, not for jobs, not for those other things,” Adgerson said to ABC2 News.

Students and teachers stated their opinions about the bus pass issue at the City Council hearing and elsewhere.

“It’s really a shame that students are not able to ride the bus for free between the hours of 6 am and 8 pm as they were in the past”, said O’Brien Bobbi, an English 1 teacher. “I also think that there are a lot of problems with how the new S-Pass policy was rolled out to the schools because the first we’ve heard about it–well, the first I’ve heard about it–was when students were struggling and didn’t know that the bus pass stopped working at 6pm. I hope this problem will be fixed soon”, she said.

Nathan Nieves, a sophomore from Patterson High School, talked about having to leave Casa de Maryland’s Mi Espacio program early every day. “I’m trying to do my part by seeking out the positive, by learning how to help my community. I hope Baltimore City does their part too, to make sure I get home safe”, he said.

A Patterson student named John Dingzon commented on this issue, stating, “It’s really unfair for students that have after-school activities and don’t have enough time, due to this issue. Students that leave after-school activities wait at the bus stop and sometimes buses are running late.” Dingzon added, “When students get on the bus they’re expected to pay a fee of $1.70 which most kids don’t have and some bus drivers are rude and will not allow them on, due to this issue. All I want is that the new Bus pass be extended back to 8 or 9 pm.”

Dingzon had more to say but the City Council didn’t have enough time to hear him testify. A long line of students and parents who were still waiting to testify were turned away without getting an opportunity to speak. At 5:45 a member of City Council said, “Students need to be dismissed right now. City Council and MTA will try to find the best way to pass this bill”. Some members of City Council have pledged to fight until a new bill is passed and the bus pass for students is extended.

The hearing closed promptly at 5:50 p.m. so students could get that 6 p.m. swipe for the bus home, an irony that was not lost on the students and others who had come to the meeting to testify.

It remains to be seen whether City Council will figure out a way to get this issue resolved.

Patterson and NAF Students Help Create Prosthetic Hands For Those In Need

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Engineering students share the limelight with their teachers, Mr. Yates (left) and Ms. Ball (right)        (Photo: Northrop Grumman)By: Amadou Bah

By Amadou Bah,

Students from two Baltimore high schools (Patterson & National Academy Foundation)  had the chance to create prosthetic hands for children around the world. Both Mr. Yates and Ms. Ball selected six students to go on the field trip on Oct. 3, 2016.

Students from Patterson High School and National Academy Foundation (NAF), had the chance to pair up with volunteers from Northrop Grumman for a hands-on experience. The students had the guidance of one volunteer from Northrop Grumman for each table, with the exception of Amadou Bah, who had the guidance of two volunteers. All students also had the materials from 3D printers as part of a program that organizers said “keeps rapidly growing every year.”

Those involved in the program hope developing a prosthetic hand will not only change the life of the child that will use it, but also the ones that are assembling it.

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Prosthetic Hand Assembled by Students (Photo: Northrop Grumman)

The program is part of Manufacturing Week. Overall, 13 Northrop Grumman campuses across the country are doing the same project with students.

“Last year we did this event and we just loved it,” Ingrid Vaughn, vice president of manufacturing for Northrup Grumman, told WBALTV. “We were able to produce 160 hands, and we distributed them to Enabling the Future. So that was really a first-year big hit, so we are trying to do the same thing this year.”

When students are finished, the hands will go to a child in need anywhere in the world, thanks to the nonprofit, e-NABLE.

Queendom conference builds self-esteem in female students

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By Angela Rivas,

Patterson High School, Queendom, and the Family League of Baltimore joined in collaboration to take Patterson students and students from other schools to a conference at Morgan State University on December 9, 2016.. The purpose of this conference was to help teenagers build stronger self-esteem and to help them develop a strong sense of self-worth. The program was particularly for black and hispanic girls.

Students from Patterson’s Nail Tech program participated in the event along with other students from our school. During the event, students got to meet strong women who have had to overcome so many obstacles to get where they wanted to be. Also during the event each of the girls walked to the stage and received a crown, which represented them in how unique and valuable they are.

People these days say that we young girls don’t respect ourselves and that we are acting crazy. Some people might also say we won’t be able to get to anywhere we want. However, that is not true. We are capable of doing anything we put our minds to. Queendom helped young girls feel confident and good about themselves. The program motivated them and helped them to have a new mind-set. “I remember what one of the women at the event said”, recalled Any Corea, one of the students who participated in Queendom. “A rich woman is not how much she makes [but] how much she keeps”.

Queendom was a successful event. We had so much fun and we got out of there with a positive attitude. This program showed me that I’m able of doing anything; all I have to do is trust myself and work for it. No one is different. Sometimes we are judged by our race or skin color but at the end none of that stuff matters because I know that one day I’ll be a successful hispanic girl.

Journalism students create photo-essays

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Mikal McCoy takes a "worm's eye" shot outside of Patterson during the Wide Angle Youth Media photography workshop. (Photo: Patterson Press)

Mikal McCoy takes a “worm’s eye” shot outside of Patterson during the Wide Angle Youth Media photography workshop. (Photo: Patterson Press)

Students in Mr. Pesa’s journalism class created original photo-essays as part of a unit on photojournalism. Students chose a theme, took their own photos, wrote cutlines (captions), introductions and reflections, edited some of the photos in Photoshop, and created their own presentation websites on Weebly.com.

Many of these photo-essays are nature-themed because the students participated in a photography workshop from Wide Angle Youth Media where they went outside to do a photoshoot. Nonetheless, there are a variety of different themes reflected in this collection.

Mr. Pesa plans to print the photos out and hang them up in the hallway, as well as putting them on the digital monitor in the cafeteria. Some of the photos will also be featured in the upcoming print edition of the Patterson Press. Additionally, some of the photos may be selected for a travelling art exhibit sponsored by Wide Angle Youth Media.

Here are links to the finished photo-essays (in alphabetical order by title):

Graffiti (Alvaro Flores-Villegas)

Hard Work at Patterson High School (Mikal McCoy)

Let’s Go Hiking (Sartre Ndebaneza)

Light and Darkness (Dabria Brown)

Litter (Christian Pietrowski)

My Passion, God’s Creation (Faran Nadeem)

Nature (Morgan McCaffity)

Nature Before It’s Destroyed (Joselin Miranda)

The Beauty of Nature (Justist Rice)

The Human Effects on Nature (Marina Siebor)

The Pemco Factory (Amadou Bah)

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