Category Archives: Academics

Refugee students meet after school

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By Dhan Bhattarai and Manisha Monger,

Refugee students who are here today at Patterson have a lot of opportunities to learn after school. The International Rescue Committee helps to provide support for these students through a group called the Refugee Youth Project (RYP). This program helps refugee students. The RYP meets every Tuesday and Wednesday and is open to all refugee students.

This program helps students to learn reading and writing skills, helps them with their homework and many other things. All the students who participate in the group enjoy spending time together after school. It helps them to learn more things and provides every student with basic knowledge that they need for success. For more information, see Ms. Harris in room 314.

To read this article in Nepali, click here.

Why do students use drugs?

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By Lithza Juarez,

Depression can be a common thing between teenagers. That may lead them to use drugs to make them feel good. Also, drugs and alcohol are the easy way out. Students are more likely to use drugs to solve their problems. They have the pressure of school work and then there may be problems at home or somewhere else.

Patterson high school is not an easy school, and there are a lot of wrong paths to take. Everyone needs an escape and most of the time, students will choose the easy way out. Teenagers always need to express their feelings and, in my opinion, anger or withdrawing and drugs offer both.  When a teenager is depressed, all they want is stop feeling whatever they are feeling. Alcohol and drugs are very dangerous, and sometimes there can be episodes in our lives that makes that behavior, though dangerous, the only solution.

Drugs may help the feeling stop but the feeling will come back, and at that point they will think that drugs are the way out. Parents, teacher, counselors, and friends can make a difference in a teenager’s life.

Para leer este artículo en español, haga clic aquí .

EMT students participate in fire department thrill show

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Patterson EMT students pose with Fire Chief Ford (left), Lt. Governor Anthony Brown (center) and EMT teacher Jason Casey (right) (Photo: Patterson High School Yearbook Committee)

By Dabreonna Waddell,

The Baltimore City Fire Department held its annual Fire Department Thrill Show at its training facility on Pulaski Highway on October 4th 2014. This thrill show has been an ongoing event put on by the department to gives the public a chance to see how and what the fire department really does.  The thrill show has been running for several years.

I along with several other Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students in the Patterson High School EMT program were invited and given the opportunity to participate in the thrill show. This was a very exciting experience and I had lots of fun. The opportunity gave me the chance to interact with children by doing arts and craft such as face painting, and demonstrating and modeling how firefighters suited up and wore fire turn out gear (fire equipment). We were able to interact with firefighters and fire apparatus.

While at the Fire thrill show, we also had the chance to meet and interact with new people, including the new fire chief Mr. Ford and also Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown who was running for Governor of Maryland at the time.

I believe going to this event has given me and the others a better opportunity at becoming an EMT because we met two these two important people now that they know our name and faces and see that we are very interested in this career and they may help us out in the long run with getting an EMT job.

This experience was very fun and interesting. It gave me a better understanding of how things are done and it also showed me what my EMT teacher, Mr. Casey, loves to do. I am very interested in coming back and helping out again.

 

A refugee’s story of hope

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Dhan Bhattarai, Patterson student and Nepali refugee (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Dhan Bhattarai,

A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disasters. Refugees are strong people because they have to survive many difficulties and hardships.

Some Nepali people lived in the neighboring country of Bhutan for many years. They were forced to leave the country in 1990. They lived in Nepal as refugees for about 22 years under the shelter of bamboo, plastic and tents.

I lived in a refugee camp in the eastern part of Nepal. The conditions were miserable and did not offer many opportunities. We did not have fresh food to eat, clothes to wear, adequate sanitation, health services, or even a place to sleep.  We did not have an opportunity to receive a good education due to our poverty. We must give thanks to God because, fortunately, we found UNHCR and CARIAS Nepal. These organizations changed our lives. These two organizations provide food shelter, clothes, plastic, bamboo and free English education to Bhutanese refugees.

The conditions were gloomy; our school was made of bamboo and plastic and our classroom was very small, and there were 42 students in one class. There I completed up through the eighth grade despite not having air conditioning or electricity. It was such a tough experience.

Some time had passed before the international organization for migration offered a third country resettlement program. Today we are here in this land of opportunity because of that organization. When we were in the refugee camp, we did not have any hope that life would get better. Yet today we have lots of hope to build a better future because we have a golden chance to study in an American high school and also we have a chance to become American citizens. If the U.S. government helps me to study on the college level then I will be very grateful because I’m very hopeful to accomplish many goals.

Chess team returns for another year of fun and competition

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Chess players ponder their next move (Photo: Joshua Carr, Patterson Press)

By Joshua Carr,

Patterson has a chess team. They meet on Thursdays after school at 3.35 in room 317 (Mr. Tola’s room). Students who do not know how to play chess will taught how to play. You do not need to have any experience to join the club.

Playing chess is fun for students and also helps them to concentrate better. The chess team will compete in two citywide tournaments: one in December and one in April. For more information, see Mr. Tola in room 317.

Mindful Moments program teaches students breathing techniques and more

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Students and Mindful Moments staff members practice breathing exercises in a circle (Photo: Shane Braden, Patterson Press)

By Nasheira Johnson,

Patterson High School has partnered with a group called the Holistic Life Foundation also known as the Mindful Moments Program to help students learn about their inner selves through breathing exercises, yoga and plenty of other methods.

The Holistic Life Foundation is a Baltimore-based nonprofit organization committed to nurturing the wellness of children and adults in undeserved communities. In the 2013-2014 school year members from the group contacted Mr. Benton to see if he was interested in the program. He decided that this program would be a great opportunity for not only students but staff as well.

This program is a great asset to our school. Not only are the methods from this program used at school but outside of school. In fact Mr. Benton practices these procedures from this program with him and his son every morning. He believes that these methods help better himself. The staff of the Mindful Moments Program who work at Patterson High School are very helpful. They talk to students about their problems and also give them advice.

I spoke with a few of the staff members from the program and asked them their opinions about the program. Sideaque is one of the staff members here who works at Patterson High School associated with the mindful moments program. She used to work at John Hopkins hospital and felt that she was no longer interested in the job she was doing, She then started applying to many places. Her goal was to work with younger people. One day she received a text message and was given an opportunity to work with the program. Sidaque believes that this program benefits all students. “We want students to change the world by changing themselves”, she told the explained. She encourages all students to try this program because it will help them do better and concentrate more.

Larry and Oba are two other associated with the Mindful Moments program at Patterson High School. They enjoy practicing the exercises with students in the room and sharing ideas with them. They had been practicing yoga for about thirteen years and decided that helping students better themselves would make their lives easier. Students in this program believe it is very helpful to them. This program keeps them from doing wrongful actions and leads them to be positive.

Latoya Morris is a student here at Patterson High School who believes this program is helpful.She says she comes here to get everything off her chest. Her goal is to master yoga. Before this program many students used to fight but now because of this program they are more relaxed. She recommends that all students here at Patterson should at least try to participate in the program.

For more information about the Mindful Moments Program please visit the Mindful Moments room right across from the nurses office.

Maasai Warriors Visit Patterson

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Masai warriors perform a traditional dance in the media center (Photo: Laxmi Magar)

by Rama Goloco

There were Maasai warriors dancing at Patterson High School in the Media Center on November 12 . All of the dancers were men, but they looked like women because their traditional clothing resembled dresses. They came from a country in Africa called Kenya. The mountain district called Kirinyaga is where the Maasai live. They are a popular and traditional culture.

The dancers wore traditional red hunter’s clothing like great warriors. They carried shields, staffs and other items from their culture. They were singing, dancing and jumping.  When they jumped, they made a roaring sound with their voices. They really know how to jump all way up to the top!

Their visit was a precious thing because it helped the students in the US to know about different countries in Africa. That day a lot of the students enjoyed the performance. It was a fun day.

 

Patterson hosts 4th annual community fair

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A youth percussion band performs at the Community Fair (Photo: Patterson Press)

by Xavier Williams,

Patterson High School held it’s 4th annual community fair and back to school night inside the school’s cafeteria on September 25 from 5:30 to 8:00. It was held to motivate students to help and support their school and get help from their community.

At the community fair there were different organizations sharing some services to students so they can help them be successful in the future. So many great colleges, companies and non-profit organizations came like, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center,  Morgan State University, Towson University and the University of Baltimore, New York life insurance and the Real Food Farm. One of the people that worked at the University of  Baltimore explained that they had come to the fair to “[recruit] students to come to the university and to inspire them to go to college”. There were more people from different groups that participated in the community fair, including a United States Marine who said he is looking forward to speaking with male and female students to help them become successful.

There was a belly dancer, flamenco dancer and hip hop dancers as well. The hip hop dancers were male students from Patterson who did an amazing  job performing at the fair.

I asked Mr.Benton,  “After seeing the laughter and happiness here at the community fair do you think that Patterson High School will be a top 500 school?” and he said he always believed Patterson High School would be a top 500 school and that the school strives for greatness.

I agree with that 100 hundred percent because we do strive for greatness and after seeing how great the fair turn out to be i’m just really proud of my school.this years community fair turned out to be a blast. Everyone enjoyed it, they danced they laughed and they ate. It felt like they were happy to be there and they had a great time. People who were at the fair expressed that next year’s fair will be even bigger.

CHECK BACK LATER FOR MORE PHOTOS (OR SEE THEM ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE NOW)!

Secretary “Mama” Jones vows to beat breast cancer

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Mr. Benton and “Mama” Jones (photo: Patterson Press)

When Patterson Principal Vance Benton and long-time secretary Linda Jones (known affectionately as “Mama Jones”) announced that they were having a “showdown” on Friday, October 17th, most teachers and staff members had no idea what to expect.

The “showdown”, as it turns out, was a contest to see who had the best bald head. As Mr. Benton showed off his shiny dome to a crowd of spectators in the Media Center, Mama Jones pulled off her head scarf to reveal that she too had no hair. She also revealed the reason: Mama Jones is battling with breast cancer and has lost her hair as a result of chemo-therapy.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States by the end of 2014. About 40,000 women in the U.S. will die from breast cancer by the end of the year. Yet there is also great cause for hope:  There are currently about 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

To raise awareness and money to combat this terrible disease, October has been declared National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On October 16th, students, teachers and staff wore pink to school to show their support for breast cancer awareness. Mama Jones’ announcement the following day brought the issue closer to home for many Patterson staff members.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mama Jones was upbeat and optimistic. “I’m gonna kick cancer’s a** before cancer kicks my a**!”, she declared to cheers and applause. Needless to say, Mama Jones won the contest with Mr. Benton, just as she has vowed to win her battle with cancer. After her announcement, dozens of teachers and staff members lined up to hug her and give her words of encouragement. Her daughter and grandchildren also came out to support her. Her daughter even shaved her own head in solidarity. Everyone in the Patterson “500” family admires Mama Jones for her courage and wishes her a speedy recovery.

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