Category Archives: Academics

How the pandemic is affecting teenagers

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By Meylin Diaz

The coronavirus that is known as COVID-19 is affecting teenagers in different ways, both emotional and physical. Coronavirus is also affecting families and those students that need special classes. Schools perform a lot of functions that go far beyond education. Schools provide a safe haven for students but also a social setting and for families with students with special needs, offering educational support.

Online learning in comparison is not the same as learning in a school.

“Online classes are different from regular school in that you are not physically present with other individuals apart from the class”, explains Mr. Benton, the principal of Patterson High School.

“Patterson is doing all that a school could or should do at this time. We are providing students a continuation of their education and have provided food and technology support to approximately 200 families”.

Patterson staff and students handed out food donations to hundreds of families. (Photo: Patterson High School)

During this quarantine, I feel stressed out and sad because I miss my regular life when I used to help others like my classmates. I miss my friends and being outside breathing fresh air. This pandemic has made me see that in these moments we have to be together as families but also as society and help one another because we can make this pandemic end if we stay at home and take the precautions that have been indicated. This is a great time to take stock of the things that we are doing to separate our families. My life will never be the same after this pandemic because I will take advantage of every moment in my life like that one will be the last one and take every opportunity that comes to my life.

Some other Patterson students also shared their feelings about the quarantine.

Ester Mumbala said, “This situation is making me feel sad, lonely and stressed out. I miss having a lot of fun with my friends like playing around every time. This experience has changed me by staying in one place and being alone. I think next school year will be very different.”

However, not all students are upset about the quarantine. Alexandra Artiga actually enjoys spending more time at home.

“This may be insensitive but I feel great. I finally get to stay home and spend all day with my animals and I always wanted online school classes. Now I don’t have a reason to go outside”.

At the same time, Alexandra is worried for other people who may be at risk. “What makes me upset is the people who still persist to go outside and put my mother’s life in danger when she goes to work and that terrifies me because she can get sick and I can even lose her forever.”

Some students said that they are feeling isolated during this time.

 “During this pandemic I feel isolated because everything is closed so there is nothing to do and I’m not able to go places”, said Shawn Greene. “This pandemic has made me see that this world could come to an end because I never thought this was ever going to happen and this is separating families.”

Ms. Randolph-Seward is a staff member at Patterson High School who helps students with their social and emotional well-being. “I think that social isolation not only affects the mental health of teenagers, but it affects the mental health of all people”, Ms. Randolph explained. “This social isolation is not by choice, but by circumstances and government decisions. This social isolation creates feelings of loss, loneliness, depression, and the inability to control what was once simple/accessible, which allowed us to pick the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW for our lives”.

Mr. Benton has some advice for how students can deal with negative emotions they might be feeling:

“Students can practice the things they’ve been hearing during our Mindful Moment time. Now is the time to use what has been provided- for times like these!”

When asked if he thought that things will ever return to the way it was before, Mr. Benton responded: “Things will never be the same after this pandemic because things aren’t meant to be the same. Change is the only constant, so it should be embraced.”

We are all doing our best to get through this crisis. Let’s stay safe and support one another so we can look forward to seeing each other again when the pandemic is over.

Patterson staff members surprised graduating seniors by personally delivering congratulatory signs to their homes. (Photo: Patterson High School)

Resumen de mi Vida (Spanish)

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Por Jeysi

To read this article in English, click here:

Yo soy una chica hondureña de 17 años, nacida el 27 de Septiembre del año 2002.

En mi familia somos seis.  Tengo dos hermanas y un hermano.

Cuando yo vivía en Honduras, nosotros teníamos vacaciones durante el año escolar.  En mis vacaciones mi familia y yo visitábamos a mis abuelos por parte de madre.  Nosotros manejábamos durante cinco  horas en automóvil para poder llegar hasta donde ellos vivían.

Cuando tenía cinco años entré a estudiar a la escuela primaria, no era de hablar con mis compañeros.  Yo prefería estar sola o estar a mi hermana. Completé mis  6 años de escuela primaria en San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Luego comencé la escuela secundaria en Honduras.  Cuando terminé el segundo año de mi escuela secundaria, mi madre decidió emigrar para Los Estados Unidos. Después que mi madre se fue, yo me quedé viviendo con mi padre y mis hermanos.

He tenido la oportunidad de lanzarme del canopy a los 14 años.   Fue el canopy más extremo de Centroamérica.  Está localizado en La Campa, Lempira de Honduras. También tuve mi fiesta de 15 años.  Fue una celebración pequeña con mi familia.   Meses más tarde me enfermé de gastritis, gracias a Dios mejore.

En el 2017 termine el tercer año de secundaria. Y, en el 2018 me cambié de colegio y entre a Preparatoria elegí mi Carrera que fue contaduría y finanzas; conocí nuevas personas las cuales son maravillosas e increíbles. También conocí a mi mejor amiga se llama Marlén, con ella salíamos de compras, salíamos a tomar un café, íbamos al cine, nos vitábamos, nos tomábamos muchas fotos, la pasábamos increíble estando juntas.

Tristemente, me informaron que mi tía tenía cáncer por todo su cuerpo y para enero del año 2019 lastimosamente falleció. Fue un golpe muy duro para mi vida emocionalmente, al fallecer  ella, yo entré en una depresión.  Yo no quería hablar con nadie, estuve en tratamiento por varios meses.  Yo estaba muy triste y me pasaba llorando la muerte de mi tía constantemente.  Yo necesitaba de mi madre, pero para mi mala suerte ella estaba lejos de mí.  Fue por esa razón que mi madre decidió traerme con ella a los Estados Unidos.

Dejé mis estudios en Honduras. En mayo salí de mi país rumbo a los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, caí presa en México y me deportaron para Honduras.  Algunos meses más tarde  nuevamente salí de mi país.   Esta vez mi padre me acompañó y logramos pasar gracias a Dios. Entonces pude reencontrarme con mi madre y conocer a mi pequeña hermana Génesis.

Tengo cuatro meses aquí en Estadas Unidos.  Estudio en Patterson High School.

Aunque estando con madre me siento mejor emocionalmente, me gustaría ir de visita a mi país para ver a mis abuelos y amigos que extraño mucho.  Pero,  luego volver con madre y estar con ella.

Recuerdo que en Honduras yo asistía a la iglesia Evangélica y Reformada.  Aquí he tenido la oportunidad de encontrar una iglesia similar a la cual asisto ahora. 

Una de mis metas desde la niñez ha sido graduarme de la universidad.  Confío en Dios que así sea.  

Summary of my life

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By Jeysi

Translated from Spanish by Ms. Jaen

Para leer este artículo en español, haga clic aquí.


I am a 17-year-old Honduran girl, born on September 27, 2002. There are six family members in my immediate family. I have two sisters and one brother.

When I lived in Honduras, we had vacations during the school year. On my vacations my family and I visited my grandparents on my mother’s side. We drove for five hours by car to get to where they lived.

When I was five years old, I started elementary school. I was very quiet and I did not talk to my classmates. I preferred to be alone or to be with my sister. I completed my 6 years of elementary school in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Then I started high school in Honduras. When I finished my sophomore year of high school, my mother decided to emigrate to the United States. After my mother left, I stayed with my father and my brothers.

I have had the opportunity to do a tree obstacle course at the age of 14. It was the most extreme tree obstacle course in Central America. It is located in La Campa, Lempira, Honduras. I also had my 15 year old party. It was a small celebration with my family. Months later, I got sick from gastritis; thank goodness I got better.

In 2017 I finished my third year of high school. Then, in 2018 I changed schools and I went to a different high school. I chose my career path in that school.  It was accounting and finance; I met new people who were wonderful and incredible. I also met my best friend. Her name is Marlén.  We went out shopping, we went out for coffee, we went to the movies, we had dinner, we took many photos together, and we had an amazing time together.

Sadly, I was informed that my aunt had cancer throughout her body.  She passed away in January 2019.  It was a very difficult time in my life, emotionally.   When she passed away, I got depressed. I did not want to speak to anyone. I was in a treatment for several months. I was very sad and I was constantly crying over the death of my aunt. I needed my mother, but she was far away from me. I felt that I was having a bad luck episode. This was the reason why my mother decided to bring me to the United States with her.


I stopped my studies in Honduras. In May, I left my country for the United States. However, I became a prisoner in Mexico and was deported back to Honduras. A few months later, I left my country again. This time my father accompanied me and we managed to pass to the United States, thanks to God. Then I was able to be with my mother and meet my little sister, Genesis.

I have been in the United States for four months. I study at Patterson High School.

Although I feel better emotionally with my mother now, I would like to visit my country. I would like to see my grandparents and friends, who I miss very much. But then again, I want to come back to my mother and be with her.

I remember that in Honduras I joined the Evangelical and Reformed church. Here I have had the opportunity to find a similar church that now I go to.  Graduating from a university has been my goal since childhood, and I trust in God that it will happen.

Change the path: Preventing school dropouts

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By Naomi Hodge


For generations now, people have lost interest in bettering their lives through education. It has been an issue faced by teens and has risen higher and higher throughout the years. Dropping out of school should never be an option if all school does is bring good things to a person and helps in gaining more knowledge of what is out in the world. We should all be trying to figure out why students feel the need to drop out and how do we get them to stay.

In 2018, the dropout rate for African Americans in the United States was at 16.2%, whereas the dropout rate for 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland was at 17%. One reason why kids turn to dropping out is because of family problems, whether it’s money or something worse. It could also just be that they simply lost interest in the educational system thinking that it wouldn’t be able to help them.

I want to educate people on why students feel the need to drop out of school before fully accessing all the knowledge they can in high school. But not only to tell them why kids drop out but also to help others find ways to get the students to want to stay and gain this important experience/knowledge they will need in their futures. I don’t want people to keep pushing away this problem but instead learn and change. Kids need to know that there are people looking out for them. Encourage students to join various after-school extracurricular activities. Some examples of extracurricular activities kids could join include school sports teams, club sports, community volunteering, and so much more. Not only school extracurricular activities but also ones provided by the community.

Schools should have a job fair for students that need work to help support
their families where they get introduced to different local jobs and learn how to write a resume. All kids should want to get an education, they should never lose interest in gaining knowledge.

Parents/guardians should check in with their child’s teachers to make sure they are engaged, but also check in with your child to make sure the teacher is giving proper information. Parents/guardians should also check on a school’s environment to make sure their child is well taken care of.

We rely on future generations to help the world become a better, safer place but that can’t happen without the knowledge of how to do so. No one seems to be discussing this very important topic and that need to change. We need to educate people on this issue before it is too late to fix. Pick the path that is better for you and for the people around you.

Naomi Hodge is a student at McDaniel College and a graduate of Baltimore City Public Schools.

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

School Stress

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by Hailey Shifflett

Have you ever felt stressed and you couldn’t talk to anyone about it? You are not alone. Everyone at some point in their life will be stressed about something and/or someone.

Students in high school can feel many sources of stress. From school work to relationship issues it can put a hold on anyone. Sure, we don’t have to pay bills or have a full time job, but students can deal with a lot too.

According to the website TeenHelp.com, five main things that can cause stress to a teenager are school work, parents, friends’ problems, romantic relationships, and drugs in the neighborhood.

A ninth grader here, Anallely Santos Velazquez, said, “I feel okay about school; it is just the work in most classes that stresses me out.”

Also, Angelina Anderson, another ninth grader, remarked, ” School isn’t that bad; I just don’t like waking up in the morning. But what stresses me out is not getting work, assessments, done on time or just not getting work done.”

There are many problems that come along with stress. Many symptoms can take a toll on your mental health and body, including upset stomach, chest pain, fatigue, headaches, etc. Also, you can develop anxiety and depression, restlessness and the feeling of being overwhelmed. (Source: MayoClinic.org).

Patterson has many many counselors, social workers or psychologists that you can come to so you can talk to them. Whether you’re feeling stressed or need anything else, you can come to them. One of the psychologist that is in Patterson is Ms. Gaither. She gave us some advice on how to deal with stress or what causes it in the first place.

“Well, to know what causes stress you have to know what it is. It is like anxiety; an alarm system. That is what anxiety is usually is. Many things can cause stress. Typically school, since we are in school, but there can be other factors like family stress or it could be biologically because everyone is different so stress might be different.”

So, many things can cause stress, but you can also be stressed on things that are home related, taking care of siblings, parents, chores, etc. Also, some students have jobs, so now they have more worries on their plate. But Ms. Gaither also gave us some advice on how to deal with stress.

“You can face your fears. For example if someone doesn’t like science, they will try to avoid it, but you’re going have to go to science at some point. So if you face your fear, it can be a stress reliever. You can go to coach class, ask for help or anything at all. It is about overcoming those barriers. You can talk to someone, like myself, teachers or other social workers. Talk to someone you trust. You can exercise, working on your mind and physical health.”

Those are some ways you can overcome stress.

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)

Refugee students from Congo adapt to life in Baltimore

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Opening ceremony of new PNC headquarters in Goma

Congolese families fleeing their villages due to fighting between the government and rebels groups (Photo: MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti)

By Asende Baele

At Patterson, there are refugee students from all over the world. Many of these students are from Congo, a country in central Africa.

The refugee students from Congo are coming to the United States because of they want a better life. In the Congo, they had a bad life: there was not enough food, they drank dirty water, and they did not have a good education. Their parents were farmers and they worked very hard to help them to pay for education, to buy food, and to pay for other basic necessities. If they were not plowing their fields all year they would not be able to buy anything. Wars have also been taking place in Congo and it is not safe to stay there. These are some of the reasons why young people from Congo are coming to United States.

One of the Congolese students, Luc Mtembezi, explains why he came to America. “I come here because in my country, my life–it was not a good one. I think it is important to me to be here. I needed education.”

Some people wonder why are all these refugees from different places  are coming to the United States. This is one of the reasons. But it is not easy to come to a new country and start over.

Nia Ramadhani, one of the refugees, explains the challenges she faced adapting to her new life as a student at Patterson: “My first day to come to school, I was so scared because it was my first day and I did not speak English. That was my problem, because some people come to ask me where I am from I was telling them, I don’t know. So right now I’m so excited that I speak English now.”

When refugees come here on the first day to go to school, it is hard for them to adapt or to understand. One of they English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, Ms Avellaneda, works with these students after school with the Refugee Youth Project to help them make this difficult adjustment.

“I really enjoy working with my students from Congo.”, Ms. Avellaneda explained. “Despite the fact that they have experienced difficult situations and hardship as  refugees, including learning how to adapt to US culture and life, they are very motivated and work very hard to learn English. They inspire me to work hard and always do my best. They also have a great sense of humor!”

All the refugees from the Congo work really hard to improve their language and they focus in class because they need to see a better future than the one they would have had if they had stayed in their home country.

Ms. Ball makes engineering class fun and exciting

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By Kayla Holeman

Ms. Ball and Mr. Yates won the Excellence Award at the Twenty-Second Annual Technology Education Excellence in Education Awards Program in February. (Photo: Ms. Ball/Mr. Yates)

We wanted to know more about engineering at Patterson High School and why should students take engineering classes so we interviewed the engineering teacher, Ms. Ball.

To me, engineering seems cool and fun. You learn a lot. I’m not even taking the class yet, but I will take it because I really like how it is. It seems interesting.

Engineering teacher Ms. Sharon Ball got inspired by luck because her recruiter from high school inspired her to get into engineering. She worked as an engineer on massive cruise ships and she loved it so she kept doing what she loves to do. Ms. Ball started working in the field of engineering 24 years ago.

In February, Ms. Ball and Mr. Yates received the Excellence Award at the Twenty-Second Annual Technology Education Excellence in Education Awards Program. Ms. Ball and her students have also won other prestigious awards over the last few years.

The engineering pathway has gone on a number of field trips, including visits to an engineering company, colleges, and a drum company. Ms. Ball loves to inspire students and to blow stuff up.

Ms. Ball’s advice is, “If you fall down to get back up.” I like this quote because you should never be scared to not get it right the first time. If you get it wrong, just keep trying; never give up. This is why I would like for engineering to be my pathway, because it’s just great in my opinion.

Ms. Ball seems like a nice, wonderful teacher and I can’t wait to have her and blow stuff up. If you have any questions about the engineering pathway at Patterson, then just go to Ms. Ball in 107, and she would be happy to answer anything you need about engineering. If you are into engineering, you should take this class because it seems pretty cool, going on trips and just learning new things. I would love to take this class next year. I can’t wait. It’s just going to be wonderful and if you are not sure what class to take but you want something like this, try it out because you are only going to know if you try.

Dante Wilds contributed to this article.

Patterson teacher participates in suicide prevention walk

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By Dasia Whitfield

Every year in Baltimore people walk to spread awareness and raise money to prevent suicide. This year’s walk took place at the Inner Harbor.

The walk, called Out of the Darkness, focuses on every age group from teenagers to senior citizens. About 1000 people were at this year’s walk. The awareness walk helps people who have lost people because of suicide or who have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts themselves. The walk helps people to feel comfortable talking to other people about what they are dealing with when they realize that they are not in it alone.

Ms. Marchewka, an art teacher at Patterson High School who participated in the walk, says that “the walk at the harbor brings awareness to people, it lets people come out and talk about their issues or experience and not be shameful”.

The website AFSP explains that suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and natural disasters combined. Yet suicide prevention doesn’t receive anywhere near the funding as other leading causes of death. It’s up to us to make a difference.

According to Ms. Marchewka, the experience is very uplifting. You should consider going next time if you believe in the cause. I would recommend the awareness walk to anybody, especially to the people that are actually going through the situation so they can be more comfortable talking about it. I would have them surrounded by people that could relate to them and have empathy.

Ms. Marchewka participates in the awareness walk every year because she has been around and witnessed situations that have occurred and she can relate because of the fact that she has lost many people in her family due to suicide. She also knows people that have dealt with anxiety and depression.

I think coming up with the awareness walk was a good idea because we never know what people go through and or how they feel, and this walk could really help a person and give them that positive idea and see things on the brighter side. This walk can open the eyes of a lot of people.

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