Category Archives: Clubs and Organizations

Patterson chess team ties with Mervo

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A Patterson student (left) plays chess against a Mervo student (Photo: Mr. Baron)

“Patterson High Team Co-Captain Jeremaiah Lemmon (pictured on the left) plays Mervo’s top ranked player (Photo: Mr. Baron)

 

 

 

 

 

 

By John Dingzon

During their home game on March 21, 2017, the Patterson Chess team tied with Mervo.

Coaches Mr. Tola and Mr. Baron had trained the chess players and prepared them for what was coming.  All of their practices made the Patterson chess players look forward to this competition. Even though some chess players lost, they were still happy that they had the chance to participate in this competition.

Mr. Baron said, “I’m proud of how the team played. It’s a good reminder that every move in chess, just like in life, counts.”

RYP students visit National Geographic Headquarters

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Students who participate in RYP program with National Geographic staffs in Washington DC. (Photo: Ms. Kursten Pickup)

by Sartre Ndebaneza,

Students who participate in the Refugee Youth Project program went on a field trip to Washington DC on March 17 . The trip featured a tour of the headquarters of the National Geographic Society where students learned how experts in different fields use photos to express their messages.

National Geographic’s employees who work in the studio showed RYP students how they take some incredible pictures to illustrate ideas in magazines or to break down myths. One experience students benefited from was an explanation of the meaning behind a broken glass that contains water. The information that the broken glass with water gives is to tell people that the concept of drinking eight glasses of water a day is wrong. There is not any scientific proof that drinking eight glasses of water a day is beneficial.

After that, students took a tour of a building where they went to see the archives. Because all RYP students are from different countries, everyone got a chance to observe some historic photos taken in their countries. Another thing students got the opportunity to visit was National Geographic museum.

This field trip was a great experience for all the students who participated in it.

 

Code Baltimore teaches students how to program apps for Apple products

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(Image: Jonathan Bradley)

 

By Faran Nadeem,

Code Baltimore is an after school program at Patterson High School. The program is about learning the Apple’s official language, “SWIFT”.

The teacher is not from the our school. His name is Ian Han and he is a technology officer at Iron Forge. He teaches us how to code our own apps for Apple iPhones, iPads and Macintosh computers. He brings a MacBook Pro for every student, because of the fact that we can only code SWIFT on Apple products.  The program takes place every Wednesday after-school from around 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

So far we have made 3 apps in total with the assistance of Mr. Han. These apps we made were somewhat difficult to make but it did not take long to make them and they are useful. Then we were given 3 weeks to complete one app on our own by doing research. When the app is complete we will upload it to the Apple Store.

It is really interesting to have our own app on the app store where everyone can download it. I am working on an app with Amadou Bah and Yamen Khalil and I really want our app to be on the app store. Our app is a sticker pack in which there are different emojis and text and most interestingly we three have our own face emoji. Hopefully it will be done next week.

Coding is always fun when you know what to do and how to do it. I remember when I used to code for website development. I sat down in one spot and keep coding all day long because I knew what to do. Wednesday, March 29 is the last day of Code Baltimore, but there is another session that is starting about one week after the end of this session. Anyone who is interested in coding can join this program. It is free of cost and also you will get a certificate after you are done making your own app.

Journalism class visits Newseum

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By Alvaro Flores-Villegas,

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The Journalists Memorial remembers reporters who died in the line of duty (Photos: Amadou Bah, Patterson Press)

Students from Mr. Pesa’s journalism class along with students from several other classes participated in a field trip to the Newseum in Washington D.C. on March 24, 2017. The purpose of the trip was for the students to learn more about how the news is made, explore issues surrounding first Amendment freedoms and see the history of news back in the day through rare artifacts, hands-on exhibits and multi-media displays.

It took students and teachers several hours to explore the massive 7-story building, where they saw all kinds of news articles and other exhibits. One of the other things that students saw include a piece of the World Trade Center that was destroyed on 9/11, surrounded by news headlines and video footage captured by journalists during that tragic event. Another interesting thing students checked out was the virtual reality (VR) room where we could interact with the screens and see how virtual reality brings media to a whole new level. “It made it seem like I was in a video game. It was a wonderful experience”, said Amadou Bah, a student who tried out the VR goggles. Another room that really got a lot of students’ attention was a memorial for all the journalists that died doing their jobs.

Because there was so much to see, some students went off on their own to visit parts of the museum that others skipped over. A student named Faran Nadeem went into a 4-dimensional movie and shared his experience. “That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! I didn’t know technology can go so far.”,  Nadeem exclaimed. The movie contained the first woman journalist ever and a radio reporter who was outside when German planes were bombing London at night during World War 2.  Other students recorded themselves reading the news using a teleprompter and a green screen to make it appear like they were reporting live on the scene.

The field trip to the Newseum was such an amazing experience, not only for the journalism class but for all the other students who were not part of the class but will hopefully be in it next year.

Patterson’s newly formed baseball team

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By Christian Pietrowski,

The Patterson baseball team is off to its best start in years.

We started off with eight wins and three losses. The losses were really close games. The losses came from Baltimore City College twice and Dunbar once. The wins came against Mervo twice, Douglass, Digital, FAET, Edmonson West Side, Southwestern and New Era.

This season has been amazing. We have a team that has a lot of potential. There are two new coaches to the baseball team: Coach Martin and Coach Funk. They have been a great contribution to Patterson’s baseball team. The players all help each other to succeed. The Patterson baseball team helped improve the field to better its condition so we can actually play on it. Every player on the team contributes one way or another. The weather for this season has not been at its best with games being cancelled and having to practice inside, but the baseball team has toughened its way through the bad weather.

 

 

New student group brings different cultures together to solve school problems

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By Natasha Abrev-Moran,

There is a new group in Patterson High School called SPIRIT.  This group started on October 16, 2016 with about 60 students involved.  The meaning of SPIRIT is Students Problem Idea Resolution of Issues Together.  The purpose of this group is to bring different cultures together to find out the concerns they all have and find resolutions.

The  sponsors of this group are CASA de Maryland and Jamya Ceisa de Maryland. In the group, students are the leaders who talk about their concerns. These concerns involved school safety. They advocated for more security and fixing the alarm detectors. This issue was brought up to the principal who took action by hiring new security staff and stating he would look into resolving the detector problem.

Another issue many students are concerned about is safety before and after school. “Most students fear for their safety while on the bus. Thanks to the SPIRIT group, they will be working on fixing that and pushing to have a positive outcome,” said Margot Harris, ESOL department head.

SPIRIT meetings occur once a month, usually after school or during lunches in room 315. If you have any concerns or wish to join feel free to speak with Ms. Harris.

CyberPatriot competition teaches students cyber-security skills

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Image: Franklin County AFJROTC

Image: Franklin County AFJROTC

By Faran Nadeem & Amadou Bah,

CyberPatriot is a program in which students are given images (operating systems) that have some errors in it and we are supposed to secure them. As we secure the image we gain points each time and if we make it unsecured we will lose points.

This is an after-school program at Patterson High School although in many other schools they have a separate class about it. Our team name is the Cybernauts. The first competition of this school year took place on November 11th, 2016 and the competition was about 6 hours long, including the lunch break.

Two more competitions were held over the next two months. The competition is online and that is great so we can participate from our own school.

 

Patterson’s SGA represents at citywide student government meeting

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By Mikal McCoy,

Patterson’s Student Government Association (SGA) attended a city-wide SGA meeting at Vivien T. Thomas Medical Academy on Thursday, November 17th, 2016 at 3:30 PM.

The meeting was for all City Schools SGA bodies, to inform members about what is going on in the State and National SGA boards. Patterson’s SGA members John Dingzon (Secretary), Amadou Bah (Vice President), and Mikal McCoy (President), attended the meeting to represent Patterson’s SGA and to learn more about Student Government Association’s program. Other schools such as Digital Harbor High School, Carver High School and Booker T. Washington Middle School attended the meeting. During the meeting , speakers such as Kevin Davis, Commissioner of Baltimore City’s Police Department, spoke to students about what’s going on in the communities of Baltimore City.

Photo By: Patterson Press

Patterson SGA officers Amadou Bah (left) and John Dingzon (middle) pose with BCPD Commissioner Kevin Davis and an unidentified woman (Photo: Patterson Press)

Police Commissioner Davis spoke to students about being safe, steps they can take to improve their communities and how many districts are in the City of Baltimore. “I learned that there are at least 10 districts in Baltimore and community meetings that mostly people older than 55 attend”,said Amadou Bah. During the meeting, one of the focal points Commissioner Davis stressed was that young people don’t attend community meetings that are held to talk about the problems in the community.  “These meetings are a chance for you to give your voice and opinion”, said Davis. Commissioner Davis also told the group that if they attended a community meeting before the end of the year, he personally would take them on a tour of Baltimore City Police Department Headquarters.

Attending community meetings is important. A community meeting is an opportunity where young and older people can come together to talk, and figure out solutions to the problems in their communities. Overall, the citywide SGA meeting was very informative and Patterson’s SGA officers came back with fresh ideas about how to increase their involvement in the community.

Ravens player plays chess with Baltimore students

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A screenshot from the NFL ad (photo: Youtube.com )

A screenshot from the NFL ad (photo: Youtube.com )

By John Dingzon & Amadou Bah,

A special chess event took place at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School on October 10, 2016.  An NFL guest, Ravens player John Urschel, came in and played with students from multiple schools, including Patterson, Dunbar, and two other schools.

The point of this event was to show that football players have hobbies besides football. It also gave the chess team a chance to meet a professional athlete. A TV commercial was filmed at the event; the NFL has spent over $40,000 for it to be prepared.

John Urschel is a master on the field…and on the chess board. He took on 50 of Baltimore’s youngest chess whizzes. It took between 4-5 hours to make a 30 second ad. Several Patterson students and Chess Club co-advisor Mr. Baron are featured in the ad.

To watch the ad, click on this link.

Mindful Moment Interview and Update

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Kirk Intlekofer is one of the Mindful Moment staff members at Patterson. (Photo: Patterson Press)

Kirk Intlekofer is one of the Mindful Moment staff members at Patterson. (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Christian Pietrowski,

I interviewed four staff members that work for the Holistic Life Institute’s Mindful Moment program at Patterson High School and this is what they said.

Patterson Press: When did you start working for the Mindful Moment program?

Ross: I started 3 years ago.

Lloyd: This is actually my first year with the Holistic Life Foundation.

Diana: July of 2016.

Kirk: I started 5 years ago.

        

Patterson Press: Do you enjoy the program?

Ross: It doesn’t feel like a job and I love interacting with the kids.

Lloyd: I enjoy it and love keeping yoga alive.

Diana: I love it. It has a lot of cool and fun things that come with it.

Kirk: Yes, I love the program.

 

Patterson Press: What is your favorite thing about the program?

Ross: Getting to relax and also to be able to stay calm in stressful situations

Lloyd: Getting good feedback from students and getting good results

Diana: Interacting with individual students and connecting on a personal level with them

Kirk: The discussions with the kids

 

Patterson Press: What do you hope to change in teens and young adults?

Ross: I wish for teens to have an open mind and to foresee things.

Lloyd: Help lift inner-city people and to bring more of a positive vibe

Diana: That they incorporate these skills into their daily life

Kirk: for teens and young adults and even kids to develop a greater self awareness

 

Patterson Press: What would you suggest for someone stressing?

Lloyd: Take time out of your life to try the program and to try options and don’t go straight to violence.

 

Patterson Press: What do you wish to tell people about the program?

Diana: We open our doors to everybody, students and everyone in the Patterson community.

Kirk: Our doors are open to help anyone stressing out and that is in need.

The Patterson Press would like to thank the Mindful Moment staff for taking the time to talk to us.

 

An update from the Mindful Moment staff:

The Holistic Life Foundation’s Mindful Moment Room is located in classroom 103A. HLF is a Baltimore-based 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to nurturing the wellness of children, teens, and adults in underserved communities. Through a comprehensive approach we help develop their inner lives through yoga, mindfulness, and self-care. HLF demonstrates a deep commitment to learning, community, and stewardship of the environment and is also committed to developing high-quality, evidence based, curriculum that focuses on helping to improve the well-being of the community as a whole.

The Mindful Moment (MM) staff hosts daily classes in the MM room (103A). The staff will also visit classrooms to enhance the daily schedule with short sessions, usually involving breathing exercises, seated movement and mindful reflection. With practice, these exercises can help to improve focus and attention, which are both keys to success.

Students having problems, including emotional issues, should be referred to the MM Room by a member of the faculty. However each student must have a referral form, signed by a teacher and an administrator and these forms are located in the Main Office.

MM is looking for all students interested in joining the Mindful Moment Ambassadors program. These students should visit the MM Room during lunch hours, or free periods, for details. Ambassadors will be trained to teach techniques that are used every day, including yoga,mindful reflection and breathing exercises. We asked one of our ambassadors, Chris Bowman, “What is mindfulness to you?”. His response: “Mindfulness is my escape from the clutter of the busy world.”

We have additional roles for students as well. Anyone interested in earning community service hours by helping us with many activities should stop by and talk with a MM staff member about expectations and incentives.

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