Category Archives: Community

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)

Ernie G. empowers Latino students through comedy

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Empowerment comedian Ernie G performing live at Patterson
(Photo by Kylayah Davis, Patterson Press)

By Mirian Maurizaca

Comedian Ernie G. performed at Patterson High School on October 12, 2023, as part of Patterson’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. He visited Patterson for two days.

His first presentation was for students who were taking Spanish for Heritage Speakers or AP Spanish, along with upper level ESOL students. It was an audience of about 150 students. The second presentation was on the next day, and was only for students who were in the Spanish for Heritage Speakers class, because that audience could relate to him the most.

Ernie G. is a motivational speaker. He uses comedy as a way to engage students. 

Mrs. O-G, who planned the event, has known Ernie G. since 2010. She met him through an organization that helped students become leaders in their community.

Mrs. O-G recalled, “He actually reached out to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going back to the East Coast. I’ll be around for Hispanic Heritage Month. Do you think your school might want me to come and present to kids?’, so I thought it was a great opportunity because our kids don’t necessarily get the opportunity to listen to a speaker [very often].” 

Ernie doesn’t just do motivational speaking but also talks about social/emotional learning, self awareness and understanding, and loving yourself.

Ms.O-G said, “ It was motivational. It was more geared towards [empowering messages] like ‘You were born out of love and your purpose in life is to let your light shine and be the best you can be.’ ”

Ernie G.’s visit had an impact on the Latino/Hispanic community at Patterson by building a connection with Latino students. The event was an important part of Hispanic Heritage Month at our school.

(Photo by Kylayah Davis, Patterson Press)

Fiesta Baltimore celebrates Hispanic culture

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By Rancel Lagombra 

Fiesta Baltimore, which took place on October 7th and 8th, is an annual event held in Patterson Park. With the festival lasting from 11 AM to 7 PM both days, there was also a parade that took place on October 8th at 2 PM. This event is a family and community oriented event and it is also free, with food, arts, and craft vendors where people will be sharing their creations.

The parade had a diverse array of contingents, like folkloric groups, marching bands, cultural associations, community-based organizations, businesses, nonprofits, local schools and universities, cars, floats, and trucks.

“I like walking around there and seeing different Hispanic cultures and I like to have fun there.”, says John Swift, a Hispanic student who lives to see these Hispanic festivals. 

This festival is a good way to express yourself and have fun even if you’re not Hispanic. “I ain’t even Hispanic, but I still go to these events…It’s very fun to be there and to try these different foods,” says student Jeliel.

Events like these really show the cultural appreciation in Baltimore. It makes you feel welcome and accepted here. It can also make you feel proud of being Hispanic. I think this event can be important for the people at Patterson as a big portion of the students that go here are Hispanic and it can help them get reconnected with their culture. It also can give the Hispanics here a breath of fresh air if you can call it that, since a lot of them can struggle with English and seeing this festival can make them happy. Also, we are currently celebrating Hispanic culture with Hispanic Heritage Month. Although the event has already ended, you can still celebrate Hispanic Heritage here with a celebration night coming up. 

Editor’s note: This article was written in October during Hispanic Heritage Month. The celebration mentioned in article is over but you can read about it here.

Back to School Night: The start of a new year 

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By Thayer Oosterman

Photo by Patterson Press

Paterson High School held its annual Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 20th from 5:00 until 7:00 PM. 

There were many organizations present including Thread, The Y, the U.S Army Recruit and Command, Home Away from Home, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Coppin State University, and the Baltimore Medical System.  

Patterson has many opportunities for all students, whether they are doing well or struggling academically. One group that helps students who are having a hard time in school is Thread.

 “We are Thread, a relationship building organization, and we enroll students in their 9th grade year based on grades.”, explained a representative from Thread who was at Back to School Night. “We pull the bottom 25% academically and they work with us in their first year and they get matched with a volunteer and we just basically are here to build a stronger community across the city of Baltimore.”

There were also faith-based organizations providing services to the people of Baltimore City.

“We provide services for new immigrants that are taking asylum, refugees, and others.”, explained the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service representative.

Members of the U.S. Army were also present at the Back to School Night.

“We’re just here to promote the Army, talk to the kids about the benefits, if they have any questions”, said a representative of the U.S. Army Recruit and Command.

At Back to School Night, the Patterson High School Marching Band played music. Students and their families had delicious food served after the band performance. In the end, many parents and family members knew more about what was going on in the classrooms and they met their young scholars’ teachers. 

The event was a success and parents and students alike knew more about how to succeed in the coming school year.

(Photos by Patterson Press)

New Student Group Working Towards Positive Change

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By Sierra Skaggs

As many readers may know, in the beginning of March we lost a fellow student due to gun violence. As a response to that tragedy, a group of students here at Patterson decided to form a group called Catalyst for Change.

The Patterson Press interviewed Christina Johnson, a senior who is a member of Catalyst for Change. At the time that we interviewed Johnson, there were 6 members in the group, but that number may have increased since then.

The students had a specific goal that they wanted to achieve when they created Catalyst for Change. 

“We created the group so students can have a voice, they can voice their problems, opinions, and be heard, and to show the cultural diversity of Patterson, and make a difference.”, explains Johnson.

According to Johnson, the group has consensus-based process for making decisions.

“We voice our concerns about the school and we come up with different ideas, brainstorming, and we each come up with a mutual agreement.” 

Catalyst for Change held a Culture Day event on April 27 to celebrate the cultural diversity of Patterson High School, which is the most diverse high school in Baltimore City. Principal Myrick called the event “phenomenal” and expressed her appreciation for the student organizers who “have been working consistently for six weeks to put their vision into reality”.

Many students and staff members are hopeful that Catalyst for Change will continue to be a force for positive transformation at Patterson next school year.

Patterson celebrates Culture Day

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by Thayer Oosterman

Patterson High School celebrated Culture Day on On Thursday, April 27, from 4:00 to 6:30 PM. There were many cultural expressions, with food and music from many cultures around the world. They had Latin American, African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern food. Musicians were playing Latin and West African music. During the playing of the West African music, there was dancing, where people would be in a circle and would go and dance in the circle.

After the music, they gave out food with a lot of delicious food items, like Jamaican rice and beans, Syrian shawarmas and Tandoori food, Libyan kebabs, and many other tasty foods from a variety of cultures. They also had a thick, sweet drink and lemon tea. 

Near the end of the culture event they had a Kahoot game about the flags of the world, with many students and teachers and Principal Myrick playing. The Kahoot game went from 6:15 until around 6:30. After the Kahoot game and the end of the event, many students helped with the clean up or went to wait for the start of the play that was also taking place that night.

Culture Day was organized by a new student organization called Catalyst for Change. This was the group’s first big event and it was a huge success.

Patterson raises money for hurricane victims

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By Sierra Skaggs

Patterson High School held a water drive to raise money to buy water for hurricane victims in Jackson, Mississippi. The water drive started in late September/beginning of October and was originally supposed to end on the 28th of October, but it was later extended into November. In the end, the school raised $1,000.00.

Assistant Principal Ms. Berkeley was in charge of the water drive. 

“I wish that we could help everybody. But we chose Jackson because they were hit first.”, explained Ms. Berkeley.

“We had as a group decided on Jackson. And I felt like we needed to keep our word when we said we were going to support Jackson because the other areas were impacted but it did not take away Jackson’s need. Jackson still needed help and I wish we had money to do Florida and all of the islands that were also affected. But we wanted to keep our word since we said we were going to support Jackson.”

Ms. Berkeley explained that the money was going to a business that will deliver the water for them. She continued to explain that the water was expensive to deliver because of how heavy it is, and so instead of shipping the water from Baltimore, we are sending the money to a business in Jackson, Mississippi, that will deliver the water locally to people in need.

Students who helped raise money for the water drive could also earn service learning hours.

“There was no a maximum number [of service learning hours]. We wanted students to reach out to their families, reach out to the community, to their churches, to their neighbors, anyone that they would make aware of this situation, and donate to the cause. So if students were diligent enough to the outreach, we certainty want to reward them for being diligent and committing to the cause.” 

Since students were engaged in this outreach, the rewards that they got were 5 service hours for each 5 dollar case that they donated. For example, if a student donated 5 cases of water, they would receive 25 service hours.

“We were trying to do enough pallets of water that would fill a tractor trailer truck because we recognized that the need is great. If you think about all the needs for water, trying to do dishes, or trying to take a bath, or wash yourself, or your pet… There are so many needs for water. For cooking, washing your hair, and you can’t use the water there, so we wanted to make a great impact, so we wanted to do a tractor trailer load of water.”

Ms. Berkeley explained how much water they wanted to donate and why. She also explained the needs of water and how important water is.

Patterson High School hosted a cohort meeting on October 27th to decide if they wanted to continue the water drive. The students agreed to continue the water drive to help raise more money, so they extended the water drive for 2 more weeks.

“The fundraiser was supposed to end on the 28th of October, but yesterday during the cohort meeting, we asked students that have not had a chance to contribute to the cause, if they wanted to continue, and a lot of students said yes. So we are extending for another 2 weeks.” 

The water drive was an amazing way for students to show that they care about the needs of other people. It was also an amazing way for students to show their Patterson Pride. GO CLIPPERS! 

Back to School Night brings families together 

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(Photo: Patterson Press)

By Nateshia Anderson

Patterson High School held its annual Back to School Night on September 22 from 5:00-7:00 PM. The purpose of this event was for the parents and families of students to meet the teachers and the community and learn about opportunities that were offered to their children.

The school provided free snowballs for everybody. A lot of people had fun. We talked to teachers at the event to find out how they help the students learn.

Ms. Jones said, “Give them extra attention, adjust my lessons so that each child is able to reach them and able to understand the material, make sure that I also pair them up with a buddy in the classroom… When they need some additional help, I can give them additional resources like…Khan Academy…”

Patterson High School is a place where students can come and talk to teachers and find out who they truly are.

“I can create an environment that feels safe and nurturing”, said Mr. Mike.

Administrators were also there, like Ms. Edler, who explained, “The first thing is I believe in holding students accountable and also supporting them in that accountability. Also, we present opportunities like college visits. However, students must be in full uniforms and they must be in school on time and be able to attend those visits.”

All in all, Back To School Night was a successful event where everybody came out and helped their children’s futures. 

(Photos: Patterson Press)

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)

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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