Category Archives: Good Works

Patterson launches anti-violence campaign

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Students model clothing in a peace-themed fashion show (Photo: Mr. Canty)

By TyShawn Key,

It started with a bang. Punches were thrown, mace was sprayed and cameras were rolling. Television sets everywhere all over the city were tuned in to see the set of malicious brawls going on at Patterson High School. A school once known for its success with career pathways and production of superb athletes is now being depicted by the mass media for its “jaw dropping” fights. What happened? Where did things go wrong? Did things go wrong? Does this article really represent Patterson?

The media has this picture of Patterson colored in with the dirt found around the outskirts of the boundaries of our school, only showing a certain aspect of it. They’ve taken one extreme incident, and exploited it to make it seem as if this type of thing is a norm for our school. The media has attacked us, but will anyone respond? Is there one who has the gall or can muster the courage to take a stand for our school–for our Patterson family?

Our response is a new campaign called Patterson for Peace. Designed by Mrs. Shanell England, Patterson’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Patterson for Peace was created to reduce the level of violence in our school. The campaign was created because of fights like the one mentioned above. Mrs. England wants to change the community’s perspective of Patterson High School. She wants to show them what Patterson is really about. Patterson for Peace is calling for a full month without any fights at the school. The ultimate goal of this thirty day period of peace is to completely change the vibe of Patterson.

No longer will Patterson be known for its fights. Soon it will hopefully be known for its unity, peace, sports career pathways and other positive accomplishments. Under Mrs. England’s leadership, Patterson for Peace has already partnered with several outside businesses and organizations that have agreed to aid its efforts. Mrs. England understands some of the problems being concealed in the children of today, and knows the struggles of not having enough resources to solve these problems. Her ultimate goal is to reduce this problem. No longer should there be a “I don’t have” response  if there is ever a need in the mouth of Patterson 500 Family member. Mrs. England ultimately wishes to evoke, or rather resurrect, the spirit of brotherhood at Patterson, making it an even better place.

Most recently the Patterson for Peace organization presented the school with a fashion show where gorgeous student models graced the student body with their best expressions of peace through fashion, strutting their stuff, and making swag the ultimate understatement. Also, students have been creating many beautiful works of art promoting the message of peace. Some of this artwork can already be seen decorating the hallways. According to Mrs. England, this is just the tip of the iceberg, meaning that the best has yet to come. Patterson for Peace has promised to provide even more exhilarating events and jaw dropping experiences, along with many other character and confidence building activities.

Mrs. England would like to make a shout out to all of the beautiful models and everyone else who has volunteered their time, and the Patterson 500 family for keeping up with her. She looks forward to further engagement with the students, faculty and staff and sends her best regards to the Patterson 500 family. Anyone who wishes to take the Pledge for Peace or get involved with the campaign should see Mrs. England for more information.

(Photo: Mr. Canty)

Cristata Cares helps students to achieve their potential

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Local sportscaster and writer Keith Mills with Jonathan Odgen and Cristata Cares board members, Mattthew Wyskiel and Jonathan Bradley (Photo: Cristatacares.org)

By TyShawn Key

Cristata Cares is a non-profit organization founded in early 2012 with the goal of helping others. Their mission is to help students in their schools and communities learn and practice the necessary lifetime skills to live and lead a productive and higher-quality life. Recently the Cristata Cares organization has been sponsoring various financial literacy and academic support programs at multiple schools in the community, including Patterson High School and Vivian T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy. They have also sponsored various sources of entertainment for their programs such as Dr.Q, a locally known lyricist and author here in Baltimore, as well as speakers from different health careers at Vivian T. and–here at Patterson–academic mentoring and counseling from Kelly Bagdasarian, who was a perfect scorer on the Math portion of the SAT.

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the organization’s founders, Mr. John Bradley. Mr. Bradley holds an Associates of the Arts, a Bachelors of Science, and an Accounting degree. He also received an MBA from Johns Hopkins School of Business. Through high school and some of college, however, Mr. Bradley was just as rough around the edges as some of the students at Patterson and Vivian T. In fact it was not until his father cut him off and he had to face his own financial burdens that he finally got his act together. He now is out to help others learn from his mistakes so they can get an easier start than he did.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 8, 2013, I had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Bradley to learn about his background and about the Cristata Cares organization and its programs. I asked Mr. Bradley what sparked his initial flare for helping create the organization. He replied with a story of how one day he had read an article about the number of children in Baltimore City that go to school hungry every day. This struck Mr. Bradley really deep in his heart. So he said that more should be done to help the hungry children in the City and the communities in which they reside, and that it was now his duty as a citizen, and as a native of Baltimore to take on such a task. He later shared that same article with his wife and a friend. Together they went to their church, which gave them financial support. In late April, Cristata Cares got approved by the IRS as a 50C3 non-profit, and then finally in early 2012 the organization was officially formed and became active. Within its first year of working throughout the schools and community, Cristata Cares was recognized by Baltimore City as an Outstanding Partner (2013).

Later, I asked Mr. Bradley how they intended to help the children and community through financial literacy programs. What led him to believe that finances were a necessary skill-set to learn at such an age? His answer was simple. He plans to use the business rule of 72, which explains how long it takes to double the return on an investment. Cristata Cares is calculating how many lives they can touch by investing their time in the various students they encounter.

Lastly, to end our interview, I asked Mr. Bradley why people should care about the Cristata Cares organization. He replied that people should care about the organization because it is helping our children and it is helping our community. Members visit the schools about twice a week, sometimes more. They sacrifice countless hours figuring out the best way to help the children they encounter, and they do this work for free. People should care about the organization because it is helping them (the community) out. However, Mr. Bradley said that it really doesn’t matter to him what people think about his organization. He works for the children. He is doing it for the children. He and his colleagues do not care about any accolades or praise from the community. They are not in it for any fame or money. He said that their biggest payoff is seeing a child live their dream.

Mr. Bradley would like to thank Mr. Benton, Principal of Patterson, and all other partners that gave Cristata Cares a chance.

Third annual community fair is biggest yet

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Principal Vance Benton dances with a sword on his head (Photo: Tamika Addison, Patterson Press)

By Shane Braden

Patterson High School hosted its third annual community fair and back to school night on September 19 in the cafeteria. There where 446 people there including over 200 students, making this the largest community fair yet. The purpose of the fair was to bring the community, parents, students and Patterson staff  together. The fair is a chance to to have fun, eat, play games and learn about a variety of programs and opportunities offered by the school and its community partners.

There were also some special performers there who showed everyone their talents. One of the performers was a belly dancer who danced while balancing a sword on her head. Even our principal, Mr. Benton, tried dancing with the sword on his head, as the crowd cheered him on. Another performer did a flamenco dance, which is a type of Spanish dance. She used castanets and danced around as she clapped them in her hands. Patterson students performed as well, including a group of four girls who performed a traditional dance from their home country of Bhutan, along with hip-hop style dancing by sophomore Quincy Mims.

In addition to many school-based organizations and projects like the school garden, Spa La La (which offered  free manicures), DECA, the athletics program, the Health Corps and the Patterson Press, dozens of  organizations from the community also set up information tables at the fair. One of  the groups was CASA de Maryland, a non-profit organization that works to defend the rights of immigrants and offers a free after-school program for college students. Other organizations present at the fair included Afrikan Youth Alchemy, the Real Food Farm, Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse, the Red Cross, Evergreen Health Co-op and several colleges and universities. Free flu vaccinations were provided by Rite Aid.

“I think  it’s outstanding  that there are so many people and different cultures here that interact with each other,” Mr. Benton told the Patterson Press. The community fair has become an important tradition for Patterson High School and event organizer Ms. Kelly Flores hopes to see an even bigger turnout next year.

 

 

(Photos by Anthony Ward and Tamika Addison, Patterson Press)

With help from the Ravens, Patterson plants trees on Earth Day

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Students plant a new tree outside Patterson High School (Photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

By Brennan Meeks

Patterson students and staff members were joined by the  Baltimore Ravens and the Parks and People Foundation as they planted trees in front of the school on April 22. By getting their hands dirty, students helped to make the school more beautiful and also improved the environment. This event is the way Patterson celebrated Earth Day, which takes place at this time every year.

“The trees are helpful to the environment in many ways. They help prevent the storm water runoff, and they help clean the air we breathe. They’re beautiful,” said Parks and People Foundation spokesman Dennis Sykes.

“I like it because it doesn’t usually look so pretty, and these are nice, pretty colors and everything. They’re making our school pretty,” said 10th-grade student Shahara Tatum.

The new trees will help Patterson become a more green school. This has been the first time in many years that Patterson students helped to plant trees on the campus.

Several members of the Baltimore Ravens football team along with environmentalists and other Baltimore residents came out to support us on Earth Day. “For every sack the Ravens got during the season, we would plant a tree. So, at the end of the year, we had 37 sacks, and we had 37 trees to plant,”  said Ravens, spokeswoman Emily Scerba.

“We want to be more concerned with the environment, and here in Baltimore, we want to help with building the watersheds,” Chen said.

(Photos: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

City Schools to receive funding for new buildings and renovations

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Patterson students participate in a rally for school funding in Annapolis (Photo: Corey Grisson, Jr., Patterson Press)

By Corey Grisson Jr.

Patterson High School and several other schools throughout Baltimore City are likely to receive major renovations or even brand new buildings within the next few years, thanks to a loan approved by the Maryland General Assembly in response to pressure from students, teachers, parents, administrators and other supporters.

In February 2013, Patterson High School was part of something wonderful, right along with every Baltimore City school. About 3,000 students, staff, and parents showed up, including a bus-load from Patterson. We went to Annapolis to fight to get a bill passed so City Schools could rebuild and replace our old schools with new, better buildings.

Students spoke out and told us how their schools looked and how they feel too hot sometimes and too cold at other times inside.  Students from all grade levels from Kindergarten to 12th grade were there. One 4th grade girl talked about bugs being in her school and we all know that is true. Older alumni, who know what our schools look like because they graduated 30 years ago or more, also spoke. Teachers talked about our school conditions and said some windows were broken and some walls had holes in them. Baltimore’s Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake spoke out in favor of passing the bill. Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, talked about the fact that he has gone to Annapolis for the past two years and that both times a bill did not get passed. He said he thought this bill would pass this year.

This year, lawmakers in the Maryland General Assembly passed 766 bills, many of which have already been signed by our Governor, Martin O’Malley. And YES, our bill passed and has been signed! So the General Assembly has agreed on a financing plan to allow Baltimore to spend $1 billion dollars on school construction to repair or replace dilapidated buildings over the next seven years.  Patterson High School is among the schools slated to benefit from this money. The plan would require Baltimore, the city school system, and the state to put up $20 million a year each to help pay back $1 billion in bonds over the next 30 years. The Stadium Authority will sell the bonds and oversee the construction program. With its current building in continous use since 1960, the School District had already recommended Patterson High School for renovation or replacement before the state bill was approved. Now that the money is available, we should see improvements and possibly a brand new building within the next few years.

All of the students, parents, and teachers who went to Annapolis to support the bill made a difference. Supporters said that investing in Baltimore’s children would benefit the whole state. That day was one of the greatest days of my life. I have never before been somewhere where everybody around me wanted the same thing.  It feels good to be part of history.

(Photos: Corey Grisson Jr., Patterson Press)

Patterson students join rally for immigration reform

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Patterson students join thousands of other demonstrators at a rally for immigration reform in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington DC (Photo: Ms. Flores)

By Ms. Kelly Flores

Two buses full of Patterson students, faculty, and community members participated in a rally and march in support of immigration reform on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C on April 10th, 2013. This was a nationwide movement crying out to urge Congress, who just returned to session, to address the issue of there being over 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country.

Cries of “¡Sí se puede!”  (Yes we can!)  and “Obama escucha–estamos en la lucha”  (Obama listen–we are in the fight!)  filled the air as the students and faculty from Patterson arrived onto the scene of over 100,000 people rallying together for the same cause. During the rally speakers such as Dolores Huerta and Congressman Luis Gutierrez passionately addressed the audience, urging them to keep pushing Congress and that this is the year for reform.

This was a fantastic real life learning opportunity for students to see government in action and the importance of people being an active participant and making their voice heard.

(Photos: Ms. Flores)

Patterson receives grant to build hoop house in school garden

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The future site of the hoop house (Photo: Corey Grisson Jr., Patterson Press)

By Corey Grisson Jr.

Coming soon to Patterson High School is the Patterson Hoop House, which will be an addition to the Patterson School Garden. It will be built in back of our school, in the fenced- in area near the Garden. This is a nice little cool area which the students can see from Mr. Yates’ and Ms. Roberts’ classroom windows.

The hoop house will be paid for through a grant called the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant, which a group of staff members applied for:  Ms. Hope, Ms. Snyder, Ms. Diehl, Ms. Solomon, Ms. Githua, Ms. Wongus, Ms. Bridgeforth, Ms Heneson, and Ms. Holter. Our grant was awarded in January and a couple of estimates have been given to Ms. Diehl regarding hoop house construction.  It has been hard to find a pipe bender for rent locally. Ms. Diehl is currently reaching out to people like Arthur Morgan with Gather Baltimore, Greg Strella with Great Kids Farm, and Andreas Spiliadis with Baltimore Hoop Love for guidance about constructing the hoop house.

A hoop house  is designed to be used in colder months but ours needs to be built in the spring to comply with grant guidelines. Plastic will be put over the hoop house in late fall when we want to raise the ambient temperature in which plants can grow. In the meantime, we can still grow in the space it covers and use it as an outdoor education space. The hoop house will allow us to grow fruits and/or vegetables all year long.

Patterson participates in “Teens for Jeans” campaign

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Students help collect jeans that will be donated to shelters across the country (Photo: Robin Morrison, Patterson Press)

By Robin Morrison

Patterson High School recently participated in a campaign called “Teens for Jeans” whereby students donated jeans to people in need. In return, students received two service learning hours and a discount coupon for Aeropostale. The campaign was co-sponsored by the Student Government Association, the senior class, and the Jonathan Ogden Club. Ms. Brett, Coach Kelly Bagdasarian and Ms. Rue were the teachers in charge of the campaign within the school. This campaign lasted from February 12th to February 22nd.

“I found out about the campaign from Ms Rue and it seemed interesting, so I searched more about it online”, Ms. Brett told the Patterson Press.

Aeropostale was a sponsor of the campaign. The jeans collected at the school will be sent to Aeropostale and then they will send it to shelters throughout the country.

“It feels good to be making a difference in our community while allowing our Patterson students to give back to the community”, said Coach Kelly.

The campaign was a big success as the school collected many jeans from the students and sent them off to go to the shelters.

Ms. Rue (left) and Ms. Brett, co-organizers of the Teens for Jeans campaign (Photo: Robin Morrison, Patterson Press)

Former Ravens player visits Patterson to announce opening of new community center

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Principal Benton and Jonathan Ogden cut the ribbon on the new community room. (Photo: Jevaughn Taylor, Patterson Press)

By Jevaughn Taylor

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Patterson High School  on the morning of Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 to announce the opening of the Jonathan Ogden/Cristata Cares Community Center. The Community Center will be located inside the school and will be a partnership between Patterson and several community organizations.

Jonathan Ogden, a former Baltimore Ravens player and NFL Hall of Famer, is working hands on with the community to build a better future. Ogden spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to show his support for and involvement with the project.

“You’ve got to help educate the parents to help their children. So this is another way to continue to make this a better community, a better school, a better environment for these people around here,” Jonathan Ogden declared. Ogden has been providing academic support to student athletes at Patterson for the past 16 years through his Jonathan Ogden Club.

The purpose of the community center is to give back to the community and dive deeper into students’ family life. They also plan to  have sessions where they can teach financial literacy so people will know how to be wise about their money. They will help out the homeless by making sure they have access to resources like food, computers with internet, and staff to help to assist families going looking for jobs. Families are helping out too, by donating clothing to people who need them. It’s all about helping our community to rise so we can be a better city and make it possible for everyone to be successful in life. By doing this as a team we can accomplish anything.

“I love giving back to the community,” said senior Sherrod Hawkes, a member of the Jonathan Ogden Club who has been helping out with the new community center. “It feels good.”

“I think it means a lot. They look back and are proud of themselves as well as they should be,” says Coach Kelly Bagdasarian, who also works for the Jonathan Ogden Foundation.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, 30 families were given holiday food baskets and got a chance to meet Jonathan Ogden for the first time in their life. The Jonathan Ogden/Cristata Cares Community Center is located on the first floor of Patterson High School and will be open two days a week from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, several other days for classes, and some weekends.

With files from Great Kids Up Close (http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/greatkids).

Students and visitors pose with Jonathan Ogden in the new Community Room (Photo: Jevaughn Taylor, Patterson Press)

Jonathan Ogden gives a holiday dinner to a member of the community (Photo: Jevaughn Taylor, Patterson Press)

(Photo: Jevaughn Taylor, Patterson Press)

Patterson staff members and community partners celebrate the opening of the new community center (Photo: Jevaughn Taylor, Patterson Press)

 

 

School Garden Grows Organic Vegetables

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Patterson staff members working in the garden (Photo: Angel Sisounong, Patterson Press)

By Corey Grisson

The Patterson School Garden  was started in 2011 by three staff members:  Diane Snyder, school social worker, Susan Steigner, school social worker, and Monica Broere, art teacher. They built three raised beds for vegetables and a pollinator bed for flowers that will attract insects that will carry pollen from plant to plant.  Hollins Organic soil was delivered and dumped into the beds.  The garden is located behind the Academy of Engineering inside a fenced-in area.

The purpose of the garden is to:

  • To grow organic vegetables
  • To teach students about gardening
  • To provide service learning hours for students

The garden was started with a grant from the Baltimore Office of Sustainability. The amount of the grant was $1000 and was used to purchase soil, plants,seeds, materials like ground covering, and watering equipment, like hoses and nozzles. Visits were made to CGRN (Community Greening Network) and Baltimore Great Kids Farm to obtain sweet potatoes, onions, and a sprinkler system. In the spring of 2012 onions, broccoli rabe, radishes, sweet peas, and Swiss chard were planted and harvested. The early summer planting grew tomatoes, corn, zucchini, more onions, more Swiss chard, and sweet potatoes. The garden has been cleaned out and made ready for growing lettuces and rye from seed.  The garden staff have sold the vegetables to Patterson high school staff for several weeks in the spring, summer, and early fall.

In order to grow enough vegetables for student consumption more grow space is needed, such as a hoophouse and more raised beds. Another grant  application has been submitted to Lowes for a hoophouse and hopes are high that the grant will be given to Patterson. Meanwhile students help the Garden staff every Monday after school and earn service learning hours for clearing the garden, planting seeds, and digging out the area around the beds so paving stones can be laid.

 

Radishes from the garden (Photo: Angel Sisounong, Patterson Press)

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