Category Archives: Departments

Seniors learn communication skills at PGC retreat

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PGC Poster (Photo: Mikal McCoy)

PGC Poster (Photo: Mikal McCoy)

By Mikal McCoy

Seniors who are participating in this year’s PGC program went on a retreat from October 12th-14th to help them prepare to work with 9th graders. PGC, which stands for Peer Group Connections, is a group of 12th graders who are learning communication techniques. PGC leaders are mentors to the 9th graders.

Some of the responsibilities of PGC members are to follow all school rules and go to all their class. Recently, 12th graders that were a part of PGC went on a retreat where they learned different tactics and why it’s important to communicate with others.

  During the 2nd week of September, PGC leaders were on a retreat for 3 days and 2 nights in Towson while their classmates were at school. One of the purposes of the retreats was to gather leaders together so they could learn about communication skills. “I learned how to communicate and listen to others, including 9th graders”, K. Lopez, a PGC leader said. When 9th graders transfer from middle school to high school, change can be surprising. Like most of us, 9th graders go through a lot of stuff that they would love to talk to someone about. That’s when PGC leaders are there to save the day. Communication is important; many problems can be solved if we simply communicate. “Communication saves relationships”, singer/rapper Drake says in his song, “Poetic Justice”, featuring Kendrick Lamar. PGC leaders are training every day to learn how to better communicate with 9th graders to create a brighter Patterson High School. Communication is key, but not everyone is willing to communicate.

Using communication skills helps get things done. In an organization or your everyday classroom, people have to communicate in order to complete tasks. Not communicating can have a negative impact on your environment. According to Al from http://www.crucialskills.com, “It is very frustrating when you want to talk something out with someone and the only response you get is, ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘I don’t want to talk about this,’ or worse, an icy-cold stare laced with a fake smile”. Sometimes we as students (and people in general) feel like there is no one we can talk to. PGC leaders are taking a class to prepare to work with 9th graders, communicating with them to solve problems and build relationships.

PGC advisors Mrs. Stiles and Mrs. D’agostino have been meeting every day with PGC leaders, guiding them to become better communicating leaders. This is the third year of PGC, and students are working together to communicate their way through the future.

Gardening Club promises benefits for school and community

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The Patterson Garden. (Photo: Mikal McCoy)

The Patterson Garden.
(Photo: Mikal McCoy)

By Mikal McCoy

Ms. Steigner and Ms. Scott are working together with students at Patterson High School to develop a ongoing gardening club. It is their hope that this gardening club will impact students’ lives in a variety of ways.

The Patterson High School garden was first created during the summer of 2011, around the time period when Mr. Benton became principal of Patterson High School. Using two grants, a hoop-house was added in 2013. In the past, students and teachers have worked on the garden. However, during the summer of 2016, little attention was paid toward the school garden. To get things back on track, students and teachers at Patterson High School are developing a gardening club.

Having a school gardening club is a goal Patterson’s Student Government Association (SGA), is pushing to reach. One of the problems we face today here at Patterson is that some students want to learn gardening while others do not.

In response to the question, “If there was a gardening club at Patterson, would you join?”, T. Moore, a student from Patterson, responded saying, “No, I don’t think I would be interested’.’ Although some students have no interest in joining a gardening club, others think it’s a great idea, ”If you grow food, you can save money and it looks good”, says M. Adams, an intern from Morgan State University.

Around the world, a large number of people believe eating healthy can improve our mental, physical and spiritual environment. Ms.Scott, an ESOL teacher at Patterson, believes students should eat healthy because eating healthy helps a person focus in class. “When you eat healthy foods, your brain responds to the ingredients like a car reacts to gas. If you put the right gas into the car it will perform to its highest potential”, explained Ms.Scott. In the past, Patterson’s garden has produced large quantities of quality vegetables such as strawberries and tomatoes, which students have eaten.

Patterson High School is a place where students and teachers can grow food and eat healthy. Patterson’s gardening club is dedicated to teaching, growing, and providing healthy foods for the surrounding community. Ausar Mesh, a teacher on healthy living, gave a few words to share: “Urban farming may not be the solution to all the problems in the inner cities across America; however it’s a prerequisite to the achievement of practical solution of the most faceted issues. Food sovereignty in urban neighborhoods and global climate change into connected sustainable organic urban farming is a low industry that is ambitions enough to tackle both issues on a micro and macro economic level”.

The gardening club will teach students useful skills and contribute to a healthier community. To get involved, see Ms. Steigner in Room 113.

Patterson continues tradition with 6th annual community fair

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A stand from the community Fair (Photo: Patterson Press)

A stand from the community Fair (Photo: Patterson Press)

By Mikal McCoy,

Patterson High School had its 6th annual Back to School Night and Community Fair on the evening of September 22, 2016. Students, teachers and family members met together in the cafeteria to share a night of fun.

During the fair, there were games, activities and food. “It was a lot of food, a lot of chicken, vegetables and drinks”, said Yero Goloco, a student who attended the fair. For entertainment, different activities were planned. Students who were asked agreed that the fair was entertaining. “There was a lady belly dancing, people played drums, and there was a dance battle”, said Amadou Bah, another student who attended the fair. These responses reveal that people enjoyed the food and activities, but the Community Fair served other purposes as well.

Many families attended the fair. Students from Patterson High School invited their parents, friends, and relatives. Around 500 people attended the event. Dozens of community organizations, businesses and universities participated in the fair, along with many school groups and programs such as Robotics, Gardening, Coding Club and more. Each club had a stand with representatives who spoke with students and family members about what they do.

One group that attended the Community Fair was Patterson’s AFJROTC program. Cadets who attended the event helped out with setting up and seating visitors. “I was standing outside, greeting people, giving them their tickets for their sheets”, explained Abdullah, one of the cadets. Teachers, students and family members came together to make the Community Fair a success.

This year marked the 6th consecutive year that there has been a community fair event at Patterson. Ms. O’Brien and Mr. Alukwu started the event in 2011. “It was an idea that Mr. Alukwu and I came up with the summer before Mr. Benton became the principal”, recalled Ms. O’Brien. It takes planning, organization, and thought to come up with an idea like a school community fair and make it work. This year’s event was no exception.

 

 

 

 

Clown scares sweep the nation

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Killer Clown

“Killer Clown”

By Christian Pietrowski,

Clown scares have been a hot topic in the news lately. People dressed as clowns have been seen following people around. There have been reports of people having clowns following them in every state except Hawaii.

The clowns follow people around, acting scary. In some cases it has caused schools to close because there have been clowns near the school. Even if some reports are true there are some cases where people where lying about seeing clowns. For example, three middle schoolers from Annapolis, Maryland called the police claiming to see clowns following them but when the police investigated they found out from security camera footage that the kids where lying and trying to cause a ruckus.

Yet many cases around the United states have been found to be true. According to FOX News and The New York Times there have been 12 arrests of people dressing up as clowns to scare people and also 12 people have been arrests for filing a false police report. The clown sightings first began to be reported in late July or the beginning  of August. The clown sightings started in South Carolina. The first report was from a mom saying she was at a park with her two kids and her son saw a clown trying to lure the kids into the woods with him. Thankfully, no one has been killed by these clowns that people are seeing.

Be cautious if you see a clown but don’t be too scared unless the clown is in an odd place.

Baltimore Ravens make a surprising coach cut

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marc_trestman-1

Head Coach Marc Trestman at Chicago Bears training camp in 2014. (Photo: Jim Larrison)

By Christian Pietrowski,

The Baltimore Ravens have made some surprising cuts to the team. The most surprising cut was when the Ravens decided to cut the offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Marc Trestman was fired less then 24 hours after the Ravens lost their second straight game  after a 3-0 start. So when he was fired, Marty Mornhinweg, who used to be the coach of the quarterbacks, was promoted to offensive coordinator.

Marty will make the Ravens 5th offensive coordinator in 5 years. Coach John Harbaugh said in a ESPN press conference, “he was fed up with losing and something had to be done about it”. Marc lasted a year and 5 games with the Ravens. Coach Harbaugh thinks Marty will change the offence for the better. Most of the offence squad/team is mad because they all say they just wish they could find a offensive coordinator that will be good and just stay with the team so the offence doesn’t have to memorize different plays every 6 months. The offence thinks Marty is the man for the job. Marty has been with the team for two years and the team trusts him with the job.

Patterson High School Feria Comunitaria y Regreso a la Escuela (SPANISH)

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(Photo: Patterson press)

(Photo: Patterson press)

Escrito por Angela Rivas,

Note: This article is written in Spanish for the benefit of our Spanish language readers.
La feria comunitaria es para informar a los padres sobre los servicios de la comunidad. Igualmente se celebra el regreso a la escuela para que los padres puedan venir a conocer a los maestros de sus hijos. Nuestra sexta feria fue un éxito. Muchos padres vinieron a disfrutar de todos los juegos, los refrescos y recibieron información de diferentes grupos que ayudan a nuestra comunidad hispana.

Había diferentes organizaciones por ejemplo la organización Centro Sol  que se enfoca en ayudar a familias latina “Porque tenemos un programa para jóvenes y queremos invitar a los jóvenes a participar, también tenemos programas para adultos. Encontramos recursos para mejorar la salud y la oportunidad para latinos. Amamos Patterson y las actividades de Pa Lante.”Dijo Monica G.V.  También estaba el periódico de Mundo Latino, ellos se enfocan en llevar las noticias a todas nuestras familias Latinas. “ Es un periódico con base en Baltimore que se dedica a difundir noticias de las comunidades Hispanas de Maryland, Virginia, y DC.. Pedro Palomino es el director del periódico y tuvo a 2 hijos estudiando aquí hace muchos años. Él también fue Presidente de un equipo de padres latinos en la escuela.” – Pedro A. Palomino  Otra organización que estuvo presente fue Casa De MD “Nuestra organización ayuda a la comunidad inmigrante. Tenemos un programa después de escuela “Mi espacio” que ayuda a los jóvenes de edad 14-21 años” – Monica Camacho. Estas son tres Organizaciones de muchas que estuvieron presentes en nuestra sexta Feria comunitaria/Regreso a la escuela.

Hubo juegos, presentaciones y sobre todo hubo mucha diversión. La música, los bailes formaron gran parte de la noche. Fue muy lindo ver como nuestros estudiantes, padres, maestros, se unieron para pasar una tarde muy feliz. Todos somos parte de una familia, la familia de Patterson High School, siempre luchando por el bienestar de nuestras familias y de nuestros estudiantes. Nuestra sexta Feria Comunitaria/Regreso a la  escuela fue un éxito. Esperamos el próximo año sea mejor y puedan venir más padres a disfrutar con nosotros.

Patterson Boys Soccer team off to a good start!

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Patterson player has the ball (Photo: Patterson press)

Patterson player (Andy) has the ball (Photo: Patterson press)

By Alvaro Flores-Villegas,

Patterson Varsity Soccer is off to a 2-0 start, demolishing City and Digital. Both the team and the coach have so many things to improve on to make it to the championship finals. So I interviewed coach Callahan during the game and these were his answers.

Coach Callahan exclaimed, “We practiced all last week to prepare.” The Coach has put the team through a lot of training and practice in order to get better and to beat City, the outcome of which was a 2-1 win. However, Callahan also said, “I would also like better attendance at practice.” Not many of the players show up to practice. This will probably affect how they play during the season. “Defense and Goalie are my two main concerns”, he added.

These are the team’s weakest point right now. But if they can improve these points then the team will be solid and could make it pretty far in the playoffs. So far the team is looking good this season. Their next home game will be against Poly in Early October. GO CLIPPERS!

iPhone 7 Vs. Galaxy Note 7 (REVIEW)

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untitled-2

Note 7 vs iPhone 7 (graphic by Faran Nadeem)

By Amadou Bah and Faran Nadeem,

Recently–if you haven’t noticed–the iPhone 7 just released on Sep. 16, 2016 and the Galaxy Note 7 was released on the 19th of August 2016. While the Galaxy Note 7 is having some problems, both are good phones. According to CNN, “Samsung is recalling millions of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones worldwide after reports of the devices catching fire while charging. Samsung said Friday it had found problem with the battery in some of the phones and was halting sales. In the coming weeks it will offer customers a new product for free to replace all 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 that have been sold.” Overall, The Galaxy Note 7 is the hottest phone out in Samsung market. Faster, much better display, better camera, stronger screen, easier to use, easier to transfer data, easier to backup. Galaxy does everything iPhone does and has far more useful features, making multi-tasking very easy.

The iPhone 7 has added new features like the Dual camera, battery life, higher basic storage option and IP67 water resistance. Yes, the headphones jack has been removed which is a con for it. According to Yahoo Finance, “Whilst the loss of the headphone jack means more space for a bigger battery, the loss of a stalwart feature is – at least initially – a negative. For those of you with expensive headphones, there’s a lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack connector that comes with the iPhone 7, but accessories are notoriously flimsy and easy to lose. If you’re in the market for new headphones, you’ll be limited to wireless and lightning compatible products, wiping out a whole raft of options. If you want to charge your iPhone whilst using wired headphones, however, you’ll have to fork out for a $49 lightning dock. The additional costs of removing the headphone jack keep racking up. Next year is also the 10th year of the iPhone. So if you’re close to upgrade time, it might be a good idea to wait. The iPhone 7 is very much a small upgrade on the 6S, whereas next year’s promises something more special to commemorate a decade of Apple smartphones.” Even though the headphones jack has been removed, the Apple Company still offers adapters if you still use regular headphones.

One interesting fact is that Apple finally teamed up with Nintendo to release Super Mario Run for iOS. It’s also a stock jump that’s more directly driven by Nintendo’s actions than Pokemon Go was. Since Super Mario Run is being developed by Nintendo, the company can expect a bigger cut of the revenue from the game’s success than it could with Pokemon Go, which was developed by Niantic, and published by The Pokemon Company.

According to Nintendo Team, The Super Mario Run is set to release in December for a fixed price, with a set of in-app purchases that Nintendo has yet to fully detail.

In my conclusion, both the iPhone 7 & Galaxy Note 7 are good phones for staying in contact with your family and friends or conducting any other type of business with someone. If you look at the chart below you will see some comparison between both phones.

Specification chart

(Source:  via YouTube – EveryThingApplePro)

Help end childhood cancer

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Childhood Cancer Awareness (Photo: http://www.charlottemomsblog.com/2014/09/12/september-childhood-cancer-awareness-month/ )

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
(Photo: http://www.charlottemomsblog.com)

By Dabria Brown,

Childhood cancer is a big problem in our country. Childhood cancers are often the result of DNA changes in cells that take place very early in life. According to the American Cancer Society, “1 in 258 young people will be diagnosed with cancer by the time they turn 20. Because childhood cancers are rare, there are no widely recommended screening tests to look for cancer in children who are not at increased risk”. The American Cancer Society also said, “Less than 5% of federal funding for cancer research is dedicated to childhood cancers each year”.

The American Cancer Society takes a comprehensive approach to childhood cancer through funding research, advocating for policies that advance the childhood cancer agenda and improve access to quality care, providing support for patients and their families. The American Cancer Society has many resources to help families understand and cope with a cancer diagnosis in their child. Cancer is bad enough, but when it affects a child it is particularly devastating. Kids deserve a chance to experience life–to laugh and have fun, to be amazed and to dream, to grow.

One thing people can do to help solve this problem is making a donation. Your generous gift will support the gold standard in childhood cancer research. Its the simplest way to keep the research going. One way you can donate is by going to https://shop.stjude.org . Another way you can help is by sending cards to children suffering from cancer. Doing these things can make a difference in a child’s life, or even save someone’s life.

NFL uses virtual reality to enhance fans’ experience

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By Christian Pietrowski,

The NFL is in the process of changing the way technology is being used. According to CNN Student News and MetLife stadium, the New York Jets and the New York Giants are the first to do a lot of technological advancements.

By using virtual reality, they have a booth set up where people can play the NFL game live in virtual reality where it looks like the fans are on the field. This new technology has brought millions of new fans to the stadium to try it out. Other NFL stadiums are in the process of trying this out to bring in more money.

Also there’s a option you can see what it is like to soar 1000 feet over New York City while sitting in the passenger seat of the iconic MetLife Blimp.

sap_metlife_entrance

MetLife stadium

So the next time you are at MetLife Stadium make sure you try this unique experience! The experience is free but you can only have up to 5 minutes to do it so everyone has a chance to experience this new technology. The New York Jets are hoping this technology will spread to every NFL stadium.

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