Category Archives: Departments

New group connects motivational speakers with latino students

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By Makenzie Reyes-Schettini,

Our school has the privilege to participate in a new group called Palante for Spanish and English speaking students. The word “palante” means moving forward in Spanish and that is exactly what they do! Many students take their free education for granted and don’t really think about their education. This group brings in people who have been through many challenges and succeeded in accomplishing their goals.

During a meeting last fall, Patterson High’s students from Palante have met many extraordinary people. There was Alicia I. Arbaje, who is a geriatric medicine specialist and health services professional at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Students also met Andres Anirt Gonzales, who is the co-founder and director of marketing for the Holistic Life Foundation, Inc. He is also one of the founders of the Mindful Moment program in which our school has the privilege of taking part in. Another speaker who came to the meeting was George Julnes, who has a doctorial degree in psychology. Lastly, there was Patricia Omana, who is the regional outreach manager for the connector entity of Healthy Howard.

What do all these people have in common? They are all latinos who have started with nothing and reached extraordinary heights. As they told their stories they didn’t forget to give us advice to keep focusing on our goals. So remember, don’t give up no matter how hard it may seem!

To Eat or not to Eat?

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Reposted from sweetremedyfilm.blogspot.com

By Destiny Diggs,

Being overweight has become a growing epidemic. You hear about all the health concerns that come with being overweight: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes,etc. But is it as easy as it sounds to be and eat healthy?

Money wise its much cheaper to eat unhealthily. It is much cheaper to go to McDonalds and get dinner for four than to go to the grocery store and buy and prepare a healthy dinner. Going to fast food restaurants is faster to get than making breakfast.

The media contradicts themselves; they tell us to eat healthy but then they play an ad about two for one deals at Burger King or Wendy’s. We are being told that processed food isn’t good for us and we should look into more organic foods (which are the most expensive) but we send our kids to school where they are fed processed foods for lunch. When the food is delivered to the schools it is already made. The only thing the lunch ladies have to do is heat the food up and serve it.

Why are we feeding our children this type of food? We do it because it’s cheaper and less time-consuming. This is not to say that being healthy isn’t a good thing but we must look at the entire picture. If there is a family of six and they only have one income coming in, the cheapest way to eat is fast food or microwave food.

This is just something to think about but free ways to help prevent weight gain include drinking water, trying to exercise at least for thirty mins a day and watching our portions and eating in moderation.

Seniors, Get Ready!

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Seniors, you are approaching the finish line! Don’t stumble now!
(Photo reposted from http://gallowaymsp.wordpress.com/ )

By Destiny Diggs,

The new year is upon us. 2013 has come and gone. Students of cohort 2014 are preparing for upcoming events such as prom, Senior Farewell , senior interviews, and last but not least, graduation. As the clock is ticking, Seniors are making sure that all failed classes are being made up, H.S.A.s and Bridge Projects are done and community services hours are complete.

For most seniors I’m sure their goal for their last year in high school is to have one or two classes and to be able to leave early. Some seniors have that opportunity; others aren’t so lucky. They are stuck at school all day finding ways to make up classes in Twilight, which makes their day at school even longer. But what has really frustrated most seniors including myself is the Bridge projects.

Bridge projects are basically packets that seniors have to complete in place of passing the H.S.A. We take Bridge projects because we could not meet the H.S.A passing score. The most Bridge projects a student can get is seven. How many projects they have to do in that subject depends on their H.S.A. score. The closer their score is to the passing requirement, the less Bridge projects they have to do.

Although Bridge projects can be stressful, it really isn’t the work itself that stresses seniors out. It’s having to find out how many and making sure you go to work on them during the allotted times because most teachers aren’t going to come get the students to come do their Bridge projects. Also you have to make sure you keep up with the class you’re being pulled out of to do your Bridge project.

Bridge projects are one of the major academic concerns for seniors, but there are also many extracurricular and financial matters that demand students’ attention as well. Let’s not forget senior dues. The specific package you want determines how much money you have to put out. Some seniors are getting the entire package, including Prom, Farewell, and Graduation, some are only getting one to two things in their package so they will pay less money. If they’re late with their payment they will have pay a late fee.

Of course, with all this stress and hard work there are some events in a senior’s last year that make it all worth it. Prom is one of these. Even though it’s only for a few hours, people spend a couple hundred dollars on their dress or their suit. Some even spend a couple thousand on their ride there because the entrance is just a part of the prom. Then they pay to take some pictures. But being there makes the money worth it for many students.

Senior Farewell is just a chance for the school to say goodbye to the seniors and hello to the new cohort. Then the big day approaches: Graduation Day. The final step in a senior’s last year is the moment you walk out on that stage and receive your diploma.

It might not hit you then, but once you leave that building you will notice that you no longer are required by the state to go to school. You can now make your own decisions on what you want to do with your life. You can go to college, trade school, work, anything. It’s now up to you and what you want to do.

Hopefully during your high school years you have gained some of the knowledge you need to survive in the real world. Hopefully you already have an idea of what you want to do with your life and know what you need to do to accomplish your goals. Although for most seniors it may be a stressful last year because you’re making sure all your ducks are in a row, once you receive that diploma and know you never have to come back it will all be worth it.

Students participate in Chesapeake Bay Service Learning Experience

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Patterson students net fish in the Chesapeake Bay (Photo: Ms. Warzer)

Patterson students participated in a Chesapeake Bay Watershed project with the Patterson Park Audubon Center during this past fall.

Chris Homeister, the Experience Educator with the Audubon Center, had this to say about working with Patterson students, “They showed great interest in the presentation and the accompanying activities.”

Two classes participated in the project: Mr. Hopp’s Environmental Science students and Mrs. Warzer’s ESOL students. First, the classes welcomed the guest speaker, Chris Homeister, into their rooms. They listened to a presentation on the Chesapeake Bay, and how humans can impact the Bay, both positively and negatively. Then, each class joined Mr. Homeister for a day on the Chesapeake Bay. There, the students used fishing rods, reels and nets to find and catch various species of fish. Students placed the fish in small aquariums and identified the species using Fish I.D. sheets. They also conducted water quality testing.

Later, each class joined Mr. Homeister in an environmental stewardship project. Mr. Hopp’s students planted trees on Patterson’s school grounds on October 23, 2013. Mrs. Warzer’s students went to Patterson Park and cleaned up trash on November 8, 2013. The students participated with great energy and were very helpful. The students made picking up trash into a “game”, where a student would earn “a point” for each piece of trash that they picked up.

“Each time someone spotted a piece of trash, all the boys and a few girls would sprint to the trash. It was fun to watch,” said Mr. Homeister.

Both Mrs. Warzer and Mr. Hopp were very pleased with the learning experience.

“The Audubon Watershed Experience was a true gift to my Environmental Science curriculum”, said Mr. Hopp. “Not only did my students learn by wading out in the waters and testing oxygen levels in the Bay, but they also made a positive impact on their own community’s environment. Ultimately, this experience has better connected our students with the gifts of the Chesapeake Bay by helping them develop advocacy leadership skills for their future.”

“ This was a terrific opportunity for our English Language learners to have a hands-on experience with the environment in their new home and learn the vocabulary and ideas related to environmental science”, explained Ms. Warzer. “We followed up by watching videos of water restoration projects in their home country regions, and having an environmental conference to discuss the projects as examples of the scientific method in action. The students’ response was truly ‘awesome’!”

The students were also very grateful for this unique experience.

“ I appreciate you for helping us to understand why the leaves are falling down and the colors are changing”, Yamen Khalil wrote in a thank you letter to the Audubon Society. “I liked learning about how we can be sure if the water is dirty or if it didn’t have enough oxygen. I am glad we helped to make Patterson Park clean.”

“ I learned to take care of the environment- not polluting the rivers, lakes, and beaches and taking care of the animals”, added Rocio Valdez. “If we take care of everything around us, it is going to be better for ourselves, our families and for the future.”

Finally, Chris Homeister had one more comment to add, “It was an honor to work with your staff and students this semester. I hope we can partner up again in the future. Take care and thanks for supporting our partnership with Patterson High School.”

 

(Photos: Ms. Warzer)

Health Fair returns for second year

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Nursing students taking blood pressure at the Health Fair (Photo: Tamika Addison, Patterson Press)

Patterson High School hosted its second annual health fair on December 18th from 1:00 to 3:30 PM in the gym. This year’s health fair was Olympic-themed, with the slogan “Be a Champion of your Health”. The fair was organized by Ms. Diehl and the Health Corps, with assistance from a variety of staff, students and community partners.

Entire classes of students visited the Health Fair along with their teachers during FUTURES and last period. A wide range of resources and fun activities were available to students. Booths were organized into four categories:

Eat Like a Champion – Breakfast Bingo, McCormick Veggie Burger Demonstration, Share Our Strength Salsa-making Station, Drink the Rainbow Smoothie Booth, ReThink Your Drink, AmeriGroup, Real Food Farm

Move Like a Champion – Yoga, Basketball, Relay Races, Hula Hooping

Feel Like a Champion – Self-Massage for Stress Relief, Holistic Life Foundation, Center for Integrative Medicine, Patterson For Peace, Positivi-Torch

Live Like a Champion – Skin Care, Natural Locs Salon Natural Hair Care, BCHD Teen Pregnancy Prevention, BCHD STD Prevention and Condom use,  Patterson High School Garden, Nursing Students’ Blood Pressure Screenings

Ms. Diehl would like to thank the following groups for helping with the fair:

  • Student Government Association and Patterson For Peace for help with planning and execution of fair
  • JROTC students for escorting outside guests to fair
  • Ms. Holter’s and Mr. Canty’s classes for decorations
  • Mr. Gilman for building our podium
  • Nursing students for taking Blood Pressure
  • The Patterson Press for covering event
  • Way Better Snacks, Beanfields Chips, Chobani Yogurt, Fiber One, Honest Tea, Chipotle, and the Fresh Market for donations

 

National Guard sponsors stunt bike show at Patterson

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(Photo: Brandon Diaz, Patterson Press)

By Tanya Diaz,

Members of the National Guard came to Patterson High School’s gym on Friday, October 4th to entertain our Patterson students, making incredible jumps and tricks and other unimaginable stuff with their BMX bicycles. The event was called “Bring Your Game to School” and it featured three stunt riders: Andrew (26 years old), Corry (24 years old) and Erick (17 years old).

The Patterson Press had a chance to speak to these athletes after the show. Here are some of the questions we asked them and their responses:

Patterson Press: What is the purpose of this event?

Corry: The purpose of this event is to make people be more interested in the National Guard and this kind of sport.

Patterson Press: How many years do you have practicing this sport?

Erick: Well, I probably have like four years.

Patterson Press: Why did you start practicing it?

Erick: I think I felt attracted to and impressed by this sport, so I start practicing and getting better each day.

Patterson Press: Do you recommend this sport to others?

Andrew: If you want to challenge yourself and if you want to get skills, I will say, of course, do it.

(Photo: Brandon Diaz, Patterson Press)

Students learn how to cook healthy meals

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A student sautés food at the Cooking Club (Photo: Nakesha Campbell, Patterson Press)

Last year our Patterson High School Teen Battle Chef team won bronze at the Mid Atlantic Regional Finals.  This year, Ms. Diehl wanted to bring cooking knowledge and practice to even more students and get started even earlier.  So she started an after-school Chef’s Club.

Every Wednesday after school all students are welcome to meet at Ms. Diehl’s office and take a walk downstairs to the HealthCorps Kitchen.  There, students learn about a different fruit or vegetable each week.  They get to try new foods, or make familiar foods in new ways.  They practice knife skills and discover how to braise, bake, sear, and sauté.  So far this year they have made their own fresh tomato sauce for pasta, apple crisp, creamy butternut squash and kale pasta, butternut squash and chicken tagine, sweet potato latkes with curry yogurt dipping sauce, garlic mashed cauliflower and potatoes with cider glazed chicken, and more!

Ms. Diehl chooses recipes that include fresh, local, seasonal fruits and vegetables and informs the chefs about how and why these foods are good for them.  Our Clipper Chefs make simple substitutions, like olive oil instead of butter or sauteing instead of frying, to make the dishes healthy as well as delicious.

In February, Chef’s Club will transition back into Teen Battle Chef –a select group of students who are committed to attending weekly practice towards the final competition.  Until then, all students are welcome to come on out to Chef’s Club and get cooking!

 

(Photos by Nakesha Campbell, Patterson Press:)

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