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)

 

 

Patterson students participate in CyberPatriot competition

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By Ms. Ball

Patterson’s amazing cyber security team, the Cyber Trolls, performed quite well in the first two rounds of Northrop Grumman’s Annual CyberPatriot Competition.  The first round was held in November and the 2nd round was held on December 7, 2012.  The time frame for both rounds was from 12:00 to 6:00 PM.  Our industry mentors were Tyler Lillard, a former Patterson student, and Sergeants Jessica Yanzick & Rain from the Air Force.  Students put in a full day’s work trying to find computer system vulnerabilities and prevent others from hacking into their system.

Cyber security is one of the fastest growing STEM careers in the world.  The U.S. desperately needs computer engineers and software programmers to help fight the cyber attacks that threaten our businesses on a daily basis.  Our students are learning the skills necessary to protect the virtual machines they work on.  Please congratulate the students listed below for doing a fantastic job in the competition.  Round 3.5 will be held in February, 2013.  Wish us luck!

DeOnte Green
Onyekachi Ekeagwu
Aaron Wheeler
Abhishek Younghang
JeVaughn Taylor
James Siebor

S. Ball, Cybersecurity Coach

Patterson Hosts Health Fair

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Students from Patterson’s Certified Nursing Assistant Career Pathway program give free blood pressure screenings to their fellow students (Photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

By Brennan Meeks

Patterson High School hosted a Health Fair in the Success Academy on Thursday, December 6th during homeroom period. Ms Diehl from the Health Corps, along with many students, teachers and staff members, organized this health fair for all the students and staff in this school. In keeping with Patterson’s Clipper ship mascot, the theme of this fair was “Sail into good health”. Ms. Diehl even dressed up like a pirate and told students how to find the “treasure of health”.

The Health Fair had a lot of stands and exhibits that related to health. Students got to sample a variety of healthy foods. Yoga classes were offered and Patterson’s Certified Nursing Assistant career pathway students offered free blood pressure screenings to their fellow students.

There were also visitors from other schools and organizations such as Great Kids Farm, a project that recruits Baltimore City Public Schools students to grow organic fruits and vegetables. “We grow berries and fruits and others things”, said Greg Strella, a representative from Great Kids Farm who was showing students how to grow a vegetable called sour sorrel.  Strella explained how the farm grows produce for Baltimore City Schools such as Carver, Edmondson, and Forest Park High Schools. “Students can grow the food, cook the food, and eat the food and they can go to our salad bar.” said Strella.

This Health Fair gave students an opportunity to learn about different ways to improve their health. It is another step on the road to making Patterson one of the healthiest school in the nation. Patterson hopes to have another health fair next school year.

(Photos: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Patterson defeats Glenelg 77-53 in basketball season opener

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Reprinted with permission from www.pattersonbasketball.com

Patterson’s returning players unveiled the state championship banner from last year before Thursday’s season opener. Then it was time to start on the road back to the Comcast Center.

The Clippers picked up where they left off, using a balanced scoring attack and aggressive defense to beat Glenelg, 77-53.

Four players scored in double figures, led by junior Dawan Bass’ 20 points on 10 of 14 from the field. Sophomore Dereck Oliver (18 points), junior Kwynten Brooks (15 points) and sophomore Tyquan Pointer (13 points) helped Patterson build a comfortable lead after a close first quarter.

On the other end, the Clippers forced Glenelg from Howard County into 38 turnovers. Oliver had six steals while Bass and Brooks had five steals each.

Bass also added eight rebounds, and freshman center Desmond Brown had six points and eight rebounds (six offensive) in his high school debut. Oliver directed the offense, dishing out seven of the team’s 14 assists.

Patterson is back in action in the Baltimore/D.C. Challenge against Woodrow Wilson from D.C. on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Coolidge High School in the District.

The Arts at Patterson

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A student plays the steel drums in Mr. Gagne’s Music Club. Other instruments used by the club include an electric guitar, two pianos and an electric keyboard. (Photo: Clinton Adams, Patterson Press)

By Clinton Adams

Two teachers, both involved in the Arts, recently spoke to the Patterson Press. Both of these teachers are advisors for clubs that students can participate in.

Ms.Bell, the teacher for Drama Club, said that the Drama Club will be performing 3 different shows this year: a Christmas show (scheduled for December 20th), a Black History variety show, and a Spring musical called “Once on this Island”.

Mr. Gagne, the teacher for the music club, says he would like to have his club perform this year and they will go to various locations to play music for people.

The Drama Club meets from 3:45-4:45 in Room 201 or the Auditorium, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Music  Club meets Tuesdays at 3:45 in Room 200. Any students interested in these clubs should attend a meeting or talk to the teachers in charge.

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)

STEM competition returns for 5th year at Patterson

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Students arrange mirrors to reflect a laser as part of the STEM competition (photo: Patterson Press)

By Jevaughn Taylor

Patterson High School held its 5th annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) competition on November 15,2012. We first met in the auditorium for a orientation until we were called to go to our different sections. We started the STEM competition at approximately 10:30.

We played an interesting game with lots of challenges we were put to the test to build things and use the time we had wisely. For this activity we were split into different stations (A,B,C and D). In order for contestants to win the STEM competition, they had to compete in all areas and fulfill all requirements, In each station, students receive a score based on how well they did  in that area.

For example, in one competition, students were given five mirrors and they had to arrange them in a certain position so that a laser could go through the other side of the board.  When that happened, the laser light would reflect on a certain score to give you your grade in that area. Each person who participated in the STEM competition worked in teams of four.

In addition to Patterson students, we also hosted visiting students from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly). Our students also had a lot of fun alongside some of the judges. During the STEM competition, students were very competitive to see who was better and faster at making things.

Ms. Ball and Mr. Yates were two of the people who help to organize this event and make sure everything went according to plan. Ms. Ball was the one who prepared the lunches and made sure that all STEM participants were properly fed.  Students reported to lunch at approximately 12:30 to 1:00 PM. After lunch, Mr Benton (the principal of Patterson High School) announced the winners. Although the team from Poly won first place in the competition, we Patterson students tried our best and came in second and third in this competition.

Some students were frustrated that another school won the competition. When asked for comment about this,  Mr. Benton replied, “Students now feel what I feel when other schools come into my stadium and beat our basketball team and other teams that we have here at Patterson, but all we can say is we did our part and participated and we are all hoping for the best the next time we keep a next STEM competition here at Patterson.”

The STEM competition has been a fun and educational experience for all of the students who participated in it. The sixth annual STEM competition is scheduled to take place at the same time next year. It is our hope that we will do even better next time and win first place.

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

(photo: Patterson Press)

 

Homerooms Compete in Door Decorating Contest

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A student helps decorate Mr. Laqui’s classroom door. It would be chosen as one of this year’s three winners, along with Mr. Wagoner’s and Ms. Berdin’s rooms. (Photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

By Brennan Meeks

Patterson continued an annual tradition this year by hosting a door decorating competition to celebrate Homecoming week from Oct 22-26.

Students in each homeroom class worked together to create an original design promoting Patterson pride on their classroom doors, using whatever materials they could find. A team of judges announced a winner for each of the three floors in the building.

The homerooms that won the contest are Mr. Wagoner’s class (1st floor), Mr Laqui’s class (2nd floor), and Ms. Berdin’s class (3rd floor). Mr. Wagoner’s door was decorated with a clipper ship, paper footballs, and images of Patterson students.

Mr. Laqui’s door had a lot decorations, including footballs and a cemetery with gravestones and ghosts, representing Edmonson High School’s football team (who Patterson would face in the Homecoming game). The graveyard theme also connected with the fact that Halloween was coming up. Some of the footballs were pink, in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The background of this door is a football field with a lot of images of football players.

Ms. Berdin’s door featured a clipper ship, blue streamers and photos of Patterson football players’ heads with bodies drawn on with markers. Even Mr. Benton’s head was included as a football player!

We would like to congratulate these three homerooms, along with all the other classes who participated, for their hard work and creativity in making their doors look nice for Homecoming.

Mr. Wagoner’s room, 1st floor winner (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Mr. Laqui’s room, winner for 2nd floor (Photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Ms. Berdin’s room, 3rd floor winner (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Ms. McDermott’s homeroom decorates their door. (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

A student works on Ms. Mahoney’s door (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Ms. Varela’s door highlights the many different countries her students come from (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

students work on a poster that will go on their classroom door (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Ms. Reyes’ and Ms. Hope’s classroom celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

A student puts some finishing touches on Mr. Tola’s door (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Mr. Pesa’s homeroom decorates their door (photo: Brennan Meeks, Patterson Press)

Food Review: Salad Bar

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The new salad bar gives students more options and a chance to eat healthier (Photo: Clinton Adams, Patterson Press)

By Brennan Meeks

Recently, I tried out the new salad bar that is located in Patterson’s cafeteria. After standing in line for a long time, I realized that we need to do something to make sure that students get served more quickly. We have choices in the salad bar such as chicken and regular salad and also we have tuna sandwiches and fruit and vegetables.

I tried some lettuce with ranch dressing. The lettuce tasted fresh and the dressing was good. I was impressed with the quality of the food.

This is a good start, but I can think of a couple improvements that could make the salad bar even better. For one thing, hiring more servers and having two lines instead of one would help make sure that everyone has a chance to get a salad with plenty of time left to eat it. Also, it would be nice to add more choices of toppings for the salad like other vegetables, feta cheese, and more flavors of dressing.

So far, our salad bar is helping our school to become one of the healthiest schools in the nation. For everyone who gets free lunch, the salad bar is free for you too. People who pay for lunch have to pay to get salad but it is the same price as the regular lunch. I would like to thank Ms Diehl and the Health Corps for bringing us a healthier option for our school lunch.

(Photo: Clinton Adams, Patterson Press)

(Photo: Clinton Adams, Patterson Press)

(Photo: Clinton Adams, Patterson Press)

(Photo: Clinton Adams, Patterson Press)

The View from the Hall: An Interview with Hall Monitor Michael Key

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Michael Key, Patterson’s new hall monitor (Photo: Jevaughn Taylor, Patterson Press)

Interview by Jevaughn Taylor

This interview with Michael Key, a new hall monitor at Patterson High School this school year, occurred in September, 2012.

Patterson Press: Why did you come to Patterson High School? 

Michael Key: I came to Patterson to work with youths and keep them from making the same mistakes  I made in life.

Patterson Press: How long do you intend to work at Patterson?

Michael Key: I intend to work here  as long as Mr. Benton and the other members of  the staff allow me to.

Patterson Press: Do you think that you can change  all the wrongs that are going on in school? 

Michael Key: I don’t think I can do it by myself, but with the the help of staff and teachers, everything is possible.  I also have a strong commitment to students and teenagers.

Patterson Press: What do you think about this school so far?  

Michael Key: This is a very good school because it is very diverse and you get chances to meet people from different cultures. I also wish this school had more life skills classes to teach young boys to grow into men and young girls to grow into ladies to become more versatile in society.

Patterson Press: On a scale of one to ten how would you rate this school? 

Michael Key: I personally would rate this school by giving it a nine because it is a very good school.

Patterson Press: Why do you think resource officers are important to us?

Michael Key: Resource officers are here to make this a safer place for teachers and students, to make sure  no one tries to sneak in the building to hurt us, and everything we do is for the students and teachers benefit.

Patterson Press: What do you think about Mr. Benton? 

Michael Key: Well, he is a good  Principal  and the only thing we need around here is more hall sweeps.  We have a lot of hall walkers and they should be controlled.   Besides that, everything else is OK around here.

The Patterson Press would like to thank Mr. Key for his time and wish him luck in his new position.

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