Each month during the school year, the Pattonville Board of Education honors students, staff and volunteers who have gained recognition outside of the district or who’ve made a special contribution to Pattonville. Learn more about students and staff who were recognized in May.
Rose Acres Elementary School
Scholastic Reporting the News Contest
Scholastic News accepted submissions from fourth through sixth graders across the country for their Reporting the News Contest. Rose Acres Elementary School fifth grader Will Purnell was selected as a runner-up in the national contest for his article, “What Does the Groundhog Say?” He demonstrated creative initiative in the article by presenting his topic as a debate. William is taught by Rose Acres PEGS teacher Robin Chang. Robin also taught the group of first and second grade students from the PEGS program who were selected as the grand prize winner of the Leader in Me Global Speech Contest for the toy drive they did earlier in the school year.
Leader in Me
A group of first and second grade students from the PEGS program were selected as the grand prize winner of the Leader in Me Global Speech Contest. The prompt was to submit a five minute video sharing how they have joined together with their community to be a force for good. The students chose to feature a toy drive they did earlier in the school year to help encourage friendships through play. The students who were part of this project were: first graders Dean Dafflitto, Lola Dafflitto, Oscar Kwon and Charles Stage, and second graders Matthias (math-eye-us) Schillinger and Maxwell Schneider. They are taught by PEGS teachers Allison Bennett and Robin Chang.
PEGS students who received the grand prize award in the Leader in Me Global Speech Contest include, from left, Charles Stage, Maxwell Schneider and Matthias Schilinger and teacher Robin Chang.
Huss Graduate Award
Fifth grade teacher Nicole Youngquist was selected to receive the 2023 Francis and Elizabeth Huss Graduate Award for Education Administration from Lindenwood University. This award recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and potential as a school administrator.
Willow Brook Elementary School
Generosity and Service
Alexandra Sanchez, an English Learner specialist at Willow Brook Elementary, was selected to receive the 2023 MaryLiz de Bito Lincoln Award for Generosity and Service from the Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart. This award is granted to a Sacred Heart graduate aged 35 or younger who has demonstrated outstanding support and loyalty to their local alumni association. Alexandra was nominated by her local alumni association and will be recognized at the AASH National Conference in Portland, Oregon, later this month, where she will also be attending as the alumni president of her alma mater.
Alexandra Sanchez is shown above.
Pattonville High School
STL PR Photojournalist
Pattonville High School junior Mekhi Brown submitted a photograph in the St. Louis Public Radio Teen Photojournalist Prize award program and received honorable mention in the landscape category for his work. This annual award and educational program provides professional recognition, publicity, encouragement, hands-on training and resources to area high school students who demonstrate a talent for documenting their world through photography. Mekhi’s photo features a view of Busch Stadium during a Cardinals game on June 14, 2022.
Scholar Athlete
Every year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scholar Athlete program honors one student from every area school. The student athletes selected are those who have excelled in sports and in the classroom. Senior Allison Schrumpf was selected as Pattonville High School’s honoree. Allison has played on the varsity softball and soccer teams at the high school and has been named all-conference first team and academic all-conference in both sports. In softball she was also named all-district infielder, all-region second team and academic all-state and has received the all-conference sportsmanship award. As a student, Allison has accumulated a 4.652 weighted GPA and has participated in Key Club, Renaissance, National Honor Society (NHS), National English Honor Society, student council, Rho Kappa, Science National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
HOSA
Students from Pattonville High School competed in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) state leadership conference. The students participated in various exams and events and the following students received honors. Junior Krysta Azurdia placed in the top three of the organic chemistry National Geographic test. She also placed in the top 10 of the medical math exam. Placing in the top five of exams were juniors Chellsea Duong in the cultural diversity and disparities exam and Paul Palermo in the dental terminology exam. Students that placed in the top 10 in the forensic science event were sophomore Janani Kamalakkannan and junior Marlaina Corson. Senior Sydney Suvansri placed in the top 10 of the pathophysiology exam. Additionally, Prina Limbachia competed in the prepared speaking event. These students were sponsored by high school science teacher Jamie Jobe.
Students who participated in HOSA are, from left, Chellsea Duong, Prina Limbachia and Krysta Azurdia.
Tech Association
Six students from Pattonville High School competed at the Missouri Technology Student Association (TSA) State Championships Conference at the University of Missouri from April 16 to 18. Students placed in several events. Justin Alvey and Morgan Johnson placed first in board game design, second in coding and second in on demand video. Alvey, Jack Caesar and Johnson placed first in video game design and fifth in technology bowl. Caesar and Shaurya Pandey placed second in webmaster and third in coding. Pandey also placed third in prepared presentation. Fred Kadima and Faisal Yousif placed fourth in on demand video and were Top 10 finalists in forensic science. These students were sponsored by Project Lead the Way (PLTW) computer science teacher Stephanie Carson.
Members of the state championship TSA team were, from left, Justin Alvey, teacher Stephanie Carson and Shaurya Pandey.
Winterguard
The Pattonville High School winterguard team placed third at the Winter Guard International Omaha Regional Championships. In their first ever appearance at this competition, Pattonville placed third in preliminaries and earned the bronze medal in the finals of a contest that schools from five states attended. Their placement advanced them to the Winterguard International (WGI) Championships. Students on the winterguard team were freshmen Natalie Jackson, Sabrina Jackson, Iyanna Johnson and Kayla Watts; sophomores Lauren Hunt, London Luellen, Patricia Menga, Thomas Wilson and Issabelle Winkler; juniors Gavin Clay, Emilia Chirwa, Dallon Fontana, Alana Franklin, Kyla Kobielusz, Falisha Markland and Alexandria Nunn; and seniors Lillian Cave, Ashlee Cleary Wichers, Camille Lofland, Sara Lumsden and Jamie Newell. The team was coached by Charlie Bourrage.
Members of the winterguard team include Dallon Fontana, left, and Emilia Chirwa.
MOACAC Presidents’ Award
Pattonville High School college and career counselor Michelle Luraschi was selected to receive the 2023 Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC) Presidents’ Service Recognition Award. MOACAC presents this award during their annual conference to members with more than five years’ service who have provided strong and consistent leadership to the organization.
Districtwide
Congressional App
The Congressional App Challenge, organized by members of the U.S House of Representatives, is considered to be one of the most prestigious prizes in student computer science. U.S. Representative Cori Bush named two Pattonville students as the winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge in Missouri’s first district. They are Heights Middle School eighth grader Tanish Dorasani and high school junior Sai Dorasani . Tanish and Sai were invited to the United States Capitol on April 17 and 18 to be recognized for the app they created, Vaidyo – BioChain. Vaidyo, which means doctor in Sanskrit, is their solution to the problem they identified with storing, sharing and maintaining patient records on multiple patient portals.
Sai Dorasani, left, and Tanish Dorasani placed first in the Congressional App Challenge.
Business Emerald Award
Human resources director Candice Wayne received the Business Month Emerald Award from the Alpha Zeta chapter of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. This award recognizes an outstanding business professional for accomplishments in business and the community. Candice was recognized at the organization’s Business Month Awards Dinner on April 30 at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel. Proceeds from the event went to the sorority’s local scholarship fund to help make college more affordable for incoming high school graduates.