Marching Warriors Win Grand Champion
By Lynndi Lockenour
Members of the St. Charles West High School Marching Warriors, Dance and Drill, and Jefferson Middle School eighth grade recently retuned from a successful trip to Jacksonville, Florida, and the Toyota Gator Bowl festivities.
The Marching Warriors competed in the Gator Bowl field competition, where they were named class 2A champions. The band also picked up the following awards for their performance in the competition: best music, best general effect, best marching, and best auxiliary (colorguard). They also received the highest score of all the bands at the field competition, and were invited to perform their show at the Pre-Game of the Gator Bowl football game.
Because of their success, the band was awarded with the honor of Gator Bowl Grand Champion. This is the highest of all awards, and though the band is not in the highest competition class, they managed to pick up the award, beating out 26 other bands for the honor. “The fact that they won grand champion and had the highest score without being in the highest class is amazing,” said Band Director, Terry Martinez. “Usually a band in the lower classes never wins that honor.”
In addition to participating in the Gator Bowl, the band was selected to lead in the ElectroMagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. The band was also awarded for their performance in the parade as well. These included: taking home first place, best music, best general effect, best marching, best auxiliary, and best percussion.
Martinez said his favorite part of the entire trip was when the band marched down Main Street toward the castle. It was the first time he’d been able to take his family with him and Martinez said Walt Disney World has always held a magical place in his heart. “Seeing the kids perform without it being a competition and just to have fun was amazing,” he said. “It was such a special and magical time for all of us.”
The best part for the children, Martinez estimates, was the awards ceremony. Though he said the band doesn’t place a particular importance on awards, they come as a result of their hard work and dedication throughout the season. “It’s a nice way for the kids to see that hard work and dedication can pay off,” he said.
One hundred and sixty-five people traveled to Jacksonville. The group left on December 27, traveling on two charter buses, and returned on January 3. Of the 165 people on the busses, 126 were marching members of the band, the rest included staff, chaperons, and parents. Besides that number, Martinez estimates at least 20 other parents drove down separately to see the kids perform.
Martinez points out that parents are an incredible part of the band’s performance. With dads called the “prop pops,” who load equipment, and moms named the “band moms,” who maintain uniforms, the parents help make the show happen. “They are an incredible support base,” Martinez said,” and a very important part of what we do here.”
Each student was responsible for the $1,000 needed to make the trip. To combat this overwhelming cost, the band held multiple fundraisers throughout the year.
The Marching Warriors performed their show entitled “Second Wind,” the same show they used for their fall competition show. Martinez said the show dealt with wind, featuring everything from wind chimes to each section of the winded instruments. Along with this, there was a second meaning to the group. Martinez said the group didn’t have a very good season last year. “As a result the title of “Second Wind” was a way of giving hope to reviving the life into the group this year.”
Since returning home Martinez said there has been an outpouring of support from the community. Both the School Board and City Council have expressed the desire to recognize the kids at upcoming meetings for their hard work. “First thing this morning when we got back,” Martinez said, “they took our trophies down to the atrium and put them in the case.”
Within the next three or four weeks, the Marching Warriors will begin planning for next years show. However, for right now they are content to enjoy the excitement and reward for all their hard work. “Right now I want the kids to savor the victory from this year.” Martinez said.
Duchesne Teacher Takes Creative Biology Games To Market
Duchesne High School biology teacher and science department head Beth Steagall wanted to find an innovative way to pique her student’s interest and retain the information they learned in class. Steagall began making up board games as a fun way to introduce and review material in her biology classes.
After presenting the games at the National Science Teachers Association national convention, a teacher in the audience advised her to get her games on the market “before someone steals her ideas.” Steagall took the advice immediately and approached the first publisher she saw at the convention, American Educational Products, LLC, a division of Scott Hubbard Scientific. They offered to buy and publish three of her games on the spot.
“My first three games, Brain Race, Antigen Alley and Invertebrate Beach, are primarily dice-rolling and question-answer games,” said Steagall. “The Brain Race is designed so that as you travel around the board, what happens to you is actually what happens in that section of the brain. It helps introduce students to where in the brain the different functions occur.
Antigen Alley’s purpose is to introduce students to all kinds of diseases and viruses caused by bacteria. Players accumulate germ and antibody cards throughout the game. “Whoever has the most antibodies at the end is the winner,” said Steagall. “Each card contains a ‘Virus Fact’ that covers the history or some other fun facts that supplement what the students have been learning in class.”
In Invertebrate Beach, players answer questions about invertebrates and get money for the spaces they land on. “All the spaces have something to do with invertebrates,” said Steagall. You travel from simple to complex. This game has been purchased the most.”
Steagall continues to invent games for her students. This past summer, Scott Hubbard purchased two more games from her. The Digestive Game involves traveling through the digestive system answering questions dealing with the digestive system and winning digest-o-bucks.
The Rain Forest game is quite similar. “The Rain Forest bucks can be used to purchase rain forest acres,” said Steagall. “The player with the most rain forest acres at the end of the game wins.”
Students in her biology classes really enjoy her games. “We make it really competitive and have a lot of fun,” said junior Kyle Boaz. “The games really help us focus and prepare for our tests.”
Junior Jared Hu adds, “It is so much easier to learn when you are having fun.”
All five of Steagall’s games are available for purchase for $29.95 at www.shnta.com.
Assessor Mailed 2006 Assessment Forms
The St. Charles County Assessor’s Office will began mailing personal property assessment forms January fourth. Approximately 150,000 forms in total will be sent in two separate mailings. These staged mailings will help minimize phone congestion when taxpayers need to contact the office. The Assessor’s Office continues to make enhancements to simplify the declaration process for County taxpayers. County residents are encouraged to complete and return their forms by the March first date to assure fair distribution of the tax burden throughout all St. Charles County taxing entities.
“Our main function in the Assessor’s Office is to deliver accurate and timely assessments. To avoid late filing fees and logistic problems with license renewals, residents should file their forms by the March first deadline. Timely returns make certain that our schools, cities, fire districts, and other taxing bodies are able to establish an equitable tax rate, ensuring the tax burden is equitably distributed,” said Scott Shipman, St. Charles County Assessor.
Taxpayers who fail to file a declaration form the the March first deadline will receive a second notice and are subject to the late filing penalty added to their 2006 property tax bill. Residents who do not receive a form by the end of January may access a blank assessment from from the County’s website www.saintcharlescounty.org under the Assessor’s link or contact the Assessor’s office for assistance at 636-949-7420 or 1 800-822-4012, extension 7420. The website includes both individual and business personal property assessment forms and information.
Duchesne Student Has Promising Public Speaking Career
For many people, the thought of public speaking is frightening. Certainly, that is not the case for Duchesne High School sophomore Ben Chambers. Chambers is a member of the Duchesne Debate Team and the Duchesne Christian Interscholastic Speech League (CISL).
As a result of his success in both organizations, Chambers will be busy in January representing Duchesne at the District American Legion Oratorical contest and the Greater St. Louis Speech League (GSL) student congress final competition.
Chambers was asked by Duchesne speech coach and drama teacher Mrs. Sharon Morgan to represent Duchesne at the local American Legion Oratorical contest in December. “When I had Ben in speech his freshman year, I could tell he had a natural talent for speaking and I had real high hopes that he would join CISL,” said Morgan.
Chambers joined CISL as an extemporaneous speaker. “Ben has competed four times for Duchesne and every time he receives a perfect score,” said Morgan.
Contestants of the oratorical contest had to give a five-to six-minute speech on the role the constitution plays in the world. “My speech was judged by a panel of several local office holders,” said Chambers. Chambers took first place and will now advance to the District oratorical contest on Jan. 8 in Wentzville.
“Ben is the first student from Duchesne to win first place in the local American Legion contest,” said Morgan. “He is just an unbelievably good speaker.”
As a member of the Duchesne Debate team, Chambers participated in several preliminary rounds in order to qualify for the final GSL student congress competition. “Student congress works just like congress,” said Chambers. “We get to submit bills and speak in front of other representatives, and we are judged on how well we speak.” The student who has the highest score is the winner of the competition. Over 20 schools will be represented at the competition on Jan. 14 at Ladue High School.
“In order to prepare for the competition I will be doing a lot of research on popular topics such as the reconstruction of New Orleans, terrorism or the United Nations,” said Chambers. “Whenever I debate, I go with what ‘I’ believe, based on my research.”
His qualification to the final competition is a testament to his good work in preparing for competitions and his interest in current issues focusing on our nation,” said Duchesne Debate coach Holly Eschenbrenner. “It is a true joy to work with Ben. His leadership keeps our debate team activities fun and worthwhile for all of our members. He is unfailingly polite and respectful to his peers and teachers alike. He exhibits a level of poise and maturity that is very rare for teenagers.”
Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital has gone WI-FI… with new FREE wireless internet access
Waiting for a family member to get out of surgery? Visiting a patient in the OB department? Coming to the hospital for a regular weekly treatment? Now patients and visitors can stay connected to the web when they visit Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital (BJSPH). Now that BJSPH has FREE wireless internet access, patients and visitors can now check their email or surf the internet on their laptops or PDA during their next visit or stay.
The WI-FI connection, short for wireless fidelity, allows wireless data transfer through personal communication devices. Patients and visitors can bring in their laptop or PDA to the hospital and access the Internet free of charge. They just need a properly configured wireless device. When they first connect they’ll be presented with BJC’s Guidelines for Network Use and Internet Access and Use Agreement. When the user accepts them, the internet will be available to you.
Users need not worry about the wireless connection affecting hospital equipment. The low power emissions have been proven to not interfere with sensitive medical equipment.* Patients and visitors can keep up with messages from work and make visits more enjoyable. The convenient service will help people stay productive or in touch during their time at the hospital.
Frequently asked questions on wireless service
Are costs involved? No. This is a free service. Costs are not passed to you or your insurance company. You must, however, provide your own wireless device and wireless connectivity.
What is a wireless network? A wireless network works much the same way as other computer networks, except there are no cables or wires involved. A device with built-in wireless capability or a special wireless network card is required instead. When properly configured, your computer will communicate with a dedicated network, providing you access to the internet that’s similar to the access you already enjoy at home or work.
What equipment do I need? Wireless Device: Users must provide your own laptop computer or PDA. Most PC’s, Pocket PC’s and Macintosh computers should work so long as they are properly configured and have an appropriate wireless network card. Wireless Card: Users need to provide his/her own wireless network card. Some new devices have the wireless card built in – otherwise it will probably be inserted into a slot on the side of the laptop or the top of the PDA.
Supported wireless formats: The user’s network card must support either 802.11b or 802.11g frequencies. The BJSPH wireless network does not support other industry standards.
Browser: The user’s device must use a standard internet browser such as Internet Explorer, America Online or Netscape.
But I don’t have a wireless card…For the most part wireless cards are standardized and may be purchased on-line or from any retail electronics store. BJSPH is not permitted to install the wireless card.
How secure is my Internet session?Wireless networks are ‘shared’ among all users and, by nature, are public. All public networks lack the high level of security you may be accustomed to at work and home. We encourage you to be careful when sending personally identifiable or sensitive information. If the web sites you visit support the industry standard SSL encryption, our network connection to that site is as secure as if you were on a standard wired network.
Fourth Annual Mardi Gras Parade and King’s Ball to be held February 18, 2006
The St. Charles Jaycees are organizing the Fourth Annual St. Charles Jaycees’ Frenchtown Mardi Gras Parade. The parade is scheduled for Saturday, February 18, at 3:00 p.m. along Second Street in the Frenchtown Historic District. This year’s theme is “Music of the Night”
“The St. Charles Jaycees are very excited. This parade has grown each year since we started it four years ago” says Mardi Gras Parade Chair Christine Grote. “We now have a few thousand people attending to catch the trinkets and necklaces that are thrown out.”
The Jaycees encourage anyone interested in participating to sign-up today. “Float entries have been slow to catch on, but we hope this is our breakout year,” says Grote. “We encourage organizations including youth groups, church groups, non-profits, and groups who just want to be part of a fun parade to sign-up. There is no entry fee for these type of entries, however, businesses are assessed a small entry fee.”
“This is a great family-friendly event,” Grote said. “We want to offer an alternative for parents who want to celebrate Mardi Gras with their children in an alcohol-free environment.”
For more information about the Frenchtown Mardi Gras Parade or for an entry form, contact Christine Grote at 314-477-4772. Entry forms can also be downloaded from the St. Charles Jaycees Website, www.geocities.com/stcharlesjaycees.
For the second year in a row, The Fourth Annual Mardi Gras King’s Ball will be held on the same day as the parade. The ball is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be held at the Foundry Art Centre. Tickets for this event are $45 per person and includes dinner. There will be a cash bar and entertainment will be provided by Serapis. This Mardi Gras event is organized and hosted by the Historic Frenchtown Association (HFA). Proceeds from this event will benefit the HFA. The HFA will be crowning this year’s King & Queen at the King’s Ball. For more information on this event or tickets, contact Marilyn Geery at 636-916-5344.
The St. Charles Jaycees, a leadership training, community service, and social organization for people between the ages of 21 & 39, have helped to build young leaders in St. Charles since 1948. For more information about the St. Charles Jaycees, visit the organization’s official website at www.geocities.com/stcharlesjaycees.
