West Newsmagazine 9-9-20

32 I SCHOOLS I
September 9, 2020
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
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Ted Gottlieb
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WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
OUTDOOR Seminar
Tuesday 9/15 - 10am
West Pavillon
Chesterfield City Park
16365 Lydia Hill Drive
Tenpenny Tower featuring (from left) Connor Fiehler, Alexander Scheman and
Parker Comparato, was honored at the 10th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent
Competition.
(Source: FoxPACF)
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By BONNIE KRUEGER
Teens awarded for talent
On Aug. 10, 16 finalists competed in the
10th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition’s
televised broadcast on Nine PBS.
Students vied for nearly $50,000 in college
scholarships, cash awards and special
prizes.
Two local talented teens were among
the scholarship and cash award winners.
Westminster Christian Academy student
Lizzy Crowe was awarded The Berges
Classical Performance Award, underwritten
by Jim and Cathy Berges, for her
ballet dance routine.
The band Tenpenny Tower received The
Voss Family Originality Award, underwritten
by Tom and Carol Voss. Recent Lafayette
High graduate Alexander Scheman
played electric guitar as part of the trio.
Kirkwood High senior Connor Fiehler
performed as lead singer and guitarist.
Christian High junior Parker Comparato
rounded out the trio on percussion.
The finalists’ acts were filmed in isolation
at the Fabulous Fox stage for the special
program. The professionally produced
show was written and directed by Broadway
actor, dancer, director, choreographer
and St. Louis native Tony Parise.
The St. Louis Teen Talent Competition
Finals can be streamed online at ninenet.org/
teentalent. Preregistration now is open for
the 2021 11th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent
Competition for high school students at foxpacf.org/programs/teen-talent-competition/.
Local students picked
for prestigious board
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
announced the members of its 2020-2021
student board of directors, who convened
Aug. 6 for the virtual board meeting.
High school seniors from across the
greater St. Louis area were selected to serve
on the student board based on a competitive
application process, which required an
essay and letters of recommendation. Students
meet monthly and gain a thorough
understanding of the Federal Reserve’s
role in the U.S. economy and experience
its unique partnerships with banks, businesses
and the community.
The 2020-2021 student board members
from the readership area are Prateek
Gautam, Marquette High; Andrew Gray,
Parkway West High; and Pooja Hukeri,
Lafayette High.
Hygiene and comfort at
heart of MICDS project
MICDS seniors Grant Purdy and Lucas
McCarty designed 3D-printed hygiene
hooks and ear savers for faculty and staff
for use this school year. Initially, Purdy and
McCarty were given access to the school’s
3D printers in their homes during the pandemic
to design face shields and masks.
“I made masks for my neighbor who is a
doctor and for my mom’s workplace and
received feedback to make them better,”
McCarty said. “However, realizing the
cost and time in making a lot for staff, we
decided to make hygiene hooks and ear
savers for teachers and staff at MICDS.”
They also included “how-to” videos for
proper use.
McCarty took the lead on retractable
hygiene hooks so that staff members could
turn door handles without touching the
knob. Purdy largely worked on the ear
savers so that prolonged mask use was
more comfortable for staff members.
“Throughout the process, we tinkered
with different filaments on the printer and
learned which ones are strong enough for
the hooks and flexible enough for the ear
savers,” Purdy said.
While students are beginning the school
year with online learning, many staff members
are working in the building and have
access to the ear savers and hygiene hooks.
A legacy of giving
The Lafayette High Lancers’ Class of
2020 is leaving behind a legacy of helping
others.
Instead of refunding the prepaid cost
of the overnight graduation event that
was canceled due to COVID-19, families
were given the option to pay it forward
by donating those funds to one of the
three charities. In total, the class of 2020
will be donating $7171.82. The donations
include $2,020 to Rockwood’s Got
Your Back Pack program, $2,325.91 to
CHADS and $2,325.91 to the Lawrence
Strawbridge Foundation. Another $500
was given to Lafayette to help with the
landscaping in the front of the school. In
terms of what that means for families is
that approximately 270 more families get
meal backpacks, the donation pays for an
entire year of programming by CHADS
at a school and four college trunks can
be sent with Strawbridge Scholars. Lawrence
Strawbridge Foundation was named
after a former Lafayette High student
who participated in the voluntary transfer
program. After his untimely death, the
foundation was formed to honor his life
by raising money to provide scholarships
and other kinds of financial support to St.
Louis children who are without the support
from their home community.
St. Louis ‘slams’ poetry
competition
For the second consecutive year, the St.
Louis UrbArts youth poetry slam team
won the championship at the 23rd annual
Brave New Voices International Youth
Poetry Slam Festival.
Due to COVID-19, the Washington, D.C.
event was held virtually.
The team was led by two members of
the 2019 championship team including
Marquette High senior and 2020 St. Louis
Youth Poet Laureate Sarah Abbas, and
recent Parkway North graduate Kaylyn
McKoy. The 2020 champion St. Louis
team also included local Parkway North
High senior Chris Lau.
Excellence in choral education
Brian Reeves, music and choral teacher
at Parkway North High, recently received
the Luther T. Spayde Award of Excellence
from the Missouri Choral Directors Association.
This award is the highest award
given by the organization.
This award is presented annually to
one outstanding member of MCDA who
demonstrates excellence as evidenced by
choral music training, performance and
scholarship, excellence as evidenced by
long-standing commitment to choral music
in Missouri, positive communication with
colleagues and active participation through
service and leadership in MCDA.