After the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics (FIRST) World Competition last weekend, the Hazelwood West Shrapnel Sergeants came home without a winning trophy, but with lots of experience. The team finished in 52nd place out of 100 teams in their division, according to a school district press release. This was its first time competing in the world championship. Cory Cook, Shrapnel Sergeants sponsor, said the team and their robot performed well.“Our robot was robust, and the team was in high spirits and eager to perform,” he said. “I’m proud of the team. "Their …

Robotics teams from each Hazelwood School District (HSD) high school competed at the St. Louis FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) at Chaifetz Arena this past weekend. Hazelwood West High School moved on to compete in the FRC World Championship competition April 24-27 at the Edward Jones Dome. The team, known as the Shrapnel Sergeants, have a robot that will go head-to-head in a sport themed activity with other teams' robots.  Each of the teams have to develop a strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. FIRST is an acronym For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and …

Several years of dedication is required to become an Eagle Scout and that's just what 11 Hazelwood School District (HSD) students did to earn the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America's highest honor. To become an Eagle Scout, the young men must progress through ranks in a specific order. Certain achievements have to be made including earning 21 merit badges and serving six months in a troop leadership position. Each scout must also plan, develop and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community; and take part in a Scoutmaster …

Rashaun Fentress, an 11th-grade student at Hazelwood West High School, was elected president of the Missouri Future Educators Association (FEA). FEA is an organiztion for students interested in becoming teachers and educators upon college graduation. Rashaun said he had no idea he was going to be nominated, let alone elected. "It was a huge surprise,” Rashaun said. "We had a chance to give a short speech and I guess they liked what they had heard.” He credits his involvement with FEA to Denise Inman, group sponsor and SSD teacher. “At the beginning of the year I had a class with Mrs. Inman, …

This week's Whiz Kid column features a group of middle school SAIL students from Hazelwood West, Hazelwood Northwest and Hazelwood Southeast middle schools that recently visited the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee for a week to explore history and science. SAIL is the Hazelwood School District’s middle school gifted program. Sonja Brewer, the SAIL teacher at Hazelwood Southeast Middle School, Carrie Sansone at Hazelwood Northwest Middle and John DeGuire at Hazelwood West, accompanied the students. “It was a fun experience,” said Brandy Williams, a seventh grader at Hazelwood Southeast Middle, in…

Pull out your peanuts and Cracker Jack, as this week's Whiz Kids get to do something most could only dream. Eighty Hazelwood School District band students from five different schools will gather to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” during pre-game ceremonies at Busch Stadium. This is the fourth consecutive year that HSD band students have performed at the stadium during “Band at the Ball Park.” Last year, 75 band members performed “God Bless America” before an audience of 47,000 people. Be sure to turn out and support Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.

Two Russell Elementary students have the privilege of being this week's Hazelwood Patch Whiz Kids. Both, under the age of 10, can now say they are recognized artist. Cole Gipson, a first grader at Russell, and Eboné Gaither, a fourth grade student took home awards in the 2012 Missouri National Education Association Human Rights Committee’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest for K-12 students. Cole won first place in the kindergarten and first grade category. Eboné won second place in the fourth and fifth grade category. The contest theme was “Through justice, peace and righteousness, I…

It takes dedication to see something through several years, but that's just what seven Hazelwood School District (HSD) students did to earn the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America's highest honor, Eagle Scout. To become an Eagle Scout, the young men must progress through ranks in a specific order. Certain achievements have to be made including earning 21 merit badges and serving six months in a troop leadership position. Each scout must also plan, develop and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community; and take part in a …

Hey Whiz Kids, the St. Louis County Library Foundation is seeking applicants for the third annual Sidney Johnson Learning Award. Those eligible are teens ages 12-18 who live in the St. Louis County Library District and have demonstrated outstanding service to the library. The application deadline is Tuesday, July 31, 2012. The winner will receive a $1,000 savings bond and an invitation to attend the Library Foundation’s Starcatchers Gala on Saturday, Sept. 22, where he or she will be presented with the award. Whether you live in the City of Hazelwood or another neighboring city or you …

Dirty water is what led Russell Elementary School fifth grader Alexandra Cafolla  to her ribbon. “My parents gave me a water filter kit for Christmas, so I got the idea from that,” she said. “I hypothesized sand would filter the water best and my research verified that.” Alexandra used motor oil and soil to tap water. According to a Hazelwood School District statement, she said active carbon filtered the second best and gravel filtered third best. She earned a blue ribbon and special recognition from MEMC, an area semiconductor and solar power company at the Academy of Science's 2012 St. …

Last fall, at the start of her senior year in high school, Brittney Watkins said she applied to 13 colleges. There was Yale, Harvard, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University and Georgetown University. Oh, and Watkins also applied to Princeton University, A few weeks ago, she accepted a full scholarship to Princeton, which she admitted was her top choice. She intends to major in politics and work toward certification in Latin American studies, according to a Hazelwood School District statement.  “I want to be a lawyer, and then become a senator,”  she said. "…

There's only a few days left before Hazelwood West High School senior Maria Dlabick will be calling herself a college freshman. In the fall, she will attend college at the Kansas City Art Institute as a President’s Scholarship recipient, a four-year award. The scholarship is based on her academic performance and her skills as an artist, according to a Hazelwood School District statement. Dlabick has a 3.75 GPA. She scored 31 on the ACT college entrance exam. She is involved in the Crafts and Fiber Club and Anime Club, and she is a member of the National Art Honor Society. In March, she earned…

Jaylen Bledsoe and Lauren Barboza have accomplished something of which they should be proud: creativing innovative methods to express the beauty of diversity. Both are eighth grade students at Hazelwood West Middle School in the Hazelwood School District, and earned second and fourth place, respectively, in the junior/middle division of the 2011-2012 Missouri PTA Reflections Program. This year’s theme was “Diversity Means…” Each of the students that participated, of which there were 1,300 entries, was tasked with finding a way to explain the theme using either dance choreography, film …

You could say Justin Bernhardt's #1 fan is his sister Jessica. A Hazelwood West High School freshman, Justin will be recognized on April 28 and presented with the St. Louis Metro Area of the Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) "Outstanding Athlete" award. Only one individual is selected each year. In 2010 Justin's Special Olympics team went Nebraska for the national competition, and the team brought home a silver medal. His mother, Julie Bernhardt, said Jessica has been a strong support for Justin, who last year was selected as co-president of Special Olympics Missouri's Youth Activation …

Winning on the baseball diamond has become a family affair at Hazelwood West High School. Head coach Matt McClellan is the brother of St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Kyle McClellan, who also attended Hazelwood West and graduated in 2002. Last year's star player was Trevor Jones, a speedy outfielder and two-time all-conference selection for the Wildcats, just like his older brother Nate was a few years ago. And this season, it's a pair of cousins, Brendan and Jared Fosdick, that has led Hazelwood West to a 7-4 record and to within a half-game of first place in the Suburban North Conference …

The Creative All-Stars, a team of third grade Hazelwood School District (HSD) gifted education students, competed in the Gifted Resource Council’s Academic Challenge Cup 2012, which took place at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The team was one of four that achieved a level of excellence. Academic Challenge Cup is a series of academic competitions in math, language skills and creative problem-solving for students in grades two through eight, according to the council website. The competition in which HSD students did well is called Creative Convention. It is designed for second and third…

There are some thing in life that people can unintentionally take for granted. For instance, having a place for children to play may seem like a given, but for parents of children who use wheelchairs, or that may have a hearing or visual impairment, finding a safe-haven to play can be quite difficult. Students at Hazelwood West High School are realizing this, and have teamed up with Accessible Play to raise money for a special playground designed to allow children of all abilities to play side-by-side called Angie’s Playground. Raising Funds The students, members of Future Educators …

Joshua Merlenbach, a Hazelwood West High School senior, will attend Southeast Missouri State University after graduation. In the meantime, he's busy working to attain accolades like his recent, being selected as part of the Missouri Scholars 100. The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) selected Merlenbach to its 2012 Missouri Scholars 100 program, which honors 100 of the state’s top academic students in the graduating class of 2012. “Students who are selected to this program have taken a rigorous course of study and have maintained the highest academic standards," said…

You could say that Jaylen Bledsoe, an eighth grade student at Hazelwood West Middle School, began life a bit accelerated. A member of GALACTIC, the Hazelwood School District's (HSD) gifted education program, more likely than not he is the only 13-year-old at school who is also the chief executive officer of a start-up information technology company he named Bledsoe Technologies. “I don’t see many eighth graders do the things that he does but it’s all his doing,” said Curtis Bledsoe, Jaylen's father. “I’m very proud of him.” Jaylen decided to launch his IT company that is also a web design …

Fourteen students from Hazelwood West High School (HWHS) were selected as members of three St. Louis All-Suburban choirs–Honor Choir, Women’s Honor Choir and Freshmen/Sophomore Honor Choir. Two of the students scored in the top 20 singers in their section, earning an opportunity to audition for the Missouri All-State Choir. Tim Arnold, choir director at Hazelwood West, said approximately 400 students from the St. Louis area auditioned. “It is extremely rewarding to see my students succeed," Arnold said in an Hazelwood School District statement. "The fine arts are not currently included in …