Young man, old soul Kicking it with artist, musician, designer Brock Seals
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited MAR. 27 – APR. 2, 2014
COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
INSIDE BLACK & SINGLE
Bad hair date She remembered him being cutting-edge, but his new coif has taken things to a new level. Now he looks like Little Richard.
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SALute to exceLLence in HeAtH cAre
Making a difference in mental health Laurent Javois to be honored at Salute By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
OPINION
Growing up in the U.S. Virgin Islands was quite different from what most children experience on “the mainland,” said Laurent Javois, regional executive director for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Javois spent most of his childhood outdoors, playing carefree in a tropical, warm paradise, he said. Yet many things were not so different from the rest of the United States.
“I recall seeing other kids being teased, misunderstood and having difficulty,” Javois said. “They seemed unable to help themselves. I always wished there Laurent was something I Javois could do to help them.” As he learned about mental illness in his studies, he realized that some of these outcasts had been experiencing behavioral and mental
Vol. 84 No. 51
n “Unfortunately, there are many individuals who simply do not understand mental illness and shy away from it.”
ACA deadline looms Start enrollment for health insurance by March 31 or you may face a fine By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
– Laurent Javois
health challenges. “I was really drawn to the field because I felt there was something See JAVOIS, A6
Right to Work and civil rights License Collector Mavis Thompson recalls Dr. King’s claim that Right to Work laws try “to destroy the freedom of collective bargaining.”
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FINANCE
These are the final days. Monday, March 31 is the deadline to at least start the process of enrolling for health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It was the deadline to complete enrollment, but U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Tuesday that March 31 is now the deadline to begin the process on Healthcare.gov. “If you’re in the site trying to get enrolled, we’re going to give you time to complete that process, but this is not an extension of open enrollment,” Sebelius said. “You have to be in the system; you have to essentially be in line, signing up for health care.” Those who miss the deadline will pay a penalty of 1 percent See ACA, A6
BBB warns against scams St. Louis Public Radio reports on Michelle Corey, president of the St. Louis Better Business Bureau, warning against current scams.
New SLU president promises inclusion
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SPORTS
Incarnate Word, CBC win state titles The championship was the sixth for both the Red Knights and Cadets.
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Photo by Wiley Price
Words up Makayla Johnson and Markus Raymond, both seven-year-old first graders at Patrick Henry Downtown Academy Elementary School in the St. Louis Public School District, built words with blocks in Ms. Brunnette Watson’s class on Wednesday morning.
Fred Pestello to succeed Biondi as first non-Jesuit to lead university By Tim Lloyd Of St. Louis Public Radio
CBC’s Jordan Barnett
(DESE), the district had 772 students, with 30 percent of students on free or reduced lunches, an indicator of poverty. In 2013, according to DESE, the district student body was two-thirds (65 percent) white and one-third minority, with 22 percent black students, four percent Hispanic and four percent Asian. In 2013, the district appointed its first African-American high school principal, Edward M. Johnson Jr. With Mark Twain being one of only two elementary schools in the district (McGrath Elementary School is the other), Petty-Rice is focused on relationship-building between students, parents and staff at both schools. “We have these elementary
Saint Louis University has a new president, its first non-Jesuit president, to succeed the Rev. Lawrence Biondi, who stepped down amid controversy last year. The university’s Board of Trustees unanimously elected Fred Pestello during a special meeting Thursday evening, according to a Fred news release. He Pestello, will begin his new the new position on July 1. president “Selecting the of Saint next president of Louis this university University is probably the most important thing that any of us would ever do as our tenure as a member of the Board of Trustees,” said Joe Adorjan, chairman of the board told reporters on Friday morning. “I’m pleased to report today that I think we’ve selected an outstanding, excellent candidate to run this university.” Adorjan pointed to Pestello’s
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See PESTELLO, A7
‘Exemplary’ in the Brentwood School District Principal Trina Petty-Rice honored by state association By Bridjes O’Neil Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price
Trina Petty-Rice, principal of Mark Twain Elementary School in the Brentwood School District, was honored as a 2014 Exemplary New Principal by the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals. Each year, each of the association’s 12 regions selects a new principal who has made measurable contributions to their schools, districts and profession. Petty-Rice became principal of Mark Twain in June 2012, replacing Karen Smith, who retired. Petty-Rice said she continues to be inspired by her students at Mark Twain and their “thirst for knowledge.” “Daily she focuses on data
n “Everything she does always goes back to how it impacts the kids and how this will affect their education and their future.” – Cheryl Miller
and collaboration, effective communication and building a positive school culture,” Kristi Shinn, who chairs the association’s Northeast Region, said of Petty-Rice. The fully accredited Brentwood School District is one of the smaller public school districts in St. Louis County. In 2013, according to data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education