Larry Beauchamp, battalion chief for the Monarch Fire Protection District whose emergency medical services team was called to the accident site, said the victim was an older woman. She was declared deceased at the scene, but her identity was not released by Chesterfield Police who are

Site of fatal accident at Olive Boulevard and Chesterfield Parkway West.

investigating the crash.

The victim was alone in the vehicle, Beauchamp said.

Zeller

Parkway West girls’ swimming coach Allison Zeller led her Longhorns into the recent 37^th annual state swimming meet as the 2011 Missouri Girls State Swimming Coach of the Year.

Zeller, a Parkway South graduate who teaches at Hanna Woods Elementary, was recognized last month by the National Federation of High Schools.

For Zeller, it was a surprise to learn about the honor.

“I actually found out from my principal. I was leaving school to go to practice and he stopped me to congratulate me. I had no clue why he was congratulating me,” Zeller said. “He then read me the email that Brian, my athletic director, had sent out.

“I am very humbled by this honor. I know that there are many other deserving coaches out there. I am constantly talking to other coaches and getting their advice on things. I have had great coaches in my career and always value their opinion.”

Brian Kessler, Parkway West’s athletic director, had nothing but praise for Zeller, who, at 27, is in her second year as head coach.

“Winning a state title her first year was a terrific accomplishment and this honor is well deserved,” said  Kessler.

Winning the state meet in your first year as a head coach is something that does not happen often. Zeller knows that.

She recalls how special it was for her Longhorns to win it all in 2011.

“It was unbelievable,” Zeller said. “As an athlete, I never got the chance to stand on that first-place podium.

Having the chance to stand there as a coach was a wonderful feeling. There were definitely some tears of joy.

“That team will always have a very special place in my heart and I will never forget each and everyone of those girls.

“It was a very magical moment. I knew going into Saturday that we had the opportunity to win. Our divers finished first and 12th and put us on top. Going into the last event, the 400 free relay, those girls knew what they had to do. Win the relay, win state. And we did.”

Zeller attended Missouri State after swimming and playing basketball and lettering all four years for the Patriots. Her best finish with Parkway South was second place in the 100 backstroke as a junior.

At Missouri State, she was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference’s first team all four years. In college, she swam the 100 and 200 backstroke.

“While in college, I coached a group of kids ranging from ages 7 to 15 for the club team – the Aqua Bears,” Zeller said. “I also was an assistant at Parkview and Ozark (high schools) for a year during my fifth year at Missouri State.”

After college, she was an assistant swim coach at Parkway South for two years.

“I have worked at Parkway Swim Club as an assistant for a summer and for their swim school for a few years,” Zeller said. “The last three summers, I have gone to New York to coach at a country club out there and run a camp aquatics program.”

She uses all that experience at Parkway West.

“I love being a part of a team,” she said about coaching the Longhorns. “These kids put in so much hard work and time throughout the season, its great to be able to see how much they grow throughout their high school career.”

She doesn’t do it alone. Coleen Sumner is her assistant swim coach at Parkway West.

“She has a lot of experience coaching both elementary school-aged kids and high schoolers. We compliment each other well,” Zeller said.

Although she has a state title on her resume, Zeller said she doesn’t know it all when it comes to coaching.

“As a coach, I am constantly learning and wanting to improve,” Zeller said. “There are so many people who I can learn from, it’s wonderful.”

She wants to keep building the program at Parkway West. She has some big plans.

“I would love to have a few more championships while at West,” Zeller said. “They have a great tradition and want to keep that tradition alive. More importantly, though, I want to be able to really make an impact on the kids that I coach.”

World Series MVP David Freese returned to Lafayette High for an evening of basketball and memories.

World Series MVP David Freese is in Jupiter, Fla., getting ready for the St. Louis Cardinals upcoming 2012 season, but before he left, he gave back in a big way to his alma mater – Lafayette High School.

Lafayette High held a David Freese Recognition Night when the Lancers girls’ and boys’ teams played Mehlville.

“David, in cooperation with Matt Landwehr and Scott Allen (boys’ basketball coaches) who happen to be personal friends of David, wanted to put together a night,” said Steve Berry, the Lafayette athletic director. “After contacting David, he was all for it. He wanted to give something back to LHS for his time here and for the support that was given to him during his fall run. Initially it was just going to be David attending the game and being honored and recognized before tipoff.

“It ended up being David offering to have a personal meet and greet with 250 students. He suggested the opportunity to sign one piece of outside memorabilia for each.”

However, Freese did not stop there.

“David served as the honorary coach for the evening and sat on the bench during the game,” Berry said. “He also took the time to meet personally with the varsity girls’ basketball team, who played during his meet and greet, and sign any items they may have and just engage in conversation with them. He also accompanied the boys’ team to their locker room during half time and after the game.

“The evening ended with David providing each team member with a personalized signed baseball and an exhortation to keep working hard and enjoy their time together. I truly believe that everyone benefited from this night.”

The crowd appreciated Freese being there.

“It was very full and there was a large student contingency,” Berry said about the crowd. “When the announcement was made to acknowledge David and his accomplishments, the place erupted and everyone was on their feet. There was excitement, thrill, appreciation and awe. Our kids were stoked all day.”

Boys’ coach Scott Allen agreed.

“It was quite a response by our crowd – really neat and well deserved,” Allen said.

Freese is no stranger to watching the Lancers play. Allen said Freese “has been coming to games the past couple years.”

Now that he’s broken through in a big way with the Cardinals, Freese just can’t slip into the gym to watch a game.

“He’s a little more recognizable this year so it’s been tough,” Allen said.

He acknowledged that Freese signed and took pictures with more than 250 students from Lafayette.

“It was really special for our kids,” Allen said.

The Lancers also got to have Freese sit on the bench during the boys’ game.

“It was neat for our guys,” Allen said. “It’s the most attention we had around our bench in a while. Overall, it was great for our guys on the team. Having the World Series MVP with us for our pregame and postgame talk was an experience they will never forget.”

Girls’ coach Jennifer Porter also enjoyed having Freese at the games.

“The energy that night was great. Everyone was excited that he was coming to the game,” Porter said. “I think there was a great sense of pride that the hometown hero and MVP of the World Series would come back and spend time with the kids, parents and staff of his former high school.”

Porter said Freese has not been changed by his success last fall.

“Talking to Dave the MVP was just like any other conversation I’ve ever had with him prior to his major league success,” Porter said. “He’s the same guy. The only difference is that we were surrounded by two police officers while talking.”

The girls liked the fact he spent time with them as well. Of course, having a baseball star around them caused them to be a little nervous.

“After the girls squealed a little bit upon seeing him, they actually talked about typical teenage things like Twitter. They thanked him for tweeting about the volleyball and field hockey state championships,” Porter said. “They took pictures with him and he signed some autographs. They also made him a card congratulating him on his playoff and World Series success.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a moment they will never forget. They were very excited that he took time to hang out with them. He didn’t have to do that.”

Besides taking plenty of photos, Freese responded to their questions and comments.

“He talked briefly about the game we just played. He didn’t give them any formal speech,” Porter said. “I think the kids already know that success doesn’t happen by accident. They know Dave has had to work hard and has had to overcome some adversity, so hopefully some of that has rubbed off on the girls.”

Porter said she is happy for Freese and what he has accomplished.

“It was the first time I had gotten a chance to see him since his successful playoff and World Series run, so I just hugged him and told him that I was really excited for him,” Porter said. “We talked a little bit about the playoffs, Game 6, and winning the World Series and what that was like. He mentioned the excitement he had when they found out they clinched the wild card (berth) after being 10 games back.

“And, then we shifted the focus to the Lancers and how the boys would do against Mehlville. He’s followed the boys’ team the past few years and seemed excited to be a part of the game. He sat on the bench as an honorary coach which was pretty cool. He walked into the gym to a standing ovation.

“Our boys played great that night! It’s hard not to be inspired when the MVP of the World Series is sitting on your bench and cheering for you.”

Berry said it says something about Freese to come back to his old high school.

“During the whole visit, David was extremely gracious and willing to accommodate as many people and demands as possible,” Berry said. “David was very humble concerning his accomplishments and extremely sincere in his desire to show appreciation to Lafayette High School and the students. Not only for his time at LHS during high school, but also for the support shown to him during the incredible run to the championship.

“He was authentic and encouraging. David is humble and gracious. He’s real. His parents should be very proud, not just because of what David has achieved, but because of who he is.”

The Lafayette community is proud, too.

“Here’s the thing that hit me during the division and World Series championships: What David was doing brought our student body together,” Berry said. “Heck, I even saw it bring parts of our community together.  That is not something that just happens every day. On our spirit days students, faculty and staff were in unity from clothes to attitudes to interest. There was excitement and expectation.

“We rallied in support of the Cardinals and, especially, David. It was really a cool thing. It was bigger than just putting a message on the marquee, sending a sign of well wishes and blowing up his twitter account. Students and staff felt a connection with what was happening; as if they were a part of it and it had a real effect. From my point of view, it did.”

Kelly said the district has taken the monitors out of its pilot schools until it has time to communicate with parents about what the monitors are and how they will be used. District officials also are drafting a permission form that parents will be required to sign before their children can use the monitors in PE class. Kelly said she expects the monitors to be back at the pilot schools within a few weeks.

“We’ll probably have it rolled out to all the schools around spring break,” said Kelly.

The district has put on its website information about exactly what the monitors do and do not track. According to the website, the monitors are “similar to pedometers” in that they “can measure steps, the intensity of movement (i.e., rest, easy, moderate, vigorous), and can determine calories burned.” The monitors do not measure heart rate.

The website also addresses concerns about how the data collected by the watches might be used: “No electronic information is uploaded or transferred to any public record. The data is strictly for instructional purposes for the teacher and motivational purposes for the student.”

For more information, visit www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/curriculum/HPE.

The changes come from new school food rules laid out in the 280 pages of the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The first part of the new regulations take effect this July for public schools nationwide, including Parkway and Rockwood.

Implementation of all the rules will be spread out over the next 10 years.

In general, the new regulations increase the amount and variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains offered to students. The rules also set minimum and maximum calories and greatly reduce the amount of sodium allowed in school food.

School food executives in the west county school districts are not too concerned about the food requirements of the new rules because they say they already serve lots of healthy food.

“We serve a number of whole grain items in our district,” said Carmen Fischer, Rockwood’s director of Child Nutrition Services. “We already serve many fresh fruits and vegetables, red/orange vegetables, beans, and dark green vegetables weekly.”

Parkway’s director of Food Services, Michael Kanak, said the district already meets the requirements for 2012, but will need to make some changes over the next few years.

“Down the line we’re going to be adding a lot more whole grains to our menu,” Kanak said. “The fruit and vegetable requirements are going to go up and that’s where it’s going to be significant.”

Students now get one vegetable at lunch but the new rules require that elementary students take three servings of vegetables and high school students will get five servings.

Kanak said, “Kids just can’t decide, ‘No, I’m not going to take it.’ We’re concerned that the plate waste is going to be high.”

Fischer is hopeful a little education may help decrease the waste.

“It is our job to educate and introduce new fruits and vegetables to our students. We try to offer a variety of those items so students are able to find something they enjoy,” Fischer said.

“Where we’re concerned mostly is in the increased cost of meeting these guidelines,” Kanak said. “They’re (the USDA) offering six cents a meal and that’s not going to come close to covering our costs.”

The USDA estimates that its new rules will increase the cost of each lunch by five cents. According to Kanak the increased cost of meeting the requirements will probably be about 20 to 30 cents. He said some estimates have been as high as 40 cents per lunch.

Currently, Parkway serves aproximately 1.3 million meals a year at a cost of $6.2 million. A regular school lunch sells for $2.50.

Fischer said Rockwood serves about 2.1 million meals a year at a cost of more than $7 million. A regular elementary school lunch costs $2.40 and a regular secondary school lunch costs $2.55.

Both districts serve about 3500 meals a day to students who qualify for the National School Lunch Program’s free and reduced-price meals. The federal government currently reimburses the districts $2.77 for each free lunch served.

Claire the Clown makes a paper flower for a patient at Mercy Children's Hospital.

A new program that brings the fun of the circus directly to the hospital beds of children was officially launched by Circus Flora on Feb. 14 and 15 at Mercy Children’s Hospital and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, respectively.

The community outreach program, called Clowns on Call, connects professional entertainers to area hospitals, using the circus arts of slapstick, juggling, magic, improvisation and music to enhance the healing environment.

Claire Wedemeyer, also known as Claire the Clown, is a professional clown who has performed with circuses such as Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey and at SeaWorld. She said if children cannot come to the circus, she is going to bring the circus to them.

“There have been a whole lot of studies that have shown an improvement of kids’ well-being, and I think this changes the focus (for children and their families),” Wedemeyer said.

The program is a model of therapeutic clowning for children who are acutely and chronically ill. Through play, laughter and entertainment, the children are brought to a happier, more secure place and are more in control of their unfamiliar surroundings.

“Clowns on Call has been a dream of mine for years,” David Balding, artistic director, producer and founder of Circus Flora, said. “Ever since I saw the Clown Care program established by Michael Christensen through the Big Apple Circus I wanted to set up a similar program in St. Louis. I watched his program grow. I saw what a program like this could accomplish for some of the most vulnerable youngsters.”

Clowns on Call plans to increase its number of visits, hospitals and performers as it grows.

“This is a program that has been more than a year in preparation,” Wedemeyer said. “Everything we do will be geared to lightening the suffering and anxiety. What we do aims to change the focus of a child and family who are somewhere where they do not want to be. When we empower a child who may be in a wheelchair to spin a plate or balance a feather; or (give) a bed-ridden youngster a red clown nose, we make the child feel like the star of the show.”

For more information about Clowns on Call, call (314) 289-4043 or visit circusflora.org.

Monarch Fire Chief Tom Vineyard

It took Tom Vineyard scarcely a second to recall the most difficult situation he had experienced during his nearly 24 years as a firefighter.

Early in his career at the Mid-County Fire Protection District, the district’s crew and equipment were called to University City to help battle a house fire.

“Some kids were trapped in that fire,” Vineyard said, “and four of them perished.”

Shaking his head slowly, he added, “In our line of work, we know that kind of thing can happen. It’s the same for police officers. You have to deal with just about every kind of tragedy. But when it comes to children, it’s a different situation, especially if you’re a parent yourself.”In his new position as chief of the Monarch Fire Protection District since early January, Vineyard reflected on his years in firefighting and the challenges he faces as head of an operation that serves a large part of the West County area, including all or parts of Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, Wildwood, Ballwin and unincorporated St. Louis County.

It’s a job also surrounded by no small amount of controversy – charges of inappropriate influence by the firefighters union in board elections and decision-making, a sexual discrimination lawsuit that went against the district, the subsequent firing of four command officers and their lawsuit against the district alleging wrongful discharge, even Vineyard’s own hiring.

Vineyard readily acknowledges the turmoil, but maintains that his focus is on the future, with communication his top priority.

“I can’t concern myself with the past because I can’t change that,” he said. “What I can do is make sure the lines of communication are open within my staff and with the rank and file. It has to be a two-way street.

“I also want to reach out to the community. Any (Monarch) resident or business owner should feel free to knock on my door, to call me or email me. I want to be approachable and open to new ideas. And I’m open to constructive criticism, too,” Vineyard added.

The new chief believes there’s a misperception about the influence and control exercised by the firefighters union at Monarch.

“What I do know is that we have a lot of talented and dedicated men and women here – people whose main goal is to serve the public. Sure, we have people who are active in the union and they are involved, as they should be, in certain decisions that are made here. When it comes to safety, training, or the specifications for a new ambulance or fire truck, they should be involved because they are the ones who will have to live with the decisions that are made on issues like that,” he said.

“I’ve always had the philosophy that when you’re in a leadership position, you need to empower people to do the job they were hired to do, involve them in the process and treat them the way you’d want to be treated,” he observed, noting that his approach to management was influenced by his late father.

Vineyard, 45, trained at the St. Louis County Fire Academy and studied emergency medical procedures before joining the Mid-County Fire Protection District in 1988. He became the chief there in 2004.

One thing Vineyard said he regrets is having delayed his work on a college degree. He now is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fire service management at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and has two semesters remaining.

Commenting on criticism of his hiring, he said, “I believe I was hired because of my leadership abilities. My reputation in the fire service and my experience were other important aspects of what I could bring to the job. If hadn’t met at least the minimum qualifications, I wouldn’t have made it past the first interview.

“I viewed the job here at Monarch as a great opportunity for me to grow and a great opportunity for me to help the district grow and improve,” he added. “I’ve spent my entire adult life in the fire service. I don’t have a hidden agenda. I do this job because I love it.”

The 67-acre area, east of Bluebird Park, is owned by the state but leased to Ellisville and the city maintains it. Currently, the city does not allow the discharging of any firearms or projectiles, but made an exemption by allowing bows and bow-hunting in accord with any authorized or permitted Missouri Department of Conservation managed hunt for deer population control in Klamberg Woods.

Erin Shank, an urban biologist with MDC and an expert of deer population, has worked with several local municipalities to deal with the problem. She said hunting will take place for three days this November and five hunters will be used. They will hunt the deer from a tree stand with bows and shoot downward. Shank added that although the hunts at Klamberg is a step in the right direction, it will not entirely solve the problem.

“Klamberg is the largest open space in the city,” Shank said. “It is a refuge for deer.”

Shank said the hunt will be an easy opportunity for hunters to step in and harvest some deer.

“The first deer (hunted) would be the “antler-less” deer and that’s how you see reduction,” Shank said, “because they are the reproducers.”

The city of Ellisville, like countless others in the area, have been grappling with how the growing deer problem. At a recent work session, several city leaders said they would prefer the managed bow hunt.

“I am not in favor of rifle hunting,” Ellisville City Councilmember Clark Compton (Dist. 1) said.

Fellow councilmember Roze Acup (Dist. 3) said she did not want to encourage more deer on the roads.

The city has not yet decided whether to allow hunting on private property. Neighboring communities such as Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Town and Country and most recently Creve Coeur have allowed hunting on private property.

MDC estimated the deer population in West County is 60 deer per square mile, far above the desired number of 20 to 30 deer mile. With the planned hunts, the city also felt it would be an effective way to limit the number of deer-auto collisions that are taking place in the area. Last month, a deer ran into a woman in the parking lot of an auto service shop in Ellisville, causing her to have serious head injuries.

Scott Whitbeck, seated, receives congratulations and thanks from Thorstein Holt, president of Holtec Gas Systems, for Whitbeck's efforts that recently helped save a co-worker's life at the Chesterfield Valley-based business.

Scott Whitbeck’s Monday morning workday Feb. 6 began routinely. Little more than halfway into that day, however, he experienced an event that few people ever face – one he prefers never to face again.

Whitbeck, 47, works at Holtec Gas Systems, a Chesterfield Valley-based company that designs nitrogen and inert gas generators typically used in laboratories, the petroleum industry, chemical plants, the food and beverage industry, and in connection with controlled atmosphere fruit storage.

Leaving his home in Dardenne Prairie, he checked in at Holtec about 5:30 a.m. and soon thereafter exchanged greetings with Charlie Crespi of St. Louis when Crespi arrived. An electrician and a temporary employee, Crespi, 57, had worked at Holtec earlier, was laid off but was called back when his skills again were needed to handle the company’s business volume.

“Charlie worked over in a corner area, not too far from me. But he had his work and I had mine so most of the time my back was to him,” Whitbeck continued, noting that as a general employee in a small company he is called on to do many different tasks.

“It was about 10:20 a.m. when I heard a high-pitched noise,” Whitbeck recalled. “I really didn’t pay much attention to it until I heard it a second time. It was kind of a gasping noise and I turned around to see what it was.”

That was when he saw Crespi, stretched out on his back on the floor, gasping for breath.

“I asked Jason (Rockwell), a nearby co-worker, to call 911 while I stayed with Charlie,” Whitbeck remembered.

There was little doubt Crespi was in the midst of a medical emergency. “His eyes were open but they weren’t focused on anything and they looked like they were bloodshot,” Whitbeck says. “He wasn’t responsive at all and when I checked his pulse it was very weak.”

Whitbeck heard a gurgling sound and concluded Crespi might be choking on his own saliva so he rolled his stricken co-worker over on his side. Noting that more people had joined him, Whitbeck asked if there was an oxygen tank available anywhere.

“I knew giving him oxygen wouldn’t hurt anything and with the problems he was having breathing, I figured it might help,” Whitbeck explained. Unfortunately, there was no oxygen tank in the building.

“Charlie’s breathing was getting more and more shallow,” Whitbeck went on. “And then, it stopped and he began turning blue.”

At that point, Whitbeck wasted no time. Well trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from six classes taken on an every-other-year basis when he worked for an earlier employer, he turned Crespi over on his back again and started the CPR routine.

“It just sort of kicked in automatically for me – two breaths, 30 compressions, two breaths, 30 compressions,” Whitbeck said. Oblivious to everything around him and concentrating on his task, Whitbeck lost track of time but figures he probably had been administering CPR for three to five minutes when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

A paramedic crew from the Monarch Fire Protection District had arrived and relieved Whitbeck in caring for Crespi.

In a later statement, Monarch Captain Chris Gelvin said, “The early, high quality CPR that was performed prior to our arrival proved pivotal to giving the patient the best chance of survival. It takes great courage to step up and help a co-worker in need as (Whitbeck) did. He deserves to be recognized for going above and beyond for a fellow man.”

Several days after the incident, Whitbeck said he’s not looking for praise or accolades and concedes the experience hit him hard emotionally.

“I was kind of in a daze the rest of that day and even beyond,” he said. “After the paramedics took over, I wandered around for a while trying to get my head together. I’d never had to use that CPR training before and I can tell you it’s a whole lot different on a real person than it is on a dummy.

“When you watch someone take what could have been their last breath … well, it really hit me hard. It took me a couple of days to get over it.”

After taking Crespi to St. Luke’s Hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit, the Monarch crew returned to Holtec to tell Whitbeck the life-saving value of what he had done. By that time, though, Whitbeck had completed his shift and gone home for the day.

“They (the Monarch paramedics) said I had done a good job. The guys who do this for a living said that,” Whitbeck observed, almost in disbelief. “That really meant a lot to me.”

Later that day at home, Whitbeck told his wife Angela, a nurse in the oncology unit at Missouri Baptist Hospital, what had happened. “She was elated,” Whitbeck said with a smile.

“When I told my mom and dad, they got kind of emotional. There were some tears,” he added. “My oldest daughter (Whitbeck and his wife have a 16-year-old daughter and 4-year-old triplet girls) posted something on the Internet about how proud she was of me. Now that’s really special when your teenage daughter says something like that.”

At last report, Crespi’s condition had improved and he is expected to make a full recovery.

Whitbeck summed it up this way: “I’m just glad I was there and able to give him the chance he might not have had if I hadn’t been there.”

The program is open to the first 120 people to sign a contract during February only.

To fund the stimulus, nine St. Louis unions put up $600,000.

Participating unions include Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity, International Union of Painters & Allied Trades District 2, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ Local 1, Sheet Metal Workers Local 36, Greater St. Louis Construction Laborers, International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craft Workers, International Union of Operating Engineers’ Local 415, and Cement Masons’ Local 527.

The seven participating homebuilders include Bridgewater Communities, Centex Homes, Consort Homes, Fischer & Frichtel, McBride & Son Homes, McKelvey Homes, Payne Family Homes, and Pulte Homes.
This is the second time that Missouri unions and homebuilders offered the program.