Cops Bust Chesterfield Hotel Room Party, Teens Charged

The rowdy get-together at the Hampton Inn drew attention from police and criminal charges for its hosts.

Several teens are facing a drug and alcohol charges after hosting a party in a hotel room in Chesterfield that drew police attention.  Chesterfield Police said that five males, 21, 20, 19, 18 and 17 years old, were arrested for possession of alcohol, marijuana and drug paraphernalia on March 24 at the Hampton Inn on Swingley Ridge Road. Police were alerted after noise from the rowdy get-together prompted complaints from other hotel guests. It also resulted in damage to the hotel room with broken furniture and stains from spilled drinks. The party also involved two minors, a 16-year-old female and a 15-year-old female, who were cited for curfew violation. Chesterfield Police Officer Mike Ryffel said there was no indication that they had …

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'Every Kid At Risk' Aims to Raise Drug Awareness in West County

West County Fellowship is partnering with the Chesterfield Mayor's Office, the Chesterfield Police Department, the West County YMCA, CrossRoads Counseling and other organizations to create awareness, help parents and families engage with youth and work to

Parkway Students Fatigued by Earlier Start Times

Parkway moved high school start times to 7:35 a.m. Some students and sleep researchers say it's too early; Parkway officials say school day length puts them in a time crunch, too.

This year, the Parkway School District moved high school start times back from 8 a.m. last year to 7:35 a.m., subtracting precious minutes of slumber from students’ sleep schedules. The move was recommended by the Project Parkway task force, which included parents and staff. The change move the middle school start time from 7:25 a.m.—even earlier than the current high school schedule—to 8:15 a.m. Becker, a sophomore at Parkway North High School, is in the marching band, which meets before school. During band season, the group met at 6:30 a.m. for practice, meaning Becker had to get up at 5:45 a.m. to get to school. “I’m averaging six hours of sleep a night,” he said. Sleep researchers recommend at least nine hours of sleep a night for …

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Teen Center Opens at Chesterfield's Library

The center, named after former Chesterfield mayor Nancy Greenwood, is the seventh of its kind in St. Louis County libraries.

Whether they're reading, working on homework, playing video games or just relaxing with friends, teens have a new space to call home at the Samuel C. Sachs Branch of the St. Louis County Library. The Nancy Greenwood Teen Center opened at the library Monday. Tucked into the back corner in its own room, the brightly colored space is the new home of the library's teen collection. It also features two computers for teen use only, plenty of outlets for teens to plug in their laptops, seating for relaxing and reading, and a mobile video game cart.  Branches at six other St. Louis County libraries have a similar space. Each space costs about $25,000 to design, renovate and furnish. The costs were covered by grants or a fund established by the St…

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Chesterfield Writer Knows the 'Secrets Girls Keep'

Carrie Silver-Stock helps teen girls with tough decisions through her book and organization.

This week, Patch introduces you to Carrie Silver-Stock, author of “Secrets Girls Keep,” a book that discusses what secrets girls hide, why they hide them, and how to break the stress of silence.  For more than 15 years, Carrie Silver-Stock has championed teen issues as a social worker, radio talk show host, speaker and author.  Silver-Stock received her master's degree in social work from Washington University, and a bachelor's in sociology and world perspectives from Principia College in Elsah, IL. She is also a licensed clinical social worker. She founded Girls With Dreams to bring teens together to share their concerns and dreams, help each other make the right decisions, and live positive lives. Girls can blog on the Girls With Dreams …

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Safe Places in Chesterfield Provide Teens with Refuge

Eleven locations in town have been designated as spaces for teens to seek help.

Regardless of the decade, it is not easy being a teen, and this one is no exception. There's still pressure to get the right grades to get into the right college, and still temptations for some to try drugs, have sex or engage in even more dangerous behaviors. But unlike past generations, teens today are generally less connected with their communities and rely more and more on social networking to reach out to one another as opposed to face-to-face interaction. In times like these, sometimes it is hard for teens to know whom to trust and whom to reach out to when they really need help. On Aug. 1, the National Safe Place program began to offer sanctuaries for teens throughout St. Louis County. Eleven are in Chesterfield. Three Walgreens in …

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