Issue 1, October 2014 - Phoenixville Area School District

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1
“HOME OF THE PHANTOMS”
OCTOBER 2014
The Harlem Wizards: Scoring points and laughs in Phoenixville
Written by:
Bridget Walt
A Wizards basketball player with kids who
participated in the activities
nary basketball
game. The crowd
clapped, cheered
and danced to the
loud familiar music that was
on throughout the game. The
The Harlem Wizards’ misWizards also invited members
sion is to provide action-packed
of the audience on the court to
fun for its audiences while at the play a silly game. For examsame time showing off their suple, they blindfolded one of
perb basketball skills. They are a the kids in the audience and
talented group of people who
had him search for prizes on
have the ability to dunk like NBA the court. The court was filled
players while also entertaining
with excitement when the
their fans with lots of laughs.
Wizards invited audience
The Wizards played at Phoenix- members of all ages to join
ville Area Middle School on
them for a dance. A group of
October 10th against our very
kids from the audience were
own faculty and staff to raise
then chosen to come down to the
money for F.O.C.U.S. Through- court and try not to get tricked by
out the game, they joked around
the Wizards’ basketball skills.
and performed hilarious skits.
While attempting to catch the
At a normal basketball game,
seemingly easy throw, the kids
the audience is there just to watch were in for a wacky surprise
and cheer. A Harlem Wizards
when the ball somehow ended up
game, however, is not an ordiin all different directions. It was
Both teams prepare for the tip-off to start the game.
clear that both the audience as
well as the Wizards were having
an extremely fun time.
Not only were the Harlem Wizards on fire Friday night, but so
was the team they played against!
The crowd was extremely impressed with just how well the
teachers and staff
played, keeping up
with the Wizards
for the whole
game. The audience members got
even more involved in the game
because they could
cheer for familiar
faces from the
school. It was
hilarious to see the
Wizards throwing
the ball over the
Phoenixville
staffs’ heads super
fast and practically
making them dizzy
with their quick
moves. PAHS’s
very own Mr. Seth
McNaughton, a
math teacher,
played in the game
against the Wiz-
ards. “It was very exciting. Everyone played very well. The Wizards are amazing players and it
was just an overall awesome
experience,” Mr. McNaughton
said.
Everyone was surprised at just
how well our Phoenixville staff
played. By the end of the first
quarter, the score was 16 for the
Phantoms and 18 for the Wizards.
There were slam dunks, competitive defense, and crazy moves on
both ends of the court. The Phantoms were still fighting in the
second quarter, scoring 31 points
vs. 42 for the Wizards. Not only
did the Phantoms have to play
against very talented basketball
players, but they also had to adapt
to their many tricks and props. At
one point, the Wizards lined up as
if they were playing a football
game, throwing the Phantoms for
a loop.
The final score ended up at 58
for the Phantoms and 80 for the
Wizards. The game was played
extremely well on both ends and
attracted an extremely large
crowd, completely filling the
stands. At times, it was easy to
forget that this whole excitement
took place in a middle school
PASD faculty who played against the Wizards
Photos: Mrs. Sandra Claus
gymnasium! Everyone, even the players, were laughing
and having a blast
while at the same
time supporting
F.O.C.U.S., which
gives high school
students a safe and
fun place to go after
prom. It was a fun
night of “tricks,
hoops, and alley
oops!”
PEOPLE:
-Mr. Alston
-Mr. Gilly
-Tyler Mitchell
-Bailey Quinn
-New Teachers
-Mr. Gionta
NEWS:
-Lunchroom Changes
-Army Band
- Students travel the
world
-Danish invasion
-Clubs/Activities
OPINIONS:
- Mischief Night
-New school changes
-Horse Carriages
-Ask Nurse Manley
ENTERTAINMENT:
-Team Fortess 2
-Milky Chance
-Looking For Alaska
- Facebook Messenger
SPORTS:
-Kings of Baseball
-Fly Eagles Fly
-Girls’ Tennis
-Girls/Boys Golf
*PEOPLE*
Tyler Mitchell: Student, Athlete, Lifeguard
Written by:
Jack Robinson
Tyler’s family owns a beach house in
Ocean City and he vacations there every
summer. During his time there from the age
Courageous, deof ten until the age of seventeen Tyler was
termined, strong.
part of the Junior Beach Patrol program.
These are just a few
After completing the program Tyler applied
words to describe
to become a full-fledged life guard at the
senior Tyler Mitchell. beach. In order to qualify he had to face one
Tyler works hard to
of the toughest physical challenges of his life.
stay in shape for his solemn duty to keep
The training for this job is vigorous and
people safe and save lives. During this past
meant to push the human body to the fullest,
summer Tyler served as a lifeguard in Ocean so much so that only 1% of the applicants
City Maryland.
actually get the job.
In order to apply
Many runners seem in pain
you have to take
when they run. Not Tyler.
special intense physical tests as well as pass multiple interviews
and mental tests. The pre-employment test (a
year prior to the physical training) lasts 12
hours a day. Once that’s passed the real challenge begins. The physical training period
called Academy lasts one week and starts
every day with a swim challenge consisting
of a 550 meter swim which must be completed every day in less than ten minutes,
with or against the current. Then the applicant must pass a running test every day for
300-400 meters through soft sand in under 65
seconds. Though not part of the training,
Tyler would also have to be able to drag a 300
pound stand from the back of the beach to the
front, and back again at the end of the day.
These tests last all day with very short
breaks between tests. According to Tyler, “If
it had gone on for another day or two I
wouldn’t have made it.” After his training
was complete, Tyler was assigned to work at
a section of the beach labeled “Crew one”
with team comprised of mostly Canadian
guards where he worked for 10 hours a day.
The Purple Press is
written, edited, and
produced by the
Phoenixville Area
High School Journalism class
(Period 4).
Advisor: Mr. Zittel
Layout editor:
Amanda Hozyash
Staff:
Jessica Anthony, Ben
Armsrtong, Brett
Arney, Alaina Deleone,
Devin Gervasi, Vincent
Gervasi, Owen Goryl,
Amanda Hozyash,
Cecilia Knaub, Kelly
Kopera, Matthew
Lopolito, Jenna Powell,
Jack Robinson, Austin
Starczewski, Andrea
Stock, Nick Vaile,
Bridget, Walt, Christopher White, Sarah
Burns, Ze’aira Boggess
The opinions
expressed in this
paper are those of
the writers and
don’t necessarily
reflect those of
school administration and/or faculty
members.
If you have a
comment, question, or concern
about the paper or
you wish to submit
an article to The
Purple Press please
e-mail zittelj
@pasd.com.
During his time as a lifeguard there was
always something to do, such as the missing
kid reports which occurred quite frequently.
There were also multiple events that occurred
in which people were either severely injured
or worse.
In one instance, two people suffered severe
neck damage. One of them is now a
quadriplegic and the other a paraplegic.
A particular tragic event was when a
man broke several major points in his
spine when bodysurfing that would
render him nothing more than a vegetable. Thankfully, Tyler dragged him
ashore and supported the man until he
was rushed to the hospital. The sister of
the man made the decision to pull the
plug on his life support and personally
thanked Tyler for letting her say goodbye. According to Tyler, “When somebody says ‘thank you for giving me the
chance to say goodbye to a loved one’ it
really gets you emotional.”
When not being a lifeguard Tyler
enjoys swimming, video games, and
cross country. His favorite after school
activity is cross country. The team “is
like a family away from family,” he
said. “It’s a tight knit group so when you
get separated its painful because you
miss all of them.” Being in cross country
helped when Tyler ran his first marathon, the Philly Marathon, in only four
hours and twenty one minutes.
Like many people reaching the end of
their high school year, Tyler is unsure of
what he wants to pursue as a career,
though he does know that he wants a job
that helps people. Tyler is a determined
student and athlete. He goes out of his way to
do the right thing and help others. Tyler is an
amazing and interesting student that has truly
left his mark on this school. If you’re ever in
trouble, don’t worry. You’re in good hands if
Tyler is nearby.
Tyler standing watch.
Photos courtesy of Tyler Mitchell
Bailey Quinn: Current Field Hockey star, future Olympian?
Written by:
Devin Gervasi
win the gold?
Bailey comes from a family of field
hockey players. Her mom played field
Senior Bailey
hockey in high school and college.
Quinn has broken However, after her parents met, Baischool records
ley’s mom stopped playing. Bailey’s
and received
aunt also played on a national team.
many awards for Bailey has a younger brother named
sports. She is the KJ, who is thirteen
center forward on years old. He is also
Phoenixville’s Field Hockey Team,
athletic and plays basand she has started every game since
ketball and baseball.
she was a freshman. Will Bailey be
Field hockey is not
able to one day get to the Olympics to
the only sport that
Bailey plays. She
has been playBailey (center), posing with the other ing basketball
softball
field hockey captains, Taylor Jefferis and
since she was
and Allison Trafford
five years old.
Bailey played
point guard for
basketball, and
center field for
softball. She actually quit basketball
last year because
she got really bad
shin splints, and
she quit softball
last year to focus
on her field hockey future.
Playing sports has given Bailey
some amazing memories. She
said a lot of her best memories
come from big games the PAHS
Field Hockey Team has had. Bailey
said, “Sophomore year we played
Perkiomen Valley and Owen J.
Roberts, both in overtime, and we
won both.” She also enjoyed how
THE PURPLE PRESS
close a lot of the players have become
since her freshmen year. Bailey also
broke the record for Phoenixville Field
Hockey with her remarkable 29 goals
this season. Bailey said, “Hopefully I
will have more goals to come to keep
the record going. [Coach Tornetta] did
not even tell me about it before. Right
First Team PAC-10 and All State
awards. This year Bailey is also on a
club team, the WC Eagles. They made
it to Nationals in Virginia. She has
been playing with them since ninth
grade and each year they have gone to
nationals.
Because of Bailey’s accomplishments
she has committed to Old
Dominion for college. They
have a Division One field
hockey team. Bailey said,
“The coach said that I
would be able to play freshman year, so I am very
excited about that.” In
college Bailey plans to
major in special education.
She said, “I like working
with kids who have special
needs. I am in the club,
Best Buddies, which pairs
kids with special needs
with other kids to make
them feel more included.
My buddy is Ian.” After
college Bailey wants to
continue playing field
hockey. She hopes to play
An action shot of Bailey slapping the
for the Junior National
ball down the field
Team, and hopefully one
day go to the Olympics.
Photos courtesy of Bailey Quinn
Bailey’s amazing sports abilities will
not stop when she graduates high
after the game he told me, and I just
school. She is going on to play D1 field
started crying.”
hockey in college, and hopes to take
Bailey has also received many PACthe gold in the Olympics one day. Bai10 awards for her field hockey success. ley is a cherished student here at
She received Honorable Mention in
PAHS, and everyone should get to
freshman year, First Team PAC-10 as a know her. Who knows? One day she
sophomore, and this year she will most could be famous!
likely receive All-Area First Team,
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 2
*PEOPLE*
Farewell Mr. Gilly
to her side of the family. Mr. Gilly said, “I
am excited for the opportunity to immerse
Devin Gervasi
myself in another culture, and to allow my
As many of you son to have that same opportunity.” Mr.
may know, PAHS will Gilly is a fairly new father, but he seems to
soon be saying goodtruly love it. He has decided that he will not
bye to its beloved asbe working right away in Switzerland, but
sistant principal, Mr.
instead taking on the role of stay at home
Gilly. October 31st will father. He said, “Everything I do, I do for
be his last day. His wife’s work will be taking [Sebastian] now. It’s harder to be at work.”
them on a new journey to Luzerne, SwitzerSo although Mr. Gilly will miss being in the
land. Mr. Gilly will be a stay at home father
school setting, he is excited about his new
to their six month old son, Sebastian. Al“job.”
Moving to Switzerland
will also be a great opportunity for Mr. Gilly because
ever since he has worked as
a principal he has not had a
lot of time for himself. He
said, “You spend a lot of
time worrying about all of the
kids and their parents, and that
takes a toll on your family. I
spend a lot of time here, and I
believe that I am, for the first
time ever, going to be very
selfish and spend time with
my wife, eat lunch with her,
and cook again.” He plans on
to accept things as they
come. Still work hard,
still do all of those things,
Photo Courtesy to Mr. Gilly
but just realize the bad
things that happen are not that bad and the
good things should be cherished. Just keep
rolling because your life can toss and turn
just as quick as mine did, and I think that’s
the fun of it.”
Besides his school life, Mr. Gilly said that
he will truly miss his sister, Liz. She is an art
teacher at Barkley, and when Mr. Gilly
moves she will be staying at his house. Mr.
Gilly said, “I will miss her a lot and I am very
proud of her.”
PAHS will be losing an amazing assistant
principal in October, but Switzerland will be
welcoming him. Mr. Gilly will truly miss
everyone here at Phoenixville, and surely
everyone will miss him. So with that, we say
along.” He explained that he has traveled to
auf wiedersehen, Mr. Gilly. Good luck with
Europe quite a bit and he has spent a lot of
everything you do.
time with people there, so he feels comfortable with what he is getting into.
Mr. Gilly’s wife, Kathrin, holding
Even though Mr. Gilly is excited to move
their son, Sebastian, in South Tirol,
on to this new stage of his life, he said he is
Italy.
really going to miss Phoenixville. He said,
“I’ll miss the students. No question. You
guys crack me up. The students absolutely
first, and then the staff. The kids are just
phenomenal. I don’t think that the students
Mr. Gilly and Sebastian in South
recognize what a wonderful group of young
Tirol, Italy
people they are. Tremendously talented and
doing many things that he was just passionate about things.” Obviously, he
though he is sad to say goodbye, he is excited not able to do here such as going for walks,
will miss us just as much as we will miss
to start this new stage of his life.
hiking and just spending more time with his
him.
Mr. Gilly’s wife, Kathrin, is from
family. Kathrin will travel a lot for work. Mr.
As for his advice to us, he said, “A lot of
Germany, and he could tell she has been
Gilly said, “My wife will travel to France,
kids take things too seriously, so they have to
missing home. So besides her work opportu- Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany for
lighten up. My life has taken so many twists
nities, they are moving overseas to be closer work, so if she goes for a week we will tag
and turns, and I believe that the kids just need
Written by:
Sebastian takes a ride on his daddy
Dr. Alston: Familiar Face in a new building
Written by:
Austin Starczewski
When the news
broke that Mr. Gilly
was leaving the country, and therefore
leaving PAHS, disappointment set in for
many students and
faculty members. Although Mr. Gilly will be
missed, the administration did a fantastic job
of replacing him. At this point, most of us
know that former PAMS assistant principal
Doctor Christopher Alston has moved to the
high school.
Doctor Alston lives with his three kids and
his wife in Downingtown; however, he grew
go to class from 8-1. After that you had to go
to team meetings for about two hours, and
then you would have practice after that.”
However, [the day] didn’t end there. “After
practice we would go to dinner together, and
then all underclassmen had to go to study hall
until 9 at night. So basically your day was
over,” he explained. Despite the fact that
football was a lot of work, Dr. Alston loved
all of it. He said, “It was great. Unfortunately, I had a few significant injuries while I
was there, but that’s part of [the game]. There
is nothing like walking out of the tunnel and
having 100,000 people jumping up and down
cheering for you.”
At Penn State, Dr. Alston got his degree in
Health Administration. He then went to a
post-graduate program to get his degree in
Dr. Alston at Walt Disney World with
his family – wife (Patricia), Jada,
Amyah, and Tyler
up in North Carolina. He
first moved to Pennsylvania when he signed
with Penn State to play
football, which is also
where he met his wife. He
said, “My wife was a
tennis player at Penn
State, but I actually met
her on my official visit to
the school.”
Although the college
athlete life may seem
great, it is a lot of work.
Dr. Alston said, “It was
really intense. You would
THE PURPLE PRESS
education. He first
taught math in the
Pottstown School District and West Chester
Area School District.
He then worked in
Philadelphia for a few
years before getting a
job at Phoenixville. Dr.
Alston was the assistant principal at
Barkley Elementary
for three years before
moving to the middle
school. He then served
as assistant principal at
the middle school for
just over four years,
before coming to the
high school this year.
He said, “I was extremely excited when I
got the job. I was really
excited to get to be
back with all the kids
that I got to know while
we were at the middle
school together.” Dr.
Alston has also really
enjoyed coming to
sporting and other
school events and
watching the students
perform. He said, “I
have really enjoyed
reconnecting with these
students. My goal is to
know every single
student’s name in the
building.”
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
Dr. Alston, hard at work in his office
Photo: Vincent Gervasi
Outside of school, Dr. Alston loves being
home with his family. He explained that his
ideal vacation is “just staying home with my
family, even if that isn’t a vacation for them.”
He also loves being outdoors, and that includes fishing, playing sports and just hanging out in the yard with his kids. He also
really enjoys cooking, which is his kids favorite because they love to eat the food.
While Dr. Alston is at PAHS, he wants to
be extremely engaged with the students. He
said, “I have really enjoyed coming in to
work and being able to connect with the
students here, whether it’s kids I knew in the
middle school or kids I didn’t know that
well.” He wants all the students to come to
him if they have an issue. While it has only
been a short period of time, he has already
begun to make a positive impact here at the
high school.
PAGE 3
*NEW TEACHERS*
New Teachers Invade PAHS
With the large amount of teachers and guidance counselors leaving, there was a need for several replacements. Now it’s
time to meet the new teachers and counselors at PAHS this school year!
Written by:
Bridget Walt & Amanda Hozyash
Mr. SprenkleMr. Sprenkle is very excited to be
starting his first year as a full time
Social Studies and English teacher at PAHS. Previously,
he assisted in teaching at Pocono Mountain, Valley
View (Scranton Area), and West York High School. This
year, he will be teaching AP Human Geography, Techniques of Writing, and Language Arts grade 10. The first
thing that caught Mr. Sprenkle’s eyes about this school
is how involved the students are in extracurricular activities, as well as the overall positive environment. Mr.
Sprenkle also appreciated how the faculty and staff work
with the students to create a good learning environment.
Mr. Sprenkle graduated from Marywood University
(Scranton area). He grew up on a farm with his father as
a dairy farmer. His mother has an engineering degree,
but currently works as a secretary at a church. His older
sister is an editor for the York Newspaper, and his
brother is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Psychology in Chicago. He is also very close with his grandfather who is also a farmer. Outside of teaching, Mr.
Sprenkle enjoys running, cycling, reading, going camping or hiking, and of course,
playing video games.
Mr. YoungbloodMr. Youngblood transferred from Phoenixville Area Middle School to Phoenixville Area High School because he
thought this job would push him to be the best teacher he
could be. He also liked the direction that the district was
headed and was excited to become a part of it. After graduating from West Virginia University as well as attending grad
school there, Mr. Youngblood started his teaching career in
2005. He was hired at Northwest Middle School in the Reading School District to teach Health and Physical Education.
Since the summer of 2008, Mr. Youngblood began teaching
those same classes and more, such as Fitness and Weight
Training. Mr. Youngblood’s wife, Carly, is also a teacher at
an elementary school in the Owen J. Roberts District. They
have two young children named Emersyn and Delaney. As
you could have guessed, Mr. Youngblood loves anything
that has to do with exercise including CrossFit at Unfinished Project, running the Spartan Races, and coaching soccer and wrestling. Mr. Youngblood also enjoys participating in the polar plunge in the Schuylkill River yearly on New Years and vacationing at
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Mr. McAdamsMr.McAdams is here at PAHS to direct two concert
bands, the jazz band and the Phoenixville Marching
Phantoms. He is also directing beginning guitar classes.
His wife is a middle school band director as well. In fact,
she is the Color Guard Director for the University of
Delaware. They have been married for nine years, and two
cats accompany them in their home. This is
Mr.McAdams’ 12th year teaching. Prior to PAHS, he
taught at a high school in Delaware and was the band
director at Daniel Boone High School in Berks County.
Mr.McAdams received his undergraduate from the
University of Delaware and his graduate degree in wind
band conducting at West Chester University. Outside of
the classroom Mr.McAdams teaches leadership workshops for high school student
musicians across the country – something he has been doing
for the past sixteen years. He also enjoys golfing and biking.
Over the past summer Mr. and Mrs. McAdams adventured to
Key West. A fun fact about Mr.McAdams is that he loves
watching TV shows on Netflix and can get lost in watching
episodes for hours (if it is the right show).
Mr. BriesblattMr. Breisblatt is a Special Education teacher who came to
Phoenixville Area High School to teach Resource classes,
co-teach Biology and American History. He previously
worked in Coatesville, Kennett and Pequea Valley after
graduating from West Chester University. Mr. Briesblatt
has been teaching for fourteen years now. He decided to
teach here at PAHS to work with more diverse students and
to also become the head football coach of the high school
football team. Outside of school Mr. Breisblatt has a wife
and four children. He enjoys coaching football, running
camps during the summer, lifting weights and vacationing
in Ocean City, New Jersey. Something you may not expect
about Mr. Breisblatt is that he used to be an art teacher.
Mrs. LevasMrs. Levas previously taught at Briggs High School
in Columbus before her husband received a teaching
job at Villanova University, bringing her to the area
where she attained her teaching position at Phoenixville
Area High School. Mrs. Levas graduated from Ohio
State University and has been teaching for six years. At
Phoenixville Area High School, she teaches ACP Biology and CP Biology. While Mrs. Levas enjoys running,
gardening, and reading, taking care of her three and a
half year old son with her husband is her main priority.
In addition to taking care of her son, Mrs. Levas also
has some interesting pets such as two dogs, two poison
dart frogs, and a coral reef aquarium. Besides Phoenixville Area High School, of course, her favorite place to
go to is Cairns Australia,
where she got the chance to go scuba diving on the Great
Barrier Reef.
Ms. TatesMs. Tates formally worked at Perkiomen Valley School
District for one year and is now teaching Intro to Art at
PAHS. She is so excited to be teaching here because she
loves how Phoenixville Area School District and the community embrace the value of arts. She loves how interested
the students are in the arts and is thrilled that the school has
opened a variety of art classes. Ms. Tates graduated from
Penn State and has a sister in eighth grade, and one who is
a senior at University of Kentucky. Besides her love of art,
Ms. Tates also enjoys cooking, playing lacrosse, and exercising. Ms. Tates has lived in six different states including
New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, and now Pennsylvania. Don’t get
too used to calling her Ms. Tates, however, because she
will be getting married in October and will soon be
known as Mrs. Robinson!
Mrs. Uclay
Mrs. Ulcay received degrees from Drexel University and
Columbia International University and has been teaching
now for 15 years. She formally taught at Drexel University and Neumann University, but her teaching career
started in Tajikistan, which is in Central Asia. Mrs. Ulcay
came to PAHS because she lives in the district and was
given her dream opportunity to work here as an ESL
(English as a Second Language) teacher. Mrs. Ulcay is
married with three young children who are all currently
students at Barkley Elementary School. Outside of
school, Mrs. Ulcay enjoys reading, learning new things,
and traveling. In fact, Mrs. Ulcay has been to 49 of the 50
United States! (If you want to know which state she hasn’t see yet, you’ll have to ask
her!) Her favorite vacation spot, however, is in Turkey on the Aegean Sea, where her inlaws live.
Ms. Lupo
Ms. Lupo is a new Spanish teacher here at PAHS who
will be teaching Spanish I. Along with teaching here at
the high school, she also teaches Spanish to the elementary students at Barkley and East Pikeland. She came to
the Phoenixville district after moving to West Chester
from Delaware. Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Lupo
graduated from the University of Delaware. This is her
Ms. DoughertyMs. Dougherty is a new teacher here at PAHS who is teach- third year teaching. She has previously taught at William Penn High School and schools in New Castle,
ing Algebra II, Math A/B and Resource classes. This is Ms.
Delaware. Her parents live in upstate New York and her
Dougherty’s third year of teaching after graduating from
Millersville University. She previously taught at Garnet Val- older brother lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. Outside of
school Ms. Lupo enjoys running, and vacationing at
ley High School, Paxon Hollow Middle School and Avon
Grove Intermediate School. She transferred here to PAHS to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Something interesting to
know about Ms. Lupo is that she can speak both Spanwork closer to home. Outside of school Ms. Dougherty enjoys camping and cycling.
ish and French.
One of her favorite destinations to vacation is Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, but
prefers to camp out rather than stay in a hotel. Ms. Dougherty will be getting married in
May. She has three older brothers and three sisters-in-law. She has a niece named
Maeve, a nephew named Connor and another nephew on the way.
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 4
*NEW TEACHERS*
Mrs. Giampietro
Mrs. Giampietro graduated from Penn State, and went on to receive her MBA from St.
Joseph’s University. Although her first career was in business, she previously taught at
Emmaus High School in the Lehigh and Lower Moreland
High School in Montgomery County. Mrs. Giampietro has
been a teacher for three years. She is excited to come to
this school district and teach AP Microeconomics with Mr.
Stavenski, Entrepreneurship, and Personal Finance. Mrs.
Giampietro met her husband at Penn State. He is an attorney who helps people with their estates. She is a 25 year
resident in the district and both of her children have graduated from PAHS. Her daughter, Cristina, graduated from
the high school in 2008 and is currently a second grade
teacher. Her son, Troy, graduated in 2012 and attends
Drexel University. Mrs. Giampietro is thrilled to contribute to a positive educational experience for students in a
community that she loves so much. Outside of school, Mrs.
Giampietro enjoys reading, planning trips and traveling to
places such as Kauai, her favorite vacation spot. Mrs.
Giampietro believes that she was destined to be a teacher
because as a child she used to play school with her sisters, pretending to be a math
teacher.
Mr. Madyun
Mr. Madyun has been teaching for two years. Previously, he worked as a director of a non-profit company and at Devereux as a counselor, a supervisor
and teacher. He came to Phoenixville Area High
School because of the great students who are enthusiastic about learning, as well as the school’s great
leadership. Primarily, Mr. Madyun serves as a resource teacher within the emotional support classroom. In addition, he co-teaches chemistry with Mrs.
Hudgins and grade 12 English with Mr. Zittel. Mr.
Madyun is originally from Michigan, where most of
his family currently lives. Outside of school, Mr.
Madyun enjoys coaching sports, cooking (which he
is very good at), and watching sporting events. His
favorite vacation spot is Sonoma County, California.
Mr. Madyun is a Detroit Lions fan, so watch out for
him on Monday if they lose.
Ms. Sampugnaro
Ms. Sampugnaro has previously taught at Wilmington, DE and University of Delaware (where she graduated from) in the past, and is now
at Phoenixville Area High School. Not only does Ms.
Sampugnaro love the overall learning atmosphere here
at PAHS, but she also loves the color purple of the Phoenixville Phantoms. Ms. Sampugnaro is teaching Algebra
1, Algebra 2, and Geometry. Ms. Sampugnaro comes
from “a large group of loud New Yorkers,” and she
claims “her favorite person in the world is Bo,” her cat.
Outside of school, she enjoys singing, cooking, baking,
hiking, and riding her bicycle through Philadelphia.
Mrs. Kabatt
Mrs. Kabatt is a familiar face here at PAHS, having
taught AP Government and AP European History from
1993-2000. Besides working for PAHS, she had
several long-term substitute assignments in
Downingtown East, Downingtown West, and the Downingtown STEM Academy. Mrs. Kabatt graduated with a
Bachelors in History and Masters in Social Studies Education from Louisiana State University. In addition, she
completed several post-graduate courses in British / Irish
History from the University of Cambridge in England and
started, but not finished, her Doctorate in Social Studies
Curriculum Design at the University of Pennsylvania.
She is currently teaching Global Studies and AP Human
Geography at PAHS. Mrs. Kabatt has been married for 16
years and has four children who attend school in the
Downingtown Area School District. She loves to travel
through Europe, listen to classical jazz music, read Jane
Austen novels and just about anything pertaining to 16th century British History. Mrs.
Kabatt also loves watching her children play sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer,
cross country, and track. An interesting fact about Mrs. Kabatt is that her father worked
for several United States Presidents, and her mother worked for the FBI. She also was
adopted and has recently discovered through a genetic test that she is British and Scandinavian.
Mr. Gionta: Excited to be a Phantom
ting his Masters at La Salle, Mr. Gionta was
already working in the sports world. “I
worked for the Atlantic City Card Sharks
Written by:
Football) and a major league lacrosse
Austin Starczewski (Arena
team before I started working at La Salle,” he
said. He was the assistant general manager of
It is well docuboth of those teams, so he was responsible
mented that, academically, Phoenix- for marketing and ticket sales, among other
ville is an extremely things.
Eventually, Mr. Gionta ended up working
impressive, accomplished school that is conat La Salle University for eight years. He
tinuing to improve. However, Phoenixville
said, “For the first two years I did a lot of
takes pride in much more than academics,
and I think it is safe to say that many students fundraising for the athletic department, and
take great pride in athletics. Over the last few then for the last six I was the Director of
Recreation. I ran intramural and club sports
years, many teams have seen great success:
the football team was in the district champi- along with the fitness center on campus.”
onship, the baseball team won a district play- This past year he left La Salle to join the
Phoenixville administration. Although it was
off game, the girls’ soccer team went to the
district final, and the boys’ tennis team were not an easy decision to leave, Mr. Gionta is
crowned PAC-10 champions. Unfortunately, extremely excited to be a Phantom. “I love
high school athletics and I
many of our
Mr. and Mrs. Gionta pose at the
teams have
Route 29 Series
struggled recently
and are in a
Photos courtesy of Mr. Gionta
championship
drought. With the struggles of our teams
comes the decline of fans in the stands. However, if you have attended a sporting event
recently, odds are you have seen Mr. Gionta,
our new Athletic Director. He, with your
support, will help bring championships back
to Phoenixville.
Mr. Gionta, who lives with his wife Rachel,
grew up just outside the Phoenixville area in
Delaware County. He got his undergraduate
degree in sport and recreation management
from Temple University, and then proceeded
to get his Master’s in Business Administration at La Salle. However, while he was get-
THE PURPLE PRESS
think it’s really important to get involved in
high school. It has been really nice to work
with the students here and see them at games
supporting our teams,” he said.
Along with keeping the athletic department
afloat, Mr. Gionta is also the Director of
Activities here at Phoenixville. “As far as
activities are concerned, I am just trying to
get kids involved. I want to help kids pursue
their passion, whether that
means helping someone
said, “I want athletics to be a big part of student life here. I want to go into Wawa in my
neighborhood with a Phoenixville shirt on
and have people say to me, ‘Wow you’re
from Phoenixville?’” With his support, along
with talented coaches, players and an enthusiastic fan base, his goal of bringing our athletics back to the top is in sight.
Mr. Gionta and Phil Motley of the
Philadelphia Comets Baseball Club
find a club that fits them, or
even helping students start
their own clubs,” he explained. With all of these
responsibilities, along with
his desire to stay late into
the nights to watch our
teams play, Mr. Gionta has
a lot on his plate. He said,
“It’s new and I’m working
my way through it as I go,
but it really doesn’t feel
like work. This is a great
part of my life. I love being
here.”
Outside of school, Mr. Gionta is a huge
sports fan. He was a catcher on his high
school baseball team, and he still plays today.
He also loves doing yard work. “I pride myself on having one of the best lawns in my
town,” he said.
Ultimately, Mr. Gionta has big goals while
he is in charge of athletics and activities. He
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 5
*NEWS*
Lunchroom changes bring new options to students
Written by:
Jack Robinson
food cart, to the various new stations filled
with food not before seen in the cafeteria, this
year has brought some significant changes to
lunch time.
Lunch time is a time
To start, the school has a new executive
for craving your hunchef, Scott Orsini, who came from New York
ger and enjoying time with over 20 years of culinary experience in
with your friends.
food service management and catering. He
However, there is a sense of change in the
has been with the company called Whitsons
air. This is not the same PAHS lunchroom, as for 11 years and he is manning the new chef
many new changes surround you. From the
action stations on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The stations utilize batch cooking, which is
when food is made in small batches in advance. According to Chef Scott this is “so the
students will get a fresher product.” These
stations will be using local and fresher produce and will serve foods such as Buffalo
wings, pasta, exotic salads, and include an
omelet and deli bar. New turbo ovens have
also been installed so students will be able to
toast sandwiches.
Another addition is the new food cart which
provides more variety
Phoenixville’s new executive
for students. The cart
Chef Scott
supplies a multitude of
snacks like drinks,
muffins, chips, sandwiches, and cakes. The
food cart is open at 7:00 a.m. It is also open
during study halls, allowing students to purchase food prior to or after lunch, when it
reopens. It is also available after school for
club meetings.
So far the general opinion
of the changes has been
positive, especially the
kiosk. “The feedback on the
new kiosk has been great.
Even the teachers like it,”
said Ms. Reed, the Food
Service Director. However,
not all students agree with
the general consensus. According to one student: “It’s
not the best food.” Some
others refuse to eat the cafeteria food all together, finding it “unpleasant.”
For those hard to please,
this will not be the end of
the changes. Ms. Reed ex-
plained, “We’re going to be making more
improvement as the year goes on.” Students
should expect the lunch room to continue to
improve based on feedback as the year progresses. Some of these future updates include
breakfast smoothies, iced coffee, Hershey ice
cream, a pretzel machine, a rotisserie (to roast
porks, beefs and chicken), and BBQ lunches
as the season allows it.
The new cafeteria food cart
Photos: Jack Robinson
The Army Band: Using the power of music for a good cause
Written by:
Bridget Walt
When you think of a school assembly,
you may imagine sitting a chair for an hour
Sergeant First Class Peter Krasulski and
while the speakers inform the students on a Sergeant First Class Thomas Lindsey pose
specific topic. That, however, was not the case for the Army
just moments before their performance at
Band assembly that took place in the middle school auditorium
Phoenixville Area High School.
on September 3rd. No one was sitting in a chair bored that day;
rather, everyone was up on their feet, singing and dancing to
familiar music. The auditorium was transformed into a concert atball games, and sometimes even
acoustic guitar sets at hospitals to
mosphere and it was easy to forget that it was still school!
The Army Band consists of about 170 members. Phoenixville Area entertain patients. Their saying is
“Boston to Baghdad,” which is true
High School was lucky enough to have a few volunteer members of the band come to perform. Sergeant First Class Peter Krasulski joined the army in 1998 and has been playing bass because the Army Band travels to the
49 states (Alaska already has its own
in the Army Band since 2005. Sergeant First Class Thomas Lindsey serves as the band’s
Army Band) as well as abroad to
vocalist as well as guitarist. Staff Sergeant Randy Wight and Sergeant First Class April
places like Iraq, Cuba, Nicaragua,
Boucher also serve as vocalists. Staff Sergeant John Brandon Boron plays the guitar, Staff
Sergeant Glenn Robertson plays the drums, Master Sergeant John Lamirande handles audio, and Kuwait.
The members of the Army Band
and Staff Sergeant James Little is the light technician.
Their mission is to travel the world and display their talent and excellence. The Army Band went through a very long and elaborate training to get to where they are
also works to foster support for the Army. “It is our job to represent the larger Army and be
today. “I was looking through the
that face to say thank you for the men and women,” Sergeant Lindsey explained. Often
manual with over 200 military jobs.
times, people do not expect an Army Band to
The Army Band posing in front of Mount
I saw electric bass player and I
be this professional. However, all of the lightRushmore.
laughed when I saw it,”
ing, talent, and total atmosphere
Sergeant Lindsay admitted.
blows the spectators away.
Now, however, he couldn’t
All of the Army Band members
imagine his life any other
started out in the military the same
way. “This is such an aweand worked their way through casome job,” both Lindsey and
reers. Their message to crowds is
Krasulski said. They are all
that you can do the same thing.
active duty soldiers. They first train to be a soldier, then to be a musician. It’s a real
“You can be excellent at what you
job in the Army and all members have been taught to fire weapons.
love,” Krasulski said. Music has
All of the Army Band members take pride in wearing the uniform and serving their
always been their hobby because it
country. They want everyone to know that there is so much more that the Army has
is universal and an outlet. Everyone
to offer besides direct field work. The army has a saying: “You start strong, you stay
has a song that they can emotionally
strong, you are a soldier for life.” The Army has some of the strongest-minded peoconnect to, whether it brings back a
ple that you will ever meet. For more information,
sad or happy memory
visit http://www.armyfieldband.com
It is easy to get into the songs that
the Army Band plays because they
play cover music (music that we
already know). They perform a lot
of modern pop at different festivals,
Nascar events, Major League Base-
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 10 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 6
*NEWS*
Phoenixville students travel the world
Written by:
Devin Gervasi
Lily Gustine (grade 12)
This summer Lily traveled to Germany to
visit her German exchange partner from last
Many peosummer, Paula. Lily has known Paula for two
ple do amazing
years. Lily traveled to Germany two sumthings over summer mers ago to visit her, and then Paula came to
vacation, but not
stay in America with Lily for a while. Lily
everyone gets to
was in Germany the first three weeks of Autravel out of the
gust. She was able to travel to Berlin for a
country. Traveling to few days and also to Munich. Munich is the
other countries is a great experience, and
biggest town in Bavaria, where Paula lives.
everyone should do it to learn about other
Lily said everything is so different there, and
cultures and ways of life. These six students it is so much cleaner. For example, the trash
were some of the lucky ones who got to live is separated into five different categories and
abroad for a period of time. (Sorry to anyone thrown away accordingly. She added, “There
we missed!) So, check out what they did over are a lot of specific
the summer!
foods that they eat
they ever know. They are really thankful for
everything.” With Jenna’s ten year experience speaking Spanish, she was able to talk
with all of the kids. It was a very memorable
experience for Jenna. She explained, “I could
actually have a conversation with [the children] and that was really nice. Some of the
other people in my group were not able to do
that.”
in Ireland. She stayed in a Holiday Inn Express with about twenty other people in the
group. She was the youngest, 17, and the
oldest was 55. Ireland’s weather is a lot different than our weather here. Their summer is
the same time as ours, but their summer
weather is like our spring weather and very
rainy. Adryana said, “There were kids running around without shoes and shorts on
because that’s their hot weather. 75 was the
highest it got.” Adryana’s group took a trip to
Kendall Beatty (grade 10)
Over the summer Kendall had the chance to Giant’s Causeway, a rock formation on the
coast of Northern Ireland. The day they went
travel to Guatemala on a mission trip with
it was down pouring and was the coldest in
her church, and their trip was through the
Ireland this year, but she said it was still an
organization, Potters House. She went from
July 19th until amazing experience. Adryana recommends if
anyone gets the chance, to visit Ireland.
the 27th.
Kendall was
Kendall sitting with two of the girls,
Alicia Handian (grade 10)
Adriana Baronsky (grade 12)
building
Crystal and Kathy, that she built a
From June 11th until September
houses for the
This summer Adriana went to Costa Rica
house for
11th Alicia traveled to Lebanon to
people who
on a mission trip through her church. She
stay with family. Alicia’s parents
lived in squat- said, “I wanted to help the people and get out
grew up in Lebanon so they own a house
ter settleof my comfort zone.” She went from July
there. It is actually the house her father grew too that we do not
ments outside 28th until August 4th. With fifty people in
eat here. Damf
up in. Alicia was born in America, but soon
of a trash
their group they were able to build two
after her family moved back to Lebanon for a noodle is when
dump. Most
houses for families in need. Adriana and the
few years. Alicia said the culture is different they bake bread
people who
people she went with stayed in the Church of
and use a milk
because in Lebanon, “The people are more
live in that
Eden. All of the people Adriana helped were
sweet
sauce
over
traditional and their way of thinking is a lot
area work in very thankful. Adriana said, “Costa Rican
top
of
it.
That’s
a
different than here. It’s not that they are less
the trash
culture is different from ours. Here we are
typical Bavarian
open-minded, but they have a more set way
dump. Kend- really distant from everyone and don’t really
of thinking.” Alicia travels to Lebanon every food.” She also
all said,
like to embrace people, but there everyone
said all of the cars
summer, but this year was extra special be“While the
you see waves and smiles and give you hugs
cause she was able to go to her cousin’s wed- are all very small.
kids’ parents and kiss you on the cheek. The play music
Lily’s most memorable experience was going are working in the trash dump, there would
ding. Alicia said, “Thank God it’s not as
and dance around. Everyone’s unified. She
to Berlin. She said, “It reminded me a lot of
dangerous as it is in Syria. There are a lot of
be like four year old kids watching their
added, “We actually got to witness the famiNew
York
City,
but
it’s
a
lot
cleaner.”
dangers in the cities, but the place we live is
younger siblings. Everyone there is happy,
lies thanking us for the houses. We had a
safer because it’s more of a village town.”
and they are all so thankful for anything they ceremony of giving them the keys and everycan get. A lot of the kids in that area do go to one was crying and so happy. It was so cool
Jenna Powell (grade 11)
to see the difference that we made.”
Jenna traveled to Ecuador this past summer school, but normally they do not go past
Jenna with kids that she worked
on a mission trip with her church, the Calvary elementary school. After that they also work
with in Ecuador
in the trash dump.” Guatemala has some
Bible Church. Her trip was
Adriana with one of the kids that
dangerous areas so Kendall’s group
August 7th until the 18th. She
she built a house for
stayed in a double gated hotel with
was working with children,
security guards, and they always had a
with a few different programs
spread out in three cities: Cota- security guard with them.
cachi, Timbara, and Salinas.
Her group stayed mainly in the Adryana Gates (grade 12)
city, Ibarra, but they also stayed Adryana traveled this past summer to
in each of the cities for a few
Northern Ireland on a mission trip
days too. They stayed in hosthrough the Christian College. Her trip
tels, and also a church at one
was from July 25th until August 4th.
point. The culture is very difHer church met up with a church there,
ferent in Ecuador than in Amer- and they did a Vacation Bible School
ica. Jenna said, “They are defi- with the kids. At the end of the week
nitely a lot poorer, but they are they were able to do a touring day
so happy because that is all
where they traveled to different places
The Danish Invasion of Phoenixville
Written by:
Jack Robinson
have bathroom passes.) Despite this, he still likes it here. “I
like it. It’s just how I expected with long hallways and rows
of lockers,” he said.
To complete the exchange in April, a group of Phoenixville students will go to Denmark for a week. They will also
be staying with host families and visit many cultural sites.
These include the capital of Denmark (Copenhagen), many
of the magnificent castles that were built, and the birthplace
of famous author Hans Christian Anderson.
The Denmark exchange is a first for Phoenixville. This
new and exciting experience has been a valuable cultural
experience for both Phoenixville and Danish students.
Yes it’s true, the Danes
invaded Phoenixville!
Not with soldiers or
weapons mind you, but
with students. Phoenixville had the honor of
hosting Danish exchange
students for a cultural exchange program during
the first week of October. A group of ten Danish
students and their English teacher arrived at the
high school from Svendborg Gymnasium in DenThe Danish students and their
mark.
Phoenixville hosts pose at Paoli
The exchange idea started last year. Danish English teacher SuTrain Station
sanne Ernst said, “Mr. Gilly and I began talking about the exchange
program last year and we are pleased we could come here this
year.” Her students also expressed a great interest in coming here, as they are interested in
our culture.
The students stayed with a host family and attended classes with their hosts. The students
Danish student Orhan Hadzihasanovic
visited everyday things like a movie theater and the King of Prussia mall. Any visits to larger
sports an Eagles shirt
cultural areas were left to the host families to do so. They will also be learning the many
differences between their country and America. According to one of the Danish students,
Orhan Hadzihasanovic, Phoenixville Area High School feels more restrained than in Denmark. He said, “I feel like in Denmark we’re a little more free” (since his school does not
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 10 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 7
*CLUBS AT PAHS*
On Wednesday September 10th and Thursday September 11th, Phoenixville Area High School held an Activity Fair in the Gymnasium during extended homeroom. The fair was put together to give students a glimpse at the amazing clubs offered at the high
school. If you have not already joined a club, check out these amazing options and get involved!
Academic Team
The Academic Team competes in fast-paced knowledge tournaments throughout the mid-Atlantic region
Engineering Club
as well as in local matches against teams in the Chester County league. During competitions, teams anThe club is set up to give future engineers experience and knowledge in various fields of engineering. Our
swer questions in categories including American and world history, science, literature, current events,
goals are to provide opportunities to hear about various fields of engineering from practicing engineers, to
geography, fine arts, and more. PAHS will field both JV and varsity teams in this year’s competition. The
visit sights pertaining to engineering accomplishments, and to gain knowledge about applying basic engiPennsylvania Academic Competition annually awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to championneering principles to the solution of problems and the creation of new products. The club meets Wednesship teams. Ms. Ballantine is the advisor and the club officers are Ben Lavigne, Chris Reiter, and Chris
days after school in room I-12. Joe Nosia is the president.
Mazur. The club is currently recruiting new members.
FBLA
Amnesty International
FBLA is an acronym for Future Business Leaders of America. The goal of the
Amnesty International is a club for students interested in advocating human
group is to prepare students for careers in business and to educate them about
rights. As a club we work to raise awareness of human rights violations, fundthe free enterprise system. The club has students engage in business enterprises,
raise for human rights organizations and write letters to government officials
direct group affairs, and compete in business related events in order to make
requesting that they ensure the safety and well-being of their citizens. This year
students better employees and citizens. FBLA meets every Thursday at 7:00
our projects include bringing Conor Grennan, humanitarian and best-selling
a.m. in Mrs. Wilbert’s room (F-14). The club president is Zoe Bullotta.
author, to PAHS to discuss his extraordinary experiences in Nepal with the
Fishing Club
students body, a district-wide read-a-thon, and book swap to fundraise for
The fishing club is a new club for anyone interested in fishing. We plan on
education in third world countries. Amnesty International meets in D-8 (Mrs.
having a few local fishing outings this year and possibly a deep-sea trip this
Tell’s room) every Day 1 at 7:10 a.m.
spring. We also plan on doing community service activities-cleaning up local
Anime Club
streams and parks. The club meets Friday mornings at 7 a.m. in room H-5. Mr.
Anime Club focuses upon Japanese culture, especially the Japanese art style
McLaughlin is the advisor and Eli Brown is the club president.
also known as Anime or Manga when in book form. Some of the club activities
French Club
are giving lessons on Japanese culture, watching anime films, and overall getThe French Club meets once a month in D-3 and is open to all students who are
ting a better understanding of Japan. Anime Club meetings are held on Wednesinterested in the French language and/or culture. Some of our discussions
days after school in Mrs. Spinozzi’s room (I-4). For more information see
include promotion of the French Program, trips to French-speaking countries,
Noelle Jackomin or Marshall Goodman.
and fundraising. The purpose of French Club is to explore and learn about the
Art Club
Francophone cultures through cooking lessons, outings to restaurants, trips to
Art Club is an opportunity for students to create 2D & 3D artwork
museums (Philadelphia Art Museum, Rodin Museum, Barnes Foundation),
Adryana Gates, Brian Grutza and
and participate in art contests, community art projects, and the school art show.
French films (Colonial Theatre, Ursinus College French Film Festival), and
Katherine
Riggins
from
the
Global
This club is designed to strengthen pre-existing skills and further develop
more. French Club is run by students, and depends on the ideas and active parstudents' artistic talent. This is a great opportunity for students to learn more
Citzenship Club
ticipation of its members to make it interesting and fun! The faculty advisor is
about the art department offerings or to remain involved in art even if they are
Mrs. Gasbara. Kaleigh Quinnan and Matthew Steplewski are co-presidents.
not currently enrolled in an art class. Art Club meets on select days 1 and 3 in room G5 at 7:15 am. Art club Future Educators Association (FEA)
meeting topics, projects, and dates will be announced in advance on the morning announcements. Please
The mission of FEA is to foster the recruitment and development of prospective educators worldwide
see art club president, Gillian Stinson, with any questions (she can also add you to our email mailing list).
through the dissemination of innovative programming and relevant research. By elevating the image of
Best Buddies
teaching, FEA will attract dynamic and diverse students who will become tomorrow’s great educators.
Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing volunteers that creates one-to-one
FEA—A classroom is waiting . At PAHS the students are involved in internships in classrooms from prefriendships and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (DD).
K – High School. Students also participate in State and National level competitions, honor society with
This program helps students with disabilities by pairing a special education student with a regular educamany scholarship opportunities. FEA meetings take place every first and third Thursday of the school
tion student. The goal is to help make lifelong friendships, have some fun with people your own age, and to year in room A21 at 7:10 a.m. MaKenna Walsh & Kayley Burnett are co-presidents.
help others. Friendship meetings with your buddies can take place during school or after school hours. The Global Citizenship Club
advisor is Ms. Lamb. Bailey Quinn is the president and the club meets every Wednesday at 7:15 a.m. in
Global Citizenship is a foreign travel club. We work in conjunction with Education First Tours to break
room D-4.
down barriers of language, geography and culture through educational travel and cultural exchange. We
Bible Club
believe that firsthand experience of other cultures is an irreplaceable way to learn. The goal of this club is
The Bible Club focuses on the development of the spiritual and social life of students. The club provides
to allow students to become aware of the world beyond their own community and to document their exopportunities for discussion and fellowship through the sharing of the Bible. The club is evangelistic,
periences in a meaningful way. Each spring break the club travels to a new destination abroad. Past tours
service-oriented and strives to develop a community of support and encouragement for each other. The
have included England, France, Spain, Wales, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Monaco, and the Czech
Republic. This year we are traveling to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norclub’s advisor is Mr. Tito Perez and the club meets Tuesdays after school in room D-6.
way. See Mrs. Weinstein in D-2 for more information.
Cappies
GSA
The Cappies, "Critics and Awards Program," is a program for students who like theatre and like to write.
The PAHS Gender and Sexuality Alliance is a club devoted to ending the mistreatment of students based
Through this program high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend and write
reviews for at least five shows at other schools, and publish those reviews in regional newspapers like The on sexual orientation. Each year the club undertakes projects designed to educate the student body and
improve the culture of PAHS. Anyone interested in promoting the acceptance of all PAHS students can
Philadelphia Inquirer. At the end of the year, the student critics vote for awards that are presented at a
join the GSA. The GSA meets every Wednesday after school in Room D-8. Mrs. Tell is the advisor.
formal Cappies Gala. In return, our school can participate in the competition for the awards. Emily Gallina is currently our lead critic, and Mrs. Tavani and Mrs. Ballantine are the teacher mentors. Besides the Gazebo Literary Magazine
designated Cappies dates, the club meets on the first Friday of the month at 7am in D12.
Gazebo is a student-run organization to showcase the various writing and artistic styles of students among
Class Council
the high school. It focuses upon having a variety of styles and genres in attempts to produce both a diverse
Class Council is comprised of elected class council members and homeroom representatives for each grade and high-quality publication. The club meets and conducts a writing circle on Wednesdays in room F-10.
(9-12). These students along with any other students who are interested in participating are responsible for See Mr. Curley (F-8) or Ms. Speckhals (F-10) for more information.
encouraging and promoting class participation in fundraising events. The council’s goal is to raise money German Club
and organize upperclassman activities such as the prom and the senior banquet. For example, the Class
Deutschklub exists to further the knowledge and education for students who wish to pursue German outCouncil for the Class of 2014 is responsible for leadership and communicating the needs and expectations
side the classroom and beyond the scope of school instruction; to meet other German speakers with whom
between the administration and the students in the class. The Council fundraises and organizes all class
a student may not have class; as forum for students who are not currently enrolled in a German class to
activities, including Homecoming events, the Senior Yearbook Banquet and the senior trip. To get inkeep up and develop their German skills; as a forum to which to invite native speakers; to plan exchanges,
volved, see Mrs. Frost or Mrs. Celotto (freshmen), Mrs. Black (sophomores), Mr. Rutchauskas or Mr.
visits, trips; for German cultural experiences, such as food, movies and conversation; to support the GerSmiley (juniors), Mr. Winters or Mrs. Cordman program at the high school. It is open to all current and past German students at
ingley (seniors).
PAHS. Meetings are as posted. See Frau Tavani (D-12) for more information.
John
Lukowski
and
David
Coffman
Clean-Up Club
Green Club
from
Robotics
Club.
The Clean-Up Club is a service-oriented
The purpose of the Green Club is to educate and support the school community about
club that has been in motion for the past
current environmental issues and empower them to make decisions and changes as
seven years. We were awarded with a road
informed citizens. The club sponsors environmentally-oriented events including hikes to teach members
sign on Spring City Road this past spring
about the environment around the Phoenixville area, recycling of electronics for students, participating in
that recognizes the “litter control” that
service projects (tree planting throughout the Phoenixville community) and supporting school wide recyClean-Up Crew has provided. We have also
cling and environmental efforts. See the advisors, Ms. Speckhals or Mrs. Shaw, for more information for a
been recognized by the State Representapass to our next meeting! (1st and 3rd Tuesdays after school in room I-14.)
tives in Harrisburg with a formal meeting
HOSA-Future Health Care Professionals
and framed certificate. We are looking for a
HOSA is a student led organization for future health professionals. Its purpose is to promote career opporfresh, new club ready for new members. We
tunities in health care and to prepare students to successfully pursue a health career. It provides a unique
intend on cleaning up the parking lots/areas
program of leadership development, motivation, and recognition for students pursuing a career in the
around local business in Phoenixville as well
health care field. HOSA is 100% health care! As the organization grows, students will be able to compete in
as the East Pikeland, Schuylkill, and Barkley
area, state, and national leadership conferences. This provides students with a sense of accomplishment as
Townships. The goal of the Clean-Up Club
well as recognition. HOSA provides opportunities for students to make well-informed career choices
is to make a difference in our local environamong the many health occupations. Other advantages of membership include eligibility for scholarship
ment. By the spring, one goal is to have
opportunities, meeting leaders in the health professions, attending seminars, learning basic survival skills
made a noticeable impact on the surrounding
such as time management and working with a group/team, building self-esteem, and improving communiareas in our town. Clean-Up Club meets
cation skills. Check out the website for more details: www.hosa.org. Advisor: Mrs. Manley, MEd, RD,
every Day 2 at 7:10 in room E4, and the
RN, CSN. Meetings take place the 1st and 3rd Friday morning of each month at 7 a.m. in the Choir Room.
president is Amanda Monachelli. Mr. WinJunior Classical League
ters advises the club.
Also known as the Latin Club, this organization focuses on teaching and understanding the ancient Latin
Destinations with Direction
language and Greco-Roman culture to anyone interested in the classics. One doesn’t have to be a Latin
DWD is a program designed to increase
student to join the group. The club holds many Roman-style activities, including the celebration of the
awareness and motivate high potential,
winter holiday of Saturnalia, the screening of classically-inspired films, and facilitating Roman ball game
economically disadvantaged students to
tournaments. The club also strives each year to send a delegation to the statewide Roman-style academic,
pursue opportunities in higher education. The 30 students selected for DWD annually receive additional
athletic, and artistic competitions held at the University Park campus of Penn State. The first stage of
supports including extended school days, counseling, college mentors, tutors, weekly workshops and
planning a trip to Italy in the summer of 2016 has begun. Meetings are held on the first and third Wednescollege tours. Additionally, school personnel establish relationships with the appropriate college level
days of the month in Room D-13 at approximately 6:45 am, and after school on the second and fourth
officials to help match student needs with resources and services available to assist them on this journey.
Thursdays of the month. The advisor is Magistra Curry and the acting president is Asya (Sempronia)
By giving the students these additional supports, they will become empowered to pursue a college education. This effort will make our students believe in the importance of a college education and give them the Massenburg.
confidence to know they have a realistic chance at becoming college graduates. DWD is advised by Mrs.
Black and Mrs. Celotto. The club meets Wednesday nights at 6:15 in room F-3.
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VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 8
*CLUBS AT PAHS*
Key Club
Key Club is an international student led organization which provides its members with opportunities to
provide service, build character, and develop leadership. Being the oldest club at the high school, the goals
of the club are to build leadership, character, care, and inclusiveness. Members participate in a wide range
of events such as CROP Walk, raking leaves for the elderly, food collections, collections for Mom’s
House, Community Day, Kiwanis events such as “Cereal with Santa,” the Holiday Parade, and a Halloween Party. The club meets selected Tuesday mornings in Mr. Hughes’s room (I-10). Carolyn Groener is the
club president.
The Library Club/Purple Perk
The purpose of the club is to operate the Purple Perk before
school and during all three lunches and to assist in the library on
an as needed basis. The profits from the Purple Perk provide a
scholarship for a graduating senior interested in pursuing a career
in library science and/or who has a love of literature. The club
meets the first Tuesday of each month after school in the library.
The club president is Amy Dundon. For more information see
Mrs. Krenicky in the library.
Mini-THON
The students at Phoenixville Area High School spend 12 hours on
their feet through the night to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund at
Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA. The PHX
“Mini-THON” is based on the Penn State Dance Marathon---the
largest student-run philanthropy in the nation where dancers
spend 46 hours awake and on their feet to raise money for pediatric cancer patients. The mission of the Four Diamonds Fund is to
conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn
State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families, through
superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Phoenixville students organize, run, and fundraise for this event
throughout the year. PHX Mini-THON is looking for committee
members to serve and welcomes all to join us to dance the night
F.T.K.—For The Kids. Advisors are Mr. Rutchauskas, Ms.
Spina, and Ms. Lees. Mini-THON meets every first and third
Thursday morning of each month from 6:45-7:15 a.m. in room I3.
Allyssa Andrews leads the club.
Mock Trial
Have you ever found yourself watching a Law & Order marathon
only to discover that you forgot to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom for hours? Do you often try to reason with family and
friends with evidence to support your claims? If you answered,
"yes" to either of these questions, then Mock Trial is for you! Not only will you learn the fundamentals of
law, but have the opportunity to play the roles of lawyers and witnesses in a statewide competition sponsored by the PA Bar association. In addition to an improvement on public speaking, teamwork, and problem solving, you'll learn how to convince your peers that you are more than a marathon watcher: you're a
pro. Competition is typically in February or March. Meetings will be in Mr. Joy’s room D6, times & dates
TBA.
Model U.N.
Model United Nations is a club dedicated to expanding students’ minds beyond the community. Students
meet once a week to discuss, debate and resolve world issues ranging from Europe’s increase in Muslim
immigrants as a result of the Arab Spring, to ways to eliminate racism from the English Premier League
soccer organization. See Mr. Gionta in the athletics office for more information.
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society serves to honor those students who demonstrate scholarship, leadership,
service, and character in both the school and community. Students in good standing with at least a 3.5 GPA
are invited to submit their credentials for membership. NHS meets every Monday in Mrs. Weinstein’s
room (D-2).
Phantom Ambassadors
Phantom Ambassadors are a group of students in grades 912 who have attended trainings and offer themselves as a
support to the students of Phoenixville Area High School.
The Phantom Ambassadors have also been paired up with
National Honor Society members and will be meeting with
small groups of the freshman class to help them better transition from the middle to the high school. The Phantom Ambassadors are also in the process of developing a program
that will become an integral part of the transitioning from
middle to high school. See Ms. Davies in room E-10 for
more information. Phantom Ambassadors are a club that
chooses to build on leadership and character values of others
through setting a positive example. The goal of this leadership club is to minimize bullying of any form, create a safe
and caring learning environment for others, all the while
showing respect for our building, keeping it clean, and having each student show pride in their “home.”
Phantom Outreach Project (P.O.P. Club)
The vision for this club is to reach out to new students at
PAHS. Friendship is important in high school and students
need a trustworthy group that helps them connect with other
people. The club will meet basic needs of these students and
help them feel part of the school. Club members will help
orient new students and invite them to school activities such
as football games and theater performances. The P.O.P.
Club members will also be available if new students need to
shadow someone. For more information, see Mrs. Sobel
(advisor) in E-1, or Calvin Mattox (president).
Phantom TV
The club's purpose is to generate content for Phantom TV
and the morning news show, utilizing studio cameras and video editing systems. The club meets weekly at
varying times. Stop by the TV Studio to find out more. Mr. Motzer and Mr. Carucci are the advisors.
Physics Olympics
This year, the PAHS Physics Olympics Team will be investigating 17 research problems looking to make a
contribution to the scientific community with their findings. Ultimately, five students from the team will
be selected to form the US National Team and debate their research with students from 30 other countries
in Thailand. Mr. Jennings (E15) is the advisor. This year’s Co-Presidents are Olivia Teter and Maddie
Wilder.
Robotics Club
Robotics Club is a fun club that centers on the construction of functioning robots to fulfill different actions.
They compete in state and nationwide competitions. This club is recognized by both the Senate and House
of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information visit Mr. Leinhauser in
room (J-15) or see club president John Lukowski.
SADD
SADD is an acronym describing Students Against Destructive Decisions. The purpose of the club is to
provide students with the tools possible to prevent underage drinking, impaired driving, drug use, teen
THE PURPLE PRESS
violence, and teen suicide. It focuses upon the use of positive peer pressure and role modeling to prevent
unhealthy decisions and set a safer course in life. See Mr. Smiley in room H-9 for more information.
Science Club
The goal of the Science Club is to bring together people that have a passion for science, inquiry and different ways of thinking! More of a social experience, the club meets to discuss science, make friends, watch
movies/shows related to scientific phenomenon, and engage in activities that increase their "nerd cred."
The club provides hands-on experiences to enhance scientific thinking and skills on a regular basis as well
as the opportunity to compete against other like-minded individuals for scholarship, recognition and academic opportunities. All are welcome and encouraged to take part. The club
meets biweekly on Tuesdays in room E8. The president is Matt Steplewski.
Allison Trafford and Brittany Alling
from Key Club.
Sewing Club
The focus of this club is to create student
selected projects and explore the uses of a sewing machine. The club will
participate in the completion of various forms of crafts/sewing projects that
involve the art of sewing. Community based projects will be completed and
presented locally to people in need. All students and ideas are welcome for
club projects. The advisor is Ms. Rock. The club meets every other Thursday
in room G-4. Sarah Schmidt is club president.
Spanish Club
The goal of this club is to further the understanding of the language and customs of the Hispanic world. The club does a variety of events including fundraisers for cultural-based field trips, organizing Hispanic cultural celebrations,
and using the Spanish language in their meetings. The members also serve as
tutors for students who need extra help in Spanish Class. The club meets
Thursdays at 7:00 a.m. in D-13. Mr. Acosta is the advisor.
Spartan Club
The Spartan Club’s mission is to get you up, active and fit plain and simple.
The club trains year round to run an actual Spartan Race in the Poconos every
July. The club meets two times per week before school from 6-7 a.m. to train
at PAMS. Training ranges from some running, body weight exercises, kettlebells, tire flips, partner carries, stairs, and whatever else we can think of to
challenge you both mentally and physically. If you enjoy physical challenges,
working with a group to achieve a task, competition, or just looking for a
workout, then the Spartan Club is for you. Keep in mind, by joining you are
preparing for glory! AROO! For more information see Mr. Youngblood or
Chris Miller, club president.
Student Government
The purpose of PAHS Student Government is to foster communication among
students, administration, staff, and the community. Student Government will also be used to stimulate the
student body, recognize outstanding achievement, promote, organize and execute activities that encourage
student pride and school spirit. Student Government will also install democratic ideals, and a forum for
aiding in the solution of school problems. The president for this year is Bridget Walt. Student Government
meets the first Wednesday of each month in Mr. Coyne’s room (D-14).
Table Top Games Club
The Table Top Games Club is a club created to share and play classic table top games. It focuses on the
social side of the gaming and having fun. We want to bring back the buried treasures of Dungeon and
Dragons, Munchkin, Warhammer 40k/Fantasy, Warmachine, Magic the Gathering and more. The experts
are willing to teach and show the entertainment and strategy of these games to the upcoming generations so
they can learn how to play, and try something new. This club sponsors school wide FNM (Friday Night
Magic) tournaments from time to time, so look for announcements! We play well, play fair, and have fun.
President of The Club is Adam Dunacusky. We meet in I-14, Ms. Shaw’s room, after school on Mondays,
sometimes continuing game play off site.
Teens Against Tobacco Use
The group works on a variety of projects designed to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle by providing information and cessation programs to the student body. See Mr. Smiley in
room H-9 for more information.
Theatre Guild Players
Jake Gould and Lindsey Smith from the The Theatre Guild exists for the promotion
of all facets of the performing arts of
Theatre Guild Club
PAHS, including, but not limited to the Fall
Photos: Mr. Zittel
Play and Spring Musical. It explores all
areas of Theatre, including direction,
scriptwriting, producing, lighting, advertising, critiquing, singing, dancing, and of course, acting. It provides a forum where individuals can
learn more about participating in any area of theater that interests them.
The student organization, Theatre Guild Players, meets in the Auditorium after school on Fridays and also sponsors additional activities such
as an all-student “3rd Production”, a 24-hour play, and an evening of
one-act plays. Lindsey Smith is president, with Frau Tavani and Mrs.
Ballantine as teacher advisors.
Ultimate Frisbee
The Ultimate Frisbee Club is for any student that has a common interest
in playing the game of competitive Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate is a
rapidly growing sport that combines elements of soccer, basketball and
football, with the beauty and magic of a flying disc, into one actionpacked game. Ultimate is hugely popular in colleges and universities
around the country, is quickly becoming popular as a competitive high
school sport, and recently saw the creation of two professional ultimate
leagues. The club meets every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the high school to
practice and play. In the fall and spring we will compete against other
high schools in weekend tournaments. All students are welcome, even if
you already play a sport. If you are interested in joining, contact Mr.
Gould in D-15 or check out the club’s Facebook page at Phoenixville
Ultimate Frisbee.
Varsity Club
The Varsity Club promotes school spirit and encourages good play and sportsmanship. Any boy or girl
who has earned a varsity letter in athletics is eligible for membership. We meet once a week throughout
the year to plan various activities. Activities include American Red Cross blood drives, field days and Dr.
Seuss days at the elementary schools, and other activities to raise school spirit. The club also provides
seniors with awards and scholarships as symbols of sportsmanship, spirit, initiative, and self-sacrifice that
must be embodied in those who earn a varsity letter. See Mr. Acosta or Mrs. Foresta, or come to a meeting
Friday morning at 7:15 a.m. in the gym for more information. Megan Nemeth and Cory Bird lead the club.
Winter Guard
The Winter Color Guard is as performing ensemble that combines dance, athleticism, theatrics, and equipment work, all set to music, that is performed in competition with other local schools through the winter &
spring months, culminating in a four-day championship performance trip at the All-Chapter Championships in Wildwood, NJ. Rehearsals start in November, and are held two nights a week plus Saturdays. New members are always welcome to join this outstanding organization, and no experience is necessary. If you like performing, there is a spot for you! For more information, stop by the band room and
speak to Mr. McAdams.
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 9
*SPEAK OUT!*
Lauren Benner: “I got
business cards for someone's dentist office”
Mackenzie Myers: “I've
gotten a toothbrush”
Hope Simenson:
“Someone handed me a
hotdog for Halloween”
Jack Leven: “I go
Mr. Fierras: “I got a
thank you letter on a little baby Snickers”
Trey Romance: “I got plastic
balls from a ball pit”
Sophia Tedesco
Wentz: “We g
Shavon Moskal and Lana B
Laxatives and a pamphlet on
to Heaven”
Nick Bellano: “I received a
pickle from a neighbor”
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 10
*SPEAK OUT!*
Colin Bowdish: “I got a
piece of Tupperware from
my neighbors”
Ryan Meise: “Is it bad
when family members
hand you an apple with a
razor blade in it?”
ot a Bible”
Mohamed Boukhiar: “I
got slime dumped on me”
Lexx Ahlers: “I got a
Go-gurt tube”
o and Ellie
got tuna!”
Brock: “We got
n 10 ways to get
Tara Gilroy: “I got
canned vegetables”
Kat Wilhelm: “I got some
super weird wax teeth”
By: Vincent Gervasi & Ze’Aira Boggess
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 11
*OPINION*
Should teens participate in Mischief Night?
Mischief Night, uh yeah!!!
Written by:
Vincent Gervasi
Mischief Night
(October 30th) is the
best time of the year.
It’s when kids go out at
night and do pranks on
people for laughs. It is
a very fun night if done properly. I don’t
consider it a bad thing if you're smart
about it. Yes, it would be fun to spray paint
someone’s house, or just totally wreck
their yard, but that isn’t my argument. You
have to be smart about what pranks you are
doing and who you are doing them to.
The point of Mischief Night is to just
have a little fun with your friends. Ben
claims that staying home is the best way to
spend this night. That is totally false because what's the point of watching people
doing fun things on a TV screen when you
could be outside having fun? Your prank
can be
as simDo: Toilet Paper Mr.Zittel
ple as
just "ding
dong ditching" someone’s house
like you did
back in middle school, or
leaving a bag
of smelly
things on a
doorstep and
watching the
owner's reac-
Do’s:
 Use non-harmful products
that won’t cause damage
(Silly String, toilet paper, etc.)
 Be smart about your actions
 Only prank during dark hours
 Trees are good things to
decorate (with toilet paper)
 Avoid anything that could
start a fire
 Only prank the people you
know who won’t be angry
Mischief Night: Really man? Really?
tion.
Being a part of this night is one of the
highlights of being a teen because let's face
it, we are all young and we want to have
fun. It is harmless fun with your friends
and may involve a small mess you don’t
have to clean (usually). Most times you see
Silly String, paper bags, or toilet paper on
trees and cars at houses the morning after,
or the night of Mischief Night. These items
are not harmful, so using them shouldn’t
get you in any trouble.
However, there should be certain limits to
who you prank and what you do. I mean,
breaking a window, or harming property is
going too far, but other smaller things can
be fun. You want to make sure you don’t
prank people that you may not know, people who you aren’t on good terms with, or
older people.
Pranking people has to be one of the
most fun things to do in your life and
what’s a little harmless fun? Mischief
Night is something that everyone should
do at least once in their lives. If you’re a
teen, this is the perfect night for you. Get
busy.
Dont’s:
 Do not use products that may
cause damage to someone’s
home
 Don’t use sharp items that
could potentially hurt you or
others
 Do not prank after midnight
 If you are doing something to
a car, do not use eggs or
smashing products that could
harm the person's property
 Do not egg houses or cars
Written by:
Ben Armstrong
For me it is
clear that Mischief
Night is definitely
not worth the possible punishment. It’s a
waste of time,
money, and other people’s property.
Chucking eggs at someone’s house doesn’t
sound like an ideal way to spend one’s
Halloween Eve.
Pulling stunts like this is vandalism, and
you should know better than to act so immaturely. You guys are all in high school,
and this shouldn’t be an excuse to be a
destructive idiot for one night. Deep down
I’m positive you're aware of the kind of
damage reckless behavior causes, and you
know you can just choose to man up and
simply not do it.
And then there’s the obvious risk of being
caught by either the law, a passing bystander, or even the person you're pranking. Getting yelled at by some angry
neighbor can be one thing, but having
someone call the cops is another. Personally, I'd prefer to go on without any kind of
police record, thank you. There are also
fines that can be dished out. Emptying out
your wallet sound fun? Vincent failed to
mention that stores have been known to
refuse to sell items like toilet paper and
other items essential to pranksters and
teens on or around this night.
True, not all pranks pulled on Mischief
Night are dangerous, and only result in
some laughs between friends. I don't think
Do’s:
 Watch scary movies with
some friends (Halloween,
Paranormal Activity)
 Set up a campfire and enjoy
the outdoors
 Enjoy some delicious
Halloween candy
Don’t : Be a jerk and ruin our
(and this pumpkin’s) night.
anyone has ever gotten hurt doing the
“ding, dong, ditch”, have they? Yet things
like egging houses, throwing toilet paper
rolls around, and smashing jack-o-lanterns
(for you especially cruel out there) creates
a huge pain for the victims. How would
you like it if one day you woke up and
your front lawn looked like a mummy
exploded itself all over your house? The
only smashed insides people wanna see
this time of year are on The Walking Dead.
Not their porch.
Pranksters may wonder just what else
they could do on a night like that for fun.
Well, you could spend the night indoors
and watch a marathon of scary movies
with a couple of friends. Even stuffing
yourself with some candy sounds more
appealing. The fall chill that goes throughout the night can’t hurt those wrapped up
in a blanket outside by a fire pit.
This long-time tradition that has dated
back to 1790 at Oxford, England, may
represent pranks and childish humor for
some, but it only means cleaning up the
messes left behind by jokesters. I encourage you to grow up and choose some other
activities when hanging with your friends
October 30th.
Dont’s:
 Go out and be destructive
 Wreck other people’s property
 Wrap Mr Zittel in toilet paper
Ask the Nurse with Nurse Manley
Written by:
Nurse Manley
Dear Nurse Manley:
Here we go again! I am
back to school and by
the 3rd week, I started having symptoms that
made me feel like my head was going to explode. I had stuffy, runny nose, feelings of being
hot and cold, a sore throat, and body aches. This
happens to me every year. Our school is having
a FLU clinic but I am afraid to get the vaccine
because I heard it will make you sick. Is that
true? I really don’t want to go through this every
year. Signed, Sniffles.
Dear Sniffles: You are right to be concerned
about being affected by these symptoms this
time of year. You are being exposed to so many
more people, thus opportunities for spreading of
viruses. Let’s consider the facts.
Dear Sniffles: You are right to be concerned
about being affected by these symptoms this
time of year. You are being exposed to so many
more people, thus opportunities for spreading of
viruses. Let’s consider the facts:
You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine.
The viruses are killed or weakened so they
cannot replicate.
The flu vaccine takes approximately two weeks
to generate protective antibodies,
so for the two weeks after receiving your vaccine, practice good
health habits to avoid getting the
flu.
Side effects from your vaccine
are not actual flu infection but a
response from your immune
system to the flu germs in the
vaccine. In a way, the vaccine is
tricking your body into thinking
you are infected. Active immunity from vaccine requires the
body to detect the flu germs in order to make the
protective antibodies. Side effects are an initial
response from your immune system to the killed
or weakened flu germs and are generally mild
and resolve in 1-3 days. Taking pain relievers
will not interfere with the vaccine and may be
taken for comfort if necessary.
Each year, the flu vaccine protects against dif-
THE PURPLE PRESS
ferent flu viruses. A new immunization is required each year.
Annual outbreaks of the seasonal flu usually
occur in late fall through early spring. Most
people have natural immunity, but
the best way to protect yourself
from seasonal flu is to get the
vaccine. In a typical year, approximately 5-20% of the population
gets the seasonal flu and approximately 36,000 will die from the flu.
Symptoms:
Fever, Coughing, Sore Throat,
Runny or stuffy nose, Headache,
Body aches. Chills, Fatigue
High Risk Groups for the Seasonal Flu:
People age 65 and older
Children younger than 2 years old
People of any age who have chronic medical
conditions (e.g. diabetes, asthma, congestive
heart failure, lung disease)
Pregnant women
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
Prevention:
The single most effective protection for the flu
is getting the flu vaccine. PASD is holding its
annual FLU Clinic on Wednesday, October
15th, from 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM in the middle
school cafeteria. Visit the district website for
details.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when
you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the
trash after you use it. If you don't have a tissue,
sneeze or cough into your sleeve.
Wash your hands often with soap and water,
especially after you cough or sneeze. Avoid
contact with sick people.
If you are sick, stay home for seven days after
your symptoms begin or until you have been
symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.
This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
Follow public health advice regarding school
closures, avoiding crowds and other social
distancing measures. For more information
visit:
http://www.chesco.org/ or www.cdc.gov
PAGE 12
*OPINION*
New school changes: Likes and dislikes
block the flow of traffic even more.
However, administration has recently
labeled staircases that can only go up or
down (The B staircase is down only, and
C is up only). The stairs at the end of
each hallway still allow students to go up
and down. The traffic has been smoother
since the change, but it seems we still
have to put a little hustle into our step,
even if it means breaking a sweat.
Written by:
Owen Goryl
Each new school
year brings new
changes and this
year has more
changes than we are
usually accustomed to. Besides the additions of Dr. Alston (Assistant Principal), Mr.
Gionta (Athletic Director), and many new
teachers, the school has made other changes
that have changed our everyday schedule
and routine. The changes to the school definitely have a new effect on everyone, and
people have likes and dislikes about them.
The most notable change has been the
debut of the new bell schedule. The good
news is that we have shorter classes (43 minutes instead of 50) and the school day starts
later (7:50 AM instead of 7:35 AM). Classes
have been shortened to 43 minutes but we now
have eight periods, opposed to
seven. Personally, the day
seems to have a
faster flow with
the shorter
classes, and it
seems most of the
school has already adjusted to
the extra class.
The extra period
gives students a chance to take an extra class
or elective, opening up opportunities for
students.
Unfortunately, this change is not ideal for
teachers; most are teaching an extra class,
with less time to teach them. Lessons at times
Students choose from the variety of
snacks during their study hall.
Photo: Owen Goryl
halls, before or after school. The cart includes chips, bagels, sandwiches, cookies,
drinks, and more. Students seem to love the
cart so far and appreciate the ability to eat
and drink during study hall.
PAHS is noticeably different than it has
been in the past; the rush from class to class,
the eighth period, and the food cart have all
been a change for everyone. The schedule
change has not personally affected me too
badly, but, adjusting to the three minute gaps
has had some getting used to. I do feel bad
for the students who have to practically sprint
class to class. Maybe from all that running
around they can get a gym credit out of it.
On the positive side is the arrival of a
food cart. High schoolers enjoy nothing
seem rushed and leave students writing down more than spending money on food. A food
homework and notes just as the bell is ringcart has been added for students to buy food
ing, which decreases our chances of getting
and drinks
to our next class with the new three minute
during
The middle hallway clogs as students
transitions.
study
force themselves to class.
Three minute gaps
Photo: Vincent Gervasi
between classes (instead
of 4) have been the most
difficult aspect of the
new schedule and most
students are not fans of
this change. Congested
hallways are a familiar
problem within the
school hallways, but we
were able to get from
class to class in time
with the four minute
gaps. Now with sixty
seconds less to get from
class to class, more and more students are
late.
Staircases had been by far the most
crowded parts of the transition period; students were going up and down and trying to
jam themselves through the doorway, only to
New York City should ban horse carriages
Written by:
Sarah Burns
Imagine you and
your family are going
on a weekend trip to
New York City to see
a Broadway show.
Just as you enter
Central Park to buy lunch, a horse whizzes by
pulling a carriage two times its weight, full of
picture-hungry tourists. You wonder why on
Earth there are horses living in modern day
cities. Cars and trucks put the horses in danger every single day, loud noises scare them,
and city fumes destroy their lungs. After a
long day, the horses retire to abandoned city
buildings that the carriage companies have
transformed into stables. These problems are
terrible, and sadly, horse carriages harm
humans as well as animals.
Let’s look at a day in the life of a carriage
horse in New York City. Every day, the
horses exit their stables early in the morning,
are fed tufts of hay, and then immediately get
hooked up to carriages to tour the city. Each
horse wears a pair of
Horses relax in their stable in NYC after
horse shoes that get
a long day.
nailed into the bottom of their hooves.
The pressure between the horseshoes and pavement for about
10 hours per day causes blistering and bleeding on the bottoms of their feet. This puts
strain on their legs and impairs their ability to
walk. The city fumes waste and dust from
building sites usually gets in their lungs and
causes breathing problems.
When you are walking in the night through
NYC, there is a good chance you will see
horse carriages giving their last rides to tourists and commoners. After these long hours,
the horses retire to their “stables” which are
actually old, three story buildings that have
been
“renovated” to cramped due to limited space so they can
hold more horses. There is usually not
hold horses.
They are left at enough room for the horses to lie down or
night standing stretch their legs, which makes them incredibly stiff and can cause muscle problems in
in their own
the future.
feces and are
not shown love
Horse carriages prove to be a danger not
like all animals only to the animals, but to people too. They
deserve. The
cause plenty of accidents and traffic probstables are
lems for rush hour times in New York. Acsmall and
cording to Habitat for Horses, in January of
2006, a horse named Spotty
got spooked by a loud noise
Horse and carriage driver riding through
and ran into a station wagon.
daytime traffic in New York City.
His hind legs were on top of
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
the car and his head faced the bottom. He
lived for a while, but due to his injuries, was
later euthanized. The driver and passengers
of the carriage were sent to the hospital.
Horses in NYC are put through painful
experiences every day, and do not get a
chance to live pasture life as normal horses
should. I, being a former equestrian, believe
that it is better to rid NYC, and other cities
alike, of horse carriages. That is why cities
need to wake up and ban horse carriages. In
the end, if we can’t ban horse carriages, the
least we can do is not ride them.
PAGE 13
*ENTERTAINMENT*
Team Fortress 2: RED vs BLU
Written by:
Jack Robinson
reason. The game is an amusing, ridiculous
story about two brothers, Redmond and Blutarch, fighting over gravel pits by forming
There is silence as two companies BLU (Builders League
your team of varying United) and RED (Reliable Excavation
RED classes eagerly Demolition). The game itself is the never
waits for the next
ending battle between the two idiot
wave of Gray Man’s brothers and the nine mercenaries
robots. You look at
contracted by each side to fight for the
the horizon filled by “precious” gravel.
a giant blue tank
The nine mercenaries that the brothtreaded troop carrier waiting to release the
ers contract are the demo man, spy,
next load of robots. Your engineer is set up,
pyro, heavy, medic, scout, engineer,
your soldier is ready, your demo man has set sniper, and soldier. The classes sport
his traps, and you are the heavy. You know
hilarious personalities. For instance,
the enemies are coming with force ranging
the medic is a crazy German doctor,
from small to large enemies in both strength and the soldier has a “gung ho” perand size. You hope that your teammates will sonality. These classes have their own
survive the wave of machines. The eerie
specific task to perform during the
music plays and your minigun spins, ready to battle and when balanced they create
fire. Just over the hill you see the first scout
an efficient team. Players are encourbots and hear their clanking metal feet as
aged to take on roles depending on
they advance. Everyone opens fire, mowing what class the team needs, or whatever
down the scouts
class is required most. The unique
effortlessly,
combination of teamwork
A BLU heavy and soldier
but it is not
creates interesting results of
over as every
how a team will work together
enemy comes
and plan their next move. This
at you, from
also means everyone can’t go
walking bombs
with whatever class they like
to giant mamost. They have to think about
chine gun
the performance of the team
wielding rofirst, rather than their own.
bots. FortuThese classes are highly
nately, you later stand strong on top of a
customizable using the equipment found in
mountain of scrap metal.
the game. As you play the game you will find
Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play multirandom loot, such as a gun, hat, or supply
player game created by Valve. The game is
crate. For a while the gear was solely created
available on numerous platforms, but the
by Valve until the opening of the steam
majority will play it on PC, and for good
workshop. The steam workshop is what
makes the PC version of the game
better because players can create their
own gear (using the workshop) that
can be purchased, traded, or crafted in
the Mann Co. store.
Team Fortress 2 also provides a variety of
the map. One team can only
defend, while the other attacks. Payload is where one
team must deliver a bomb
cart across the map to an objective while the
other team defends, or it could be a race
where the first team to get their bomb cart
to the end wins. The last and newest game
mode is Mann vs Machine and is plot advancing.
In this game mode Grey Man, the long
lost brother to Redmond and Blutarch, kills
the two and attacks Mann Co. with an army
of money-powered robots that look like the
nine mercenaries. The player must work
with teammates to prevent a bomb from
being delivered to the objective by fighting
giant robots, massive tanks, and swarms of
robots identical to the nine mercenaries that
The nine mercenaries (pyro, engineer,
coordinate with each other. This is pretty
spy, heavy, sniper, scout, soldier, demo
much horde mode/survival except you can
man, medic)
use real money to buy a tour of duty. This
can help you earn serious gear and rewards;
game modes that make use of the classes and also there is a unique upgrade system for
their skills. The main game modes include a each of the classes present.
version of Capture the Flag, King of the Hill,
Overall, Team Fortress 2 is the best multiControl Point, Payload, and Mann vs Maplayer game I have ever played. It has fun
chine. These game modes can be joined by
gameplay that constantly rewards the player.
either choosing to randomly join a server or
It also has special events that vary based on
by choosing a specific
holidays, like a Halserver. Capture the
loween event with
Grade: A++
Flag is essentially
new gear and maps.
Publisher:
Valve
Corporation,
trying to take the other
Team Fortress 2 is a
Electronic
Arts
team’s Intel briefcase
multiplayer game
without losing yours.
Developer: Valve Corporation
unlike any other.
King of the Hill is one Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, From its unique art
team fighting for constyle and music, to
trol of one point. Con- Xbox 360
the hilarious class
trol Point is two teams Rating: Mature
personalities, TF2
fighting for control of
will impress you
Milky Chance has MORE than a milky chance
Written by:
Alaina DeLeone
YouTube. Milky
Originally they were
and hit the Top
MILKY CHANCE
Chance has been
in a Jazz quartet, and
10 Alternative
establishing quite Upcoming Album: “Sadnecessary”
went by the name
Chart.
You know the
the name for
“Flown Tones.” Later,
“Sadnecessary”
Notable Tracks: “Stolen Dance”,
feeling when you
themselves since
they began producing, will be released on October 14, 2014 in the
“Flashed Junk Mind”, and “Down By
listen to a new song, the day they were The River”
writing, and eventuUS, and listeners will soon agree that this
and by the first beat
signed onto Lichtally became the band, group is bound to go on to bigger and better
Release Date: October 14, 2014, Licht- “Milky Chance.”
you IMMEDIdicht Records.
gigs, tours, and festivals.
dicht Records
ATELY fall in love
With just an
The pair was signed
Different they are, but boring they are not. I
with it? Well, the
acoustic guitar,
to the label Lichtdicht highly recommend Milky Chance to anyone,
upcoming band
bass guitar, keyRecords in 2012 and
even if the listener is not a massive fan of
Milky Chance has been on my “most played” board, a few added synths, and light percus- jumped into writing their first studio record, Alternative/ Indie-Electro Folk music. Undelist for several weeks. No, they are not ansion, Rehbeins and Dausch produce sonic
“Sadnecessary.” Their hit single “Stolen
niably, this band will please listeners, and the
other boy band, nor another Country artist.
melodies and catchy beats. Their contagious Dance” peaked in Europe in
lyrics and
“The vibe of the music is a happy one,
They are the native German duo of Clemens music is influenced by genres from jazz to
2013, and recently became viral
synths will
even
though
it’s
sadness
inside.
I
think
Rehbein and Phillipp Dausch. The pair rereggae. With these influences, a fan would
in the states. “Stolen Dance”
transport
there’s
a
beauty
in
sadness.”
leased their hit single “Stolen Dance” in the
not expect that Milky Chance is listed under reached #71 on the US Hot 100,
them to
U.K. in 2013, which instantly went viral in
-Percussionist/ DJ, Phillipp Dausch
the genre of Alternative/ Indie- Electro folk.
another
Europe. The music video holds over seventy Warning!! Milky Chance’s captivating and lo
world.
million
-fi beats may cause the listener to
Make sure to keep a keen eye
views on
dance along; however, Rehbein’s
out for these mellow German
Percussionist DJ Phillipp Dausch, and
distinct voice and lyrics
dudes, as their careers are catafront man Clemens Rehbein.
set a wistful tone. The
pulted into the music world.
band produces and writes
Their EP, title tracked “Stolen
their own material in
Dance,” is available now on
English, though they are
iTunes as well as Spotify, and
Native German speakers.
their upcoming album,
“Sadnecessary,” can be preRehbein and Dausch met
ordered on iTunes.
in the eleventh grade, and
discovered that both had a
similar love for all genres
of music. Dausch has
been playing the guitar
since he was six, and
Rehbein began by playing
bass. These two instruments are predominant in
most of their songs, since
they are fairly bass and
acoustic guitar heavy.
THE PURPLE PRESS
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 14
*ENTERTAINMENT*
Looking for Alaska: The final countdown
tently takes him under his wing, coining his
really soon. Not only does
nickname, Pudge, and showing him the ropes this format build up susof Culver Creek life.
pense, it also helps you
An elite boarding
pick up on clues as to what
While the Colonel serves as Pudge’s introschool, elaborate
might happen. Knowing
duction to the new world surrounding him,
practical jokes, and
that something is
his focus often
an obsession with
coming, but only
shifts to Alaska
Grade: A
“[The Colonel] liked “the
famous last words having a vague
Young, the beau- Author: John Green
all have a place in
idea of what, is
tiful, mysterious
Creek,” as he called it, but
John Green’s 2005
both frustrating
girl down the hall Genre: Young adult fiction
book “Looking for Alaska,” an intricate jour- with a unique
and gripping,
“You have to be careful here,
ney through the not-so-charmed lives of a
and contributes
outlook on life.
group of Alabama high schoolers. At Culver Against the Colonel’s warnings, Pudge finds to the intensity of the
with the students and the
Creek Preparatory School, deep-fried bean
book. Personally, when
himself infatuated with perhaps the most
burritos are a delicacy,
unpredictable girl on campus. the countdown got to three
teachers. And I do hate being
pranks between cliques are
What follows leads to adven- days, two days, and finally
the norm, and despite the
one day, my anticipation
careful.” He smirked. I hated
ture and, unsurprisingly,
watchful eye of the dean of
trouble for their entire group was at an all-time high.
being careful too - or wanted to,
students (better known as
of friends, including a brush
The days counting up,
The Eagle), the greatest
with the mortality that most
After, have a different
at least.” - Miles “Pudge”
commandment is to never,
teenagers overlook despite its effect. The numbers here
ever rat each other out.
dig deeper into the psyinevitability.
Halter
Inspired by poet Francois
Unlike his better-known tale chological aspect of what
Rabelais, friendless sixjust
happened.
Even
136
“The Fault in Our Stars,”
teen-year-old Miles
Green chose a unique way to days after, it’s evident that
“Pudge” Halter seeks a
divide “Looking for Alaska” the events have left a last“Great Perhaps.” In order
into parts, adding to the story ing impact on Pudge and
to find it, he uproots himin a thought-provoking man- his friends. Sometimes
self from his monotone
ner. The two larger segments you barely realize it’s been
Florida life and heads to
so long because their thoughts are so similar thought about before. You won’t be able to
are named simply “Before”
put this fantastic novel down, and once you
prep school in Alabama,
and “After.” The first line of to what they were in the immediate afterhundreds of miles from all
math. Green’s profound central messages of have, it’ll never leave your mind.
the book is “one hundred
he’s ever known. When he
thirty-six days before.” This forgiveness and hope come through during
arrives, the heat is unbearcaught my attention instantly this part, and end the novel with a bang.
able, the living arrangesince I obviously wanted to
John Green’s “Looking for Alaska” is a
ments mediocre at best, but
know, before what? “Looking thrilling adventure that anyone will enjoy.
the friendships prove to be incredible.
for Alaska” continues in this format. At about The larger-than-life characters with down-toMiles’s roommate, small-statured, but bigtwenty days before, you realize that someearth traits will make you laugh, cry, and
minded Chip “the Colonel” Martin, inadver- thing really big is going to be happening
question ideas and concepts that you never
Written by:
Kelly Kopera
Chit Chat without Facebook Messenger
Written by:
Vincent Gervasi
You may know
that Facebook has
made its mobile users
have to download a
separate app called
Facebook Messenger. For iPhone users, most people do
not like the idea of switching back and forth
between apps just to message people. For
Android it’s more of a problem with the
privacy concerns because when you install
the app all the permissions are listed such as
access to your camera at any time,
access to contacts
and call logs, access to text messages and phone,
etc. These permissions are actually
what most social
apps ask for such as
your Facebook app,
Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram
and many more.
But don’t get too
overwhelmed. If you aren’t happy with
Facebook’s new messenger app, there
are plenty of alternatives for you to turn
to.
Let’s start with WhatsApp, one of the
most popular messaging apps. It used to
be .99 Cents in the Apple App Store but
now it is listed as free. Not only can you
send messages, you can send live pic-
THE PURPLE PRESS
tures, special emojis, voice recordings,
and even your location if you are trying to hitch a ride or show a friend
where to go. Another cool thing about
it is the personalization of the app.
Most messaging apps do not allow you
to have a special background or a message describing your status. This app is
like AIM, but renovated. It’s created a
higher standing
than what Facebook Messenger
has to offer.
WhatsApp is one
of the best alternatives to choose
over Messenger if
you are looking
for an easy, fun
way to connect
with friends.
WhatsApp is
available for free in the App Store
and the Play Store.
Next up is Tango, one of the top
apps in both app stores. One cool
thing about Tango is that it offers
free internet calls and video calls.
The app has a very vibrant orange
color which I think is very nice
throughout the app. As you are
using Tango, it creates a feeling
that your friends are always with
you no matter
what. Tango
has a relaxing
type of feel
for an app. It
is different from Messenger because of the
video chat compatibility. Facebook does offer
video chat, but only to
those who use a computer with a webcam
and not a mobile device. The only problem
with this is that you
should be on a Wi-Fi
network because video
chat can eat up your
data really fast (unless
you have an unlimited
plan). Tango can send
voice recordings, locations, images and videos. Tango may be a good choice for you if
you like to be vibrant and up with the new.
Tango is free in the App Store and the Play
Store.
A final alternative is Kik. Kik is just your
basic messaging app that more people have
than you think. It’s very popular and creates a
VOLUME 11; ISSUE 1
private atmosphere so you can be sure your
conversations are safe no matter what. Kik
provides options for profile picture, and chat
bubble colors for personalization. It also
offers a few widgets including games, stickers, Foursquare© location services, and
more. So if you are looking for something
basic to keep
in touch with
friends, give
Kik a try and
don’t take the
name seriously.
So as you
can tell, there
are plenty of
alternatives to
Facebook
Messenger. A
lot of people
have not
downloaded
the application
but there are
other ways to
communicate
if texting just
isn’t good enough for you. Try going to your
app store and checking the social section to
see a list of messaging apps. You never know
who is active on different apps and who you
can connect with without using Facebook
Messenger.
PAGE 15
*SPORTS*
Kings of Baseball
Written by:
Brett Arney
Championship Series), and finally the World
Series.
First came the Wild Card games. In the
Most people beAmerican League, the Kansas City Royals
lieve that October is won a thriller over the Oakland Athletics in
only known for the
twelve innings by the score 9-8. They moved
beginning of fall and on to play the LA Angels. In the National
Halloween, but to me League Wild Card Series, the San Francisco
the one thing that
Giants surged past the Pittsburgh Pirates,
comes to mind in October is… PLAYOFF
winning 8-0. Starting pitcher Madison
BASEBALL! A total of ten major league
Bumgarner was dominant, giving up no
teams made the playoffs in an attempt to
earned runs and striking out ten batters. They
write history and win the 2014 World Series. moved on to the NLDS against the WashingRepresenting the American League were the ton Nationals.
Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals,
The first ALDS began on October 2nd with
Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and the
the Baltimore Orioles vs. the Detroit Tigers.
Oakland Athletics. Representing the NaI originally predicted that Detroit would win
tional League were the Los Angeles Dodgers, the series in four games because I could not
Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals,
see the Orioles producing many runs against
San Francisco Giants, and the Pittsburgh
the dominant Tigers pitching staff, but BaltiPirates. There are a total of
more swept the series
four rounds in the playoffs:
3-0. The other
the Wild Card series, the
American League
NLDS/ ALDS (National/
Division Series was
American League Division
the LA Angels vs. the
Series), the ALCS/NLCS
Kansas City Royals.
(American/National League
I originally predicted
that the Angels
would sweep, but the
Royals are surprising
the world and actually swept the series
3-0. The star player
for the Royals was first baseman Eric Hosmer.
In the National League, the first NLDS
began with the San Francisco Giants vs. the
Washington Nationals. I correctly predicted
the Giants to win the series in four games
because they have been hot in the playoffs
for the past five years, and they have a great
pitching staff. A key player for the Giants
was third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The next
NLDS matchup was the LA Dodgers vs. the
St. Louis Cardinals vs. the San Francisco
Giants. I think that the Giants will win the
series in game seven. I believe their pitching
staff will prove better than the Cardinals’.
Some key players for the
My prediction for World Series
MVP: Eric Hosmer
Giants are catcher Buster
Posey, Sandoval, and
Bumgarner.
Finally, the World Series
games! I predict the matchup
will be The Kansas City Royals vs. the San Francisco
Giants (winners in 2010 and
2012). Believe it or not, I
predict that the Kansas City
Royals will win the World
Series! The last time they
won was in 1985 led by
George Brett. I predict they
will win in game six. The
St. Louis Cardinals. I predicted the Cardinals Royals have many key weapons on offense,
to win because they have been playing great an excellent pitching staff led by James
lately and they have a good pitching staff and Shields, great defense led by center fielder
a good hitting core. They beat the best
Lorenzo Cain, and confidence that they will
pitcher in the NL, Clayton Kershaw, twice.
win. The MVP of the series will be first
The Cardinals ended up winning the series 3- baseman Eric Hosmer. It will be a great
1.
series and a great ending to the 2014 baseball
The ALCS matchup is currently between
season.
the Kansas City Royals and. the Baltimore
The 2014 MLB season has been long, but
Orioles. I predict the Royals will win in six
we’re finally at the end. Every team has
games because they have a lot of confidence played
its best,
and they are playing hot in the playoffs. Key some
less than
players for the Royals are outfielder Lorenzo others..
Cain, third baseman Mike Moustakas, and
Phillies!
pitcher James Shields. The NLCS pits the
Another
Fly Eagles Fly
Written by:
Nick Vaile
The Philadelphia
Eagles were one of
the biggest surprises
last year in the NFL.
They went from a team with an awful 4-12
record to a team with a 10-6 record and they
were winners of the NFC East division. They
are looking to repeat their success this year
under second year head coach Chip Kelly
and his high power offense. I think that Chip
Kelly and his Philadelphia Eagles will have
another successful season, win the NFC East,
and make the playoffs for the second year in
a row.
The offense has been productive like they
were last year with Quarterback Nick Foles
and one of the best running backs in the
league, LeSean McCoy. They also have guys
looking to build upon his good rookie season.
like Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin coming
During the offseason the Eagles traded a 2014
back from injury, and Tight End Zach Ertz
fifth round draft pick for
Running Back Darren
Sproles. Sproles is a fast
player who is utilized in
screen plays and he
keeps the office up
tempo. He was a key
addition since they released Pro Bowl WR
DeSean Jackson, which
Chip Kelly said was a
“football decision.” The
offense will continue to
Zach Ertz makes a great catch
THE PURPLE PRESS
be explosive throughout the year and put up
big numbers.
In the first three
games the offense
looked great and Nick
Foles looked like he
was untouchable. They
averaged 34 ppg in the
first three games and
Foles averaged 326
passing yards. The next
three games were a
complete drop off. He
only averaged 217 in
Darren Sproles breaks free from
Colts defenders
the last three games
while throwing four touchdowns to five interceptions. The team has been decimated by
injuries on the offensive line and Nick Foles
has not looked as sharp as he did in the first
three games. It also has not helped that LeSean McCoy, the NFL’s leading rusher last
season, is off to a very slow start. Even after
all the troubles the Eagles have had on of-
times, the defense, except for the NY Giants
game, has looked a lot worse.
The defense struggled a lot to start off the
year. The Eagles have given up an average of
22.0 points per game, which ranks 13th in the
NFL. The secondary has given up a lot of
passing yards per game and the run defense
has looked very bad at times. They have
allowed 124.2 rushing yards per game and
256.5 passing yards per game. The Eagles’
offense has been able to bail out the defense
so far this year, but the Eagles are going to
have to pick it up on defense and not expect
the offense to score 30 plus points a game.
The Special Teams, on the other hand, has
looked spectacular and has been a strong
point for the Eagles so far this season. They
have scored a Special Teams touchdown in
the last three out of four games and the
addition of Darren Sproles makes the Special Teams even more dangerous on punt
returns.
Overall, the Eagles are off to a fast start and
I believe they will have another successful
year like last year. I believe in Chip Kelly
and his competitive mindset as head coach. I
truly believe the Eagles will win the NFC
East Division, finish with an impressive
record of 11-5 and go deep into the playoffs.
Head Coach Chip Kelly discusses his
game plan with QB Nick Foles
fense, they have a 5-1 record and are
tied for 1st place in the NFC East Division with the Dallas Cowboys. Even
though the offense has looked bad at
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 16
*SPORTS*
Boys’ and Girls’ Golf: Chipping away at success
Written by:
Owen Goryl
The Boys’ Golf
Team, coached by
Golf at Phoenix- Mr. Steve Winnick,
ville had many sucwas a close knit
cessful moments in
group, which Mr.
2014. While the boys’ Winnick described as
season did not quite
their biggest strength.
measure up to their
He said, “The boys
past success, the girls had a year of big imwere a very close
provements. The girls’ team was able to win team who supported
its first match in school history on its way to each other, and were
a 2-9 PAC-10 season. The boys’ team put
great young men.”
together a slightly better 3-6 PAC-10 record. The team was headed
by seniors Liam Bonner, Austin
Starczewski,
Freshman Grace Simenson stepped
up to be one of the top players in the
PAC-10 and was able to qualify for
districts. Unfortunately, Grace did not
advance further, but she was able to
have a very successful year as a freshtough year, the man. Grace said, “I wanted to play my best
boys’ golf team and do what I could for the team as a freshwill most cerman. I didn’t always get the outcome I
tainly bounce
wanted, but am happy with my season overback in future
all.” Coach Waltz said, “Grace has a bright
years.
future ahead of her and I look forward to
seeing her grow as a player in the next few
Meanwhile,
the Girls’ Golf years.”
Team showed a Overall, the team won three matches, and
lot of promise finished 2-9 in league, their best record since
this year by winning its first match in school forming as a team a few years ago. The team
Garret Serwatka,
history. Coach Sandra Waltz stepped into the definitely shows a lot of promise for future
Senior Olivia Teter preHouting,
head coaching position early in the season.
years and Grace Simenson will be a player to
pares to drive the ball down Kirtus
Nick Lochetto,
As a first time head coach, Coach Waltz did
watch.
the fairway.
and Chris Carney. her best to
Heading into the
prepare her
Senior Austin Starczewski
season, the team expected to be competi- team for the
visualizes his next shot.
tive but, “The team really struggled to
season.
Photos : Lifetouch
bring skills they used in practice into
Coach Waltz
matches,” Mr. Winnick said.
said,
Some bright spots for the Phantoms
“Practice can be drills on how to putt, lesson
were senior Liam Bonner, who shot 78 in with a PGA pro at Turtle Creek Golf, or just
18 holes at Pickering Valley golf course
playing nine holes at Meadowbrook. Every
and was a great leader for the Phantoms
day is something new for me and the team.
all season. Mr. Winnick said, “Liam was a And since I’m new to the game (I just got
great leader and took some of the underserious about the game last year, but grew up
classmen under his wing.” Some of the
in the business), I’m having a great time
underclassmen able to impress Mr.
learning along with the girls!”
Winnick were Tyler Skomsky, John
Lone senior Olivia Teter was a leader for
Cotell, and James Peterson. They showed the Phantoms. Coach Waltz described her as
a lot of promise and look to step up as
“A dedicated player who was always encourgreat players in future years. Despite a
aging to the younger players.”
Freshman Grace Simenson
escapes the bunker and places
the ball next to the hole.
Girls’ Tennis: New leadership, same success
Written by:
Austin Starczewski
Senior Maddy DiAddezio
to rip a forehand
ble to set a good example.
prepares
We made sure
that people
Every year, the
stayed serious when
PAHS Girls’ Ten- we needed to be serinis Team makes
ous, but also have fun
strides to improve when we could.”
on the court and make an impact off the
Although this was
court. This year was no different, as the girls his first season as head
finished with a 5-4 record in the PAC-10, and coach, it is far from
a 6-5 record overall.
Coach Curley’s first
Led for the first time by Coach Ryan
experience with
Curley and a senior loaded lineup, the girls
coaching tennis. Bewere able to finish above .500 in an extremely fore this year he had
tough PAC-10. The lineup consisted of: 1st
been an assistant
singles Mackenzie Bowes (junior), 2nd sincoach at Perk Valley
gles Robin Burgess (senior), 3rd singles Mea- for five years, and
gan McNabb (senior),
served as a
1st doubles Sarah
volunteer assistant to Coach Zittel
Senior
Robin
Burgess
Reed and Maddy
at Phoenixville last year. He
hitting a volley
DiAddezio
said, “I really enjoyed coaching
Photos: Lifetouch
(seniors), 2nd douthe team this year. It’s different
bles Julia Teter and
than being an assistant because
Suzanne Shier
you have to deal with a lot of the
(senior and junior),
administrative stuff. The coach
3rd doubles Julie
sets the lineup, makes sure the
Andrews and Dani
scores get to the newspapers,
Hedegard (seniors),
and makes sure the players are
and 4th doubles
happy and comfortable.” AlKeri Marini and
though the team was successful
Alyse Langan
under his leadership this year,
(junior and sophoCoach Curley thinks his teams
more).
can get even better. He said,
“Just with anything, the more
Maddy DiAddeyou do it, the better you will get
zio and Robin Burat it.”
gess served as senior captains for the
A 5-4 conference record is
team. Maddy said,
nothing to scoff at in the PAC“As team leaders
10, so the team should be proud
we were responsiof its achievements this year.
THE PURPLE PRESS
Coach Curley said,
with their bills.” Robin Burgess, who helped
“The PAC-10 run the fundraiser with Sarah Reed and Julia
is extremely
Teter, said, “It was a great day of tennis and
tough in girls’ we also were able to raise a lot of money for
tennis. There a great cause.” The team also held a car wash
are two sinin Phoenixville and had a dinner at PJ Ryan’s
gles players
to raise money.
going to
Overall, the PAHS Girls Tennis Team constates, so that tinues to stay competitive in a tough conferjust shows
ence, while also doing great things for the
how talented community off the court. Unfortunately, the
the players
team is losing seven varsity starters. Coach
here are.”
Curley said, “We are going to need a lot of
Despite the
the underclassmen on JV to step up next
fact that the
season.” Under Coach Curley’s leadership,
Phantoms
we should expect the expected: another great
never had an
season from the PAHS Girls’ Tennis Team
easy win, the next year.
team consistently played hard. “Even if we
weren’t the best team, the girls fought for
every point they got and I was really happy to
see that,” Curley
said.
Senior Julia Teter prepares
Along with their
to smash a backhand
PAC-10 matches, the
girls also hosted
their annual Cancer Center Fundraiser. The
team hosted a tournament consisting of Phoenixville, Avon Grove, Gwynned Mercy, and
Villa Maria. Phoenixville came in 2nd, which
was just the second time they finished in the
top two of the tournament in the last ten
years. Dani Hedegard and Julie Andrews
played well and won their doubles bracket.
Coach Curley said, “The [Cancer Center]
Fundraiser was extremely successful, on and
off the court. The team was successful, but
we also raised a lot of money for individuals
who are going through cancer treatments and
need help
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 17
BY: CECILIA KNAUB & ANDREA STOCK
ARIES: (March 21 - April 20)
The new school year will bring new opportunities for personal growth. Mars and Jupiter are moving through your
personal chart, providing the chance for positive changes.
The new student in your math class could become a great
friend if you are willing to reach out to him/her. Who
knows where it might lead?
This month: Tickle your teachers while they are taking attendance.
LIBRA: (September 24 - October 22)
Mercury and Mars are going to align in your star chart
and it will not be good for you. This month will bring
you lots of terror. Be careful where you step, and don’t
run into anything. Be sure to walk around ladders and
stay clear of black cats. Treat every day like it’s Friday
the Thirteenth.
This Month: Carry a rabbit’s foot everywhere you go.
TAURUS: (April 21 - May 21)
Family issues will need to be resolved in order for you to
remain focused on school. Mars has cast a shadow on your
domestic chart, and things are not looking too good. Vocalize your feelings to correct things at home so you can
concentrate on acing that upcoming quiz. It may be hard
to confess how you really feel, but your stress level will
improve because of it.
This month: Blast Taylor Swift songs when you are driv-
SCORPIO: (October 23 - November 21)
Because of the movement of Mars and Jupiter through
your star chart, you will be cheerful. This month will put
you in a good mood. Unfortunately, nothing will work out
for you. You’ll fail tests and not get that job you were
hoping for. However, no matter what happens, you will
always end the day with a smile on your face.
This Month: Wear your pants backwards for a day.
SAGITTARIUS: (November 22 - December 21)
This is the month for love. All of the stars will align and
everything will go your way. Go talk to that person you
have been thinking about all week. If that doesn’t work
out, adopt a new pet that you can love, or ask that person in
math class you’re always sitting behind to hang out. Get
his/her number.
This Month: High five everyone as you walk to class.
CAPRICORN: (December 22 - January 19)
Neptune and Jupiter will align in your star chart. This is a
good month for school. You are going to ace every quiz,
test, and quest you take. Your teachers are going to try and
throw you off by giving pop quizzes and extra projects, but
you will be totally prepared. Keep studying hard and it will
all pay off!
This Month: Speak with a British accent for a week.
GEMINI: (May 22 - June 21)
Pluto is rolling through your money chart this month, but it
is not really a planet anymore, so the reward will not be as
steep. Be patient and concentrate on saving your money.
Hold on to this small sum of cash, and use it for a larger
purchase you plan on making in the near future. These good
fiscal habits will only help you as you grow up.
This Month: Eat tacos for breakfast for two weeks straight.
CANCER: (June 22 - July 23)
You are in luck! The stars have aligned in your luck
chart. You will be the first one in the lunch line and get
to all your classes on time. Buy a lottery ticket soon
because your luck could be gone before you know it.
Your opposite sign is in a good mood too this month,
so spend some quality time with a Capricorn.
This Month: Wear a parka to school, and exclaim
every few minutes, “Brr! I’m cold.”
AQUARIUS: (January 20 - February 18)
This month is YOUR month! Due to the alignment of the
planets and the moon, you are going to make new
friendships with people you wouldn’t expect. You are
going to make a lifelong relationship with a person you
never talked to before. If you enter the Hunger Games, the
odds will be in your favor.
This Month: Wear a tutu every Thursday.
LEO: (July 24 - August 23)
Solar and planetary activity in the love sector of your
chart indicates this will be a rough month for relationships. All chances you have with your crush will diminish, and it will be your fault. Admit defeat this time
around, but fly your sails again soon. There are plenty of
fish in the sea just waiting to be caught.
This Month: Iron your socks for maximum shoe comVIRGO: (August 24 - September 23)
The sun’s position between Jupiter and Mars is showing that you will be a hero this month. Whether it is on
the sports field, in the pesky group project, or within
your friend group, your peers will be lauding your
work. Enjoy this awesome moment, but do not get
obnoxiously confident or brag too much.
This Month: Do the “Single Ladies” dance at lunch on
Tuesdays.
THE PURPLE PRESS
PISCES: (February 19 - March 20)
Due to Mars and your star chart aligning, this month will
bring you stress. Your work load is going to triple. You
are going to have lots of school work, plus after school
activities. Use your time wisely. You are going to have
tests and several projects/papers all due on the same day.
Do NOT procrastinate!
This Month: Wear pink on Wednesdays.
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 18
Directions: Look forwards, backwards, upside down and sideways
for each word. Use the remaining letters
to discover the hidden message!
ACORNS
BLACK
FESTIVAL
FOOTBALL
HALLOWEEN
HARVEST
HOMECOMING
OCTOBER
PIE
PUMPKIN
SCARECROW
SCARVES
SWEATERS
TOUCHDOWN
VAMPIRES
ZOMBIES
__ __ __ __ __
THE PURPLE PRESS
__ __ __
__ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 19
Senior Shoniece Mercado is an aspiring artist who is taking
two art classes during this school year. She is also working
to build her portfolio to study at an art college. Shoniece
has received previous training for art at The Governor’s
School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia where she took two
Studio Drawing classes, Watercolor, Painting Studio,
Screen Printing, Concepts & Criticism, and Art History.
She will be applying to Savannah College of Art & Design
and the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is currently
working at the Phoenix Village Art Center on Bridge Street
where she is gaining experience for the art world. Much of
her artwork is inspired by social & economic imbalances in
our society today. Her work is also described as being an
extension of herself. She is sensitive and responsive to
things, events, and stories that surround her and their
memories. She is looking forward to graduating from high
school, continuing her education in college, and touring her
art around the world.
Peaches - Acrylic On
Canvas
Daffoldil for Azulie Arylic
Old leaf - Spray Paint
On Wood
Apple pie - acrylic on
wood
Dreads - mixed media
THE PURPLE PRESS
Moths on wood - pen
and white charcoal
VOLUME 11 ; ISSUE 1
PAGE 20