Pg 2 - Phoenixville Area School District

Pg 2: Beauty and the Beast
Every March millions and millions of people fill out
the NCAA men‘s college basketball brackets. The
men‘s NCAA tournament is one of the most watched
sporting events in the world. The tournament consists
of sixty four teams fighting to get the greatest prize in
college basketball.
The bracket is divided into four divisions: the Washington D.C. division, the Oakland division, the Atlanta
division and the Minneapolis division. In each of those
sections there are sixteen teams, with the best team
in each section receiving the number one seed. The
number one seeded teams are usually selected by
their record in the regular season, and are the favorites to be around late in March.
The four number one seeds in this years tournament belong to Duke in the Atlanta division, Memphis
in the Oakland division, Connecticut in the Washington D.C. division, and Villanova in the Minneapolis
division.
In the Atlanta division many experts pick the Duke
Blue Devils, coming off their seventh ACC title in eight
years. The Devils are led by senior guard J.J. Redick
and senior center Sheldon Williams, to make it to the
Final Four. Coach K is pushing his team to win the first
championship since 2001. Other favorites in that
bracket are Texas, coming off their regular season
Big-12 Championship, and Syracuse who won the Big
East by upsetting Connecticut, Georgetown, and
Pittsburgh. Although Texas and Syracuse are playing
really well right now I don‘t believe they are strong
enough to knock of Redick and the Blue Devils.
Pg 2: School Board Changes
Pg: 3 Frog Dissection
In the Oakland section many experts pick the
two seeded UCLA Bruins, the 11-time national
champions, coming off the PAC-10 regular season
and conference tournament title. The inexperienced Bruins are led by two sophomore guards,
Jordan Farmar, and Arron Affalo. Although lacking
a lot of experience, the Bruins are on a seven
game win streak and their defense is letting up a
conference best 59.3 points per game. Other
teams to watch are the one seeded Memphis Tigers who have won nineteen of their last twenty
games, number three seeded Gonzaga, led by the
nation‘s leading scorer Adam Morrison (28.4 ppg),
the young but talented number four seeded Kansas Jayhawks, and the Pittsburgh Panthers who
started off the season with a 15-0 record.
Many experts have picked UCLA, and I can see
them in the Final Four. They don‘t have much experience like a Pittsburgh, or a Memphis, but they
play well as a team and they have tremendous
defense. I really don‘t think Gonzaga will be that
much of a threat in this bracket only because the
weakness of their schedule during the regular season. If I had to pick a team out of the Oakland
bracket I would go with either UCLA or Pittsburgh
because they made a strong run last year and are
experienced.
In what I think is the toughest section in the tournament, the Washington, D.C.
Pg 3: Child Development
Pg 4: Part-Time Jobs
Pg 5: Senior Class Trip
Pg 6: Fashion Do‘s and
Don'ts
Pg: 7: Senioritis!
Pg 7: Scape Level
Pg 8: Your Biggest Fears
Pg 8: Who Would Be Your
Celebrity Prom Date?
Pg 9: News Blurbs
Pg 10-11: Debate - Men‘s vs.
Women‘s Sports
Pg 13: Philadelphia Flyers
Pg 14: State Track Meet
Pg 14: Observant Quiz
Pg 15: Music Review
Pg 15: Book Review
Pg 16: Movie Review
Pg 16: American Idol 2006
Pg 17: Horoscopes
Pg 19: Speak Out
Pg 20: Comic / The Press
On Friday night, the Phoenixville class of 2007 presented the annual Mr. Phoenixville pageant in the High School Auditorium. The show was
a complete success in raising money for this year‘s Junior/Senior Prom. Nine
contestants, seniors Ben Potts, Rob Kirkner and Kushan Radadia, Phil Gilson,
Carl Feretti, and Tim Busovsky, as well as juniors Nick Scarpill, Ross Peterson,
Harry Foschnot and Tyler Schnabel, nervously waited backstage for the
show to begin. The auditorium began to crowd. Students, faculty and people of the community waited intensely for the show to start. One could tell
that behind the contestants‘ mothers‘ big white nervous smiles were the
thoughts, ―My son is going to own this competition.‖
The show started with senior hosts Jake Holler, last year‘s Mr. Phoenixville,
and Steve VanCott, who was also a contestant last year, warming the audience up for a night of laughs with a mini-wrestling match
on stage. The boys came out in girly outfits and performed an opening dance, exposing patches of skin that haven‘t been seen light
in years. As for all the contestants, all of the clothing was tight, hot and extremely feminine. The skinny, pale white thighs of teenage
boys in hot swimsuits and extravagant mom-evening wear dresses were enough to make the crowd go wild. With nine contestants,
Remember watching Disney movies when you were a kid? Do
you ever wish that you could go back to those ―good old days?‖
Well, this Friday and Saturday, March 17th and 18th, you can.
Beauty and the Beast is playing at Phoenixville High School!
For those of you who don‘t know or don‘t remember, the story
starts with Belle, a beautiful but odd girl who is dissatisfied with life
in a small provincial French town. She is constantly trying to fend
off the ―affections‖ of a conceited Gaston, the most handsome
and admired man in town. When Maurice, Belle‘s father, takes a
wrong turn in the woods and ends up inside a mysterious castle,
Belle‘s life is turned completely upside down. Belle is captured by
the Beast, a prince who was placed under a spell because he
could not love. Belle makes friends with other inhabitants of the
castle who have all been turned into household objects because
of the spell. Belle wants to escape the Beast‘s fury, the Beast and
Gaston want to win Belle‘s love, and the enchanted objects only
want to be human again before time runs out.
Next year, if a student‘s attendance record carries more than
twenty unexcused latenesses or absences he/she will be executed by way of a firing squad. This execution will be broadcasted on Phantom 4 News, and available to the entire viewing
community.
That‘s actually a lie, but the School Board of the Phoenixville
Area School District has passed many, more exciting, changes to
take place next year.
Part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires the state
to monitor districts within Pennsylvania, and make sure they are
making what is called ―Adequate Yearly Progress,‖ or AYP. The
PSSA tests are used to measure and determine the AYP. AYP is
essentially a list of the required percentages of the student body
that must be proficient or advanced in reading and math each
year, across the next eight years. According to NCLB, by 2014
100% of the student body should, and will, be proficient or advanced in reading and math. Currently, 54% of PASD students are
required by NCLB to be proficient or advanced in reading, and
45% in math.
To act upon these governmental expectations, many changes
have been adopted to the Phoenixville Area School District. The
first change is to the grading policy. This year, the mid-term or
final exam counts for 20% of a student‘s first or second semester
grade, with each of the two marking periods in that semester
counting for 40%. Next year there will be an exam after the first
and the third marking period, called a ‗quarterly exam.‘ Each
semester will feature a quarterly exam, which will count for 10% of
the semester grade, and the traditional final, which will count for
20% of the semester grade. The rest of the semester grade will
come from the two marking period grades within that semester,
each of which will count for 35%.
This new grading policy is designed to put ―a greater emphasis
on the importance of measuring student mastery and proficiency
through our district level assessments, (quarterly exams, mid-terms,
and finals),‖ says Mr. Kaskey. As a result, students will be more familiar and seasoned in tests, thus will perform better on the PSSA
tests, helping our school meet the AYP requirements
With the students receiving plenty of practice you‘d think our
Page 2
Join Belle (Jess
Starczewski), the
Beast (Ross Peterson), Gaston
(Vince Tavani),
Lumiere (Tyler
Schnabel),
Cogsworth (Harry
Fosnochct), Mrs.
Potts (Emily Peterson), and the rest
of the cast for a
night of music and
fun. Come on out
and ―Be our
guest!‖
school‘s PSSA showing would more than satisfy the government‘s
mark, right? Not so. Many students don‘t take the tests seriously,
and therefore don‘t perform up to their potential. To add more
incentive and necessity to the PSSA tests, many other changes
were made by the school board. These changes, which will take
place next year, include:

If students fail to score proficient or higher on the 11 th
grade PSSAs, or later on the 12th grade retest, they will be
given a ‗district level assessment‘ in the spring of their senior year. This test, developed by district teachers, will parallel the PSSAs in difficulty, and will be retaken until passed. If
students fail to pass the district level assessment before
graduation, they will be given a ‗Certificate of Attendance/Completion‘ in the place of a diploma (Exceptions
apply to IEP students).

If students fail to score proficient or higher on the 8 th grade
math or reading PSSA sections, or on the 9th grade Terra
Nova test, they will be required to take a Math/English
Workshop class their sophomore year to improve their test
capabilities for the upcoming 11th grade PSSAs.

In order to take a level three world language a student
must have scored proficient or higher in the reading and
writing sections of the previous year‘s PSSA or Terra Nova
test.

In order to take an AP or Honors level class a student must
have scored proficient or higher in the math or reading
sections of the previous year‘s PSSA or Terra Nova test.
(Math scores will apply to math and science classes‘ considerations, and reading scores will apply to English and
social studies classes‘ considerations.)
In addition to all this, in the future, PSSA scores may be used by
colleges in considering acceptance and determining whether or
not a student will have the opportunity to attend a state-funded
university (Temple, Penn State, Pittsburgh).
These recent changes enacted by the school board should
help Phoenixville Area School District keep up with state and national requirements and expectations.
The Purple Press
―HAND ME THE SCISSORS!‖ I call to my assistant. She places the
instrument in my hand and I place it under the neck. I slowly make a
straight line about 3 to 4 centimeters long across the chest. As I hold
the specimen in my hands I discover where different organs are and
what they did to help this corpse live.
What am I doing? I am doing the freshmen frog dissection. This is
a day that you hear about from kids in
other grades. Some think it is cool and
some think it is gross, but no matter what,
this day still comes and you get through it.
―I thought it was gross at first, but after a
while it became fun. It was a good way to
learn about frogs,‖ said freshmen Julie
Weicheld.
Frog dissection is a week long. On the
first day your teacher will grab a bag of
dead frogs supplied by Carolina Biological
Supply Company. She slowly takes the scissors and cuts the bag. It fills with air and
the smell of burning trash slowly creeps
around the room. She walks around the
room handing out one frog per group,
putting it into a dissecting tray. As the frog
lies in the tray you have to find out if it is a
male or female frog
by looking at its thumb (if it was really big it was a male and if not it
was a female), then you name it. For example, Mary Jane or
Fredrick. After you have a name picked out you have to take some
measurements. Thus ends day one.
As the week goes on you have more tasks to do. For example,
one day you pry open the mouth of the frog and pull out its tongue.
Then you have to cut the mouth with scissors so you can get a better
look inside. You have to feel around the mouth for the maxillary and
vomerine teeth (It was gross!). After sticking your fingers in the frog‘s
mouth you have to find the following parts: esophagus, eye sockets,
vocal sacs, Eustachian tubes and glottis. After you are finished with
the mouth you have to pin the frog to the tray. You make an ―I‖
What do Billy Shirk, Jake Holler, Julie Dugan, Melissa Famous, and
Nick Wagner have in common? Once upon a time, way back in the
early nineties, they were all preschoolers in Phoenixville Area High
School‘s Working with Children program! (Be sure to save this information for blackmail in the future.)
The Working with Children program is basically a preschool within
the high school, running periods 2 through 4-5 on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays during the second semester. (The first semester is for Child Development, which is the introductory course.)
It‘s for children between three and five, and the parents are able to
stay if they wish.
The advantages of having this program are numerous for students of the high school who wish to have careers involving small
children, such as elementary teaching, running a Day Care facility,
or just figuring out how to be a better babysitter or future parent.
The Purple Press
shaped cut across its ventral side (stomach). Then you have to
hold your breath as you open up the skin and a horrible smell fills
the air. As you take the flaps and pin them to the tray you find a
layer of muscle. You have to cut the layer of muscle the same
way you did the skin and pin it to the flaps of skin. (How would
you like it if someone opened your skin so they could look inside
you? I know that I would not like it too much.)
As the frog‘s insides are exposed, you have to
take the eyedropper and suck the liquid from the
frog. (EWW…this was the most disgusting part of
this experiment.) Then you have to cut out the
liver (which looks like three burnt pancakes) by
taking the scissors and clipping the three lobes
out of the body.
Then you have to find the esophagus by putting
your finger down the frog‘s throat and feeling
around for it. After that you look through the chest
to find your finger and cut out the stomach, small
and large intestine. (You might find some of your
frog‘s last meal still in the stomach, like a grasshopper or two). Then you find all the organs, for
example the heart, lungs, spleen, and the kidneys.
After you are finished locating the organs you put everything
back into the frog‘s chest, close it up, place Mary Jane or
Fredrick into the body bag provided by your teacher and place
the frog on a tray as your teacher walks by to collect them.
After doing this I realized this is not a bad experiment. It is full
of information about how a frog lives and what each organ does
in the body. ―It was crazy fun, but it smelled. We had a great
time cutting its stomach open‖ said one freshman. However, another freshman said, ―I thought it was terrible! They killed frogs for
no reason! I‘m pro-life and I‘m totally against this!‖ So when you
are walking in the halls by the biology rooms and you smell an
unpleasant smell, you know that it is frog dissection week.
The students observe and learn about the characteristics of different ages of children and how they react to each other, their
environment, the more ‗adult‘ figures (Ms. Lachenmayer and her
students) and to upsetting situations. Normally, all the kids are
well-behaved, but sometimes, you just have to break out the tissues because every day isn‘t all sunshine and fuzzy bunnies. Little
ones get sad sometimes, too.
Every day the little ones have nutritious snacks. It‘s never at a
set time, as not to overwhelm them. Often the kids get to break
out the mixing spoons and help make… vanilla pudding!
(Personally, if I was a four year old that got to help make vanilla
pudding, I‘d be jumping out of my little Dora the Explorer sneakers.)
Besides eating and making food, the kids actually learn somePage 3
thing. Our PAHS students plan and teach lessons
in sets of two, one lesson per period (the kids
learn two new lessons a day). They teach about
things like colors and numbers through crafts,
activities, reading books and playing games.
If you ever walk into Ms. Lachenmayer‘s
room, you‘d think it‘s a nursery or preschool.
You‘d be exactly right, because over the years,
she has turned that room into a little kids‘
dream. The room is sectioned off into different
play areas. There‘s a kitchen area, blocks, Playdoh and soft foamy puzzle pieces covering
parts of the floor.
I was lucky enough to visit Ms. Lachenmayer‘s room while she had kids there, and I got
to talk to some of them. Before the crafts
started, one of the little girls, Matilka, drew bunnies on
the board for me. ―I can draw a rabbit. It‘s much bigger
than life sized!‖ she smiled and told me. She was a cutie, I‘ll tell you.
An absolute little ball of adorable-ish-ness.
A couple minutes later, I was helping our own beloved Tom Stillwell assist a little boy, Ignacio, put stickers on a popsicle stick picture frame. Sadly, he managed to spell the boy‘s name wrong, so I
had to peel a few stickers off and fix it. In the end, all was well and
good. Tom pointed to a little boy in an orange shirt and said ―He‘s
Take it from someone who knows the routine well: Sometimes
when you have to juggle school work, sports, clubs and somewhat
maintain a personal life, the last thing you want to do is suffocate
yourself with a part-time job. However, having a few bucks in your
pocket is essential these days. Not to mention, a job reflects responsibility and can begin to put money into the bank for your future. There are many positives to having a part-time job while in
high school, but the true concern comes into play when students
begin brushing aside their studies to work more than just ―parttime.‖
Back in the fall of my junior year, I made a deal with my dad
that I would look for a job after field hockey season came to an
end in order
to pay my car insurance
and gas expenses. This was definitely a challenge. First of all, I was
taking demanding courses in
school, requiring a few hours for
studying and
school work every night.
Secondly, as
all juniors involved with
their class
council know, organizing a killer
prom for the seniors
takes a lot of
outside time and investigation. Although field hockey
had just
ended in October, I
knew that I
had to get good at
budgeting
my time FAST because lacrosse was in the near
future.
I soon found myself in red and khaki, working 15-20-some hours
a week at the Target in Oaks. I worked two to three nights a week
until about 10 p.m. and I could count on an eight hour shift either
Saturday or Sunday. It was agony! First of all, the weekends were
no longer mine, they were Target‘s. The job wasn‘t bad, and neither was the starting salary of $7.50 per hour, but I found myself
Page 4
so frikin cute. On his first day he
came in holding his sister‘s hand
and ran to his mom and yelled
‗Mommy I love you!‘‖
I always knew Tom had a soft
spot for kids.
After they finished beautifying
their picture frames, all the kids
scattered and played. One little
girl, Genna, started playing with
Play-doh, which she had been
ecstatically asking for since she
walked in the door. She proceeded to ‗make a birthday‘, or
a birthday cake.
Soon after, I sadly had to leave,
for my study hall period was over, but I had
fun watching the teenage students and little kids interact. If you
know anyone who might be interested in enrolling a young child in
next year‘s Working with Children program, please have them call
the main office at 484-927-5100, or email Ms. Lachenmayer at [email protected]. If you, as a student, would like to enroll in
the Child Development and Working with Children programs,
course selections are soon, so be sure to sign up!
feeling tired, sluggish, and unable to concentrate in school. I
couldn‘t get up in the mornings to go to club meetings, and
schoolwork was often pushed aside.
Lawrence Steinberg, a researcher from Temple University, conducted and observed several surveys to prove that after-school
part time jobs are definitely detrimental to a high school student‘s
academic performance. In a 1997 study focusing on a high school
in California, it was found that students working over 15 hours a
week had lower grades, did less homework, and sadly, many of
the same kids dropped out of high school and completely avoided
college.
Have you ever looked around the classroom, and noticed incredibly tired students… every day? I have, and after talking to
PAHS senior Anthony Noble, I realized he works A LOT. He manages
to work about 20+ hours a week at the Regal Cinemas in Oaks,
working about three days a school week and almost always either
Saturday, Sunday or both. ―Depending on what my job is that
night, like cleaning the movie theatre after a movie is done or
working at the food counter, [sometimes I come home as late as
1:00 a.m.]…‖ said Anthony, explaining that although he earns a
hefty sum, he often feels sluggish and tired in school after late night
shifts. ―Work definitely effects how I feel in school,‖ he continued,
stating there isn‘t much he would change about his exhausting
shifts. Although the job requires long hours that sometimes lag into
the late hours of the night, Anthony feels like working and earning
money is necessary for his lifestyle. He stated, ―I need the money to
buy my own shoes and clothing, and pay off my cell phone bills.‖
He manages to find time to study in between work and school,
and his job has taught him essential time-management skills.
It‘s obvious that working late can affect a student‘s learning
capabilities. But maybe students want all the hours a job assigns
them. Even the federal government believes that working parttime could be harmful toward teenage students‘ learning environ-
The Purple Press
ments, which is why many federal and state statutes regulating
teen workers‘ hours have been activated.
Most labor laws are decided by each state, but the federal
government has put its foot down . What is legal? Teens under the
age of 16 are not allowed to work more than three hours on a
school day and a maximum 18 hours per week. Any teen that is
younger than 18 but older than 14 years old is entitled to work a
maximum of 44 hours a week in the state of Pennsylvania. Although the government tries to shield teenagers from over working
themselves, some teens insist that working all the time is their
choice.
may only take about a half an hour to complete their homework
each night. However, Ms. Scerbo believes that every student interested in working should evaluate their time management skills and
base their work schedule off of what they think they can handle.
Senior Julie Dugan, a hostess at the Phoenixville Country Club
on the weekends and after school nanny, feels even though working and going to school can be tiring, it is necessary for all students
to realize the importance of money-management and responsibility. ―Things are never just handed to me… [I have to] work for everything I wear and everything I do on the weekends. [Sure it‘s hard
now, but] I am glad my parents instilled that in me.‖
Ms. Scerbo, a guidance counselor and Teens For Phoenixville
group advisor here at the high school, heads the work-study program. The work-study program guides any student that is interested
in participating in an internship. If any student is interested in an
internship during school, Ms. Scerbo can help accommodate him
or her and find a way to correlate the student‘s schoolwork with a
job. Although she really endorses high school students finding part
time jobs, she firmly believes that finding a medium between work
and school is just as important, especially on weekdays. ―Everyone
is different… some kids excel in the classroom, and others do really
well in the [workplace],‖ she stated. She explained that some people are okay with working until 9 p.m. on a school night because it
So here I am, at the end of my senior year. High school, for the
most part, is over and there is a lot of money out there that I‘d like
to get my hands on so I can have fun this summer and next year in
college. During my sixteen months working at Target, I have established a relationship with my management and made sure their
schedule accommodated me and my schoolwork. Although senior year is a time when many seniors, myself included, want to
slack off… It‘s important to remember though, that the last year of
high school is there for a reason. I do believe that some students
work way too much, but the truth is whoever you are or wherever
you come from, it is important to balance work with school.
―Flight 110 to Punta Cana will be departing in ten minutes, flight
110,‖ was the voice over at the Philadelphia
airport. After waking up on February 18th at
three in the morning, having bags and clothes
checked over repeatedly at customs, and one
person in particular having to pay a $100 deposit to take a surf board to the tropical country (coughHELMETcough), the Phoenixville High
School senior class was finally ready to board
the airplane to the Dominican Republic for
their class trip.
enjoy the cool night air. It didn‘t take long before the class started
to act a little nuts, and a few minor injuries occurred from all of the enthusiasm. Senior Diana
Bader described the trip as a ―four day, four
night never ending party.‖ In the end, however,
everyone survived the first night in Punta Cana.
After impatiently enduring the three hour
long plane ride, one by one the class stepped
outside to be hit with a gust of hot, fervid, 80 degree
weather and a view of palm trees. The Dominican workers
greeted the class with a warm ―Hola!‖ and ―Como estas,‖
and the trip was underway!
Upon arrival to the Ocean Bavaro resort, the senior class
laughed to themselves after groups of tourists quietly relaxing
with drinks in their hands realized their peaceful vacation
was about to be ruined by about 30 rambunctious senior
kids. It didn‘t take long to discover the beach at the end
of the resort, and it definitely didn‘t take long to realize
that the many people there weren‘t uncomfortable with
being topless.
By the time the seniors were through with lathering up in sun tan
lotion and swimming in the clear, cool Caribbean ocean, quite a
spectacle was made by their loud shouts of joy and commotion.
After having to explain to people nearby that it was in fact a senior
class trip, the Dominicans on the beach discovered the group and
invited them to play beach games. The games ranged from
beach tag to a race that had two teams filling buckets of water
with a wet towel. By the end of the day the seniors were ready for
the free dinner and dessert buffets. The food consisted of everything from pastas and pizza, to weird looking chocolate pancakes.
After dinner the class spent time together outdoors to talk and
The Purple Press
Each day at the resort was filled with the same
fun activities including snorkeling, parasailing,
massages, and hair braiding. The Disco that
started at 11pm each night was also a huge hit
because they played a lot
of American music and
everyone was pretty tired
of the Spanish MTV they
were subjected to in the
hotel rooms. Discovering
the gift shop in the middle
of the resort was also a
huge relief because they
actually had American
food to sell, which everyone was craving. I think
the most money spent was probably on food like potato chips!
The most memorable part of the whole trip to the
beautiful resort was simply the time everyone spent with each
other. The trip definitely bonded the class together and we made
a lot of memories that will never be forgotten. From just soaking up
the sun on the beach to everyone eating dinner together each
night, the whole trip was enjoyable and entertaining. It was definitely worth the sun burn and the long plane ride. Without Mrs.
Syrylo, Mrs. Loughery, Mrs. Nosia and the other chaperones, the trip
would never have been the same. Looking back from when we
were all little freshmen, it‘s amazing to see how much we‘ve all
grown up and I‘m happy to say I‘m part of the class of 2006. Shock
the world seniors!
Page 5
So you‘re walking down the hallway and you see this guy. His collar is popped, and he‘s wearing baggy pants that are filled with
holes. He‘s walking down the hallway like he‘s the coolest thing since the ice age. You bite your tongue as you walk past him so you
don‘t freak out and scream ―POPPED COLLARS ARE SO NOT COOL!!!!‖ Or, maybe you like a guy with a popped collar? Either way,
many of us have opinions about the do‘s and don‘ts of fashion.
After taking a Fashion do‘s and don‘ts survey, here is what 70 of your classmates think is hot and not…

Long skirts are ―hippie.‖

Long socks. 62% of students surveyed thought that
long socks are not hot.

Big/sparkly purses are ―so last year.‖

Tights. 67% of students surveyed said that tights
are not hot.

Vests are not hot. They look like coats with the
arms cut out.

Short skirts. 82% of students surveyed think
that short skirts are hot.

Layering your clothes.

Ripped/destroyed/patched clothes.

Half shirts. 79% of students surveyed said that
are hot for spring time wardrobes.


Clogs and moccasins make your feet look
cool.
Baggy pants. ―We don‘t need to see guys‘ nasty
boxers.‖

Big jewelry ―is too gaudy.‖

Polos 84% of students surveyed think that
polos are a fashion do.

Thong sandals with jeans on guys is not hot.

Unmaintained hair coloring looks gross.

Jerseys are a hot way to root for your favorite
sports teams.

Hoodies are a hot way to keep warm
when it‘s cold.
Every person has his/her own way of showing fashion sense. Not everyone‘s feelings on clothing are the same. Keep that in mind next
time you get dressed. Remember to be yourself and don‘t let anyone tell you how to dress. If you want to pop your collar, then pop it!!
the show was humorous and entertaining from start to finish.
After the opening dance, the swimsuit strut, and nine humorous talents, the final four of the pageant were announced. The top four
included Ben ―Benisha‖ Potts, who played the piano and sang Vanessa Carlton‘s song, ―Thousand Miles,‖ Nick ―The Other Other Other
White Meat‖ Scarpill, who transformed into a little mermaid singing ―Part of Your World,‖ Tim ―T-Bone‖ Busovsky, showcasing his brilliant
chick/DDR skills, and the conjoined contestants, Rob Kirkner and Kushan Radadia, (also known as Kushbert ―The American Indian‖
Kirkadia) who argued onstage in a witty political debate over which out of the two best friends should run in the pageant. As the judges
tallied up their final vote to determine the winner of the pageant, Jake Holler proceeded to tell a somewhat amusing, but extremely unsettling, story of failing his physics test and having to ―prairie dog it.‖
And then it was done. Ben ―Benisha‖ Potts was awarded the crown and sash of the 2006 Mr.
Phoenixville Pageant! Although only one person could win the pageant, all the contestants
agreed that participating this year was worth every minute of practice. The same mothers that
rooted for their sons bore their same big white smiles and left the show very proud.
Page 6
The Purple Press
Every year at about this time, a disease
comes sweeping through our school. Seniors
everywhere begin to show symptoms such as
extreme laziness, procrastination, desire to skip
classes, and a steady decline in grades. Some
people such as teachers, principals, and parents, believe that this is a very serious illness.
However, many victims of senioritis say that it
isn‘t serious at all.
Phoenixville took a major hit from senioritis on
February 10th, otherwise known as Senior Cut
Day. The administration this year tried to stop
kids from skipping by threatening seniors with
detentions and ISS, but the consequences didn‘t
have much effect on the kids. I decided against
partaking in this time-honored tradition, but I
was one of the few seniors who showed up for
school that day. As a result I did absolutely nothing the entire day. In fact, after talking to many
of my friends who did skip, I think I had more fun
hanging out with my friends at school and wandering the halls than many other seniors did sitting around doing nothing.
For some seniors, it seems like everyday is
Senior Cut Day. I‘ve seen a lot of seniors simply
take personal days for various reasons, whether
it‘s because they didn‘t finish a paper, they‘re in
a bad mood, or simply because it‘s a Monday.
Off in Phoenixville‘s northeast corner of
forests and train tracks there are, tucked
away like an old portrait in an attic, the
dusty, overgrown ruins of a neighborhood
known as Scape Level. Time has torn
down houses, overwhelmed the old dirt
road with onion grass, gnarled
vines about the remaining
foundations, and planted
trees where dinner tables
once stood.
Scape Level was not always so reminiscent of an elementary school nightmare,
however. From the mid
1830‘s until its last residents
were evicted on June 6th,
1970, Scape Level was a bustling, functioning extremity of
the Phoenixville community.
In 1836 the Reading Railroad Company
began planning a tunnel which would
travel underneath the North Side‘s Black
Rock
Hill and run parallel to the nearby
Schuylkill River. Irishmen, who had recently
arrived in the country with their families,
were quick to sign up for the backbreaking
task of digging the almost 2,000 feet
through the hill.
Scape Level was established soon
thereafter, just a few feet from the east
The Purple Press
Some seniors don‘t feel that they have
senioritis. They say that they‘ve just been
lazy since they were freshmen. Others
have designated this year as a special
year in which they can sleep in class and
not worry about doing a single thing. Others are doing the exact opposite and
completely going against everything senioritis stands for. They are working their
butts off trying to get in that last good
grade and move up one more spot in the
class rank before they graduate. However, most of us are stuck somewhere in
the middle. We are usually hard working
people, who are trying not to shirk our
responsibilities too much, but after a
while, we just get tired of being in high
school. Personally, I get plenty of work
done while I‘m in school, but once I get
home, I get completely lazy and I don‘t
feel like doing anything school-related. I‘ll
admit that I‘m not as on top of homework as I used to be and I‘m not studying
for tests anymore.
I think that seniors do deserve a little
bit of a break after the many years of
hard work we‘ve put in. Many of us have
entrance of Black Rock Tunnel, to house
the workers and their families. After the
tunnel finished in 1839 Scape Level‘s inhabitants found work on the nearby Black
Rock Canal, and later got jobs at the steel
mill.
As their
work
changed,
so did the
people.
Once the
Irish had
acquired
enough
economic
and social stature to
move out of Scape Level, the Polish inherited the place. Then came the Slavs, followed by the Italians, and finally, in its last
couple decades, African-Americans
called its ancient dwellings ―home.‖
Across its century and a half of occupation, society‘s down-trodden found a
haven in Scape Level‘s original geographic isolation from the rest of Phoenixville. One can only access Scape Level
from the unpaved Canal St. which extends from Freemont St. (Rt. 113 North).
already been accepted into college and
we don‘t see the point in working hard in
high school anymore. However, that‘s not
how the college world works. If anything,
I would suggest that seniors who intend
on going to college keep working hard
at the end of high school. In college, we
won‘t get many breaks. We‘ll be working
like crazy just to finish the work, let alone
get good grades. We will need to write
many papers, read numerous books, and
take lots of tests. Every bit of preparation
will help. Although the work in high school
can be tedious and seem pointless, in the
end, it will be worth it.
Also, if you are college bound or not,
don‘t forget the sense of pride you have
when you check Lettergrade and find A‘s
or when your parents see your report
card and compliment you on your good
grades. Don‘t let senioritis be a disease or
an excuse!
For those of you seniors who just can‘t
wait for graduation, just remember to enjoy high school while it lasts and don‘t let
senioritis affect you too much. Remember, it never hurts to learn something.
The street runs through a buffer of woods,
and descends about 50 feet from where
the rest of the community sits, and where
Scape Level rests, even with the Schuylkill.
This remoteness, however, went beyond charming and quaint; it also made
for a kind of lawlessness in the community.
The people were rough, and were not
known to receive visitors very well. Track
gangs and gamblers acclimated there
easily, as did brothels and speakeasies. At
one time it was understood that Scape
Level mid-wives could dispose of Phoenixville‘s unwanted newborns in the Black
Rock Canal.
The stucco abodes have even hosted
a murder or two. On February 5th, 1903,
Daniel Duneci killed Frank Pettu in an Italian boarding house over an accusation of
cheating. Back in its heyday, Scape Level
was seldom mentioned in Phoenixville
without the disclaimer, ―Don‘t go there if
you‘ve no business being there.‖
Perhaps just as questionable as the
neighborhood‘s conduct, is its namesake.
―Level‖ comes, of course, from the
neighborhood‘s ―levelness‖ with the
Schuylkill River, but there are many theories as to the origin of ―Scape.‖ Some believe ―scape‖ is short for ―escape,‖ and
Page 7
found a place in the neighborhood‘s
name after it housed many-a runaway
slave en route to Canada. Others claim
―scape‖ is derived from the Gaelic word
―scielp,‖ meaning ―a rock face with water over the top,‖ which more than describes Scape Level‘s riverfront location.
Finally, there are those who maintain
Scape Level is actually Skate Level,
where ―skate,‖ an old American slang
term for a lowly man, makes reference to its
inhabitants.
Though the neighborhood is long abandoned from a flood that overwhelmed the
river‘s banks decades ago, the grape arbors
that once made up the backyards have
disappeared into the earth, the whitewashed fences have been uprooted, the
front porches have collapsed, and structural
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia!
―Are you scared yet‖?
Long word, huh? I can bet that you didn‘t even want to try
and read the word, let alone pronounce it. Ironically, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the phobia of long words. Did
you know that a phobia somewhat differs from a fear? According
to Webster‘s, a phobia is an intense, abnormal, fear of a specific
thing that forces one to avoid something. A fear is simply something to be afraid of.
Did you ever take the time to think of your biggest fear? Or are
you someone who fears fear itself? In other words, are you afraid
of being afraid? Some people are afraid of heights; some have a
fear of string. Truth is, we all have fears.
The question is why? One reason may be that from childhood
into adulthood, a person may have been traumatized by a significant event that later leads him/her to fear anything that causes a
flashback of that trauma. For instance, remember that terrifying
night the lightening and thunder CRASHED and exploded your ear
drums when you were a child? Maybe your mother told you that
the man upstairs was angry with you? Years later, you fear thunderstorms and have Brontophobia. Another example of a phobia
evidence remains of only six of the original
nine houses, Scape Level still has all the
nostalgia of an autonomous, lazy, lonely
community back in the trees. It‘s just steps
off the Greenway Trail, so I encourage you
to stop by and witness a little known stitch
of the Phoenixville tapestry. Go ahead,
even if you have no business there.
being brought on by a tragedy is after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in
2001. After planes were hijacked, the world saw an increase in
aerophobia, the fear of flying. Because of this traumatizing event,
people did not want to fly out of the sheer fear that there would
be a terrorist on the plane. These fears seem quite normal, right?
It would probably surprise you to know some of the crazy phobias that have been documented over time. Cyberphobia is the
fear of computers. One can only imagine what this fear was a
result of. Another irrational fear is Ideophobia, or the fear of ideas.
Eosophobia is the fear of daylight. Some people even have Coulrophobia the fear of clowns, like Mr. Zittel. That‘s pretty strange!
How does one even live life with the aforementioned phobias?
In many of these cases, years of therapy is needed. Doctors
would agree that one sure way to begin overcoming a phobia is
to reason with oneself. One must strive to overcome these absurd
fears by repeatedly facing them, and reminding him/herself that
there is no reason to be afraid. As for the majority of us who fear
situations such as dying or being chased by a psychopath, justification lies in the fact that fear is a natural, human instinct that has
no cure. See page 19 ―SPEAK OUT‖ to see what fears your classmates and teachers have!
Prom is coming up on April 28th, and the thought must have crossed your mind…who are you going to the prom with? If you could
take a celebrity, based off of your date qualifications, who would it be? Well, that is where this quiz comes in. This quiz will narrow your
options to find your perfect celebrity prom date.
1.
How would you ask your date?
2. What color dress or suit would your date be wearing?
A: Call him/her up and say, ―Hey, want to go to prom with me?‖
A: Black
B: Have a friend ask him/her for you
B: Blue
C: Approach him/her and casually ask if he/she would go to prom
with you
C:Brown
D: White
D: You don‘t have to ask. You won your date in a contest
3. When he/she comes to your house he/she would…
4. What kind of car would you be taking to the prom?
A: Talk to your family and sit through a ton of pictures without com plaint
A: A Mercedes
B: Honk the horn and wait for you to come outside
B: A limo
C: Make a ton of jokes that have you and everyone else laughing
C: Your hand-me-down car
D: Smile politely and warm up as the conversation progresses
D: A pick-up truck
Page 8
The Purple Press
5. In the car on the way to the prom, what kind of music would
be playing?
A: Rock
6. When you get to the prom and your date gets bombarded by
your friends and other fans he/she would…
B: Rap/Hip-Hop
A: Smile and apologize, saying that this is your night and
he/she doesn‘t want to take away from that
C: Pop
B: Ignore them completely and pretend they don‘t exist.
D: Country
C: Smile and say hello, politely saying that he/she will get in
a picture only if you are in it too.
D: Smile and say hello to everyone, agreeing to give them
autographs after the prom
7. During dinner what would you and your date be talking about?
A: Just normal ―getting to know you‖ conversation
B: Him or Her
C: You
8. You both had an awesome time at the prom, but there is
now one problem…what should you do after the prom?
A: Go to F.O.C.U.S
D: Pouring your deepest most secret thoughts and dreams
to your date
B: Go to the beach
C: Go home and… cuddle
D: Go to sleep
The High School‘s Key Club is beginning a new project and they need your help. The Key Club will be collecting both new and
used DVDs for cancer patients of all ages to watch while they go through their chemotherapy. The patients have to endure chemotherapy for about and hour and half, and the DVDs help to relax the patients. The Key Club asks that you bring in any new or used
DVDs that are in good condition to your homeroom over the next two weeks. A representative from Key Club will come around to
collection any donations. Thank you to all and please help us in this worthy cause.
Interested in seeing teachers and fellow classmates strutting down the runway in fabulous clothing, interesting outfits, and Tommy
Beasley in a loin cloth? Well, Thursday, March 30th is your chance! Teens for Phoenixville will present a benefit fashion show for the
Crime Victims‘ Center of Chester County. This show will raise goods and money for this very important organization that assists rape
and violent crime victims. TFP asks that instead of paying admission for the show, people bring three acceptable articles of clothing
that can be donated to the CVC. These articles of clothing will help supply victims that have had to leave their clothing in the hospital
as evidence of a crime. All clothing and monetary donations will be given to the CVC to help them continue to provide assistance.
Hope to see you there for a night of fashion, passion, trends and friends!
OH NO!!! THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!!! The Phoenixville Dunkin Donuts will be closing in April to begin a three and a half
month renovation process. Many of you rely on Dunkin Donuts for your breakfast and/or caffeine fix, making the three and half
months without it seem like an eternity. But I promise, the outcome will be well worth the wait. The owners have plans to build a bigger and better Dunkin Donuts. There will be more sitting room, more counter space and new equipment. The new Dunkin Donuts will
also be accepting credit cards and Dunkin‘ Donuts gift cards.
For those of you who cannot go without Dunkin‘ Donuts for a whole three and a half months, establishments exist at the following
locations: Collegeville, Paoli, Limerick, West Chester, Exton, and two locations in Norristown and King of Prussia. But after the renovation is complete, be sure to bring yourself back to the New and Improved Phoenixville Dunkin‘ Donuts!
1. Bottom, 2. Eagle with wings spread, 3. Right, 4. Blue, red,
white, yellow, black, & gold, 5. 1, 0, 6. Right, 7. 20, 8. Red, 9.
87, 10. Clockwise (north of the equator), 11. Towards bottom
right, 12. 12 (no #1), 13. Left, 14. Clockwise as you look at it,
15. 8, 16. Left, 17. 5, 18. 6, 19. Bashful, 20. 8, 21. Ace of spades,
22. Left, 23. *, #, 24. 3, 25. Counter
The Purple Press
Page 9
For hundreds of years, women have fought to gain more
equality, rights, and pay given to men. In previous centuries
women were forced to listen to their husband‘s every whim, residing in their domestic work. Once, men
would not let women vote in America, and
women had to fight to get into the polls.
Soon, women wanted to play sports like
men did. During World War II while men
were at war women took up baseball, as
seen in the movie ―A League of Their Own.‖
However, when the men returned from war
their league dissolved.
In the early 1900‘s, Physical Education
teachers strongly opposed competition
among women, fearing it would make
them less feminine. Thankfully, that
has changed. Now girls attending school participate in sports of
every kind, whether it is soccer, hockey, track, tennis, lacrosse or
basketball. Some have taken the plunge into risky sports like
football or wrestling. This was first a result of Title IX, installed by
Richard Nixon in 1972. For those who are completely unaware,
it‘s that part of the law stating that women and men must have
equal education, resources, and athletics.
Our times have changed for women and are continuing to
improve dramatically as years go by. However, many men are
stuck with the same old feeling that professional women athletes
cannot live up to the same standards as men and thus have little
desire to watch women athletes play at all, much less pay them
equally.
Some men argue that watching women compete is boring
and completely useless. I guarantee if you talk to a man that has
sufficient knowledge of sports information they‘ll mention the
WNBA (Women‘s National Basketball Association). Just because
You turn on the TV on a typical night in March. You see LeBron
James and the Cavaliers vs. Allen Iverson and the Sixers. The
game‘s exciting, it‘s action packed with AI breaking his opponents‘ ankles, and LeBron slamming the ball every chance he
gets. You just don‘t see this level of excitement in
women‘s sports.
I‘m sick of people complaining about how
women‘s sports aren‘t equal to men‘s sports and
aren‘t getting enough TV time or money. Truth is,
women‘s sports don‘t bring in nearly as much TV
revenue as men‘s sports, so they shouldn‘t get
equal recognition or pay. If people don‘t pay to
watch them play, then how could they realistically
hope to achieve any of that?
The WNBA is one example of why female athletes shouldn‘t get paid as much. It‘s best team,
the Monarchs, had a record of 25 and 9 last season. The WNBA season is only 34 games
long!!! Who wants to see a WNBA player
over an NBA player like Allen Iverson? Many
other sports
such as golf, tennis, soccer, track and field, and baseball/softball
serve as good examples too. Women‘s sports tend to be slower
and dull. The action isn‘t good enough because most women
just aren‘t as strong or fast as men.
Pro golfer Annika Sorenstam is an example of the strength
Page 10
women don‘t have the same busy, cocky attitudes or have the
towering height like men, it doesn‘t mean the WNBA isn‘t entertaining and competitive!
When it comes down to the heart of the matter, women don‘t
have as much recognition in sports. Rarely can you catch a
women‘s golf tournament on NBC or Comcast Sports Center.
Never, ever except for once in a Blue Moon, does a softball
game show on ESPN, even during the playoffs. The WNBA is
shown sparingly on all sports channels. Simply put, ratings cannot
improve if the games don‘t air.
However, some sports have generated a close number of fans
to those of men‘s sports. Women‘s viewership in popular televised
sports, like tennis and soccer, has increased. Tennis stars like
Venus and Serena Williams as well as Maria Sharapova have
gained huge fan bases. Popular soccer star Mia Hamm is
among the leading scorers of all time. Women‘s golf, which has
risen in popularity, is making women like Annika Sorenstam, who
have dominated the green, stars of their time. Women are breaking out of the ‗fragile‘ stereotype.
When women athletes are slighted the fame and glory men receive, it is unfair because athletic role models typically become
men. The role models girls typically live by are actresses, pop stars,
and other beautiful women that don‘t necessarily give the best
ideas and influences to young girls. If women athletes were further
projected into television, magazines, newspapers, and other media, girls may want to live up to those standards and have higher
goals for themselves. We‘re no longer desperate housewives!
To answer the question, yes, women should earn equal recognition, pay, and television time. Women athletes are not being promoted into society and it creates a gap between the genders. If
sports on T.V. could cease being single-gender biased, both genders may receive equal respect and compensation for their efforts.
factor. She complained, ―Wa wa wa wa wa, they won‘t let me
play with the men.‖ Then the PGA let her try for the Masters, and
she didn‘t make the cut.
Staying on the grass, take baseball and softball, two similar
sports, one played by men and the other by women. The
baseball field is bigger than a softball field which makes for
more interesting play than softball. Men can hit the ball farther and the ball is smaller which takes more skill to hit and
makes it more interesting for a spectator to watch. The men
have a league, (MLB) which is a multi-billion dollar industry,
partly because of the excitement players generate. Would
you go to see a softball game of major league proportions
played on a huge field like Citizens Bank Park? I know that I
wouldn‘t, and I bet that the stands wouldn‘t even be half
full of enthusiastic spectators.
In track and field, these truths are also apparent.
Women throwers throw lighter discuses, shot puts, and
javelins. Also, on the track, they hurdle over smaller hurdles
compared to the men. Game, set, match right there. What would
you honestly rather see? People throwing bigger and heavier objects, or smaller ones?
No matter what level or sport you compare, women‘s sports
don‘t match up. Women‘s sports can‘t generate the revenue and
TV ratings that men‘s sports can. Therefore, women‘s sports are not
The Purple Press
recognized as much on TV channels like ESPN. No team owner in
his/her right mind would pay a star women‘s athlete as much as a
star men‘s athlete. Ultimately, women‘s sports just aren‘t on the
same level of as men‘s. It‘s not chauvinistic or anything of that nature; it‘s just the order of things. Male athletes are stronger and
more competitive. That makes for better competition and more
interesting action. In turn this generates more revenue for their re-
I line up for a 400 meter in practice and
my heart starts pounding. Not because I‘m
nervous, but because there is a GIRL on the
line. In my head I know I have to beat her
because losing would be an embarrassment. If I do win I would act like its nothing
but if I lose I would probably make some
excuse. This is a thought that goes through
many competitive guys‘ heads before
competing with a girl.
When competing with the opposite sex
the thoughts that go through a male‘s and
female‘s head are the same in that they
want to win, but different in the way approach it. In the male mind the dominant
thought is that they do not want to lose, but
in the female mind the main thing is that
they want to win. While that sounds the
same initially, playing not to lose and playing to win are different in that playing not to
lose is more of a conservative approach.
Guys are concerned because if they lose to
spective leagues and allows men to get paid more and get more
exposure. For the time being, female athletes haven‘t lived up to
that caliber of enterprise. Because of this, it would be wrong to
just simply make male and female athletes‘ pay equal just for the
sake of it.
a girl their friends would get on their case.
If I were to lose to a girl in a race then when
I got back with my ―buddies‖ they would
bash me like there was no tomorrow.
For most guys it would be an embarrassment to lose in sports to girl so much that
Senior Carl Amaral said, ―I better not lose or
I will cry.‖
Senior Rob Kirkner stated, ―I feel a need
to not only assert my masculinity by beating
her, but a need to save my masculinity by
beating her. Some manly impulse urges
me to destroy her.‖
While the guys are more focused on not
losing, the girls are a little bit more concerned about winning. Junior Jenny Giannopoulos said about competing against a
guy, ―I would definitely get extremely
pumped. It would make me try so much
harder because girls don‘t normally get the
same credit as guys do. So beating them
would just be an incredible feeling!‖
However, girls will often just look at a
guy like another competitor. Sophomore
Katrina Adams said, ―I play ice hockey so
I‘m used to playing with guys. At first, I
think it‘s intimidating, but then you just
forget they‘re guys and just play the
game.‖
While a guy feeling he must win may
be a sexist feeling, I think it is a belief
which many guys can not escape. Male
and female athletes are labeled by their
gender. However, an athlete should be
labeled as just that, an athlete. Maybe
when that happens there will be equal
respect and recognition between male
and female, and through this maybe that
sexist belief that it‘s embarrassing to lose
to a girl will vanish. Hopefully I too can
one day overcome my sexist feelings
about losing to a girl.
Page 11
The Purple Press
section, the favorite is the Connecticut
Huskies. The Huskies, led by sophomore
Rudy Gay, show a lot of size, experience, and depth on the bench. Other
teams to watch out for are the two seed
Tennessee Volunteers who got its highest
seed in school history, despite losing four
of their last six games, the number three
seeded North Carolina Tar Heels led by
coach Roy Williams who graduated their
seven leading scorers from last year, but
had the best draft class and wound up
getting a higher seed than anyone
thought.
The Illinois Fighting Illini, led by senior
guard Dee Brown and senior center
James Augustine, have great experience but are very inconsistent. The
Washington Huskies and the Michigan
State Spartans bring a lot of experience
to this bracket and are both a threat on
the court. I believe the team that will be
Page 12
in the Final Four out of
this bracket will be the Connecticut Huskies. I see the Huskies making the Final
Four due to their depth on the bench
and the height and experience their
players bring to the table.
In the Minneapolis section most of
the experts are unsure on who will persevere. It could be number one seeded
Villanova led by the small but powerful
four guard set (Randy Foye, Allan Ray,
Mike Nardi, and Kyle Lowry). Nova has
gotten its highest rank in school history
and is looking to make it to the Final
Four. The top nine seeds in this section
are all teams to beware. The Ohio St.
Buckeyes have no depth on the bench,
but are led by the Big Ten player of the
year Terence Dials and have won
eleven of their last thirteen games. The
third seeded Florida Gators are coming
off their second straight SEC tournament
title, and rely
deeply on their five starters who all average in
double figures.
The Boston College Eagles got the four seed
in the Minneapolis section and are definitely a
team to watch out for come tournament time.
The Eagles are led by forward Craig Smith who
was one of two players in school history to have
2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
The Nevada Wolf Pack are led by two time
WAC player of the year Nick Fazekas, and have
won 14 games in a row coming into the NCAA
Tournament. The Georgetown Hoyas, Arizona
Wildcats, and Wisconsin Badgers all show strong
ability to make a run in the tournament, but all
lack tournament experience and are very inconsistent. If I had to pick a team out of this section I would pick either Villanova, or Boston College. Both teams bring great leadership and
play very well in big games.
One thing everyone has to watch out for
The Purple Press
They‘re finally back this year. And yes,
I‘m talking about our Philadelphia Flyers.
They came back from their year-long break
and they were expected to be great. Looking back at the almost-finished season,
they‘ve done well for the most part. They
had their injuries and every other excuse on
why they lost another game. Overall, their
season has been good, but lately has been
terrible.
The season didn‘t start out well for the
Flyers, losing their first game at home to the
New York Rangers 3-5. They played better in
the second game and throughout the first
half of the season. The last six games before
the Olympics, the Flyers were 2-4. At that
time, Forsberg was out with a groin injury.
Despite the groin injury, Forsberg decided
to join Sweden for the Olympics in Torino,
which they won. Most fans, coaches, and
trainers here in the U.S. didn‘t agree with his
decision to play, but Sweden thought otherwise. He didn‘t get much playing time, but
he played and came back for the Flyers for
the first game after break. Over the break,
they were supposed to get everyone back
and healthy for the first game.
Simon Gagne also went to the Olympics
to play for Canada. In his last game, he hurt
his knee. The Canadian doctors checked
him out and he received an MRI. It turns out
he has a bruised bone in his knee. He was
expected to be out for two weeks, but he
returned on March 6th for the Montreal
game. In December, he also missed five
games because of a groin injury. Another
injured key player was the right wing, Sami
Kapanen. During the off season, he was
recovering from a knee injury. Also during
when they are filling out a bracket is upsets.
Some of the upsets I will be picking this year
are the Southern Illinois Salukis making it to
the Sweet 16, Pittsburgh making it to the
Elite 8, and Michigan State making it to the
Elite 8. I can see the Salukis upsetting West
Virginia in the first round, because of their
outstanding defense and four game win
streak. I can see the fifth seeded Pittsburgh
Panthers making it to the Elite 8 because of
the outstanding play of their 7-foot junior
Aaron Gray. Gray was the only Big East
player to average a double-double (14
points and 10 rebounds), and looks to continue his double-double average in the
tournament. Michigan State is always a
team to watch out for. They haven‘t
played consistently all year but are very
talented, led by senior center Paul Davis,
senior guard Maurice Ager, and junior
guard Shannon Brown. All three players av-
The Purple Press
preseason,
he tore cartilage in his
right shoulder, which
caused him
to miss
twenty
games. During the 2004
playoffs, he
considered
retiring because of
exhaustion.
This season, it‘s the same way. Very often he takes off days to rest. Despite this,
he has had a good season with 25
points in 36 games.
Other people on the injured list include defensive player Kim Johnsson
with post concussion symptoms,
defenseman Derian Hatcher with a right
knee bruise, center Michal Handzus with
a shoulder injury, center Keith Primeau
with a concussion, and defense Chris
Therien with a head injury. Keith Primeau
is the only one expected to be out for
the rest of the season.
One player who has stepped up and
continues to stand out is goalie, Antero
Niittymaki. He played against Forsberg in
the Olympics for Finland. He won MVP in
the gold medal game, even though his
team lost. The Flyers‘ regular starting
goalie, Robert Esche, may often be replaced by Niitymaki after his excellent
performance in the Olympics. Coach
Ken Hitchcock says that Niitymaki could
erage 17 points per game and can light
it up any night.
My Final Four consists of the Duke
Blue Devils, UCLA Bruins, Connecticut
Huskies, and the Villanova Wildcats. All
four of these teams show great leadership, experience, and play very well as a
team. My predictions for the Final Four
games are Connecticut over Villanova,
and Duke over UCLA. I like Connecticut
over Villanova because the Huskies
have so much depth on the bench, and
stack up so much bigger than Nova.
They split their meetings this year and
shared the regular season title in the Big
East, but come tournament I see Connecticut in the Final.
I also like Duke over UCLA because
of the experience and maturity of J.J.
Redick and Sheldon Williams. The Blue
do well, but he wants to keep Esche in goal. He says that Nittymaki
is an up and coming player, playing his first year in the NHL. Hitchcock also said that the shots on
goal are more than the amount of
shots in the Olympics. Niitymaki can
give some contribution, but he‘s
not going to start every game.
As of press time, the Flyers‘ record is
35-20-10, a game and a half behind the first place in the Atlantic
division, the New York Rangers. The
Flyers can get to the playoffs with
no problem. However, in the playoffs, if they have trouble with injuries like
they do now, they won‘t win the Stanley
Cup. Since returning from the Olympic
break, they lost three games in a row before
winning two shootouts in the Montreal and
Carolina games. They haven‘t done so
great in shootouts this season, but they improved their shootout record to 4-5. The Flyers still are going to make the playoffs, but
they can‘t start a huge losing streak now,
especially with the recent losses to Buffalo
and Pittsburgh. They are currently fifth in the
Eastern Conference.
The big games coming up in March are
the Devils and Rangers games. They‘re in
the same conference so they will be competing for a spot in the standings. The Devils‘
game is at home on March 21st, and the
Rangers‘ game is away on March 22nd. The
regular season ends on April 18th with a
game against the New York Islanders. Support your Flyers and watch their games!
Check out their website for game times at
www.philadelphiaflyers.com.
Devils are coming off their seventh ACC
title in eight years and are looking for a National Championship. UCLA plays great defense but Duke does it on both sides of the
ball. That is why I think it will be a Duke,
Connecticut final. My pick for the national
champion this year is Connecticut. I just
can‘t see the Huskies losing with their depth
on the bench, great three point shooting,
shot blocking, and the way the team plays
together.
The most exciting, unpredictable tournament is underway! The greatest prize in college basketball can be taken by any team,
it all depends on how the teams play come
tournament time. So, check your brackets
because March Madness 2006 will be an
amazing finale to the men‘s college basketball season.
Page 13
Now, I know when many of you think
about going to a track meet, words like
‗exciting, thrilling and lots of action‘ don‘t
usually come to mind. Yes, I have to admit
even as a track participant, the meets can
often get a little long, exhausting, and boring. It‘s not that there aren‘t good athletes
participating, but most of the time only the
first few heats are exciting because that‘s
when the best athletes compete. However, on February 24th I took a little road trip
to Penn State for the High School State
Track and Field Championship meet. This
competition featured the top high school
athletes in the entire state, and these kids
were amazing. The words ‗wow, they are
incredible‘ were constantly running through
my mind.
Phoenixville was very well-represented
at the meet with four athletes participating.
Jake Holler, a senior, and Tony Shirk, a
sophomore, both had spectacular appearances in the pole vaulting department.
Tony stated ―It was very overwhelming to
be the youngest pole vaulter there. I was
so nervous in the beginning and I wasn‘t
warming up well. Once I took my first
jump though, I calmed down and focused.‖ Tony placed 5th in the state with a
jump of 14‘. Jake came out strong and
reached a new personal record of 13‘6‖,
leading him to place 10th in the state. In
reflecting on his performance Jake stated,
―States was a whole new game. I‘ve
never had that many people watch me
compete. I‘ll tell you one thing; I definitely
didn‘t need ‗Eye of the Tiger‘ to get my
adrenaline pumping. As far as performance, I wouldn‘t be more proud of Tony,
being so young and doing so well. It gives
me confidence by showing up to meets
with him. For me, I‘m just glad I didn‘t noheight.‖
Dan Smith, a Phoenixville Area High
School senior hurdler, ran an 8.48 after
qualifying for the semi finals. This time allowed him to clinch 13th in the state. ―I‘m
honored to be amongst such great com-
petitors and it‘s humbling to know that
people are seeing my name on the list all
over PA. I really appreciate my coach
Dave Cain and the help I‘ve been receiving from Coach Tiger.‖ Junior Rachel Yodis
participated in the 800 and ran a time of
2:22.67, ranking her 20th in the state! For
her, ―Going to Penn State to run was really
nerve-racking for me because some girls
could run more than 10 seconds faster
than me, and then there are entire heats
of girls within only a second of my best
time! Being so nervous about the competition usually makes me over-think the race,
and states was no exception, but I think I
did OK, and I‘m just glad it‘s all over!‖
The meet was a great event to witness
and I‘m sure it was incredible to participate in. These four athletes are among
some of the top athletes in the whole state
and that is something to be proud of. To
attend and place in a state meet is such
an extraordinary accomplishment and
they all deserve a lot of recognition for
their dedication and success!
Are you an observant person, or do you just go through life oblivious to what‘s around you?
Well, take this quiz to find out! We didn‘t write the quiz (it came to us as a chain letter email)
but that‘s okay. LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU REALLY ARE.
1.
On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2.
What is on the back of the U.S. quarter? (before state quarters came out)
3.
In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4.
What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label?
5.
What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
6.
When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
7.
How many matches are in a standard pack?
8.
On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?
9.
What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
10.
Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
11.
Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
12.
How many channels on a VHF TV dial? (Yes, the old TVs)
13.
On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons (when worn)?
14.
Which way do fans rotate (as you look at it)?
15.
How many corners does a stop sign have?
16.
Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
17.
How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
18.
How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
19.
Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
20.
How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
21.
On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?
22.
On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
23.
There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
24.
How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
25.
Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?
Page 14
The Purple Press
Imagine being at a concert with hundreds of people packed into a venue. The opening act just
finished, everyone is anxious and they‘re all waiting for the feature presentation. The band takes the
stage, Joseph Milligan opens up their first song with one of his awesome guitar riffs…. How did you manage to get tickets to this amazing Anberlin concert!?!?!
In 2002 when Anberlin signed with Tooth and Nail Records, you could tell that this group of Florida
boys was going to be nothing less than amazing. The band has an astounding line up with singer Stephen
Christan, guitarist Joseph Milligan, bassist Deon Rexroat and Nate Young on the drums. Together these
band members make a fantastic quartet. Joseph Milligan‘s guitar riffs drive tracks like ―Paperthin Hymn,‖
―The Feel Good Drag‖ and ―Runaways‖ to the peak. Nate Young and Deon Rexroat lay down a
solid groundwork that intensifies the songs. All this, with Steven Christan‘s amazing vocals, make
this band a must see.
After only one year of being together, the band produced their debut album. Blueprints for
the Black Market hit stores in 2003. Within a short period of time hundreds of thousands of copies
of this album were in many households and stores all over America. The selling of this album was
much greater than expected. It not only surprised the executives of Tooth and Nail Records, but
also the band itself. Anberlin gained a reputation that they could easily back. They soon joined
tours with bands like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Story of the Year.
Two years after their debut album the wait was over, and the wait was about to pay off.
On February 1st 2005 they released their second album, Never Take Friendship Personal. On this
album they have many hit songs that keep fans on their feet. The lyrics that the band writes together can‘t go unnoticed. Their songs send out powerful messages and have great meaning to
them. The song ―Runaways‖ opens up with the lyrics. ―Come closer now/ I know your desire is to be desired/
Steal a kiss and call us friends/Distance is a thief in which you conspire‖
Other songs have a more starry-eyed feeling, like the lyrics of the song ―Time and Confusion‖: ―When memories fade/ we‘ve got each other/ when time and confusion collide/ singin‘ I hold it all when I hold you.‖
You can listen to Anberlin on www.myspace.com/anberlin, or you can go to www.anberlin.com to look for tour dates or buy CD‘s.
You can also buy this alternative pop/rock CD on eBay for much cheaper than it is in stores if you don‗t feel like spending tons of
money. This isn‘t one of those albums where you skip a song you don‘t like. You‘ll like every single track!
Ed Kennedy is a lame underage cabdriver without
much of a future. He plays a card game called Annoyance and
drinks coffee with his smelly dog, The Doorman, for fun. Did I mention he‘s hopelessly in love with his best friend Audrey? Can you
say LOSER? For him, everything is the same until he is held up at a
bank during a robbery. Somehow he builds up the courage to stop
it in a very interesting way! For a few days he‘s in the headlines…
―Deadbeat Local Saves Money & Lives.‖ He is sitting home one
night when the phone rings. An unknown someone (I can‘t say
who) tells him to go out to his mailbox. He does and finds a playing
card. It is the ace of diamonds, to be exact. It has three addresses
written on the front. Right then and there he becomes the messenger. The messenger of what, you ask? You will need to read the
book to find out. Sorry!
The other characters who play major roles in this book are Audrey, Marv and Ritchie; they are Ed‘s best friends. He tells them
about the card, but they basically look at him as if he‘s crazy. He
later lies about throwing the card away. He secretly helps people
receive ―the message.‖ He works hard and completes the entire
task that comes along with this card and others (all aces).
three movie titles to his best friends. All
three of the main actors in the movies
have the first names of his friends like Audrey Hepburn for Audrey. He has to help
three people he has known all of his life
receive their ―message.‖ These are the
hardest tasks of all the come with the
cards. During the completion of the
cards, within a total of six months, a lot
of really exciting things happen.
The author, Markus Zusak, received
the Children‘s Book Council of Australia‘s Book of the Year Award for I am
the Messenger. This is an extremely
good book; if I were a real critic I would definitely give it 5
out of 5 stars. You should seriously read this book because it makes
you see life in someone else‘s shoes. I recommend this book to
anyone who‘s in for a good laugh and a long story. I read it for a
week straight whenever I had a chance because it‘s really that
good!
My favorite scene is towards the end of the book when Ed receives the last ace, which is the suit of hearts. He has to match up
The Purple Press
Page 15
Brokeback Mountain stars two of Hollywood‘s hottest young actors in a groundbreaking love epic. For
the first time in cinema history, a mainstream movie
focuses on a secret romance between two cowboys, showing its complications, triumphs, and blissful
yet sorrowful moments.
Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist
(Jake Gyllenhaal) become well acquainted after
spending a summer sheepherding to earn money
on a scenic mountain in Wyoming. Alone together in the
mountains with no one but sheep to keep them company, they
soon get tired of their daily routine as well as their unchanging dinner of refried beans. One night the brisk weather causes Ennis to
sleep in the same tent as Jack, and the rest is history. From that
point on the two men are secretly enamored with each other, but
pretended otherwise because of the restrictions of American society in the 1960s. Back then, if you proclaimed yourself to be gay,
you would be lynched. Knowing this, they choose to hide their love
by creating aliases, getting married, having children and living several hours away from each other. However, a few times a year for
two decades they reunite on Brokeback Mountain and imagine
what it could be like if they could always be together. This film has
won four Golden Globes and three Oscars, but is it really worth all
of the attention and admiration it has been given?
The press concentrates on the film‘s controversy, and stress that
its innovation makes it spectacular. I disagree. Brokeback Mountain
should be studied and admired strictly as one would view a classic
piece of literature. The reason it is so well admired is because no
one has previously ever created a homosexually themed movie
good enough to win an Oscar. It openly displays and discusses a
homosexual romance and proves that such a relationship is a true
form of human love that should not be frowned on, disapproved of
and restricted by society. It has the potential to be a great love
story, but their deceitfulness truly hampers that possibility. Novelist
Larry McMurtry spoke of the Brokeback story he and Diana Ossana
―Yo dawg, I‘m really feelin‘ you
man.‖ ―That was beautiful…and I LOVE
that outfit!‖ ―That was horrific. You have
the personality of a hippo.‖ There is only
one show where you would hear all of
those words, and all in the same night.
American Idol is BACK for Season 5. And
of course, our beloved judges are back
too: Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and
Simon Cowell. Oh…and we certainly
cannot forget the sometimes corny, but
still cute and entertaining host of the
show, Ryan Seacrest.
This season kicked off like every other
season, with the American Idol crew
traveling to seven different cities across
the United States to find the next BIG
music star. All different people, with different personalities and different backgrounds, come out to audition and
hope to hear those magical words,
―You‘re going Hollywood!!!‖ Randy,
Paula, and Simon judged each of the
contestants not only on their voice, but
Page 16
adapted from Annie Proulx's short
story: ―It's a tragedy, not a success
story. It doesn't wave the banner of
triumph over the homosexual lifestyle
or any lifestyle.‖ By hiding their romance, they are lying to and cheating
on their wives for more than twenty
years, as well as abandoning their children for long periods of time. Their lives
are absolutely miserable because all
they can think
about is each other and their impossible
romance instead of doing something about it, or moving on. It is
that betrayal that caused me to dislike the movie.
In my personal opinion, no love story can ever be considered
phenomenal if it is consistently about adultery, dishonesty, betrayal, insensitivity, and corruption. Even a heterosexual relationship story would be frowned upon if its main basis was on an affair. If Ang Lee was trying to show the world the truth and beauty
of a homosexual relationship, he failed. Ennis and Jack realized
that they couldn‘t show their love for each other publicly if they
wanted to live, and knew that they couldn‘t be together around
their wives, but they weren‘t wise enough to discontinue the affair even when it threatened to ruin both of their lives forever.
Such a mistake would be judged as stupidity no matter what
gender the people involved happened to be. They should have
come down off the mountain and back to reality, breaking off
the affair and going back to the responsibilities they swore
they‘d fulfill until death. They were blind to think that no one
would ever find out about their romance.
If you would like to see this movie to admire its courage for
breaking the unspoken love barrier, I still would recommend it.
The acting is truly amazing, even if the story line isn‘t. Go see
Brokeback Mountain for its scenery, the good looking cast, and
to see something that‘s unique. Just don‘t expect it to be your
typical romance movie, as they don‘t live happily ever after.
also the person‘s confidence and personality. What seems to be a key factor in this
year‘s competition is what Simon calls the
―Likeability Factor.‖ It‘s not enough to just
have a good voice anymore. Contestants
must have a personality that appeals to
many people, and something special that
makes them stand out among the rest.
One thing that I have noticed about this
season is that looks don‘t seem to be as important as they have been in the past, when
it comes to who made it to Hollywood. In
the past Simon has either refused or been
really hesitant about sending people to Hollywood because they do not look like an
American Idol. However, this season several
hopefuls of many different shapes, sizes and
styles made it through. Even the sweet 16year old Kevin Covais, who looks a little
nerdy and has a lisp, showed the judges that
talent and personality are far more important than the way a person looks.
After the auditions, hundreds of contestants were flown to Hollywood where the
competition heated up and became cut
throat. First the hopefuls sang a song in front
of everyone by themselves, and people got
cut. Then in the next round, the contestants
were forced to put aside one another‘s differences and put together a group performance. And then…more people got cut. In
the last round of the Hollywood auditions,
the contestants once again sang alone in
front of everyone, a song of their choice.
This was the last chance for the hopefuls to
impress the judges before their fate was in
the hands of the American audience. After
evaluating everyone‘s overall performance,
from the original hometown audition to the
present time, the judges narrowed down the
group to 24 contestants.
For the next stage of the competition,
each week the contestants sang a song of
their choice live in front of an American audience. America then voted for which contestants they would like to see in the top 12.
Over a three week period, six guys and six
gals were knocked out of the competition
The Purple Press
March 21 – April 20
You‘ve just won the lottery! What do you plan on
doing next? Okay, you didn‘t really win the lottery but you feel like it this month. Everything
seems to be going your way. Your parents aren‘t
bugging you about getting a job, and you
passed those tests you didn‘t study for. Things will
stay this good for a little while longer. So, have
fun with what you do!
Don‘t forget to ask out the Scorpio that
you want to be your valentine!
This Month: Wear a Burger King crown!
You‘ve have been saving up your money and
it‘s burning a hole in your pocket, so spend it!
Treat yourself and one of your pals to the
movies. If you head to Oaks, you could also
hit up Max & Erma‘s or Target too. See something funny to make you laugh because you
want it to be a fun night out!
Soon you will find that you excel in a
class/sport. You will be surprised at your
quick learning and passion for it. You will
find a surprise waiting for you at the end
of the week in the most unusual place. Be
on the lookout for your little brother/sister
going through your room when you get
home.
This Month: Change the background on your
computer.
This month: Chew your gum on the other
side of your mouth.
August 24 – September 23
November 23 – December 21
Be on the look out for cavities. Your sweet
tooth is going to be screaming this month.
You are going to have a bad sleeping week
because all the sugar from the candy will
keep you up late. Be prepared to have a
hard week in school. Your classes might be
difficult when you are half asleep.
This week your social life will be cut down.
You will get more homework than you
expected to get. That major thing that
you have wanted to do will just have to
wait. Your education must come first! To
you there is nothing more important than
your grades. Get that research paper
done!
April 21 – May 21
You‘ve spent a lot of time on the couch this winter watching TV and enjoying hot chocolate.
You only go out with your buddies when they
beg you and it makes you feel guilty. It‘s time to
play catch up with your old self and have some
fun. Maybe you guys could plan a trip to the city
or go see a game!
This Month: Make Hot Pocket‘s or Hungry Man.
May 22 – June 21
You‘re counting down the days until summer
and it‘s only March! Maybe it‘s time to break out
and try something new. Maybe take up scrap
booking or if you‘re the more adventurous type
there is always rock climbing. Summer will be
here before you know it. Just keep yourself occupied in the meantime.
This Month: Read your cereal box.
June 22 – July 23
You can‘t seem to make up your mind about
anything at all. I know you‘ve probably heard
this before but follow your heart, even if you
head doesn‘t think its right. At first you‘ll feel a
little iffy about the situation but give it some time.
until there were only 12
remaining competitors.
By the time you read this,
there will only be 11 left!
Though all of the contestants are amazing
performers and have
talented voices, I believe
that this season, the boys
are outshining the girls.
And the American Idol
this year WILL be a boy,
the first boy since season
two when Ruben Studdard won. If I could predict the final two right now, I would say that
we‘re going to see Taylor Hicks and Ace
Young in the finale. Neither have the best
voice, but they do have great personalities
that would make them the PERFECT American Idol.
American Idol airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8:00pm on FOX. Be sure to watch
and vote for who you think is the next American Idol!
The Purple Press
This Month: Get some smiley face stickers at
Wal–Mart.
This month: Talk to your stuffed animals.
October 24 – November 22
July 24 – August 23
This month: Do a crazy dance in the hallway.
September 24 – October 23
You will meet a very strange person this week,
but be nice! He/she might become close to
your heart and might even become your best
friend. This week you will get more hours at
work, so you can buy that little something that
you‘ve had your eye on for the past couple
months.
This month: Chug a Slurpee.
December 22- January 20
Be prepared for a fight with a close friend
or someone you love. He/she needs
some time alone. Give her some space. If
she loves you like she says she does, then
you will be back in each other‘s arms very
soon. Don‘t be too pushy or you could
lose each other forever. On the bright
side, your hair looks great today!
This month: Re-organize your room.
January 21 – February 19
You will catch a flu sometime this month
and miss some school. But don‘t be worried, you will keep up on all of your work.
This month you will be a little crabby. Your
brother/ sister will try to push your buttons
but don‘t let them get to you. They only
do it because they know that they can.
This month: Eat all of the marshmallows
out of the Lucky Charms box.
February 20 – March 20
You‘ve been working extremely hard so
far this month, which has had a great
effect on your grades. Keep up the good
work! Since you‘ve been doing so well,
you should treat yourself to a night out on
the town with a few close friends. Enjoy it
because you really deserve it!
This Month: Try a Shamrock Shake at
McDonald‘s.
Page 17
Here they are! The answers to Who Would Be Your Celebrity Prom Date?
Didn‘t take the quiz yet? That‘s ok, go back to page 8-9 to take it!
Your perfect celebrity prom date would be
Johnny Depp. His laid back style would make it
easy for you to just call him up and ask him to
the prom. He would be completely about you
and make sure you had the time of your life
while being able to have fun himself. He would
be completely into the idea of going to
F.O.C.U.S after prom but if someone approach him while at the
prom or at F.O.C.U.S he would apologize to them and say that
this is your night and he doesn‘t want to take that away.
Your perfect celebrity
prom date would be Angelina Jolie. She would show
up at your house before
prom and actually come in
and talk to your family. She
would keep the dinner conversation to the normal ―getting to know you‖
type. She would not be too overbearing, but
would make sure you definitely had the perfect
prom and make it a night to remember.
Your perfect celebrity prom
date would be Pierce Brosnan.
Mr. Bond would show up in a
limo when picking you up,
keeping it classy and chic. After
the prom he would take you to
the beach to spend the rest of the night while telling you about his career and what his future plans
are.
Your perfect celebrity prom date would be
Paris Hilton. She would keep things ―hott‖ by
blaring her favorite tunes in the car the whole
way to the prom. She would wait for you outside and honk the horn so as not to be late to
the prom. She would tell you all about her
book and what‘s coming up in her life, but making sure you
have a ―hott‖ night.
Your perfect celebrity prom date
would be Jimmy Fallon. He would
make you feel so completely comfortable that you would have no
problem just walking up to him and
asking him to go to the prom with
you. When he met your family he
would be cracking jokes left and right and making
them laughing constantly. In the car he would play
pop music and lip-sync with Britney Spears. Your
prom would be perfect with Jimmy Fallon on your
arm.
Your perfect celebrity prom date would be
Debra Messing. She would keep the jokes
rolling as you two arrived at the prom. During
dinner she would ask all about you, wanting
to know who you are, and where you come
from (if not from Earth). After the prom you
two would go home, just watch T.V. and
cuddle, being completely comfortable with each other‘s
company. There would be no Will with this Grace, it would be
all you.
Your perfect celebrity
prom date would be Keith
Urban. His Aussie manner
would be perfect for you
on your night. He would
pick you up in his pick-up
truck and take you to the
prom, country style. When you get to the prom
people who come up to him would get a smile
and he would promise to give them autographs
after the prom has ended. He would make sure
your night is perfect…no matter what.
Your perfect celebrity prom date would be
Faith Hill. You wouldn‘t have to worry about
asking her to the prom because you would
be lucky enough to win her company for
the night in a charity auction. She would
arrive at your house a smiling beauty, shy at
first, but warming up as the conversations
progress. During dinner you two would be so
comfortable together she would have you pouring out your
deepest, darkest thoughts to her. She would make your prom
the perfect night.
The Purple Press
―Heights.‖
- Colleen Gallagher
―Cops.‖
―Getting lost while
following directions to a new
place.‖
- Mike Matzik
―Our server crashing
during a live morning
telecast.‖
- Mrs. Capasso
- Mr. Carucci
―LOSING.‖
- Mr. Singer
―Not succeeding in life.‖
- Christine Segarra
―Getting
cheated on by
my husband.‖
- Jenny Giannopoulos
―Singing in front
of a crowd‖
- Mr. McColl
―Needles.‖
- Joanne Doherty
―Being killed by a drunk driver.‖
- Krista Gerstenberger
“Suffocating in
an elevator.‖
- Kelly Moser
―Dominican water.‖
―Spiders.‖
- Dakota Quay
―Drowning.‖
- Chris Green
―Losing one of my
children‖
- Mr. Kaskey
The Purple Press
- Mike Coleman
―Eating the track in
a hurdle race‖
- Dan “Jamaica”
Smith
Page 19
3/17: Boys Lacrosse vs. Methacton
3/21, 3/22: PSSA & Terra Nova testing
3/22: Track vs. Great Valley
3/23: Boys Tennis vs. St. Pius
3/24: Baseball vs. St. Pius
3/24: Girls Lacrosse vs. Pottstown
3/24: Q102 Dance in the gym 7:00 pm
3/25: Track — Phoenix Relays
3/27, 3/28: PSSA & Terra Nova testing
3/27: Softball vs. Upper Perkiomen
3/29: Softball vs. Pottstown
3/30: High School Fashion Show 7:00 pm
3/31: Baseball vs. Owen J. Roberts
4/4: Boys Tennis vs. Owen J. Roberts
4/5: Girls Lacrosse vs. Pottsgrove
4/5: High School Choral Concert
** All games/matches listed are HOME events