By Charles Hanlon

On May 17, the Greater Philadelphia Cappies Award Gala took place. For those of you not familiar with the Cappies, they are a group of high school students that review local high school theater productions. At the end of the year, the Cappies nominate the best plays in the area for awards. For such a small school, such as PAHS, in the second largest Cappies organization in North America, to even be nominated is an honor.

However, the Cappies nominated Phoenixville for eight Cappie awards, including Best Production. As part of this nomination, Phoenixville students had to perform a “trailer,” in movie terms, of their play Twelfth Night. After several rehearsals, run-throughs, and a pizza dinner, the Phoenixville nominees got their chance to walk down the red carpet.

This year, of the 8 Cappie nominations, Phoenixville’s Twelfth Night received one award. Owen Howsen took home the Cappie award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Those roaming the halls can view the Cappie award in the display case outside of Frau Tavani’s room in the main hallway.

As Owen accepted the award, he thanked his friends, family, Mr. Porter, and most of all the cast and crew of Twelfth Night. As he returned to his seat, he was swarmed by his fellow students as they hugged and congratulated him.

As always, the Cappies would not exist without the aid of student critics. Students interested in becoming Cappies should talk with Frau Tavani. With your help, next year’s Cappies can be the best ever!

Kathryn Sutton
As the Vulcans say, “Live long and prosper,” a suiting motto for the Star Trek series. After decades, the futuristic films are back and just as action packed as always, proving the longevity and prosperity of this classic series. This latest movie, Star Trek (the eleventh in the series), surpassed expectations of a mediocre movie for oldies fans, and turned out to be an adventurous journey into the future with a skillful melding of the past Star Treks. Even young people can enjoy this blast from the past.

Serving as a prequel to the original films and TV series, Star Trek introduces the characters and shows how they got their start on the U.S.S. Enterprise. The movie opens with action and drama as the captain of the U.S.S. Kelvin is murdered on board a Romulan ship, and the acting captain, George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), must evacuate all survivors on the Kelvin before they are also killed. To protect the fleeing refugees, Kirk stays behind on the ship and propels it into the Romulan ship, dying just as his son, James T. Kirk, is born on a fleeing shuttle.

Years later, when James Kirk (Chris Pine) is a young adult, he gives up his reckless life on Earth to follow in his father’s footsteps and joins Starfleet, a military organization to keep the peace and explore new worlds in the universe. At the academy, three years later, Kirk cheats on the “unbeatable” Kobayashi Maru test, showing that he hasn’t changed much during training. In the midst of his hearing for cheating on the test, Starfleet receives a distress call from planet Vulcan and a fleet is mobilized. Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Kirk’s friend from the academy, smuggles Kirk onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and they depart.

Recognizing the similarities between the distress call and what happened to his father’s ship, the Kelvin, Kirk warns Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood), of the Enterprise that they are falling into a trap. Wary of the danger, the Enterprise arrives late to Vulcan, only to find that the entire dispatched fleet has been destroyed. With no choice, the captain of the Enterprise promotes commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) to Captain and Kirk to First Mate, and is taken onboard the Romulan ship. The Enterprise escapes, but the planet Vulcan is destroyed by the Romulans and Spock’s mother dies, along with most of the other Vulcans. After being faced by a situation similar to his father’s years before, James Kirk must earn control of the Enterprise to destroy the Romulan ship before it destroys Earth and all of the other planets of the Federation.

With the fantasy of time travel, the science of alternate universes, and the reality of complex human emotions, Star Trek is a well-balanced film. There is just enough sci-fi to satisfy hard core Star Trek fans while entertaining people who aren’t as fond of science fiction. It was a nice touch to have actors that closely resemble the original actors, and in this sense the casting was phenomenal. Leonard Nimoy from the original TV series also played Spock’s father and Spock as an old man, and Majel Barrett Roddenberry was brought back to voice the Starfleet computer. This is a great movie to see with fans of the original series, but perfectly fun for people new to the series as well. Star Trek is an exciting revival of the Star Trek series, and hopefully this is the first of many more Star Trek films to come.

By: Alexander Miller

I’m sure you’ve all seen a cast of senior guys walking around with abnormal attire on. One day, I was walking down the hallway when I saw what I thought was a giant girl walking, when in reality it was a senior dressed in short shorts and other feminine attire. Another day, I just woken up from sleeping in study hall and my eyes were really fuzzy. I was walking down the hallway and I thought there were fire balls flying up and down, no lie. I pulled my glasses off the top of my head down over my eyes, and I saw this cast of seniors in orange shirts jumping over the white blocks on the floor. On yet another day, I saw that SAME cast of seniors wearing beach attire. They had on sunglasses, safari hats, and bathing suits, with towels around their necks! I thought they were going on a field trip! Have I been seeing things?

One day, while sitting hanging out, Anthony Nattle, Maxx Bilodeau, Dan Kochinsky, Mark Rodgers, John Wieland, Ryan Kuhns, and Joe Kovach decided to wear crazy outfits on various “theme days” just for the fun of it. “We just wanted to do something fun before we graduated,” stated Joe Kovach. Not only were these outfits utterly hilarious, they will definitely leave a lasting impression in our minds! “We like to stand out,” Joe also stated. Each of the theme days were created by one of the seniors listed above. Anthony Nattle came up with beach day, a day where they all wore beach attire, including towels, sunglasses and safari hats! John Wieland thought of the really short shorts day, a day that… well… I’m sure the day’s name explains it all. Joe Kovach came up with Lava day, a day where these seniors wore orange colored shirts. They also needed to avoid the white floor tiles and only step on the colored ones, regardless of what it took, whether it was by using a backpack bridge, or climbing on railings. A group effort came up with the “Day 1” dress up day, a day where formal “church” attire was worn to school.

Each of the theme days gave everyone a great laugh. Not only were they creative, they were funny. Good clean fun. I think we will all miss the humor these seniors had to offer PAHS and I hope that someone from the junior class will take over the theme day tradition next year.

By: Laura Gronski

April 17th was a night of great anticipation as the audience waited in their seats, anxious to see what was in store for them in the Mr. Phoenixville pageant. As the lights dimmed and the show was about to start the audience grew quiet and the contestants came out dancing. The contestants strutted their stuff, showing off their moves and swagger for the judges. This year’s contestants included Ducky Ryan, John Wieland, Scott Crabtree, Steve Ng, Ryan Kother, Mike Randolph and Jordan Mattiola. The judges for the night were Ms. Scerbo, Mr. Gnias and Mr. Anthony, the student teacher for Ms. Santry. The hosts for the evening were seniors Steve Sabia and Kyriq Williams.

For the first event was the Swimsuit Competition. This event was full of bikinis, sarongs and grass skirts. The contestants were announced and soon paraded down the runway. Each contestant fiercely walked across the stage, boldly portraying their bodies in bikinis. John Wieland rocked the Hawaiian look, wearing a grass skirt on stage.

Next came the talent portion of the night which was kicked off with Ducky’s rap about the school. Next came one of the favorite performances of the night that had the audience cheering and singing. John Wieland sang “I Love Phoenixville,” a parody of Asher Roth’s song “I Love College.” Steve Ng showed off his dance skills, starting with some hip-hop moves and ending with an interpretive dance to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. Mrs. Dippell was the main focus throughout many contestants’ acts, including Scott Crabtree’s act. He sang a song about missing Mrs. Dippell. Mike Randolph challenged and won in a triathlon against Ducky, which included a tricycle race down the aisles of the auditorium and a jousting fight on computer chairs. Jordan Mattiola put on a live singing performance, while playing his guitar. Ryan Kother ended the talent part of the evening with his stage performance of Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em “Kiss Me Through the Phone” with Steve Sabia and Kyriq as his background dancers.

After a short intermission the contestants were back to show off their evening gowns with their female escorts. One of the favorite gowns was John Wieland’s, whose red and white polka dotted dress was claimed by Steve to be “inspired by Minnie Mouse.” While many of the contestants walked to the stage accompanied by their escorts, Kother was carried up to the stage by his escort, Ruth Jasienski. All the other contestants looked good in their gowns, strutting down the aisles of the auditorium, eager to be reviewed by the judges.

Your browser may not support display of this image. As the judges deliberated who would win, the audience murmured quietly, waiting eagerly for Steve and Kyriq to read the ballot aloud. Everyone in the auditorium grew quiet as the winner was about to be announced. Steve Ng and Jordan Mattiola were announced as this year’s runners up and this year’s Mr. Phoenixville 2009 was… John Wieland! Congratulations to John and the rest of the contestants for a great show! You looked beautiful.

Kathleen Pellegrino


Phoenixville Boys’ Tennis has come a long way since the Pac-10 first started in 1985-1986. Since then the team had a 196 winning streak in the Pac-10 and were Pac- 10 champions every year since, but this year suffered a Pac- 10 loss to Methacton. This is Methacton’s first season in the Pac-10 league. Phoenixville also lost to them last year in a non-league match. The team got a little down because of the loss, but Coach Scoda (and mayor of Phoenixville) was still very proud of the team. He said, “I look back at this team and I think that 196 wins in a row is a great accomplishment.” Coach Scoda has been coaching tennis in Phoenixville for 46 years. His assistant coaches are Mr. Zittel and volunteer Mr. Curley. Former PAHS student and tennis star Wanzell Flemming also volunteered time to lead the team to success.

Despite the breaking of their streak, this season went very well for the tennis team. They finished 7-1 in the Pac-10, 2-2 in the non league, and 1-1 at districts, putting them at 10 -4 overall. Unfortunately, due to the rainy weather the team was not able to play a few of their matches. They usually play about 14 matches, but only played 12 (not counting district matches).

The eight senior players rotated as the team captains; John Reading played at 2nd singles, Yusuf Brown and Steve Ng played at 1st doubles, Mike Reeves and Adam Leggieri were at 2nd doubles, Kyle Taylor and James Churgai were at 3rd doubles, and Kyle Eldridge played at 4th doubles. Not only were the seniors the leaders of the team, but some of the underclassmen acted as leaders as well. Steve Tassone at 1st singles won the Pac-10 Singles Championship. Mike Potts was solid at third singles. At the Boyertown match John McInally, who usually played at 4th doubles, was able to step up into third singles as a replacement and win his match. Freshman Doug Reeves also played in a few varsity matches.

Steve Tassone and John Reading finished 2nd at Pac-10 doubles behind Methacton. They qualified for district doubles, as did Yusuf Brown and Steve Ng, who went undefeated in the league at first doubles. In districts the team beat Octorara 5-0 but lost to Lower Moreland 2-3 in the semifinals. Steve Tassone reached the semifinals of district singles. John Reading and Steve Tassone got to the final of district doubles, almost making it to states.

Sadly, the team will lose eight key players to graduation. The seniors provided some advice to the returning players. Kyle Taylor said, “Looking back on tennis I’ve realized that you can’t just go out there and play, you have to put in the extra work and practice a lot. And make sure that at every moment you’re trying your hardest.” Mike Reeves said, “Take your time in a match, be focused and listen to what the coaches have to say.”

Tennis is a year round sport. Just because the season ends at the end of May doesn’t mean tennis is over. To have experience you have to play a lot. There’s no better time to get ready for next season than right now. A lot of the players will be a part of the Mr. Scoda’s Summer Tennis Program that takes place here at the school. (See Mr. Zittel to sign up!) Coach Scoda hopes the boys (and girls) get a lot of time to play in the summer and don’t put down their rackets.

Next season definitely seems promising with the commitment that the team shows. Two returning juniors will remain the singles players, with Steve Tassone at first and Mike Potts at second. Beyond that, the team has some tough shoes to fill and some rebuilding to do. As for this season, great job boys! Now it’s time to start a new streak of wins!

Zack Weber

Over the past few weeks, PAHS has experienced quite an abnormal phenomenon that has led many to ask: is time travel really possible? March 8th, 2009 marked the annual spring Daylight Saving Time, which normally consists of advancing clocks by one hour. However, the clocks here at the high school did not comply with the change. On the contrary, since Daylight Saving Time the high school’s clocks have rotated wildly, leading to many problems throughout the school day.

The uncooperative clocks have caused much confusion among students and faculty during classes. “When is this period over?” has been replaced by “WHAT TIME IS IT ANYWAY???” Without any measure of time, test-taking took on a whole new level of difficulty. The malfunctioning clocks wreaked havoc on PSSA test-takers, and the unusual bell schedule did not help the problem. Normal, everyday activities such as signing passbooks and dismissing students from gym class have been complicated by the unruly clocks. Also, I know students (and teachers) can relate when I describe that dull class that seems to drag on and on…and on. The inability to anxiously check the time is beyond frustrating—especially when you just can’t WAIT to get to Taco Day.

Your browser may not support display of this image.So, what exactly was causing the problem? The classroom clocks are controlled by a central system that was installed in the high school several years ago. The system was set up to account for Daylight Saving Time, and the three main bell schedules were also programmed into it. However, in 2007, President Bush extended Daylight Saving Time by moving the date up four weeks in an effort to save energy and gasoline. That change, combined with the wear-and-tear on the clocks’ mechanisms, caused the system to malfunction. Consequently, the classroom clocks stopped working correctly.

The physical apparatus was finally fixed on Thursday, April 2nd. There was as an issue with the output relay in the system, and there was also a shorted circuit. The repairs were completed, and the majority of the clocks fully adjusted themselves the next morning.

The “Great Clock Catastrophe of 2009” was indeed a one-of-a-kind experience. The ordeal lasted 25 days (19 school days) and frustrated teachers and students alike. Thankfully, our (unintentional) time-travel experiment has ended.

By: Nicole Risell

Indian Chief Oren Lyons once said, “There are two times of the year that stir the blood. In the fall, for the hunt, and now for lacrosse.” There is definitely something stirring here on the PAHS lacrosse fields. With a PAC-10 record of 2-2 (2-4 overall), the Phantoms Boys’ Lacrosse team is optimistic to make the playoffs this season.

Senior captains A.J. Ryan and John Moser lead the Phantoms this season. Other seniors include Khalil Ervin, Kevin Hyland, Ryan Kuhns, Max Kulp, Chris Rossi, Matt Talarico, Dan Tornetta, and Shawn Wassel. Juniors Burke Bodo, Morgan Frees, goalie Josh Frey, Steve Kinback, John Kornaga, Tom Leupold, Mike Semenuik, Josh Sommers, Matt Viscuso, and Brian Woodall also provide the team with talent. Sophomores Vinnnie D’Innocenzo, Chris Fry, Tim Hackett, Mason Kulp, Dakota Lantrip, Bryce Morse, Evan Panepinto, Mackey Park, and Matt Randall provide depth for the Phantoms. Nineteen freshmen round out the team. The team is coached by Head Coach O’Brien and Assistant Coach Seel.

Coach Seel is eager to see how the season plays out. He defines the season as “a mixed review because we beat two PAC-10 teams and then lost to Boyertown.” After losing a lot of seniors last season, Coach Seel remains in good spirits. He said, “This year a large class of freshmen came out with a lot of skills that will definitely contribute to our successes this season.” He also said, “Any success this year will be a direct result of teamwork.” Captain AJ Ryan said, “We continue to work hard as a team and be competitive. If we keep working hard, we have a good chance of making the playoffs.”

The loss of a big group of seniors will cause a lot of changes on the field this season, but nonetheless, the Phantoms expect to play their way to many victories this year. Compared to last season, this year’s group is much more competitive in the PAC-10, already doing better than last year’s record of 5-13 (3-11 in PAC-10). The team plays against Boyertown on April 22nd. The team plays on the annex field at Valley Forge Christian College, so come out and support your Phantoms Boys’ Lacrosse team as they claw their way to victory.

By: Ryan Tigro

Perhaps you’ve been Jedi mind tricked by Ben “Kenobi” Simons, a freshman in Phoenixville High School, or have seen him wield his pencil to slay the mightiest of projects. Nothing can stop Ben Simons. Born without a left arm from the elbow down, Ben had to learn to overcome many obstacles at an early age. “Being born with one arm, I just learned to deal with things differently. It became normal and I wasn’t hindered too much,” Ben said of the use of only one arm. Ben also refused to use prosthesis, or artificial limb, when he was young, simply because it got in the way. Ben has never let his disability hinder him in any way. Ben is always an active guy and is currently participating on the school’s track and field distance team. “I also like to play soccer, run, snowboard, water-ski, hang out with friends, and am in the process of learning golf,” Ben said of his very active life-style.

One of Ben’s favorite stories is when he was at an amusement park and just got off a roller coaster. He looked into the long line and saw a bunch of kids and using his classic-happy personality, Ben raised up his one arm and claimed that he had lost it on the ride. Of course the young kids began to get upset, but not only does Ben get a good laugh out of the situation, everyone he tells the story to does as well.

In school Ben’s favorite class is Art and favorite teacher is Ms. Nesta. His favorite food is chocolate and of course his favorite movie is Star Wars with Jedi Knight, Ben “Obi-Wan” Kenobi. A Jedi is connected to the Force or life stream of everything and symbolizes an ideal way of life. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the mentor character of Luke Skywalker and Ben likes him because they share a name, he is from his favorite movie, and because Obi-Wan is one awesome Jedi. “I like Star Wars because of the way Luke overcomes his obstacles, very similar to how I do… with superior use of the Force!” Ben stated about why he enjoys the Star Wars series.

Despite bumps in the road and the obstacles an average teenager faces, Ben “Kenobi” Simons finds a way to rise above the challenges and live a very fun and busy schedule. He is a very open person and is definitely one of the coolest freshmen around. If you should see Ben on your travels in the hallways or Jedi mind tricking the teacher out of a test, tell him, “May the Force be with you.”

Kathryn Sutton

This year’s freshmen class is stepping up to the plate and leading an anti-bullying program to teach 7th grade students at the middle school about how negative bullying can be. The whole plan for the program came from former PAHS student Drew Carter’s senior project, which was presented several years ago. It was a PowerPoint presentation, which outlined a strategy to decrease bullying and get more students to care instead of ignoring the problem. So, when legislature was passed requiring all schools to have an anti-bullying program, the guidance department thought it was natural to use Drew’s ideas.

This program was further developed by freshmen in the Freshman Academy, who are responsible for putting this plan into action. Paige Ferguson, Katy Griffith, Jeremy Lander, Glendys Orellana, and Kirsten Kielburger focused time into updating Drew Carter’s power point. Dorca Salazar and Dulce Velasco, two ESL (English Second Language) students, have converted it into Spanish. The PowerPoint will be presented in classes, over the course of two days, to 7th grade students at the middle school. Abdul Kelly will give the presentation, and the ESL students from the high school will present it to ESL students in the middle school. Because Abdul Kelly is a senior, and is respected as a football player, he was chosen to present. A corresponding poster competition will also be held in the middle school; each homeroom will submit their best anti-bullying poster and the homeroom with the best poster (decided by a vote) will have a pizza party.

This terrific project was organized by freshmen students, and it promises to be a great learning experience for both the 7th graders and the freshmen involved. Next year, the guidance department would love to continue and expand the anti-bullying program. Good job and good luck in your efforts to stop bullying in our schools.

Your browser may not support display of this image.

A student being bullied

By: Nicole Risell

Speed, agility, and power are just some of the words that come to mind when talking about girls’ lacrosse. The sport of girls’ lacrosse has a long tradition of excellence here at PAHS. They ended the season last year with an impressive record of 12-8. With a current record of 5-2 (4-3 in the PAC-10), the girls’ lacrosse team is hoping to make the playoffs this season.

Leading the team this season are senior captains are Liz Jones and Becky Porter. Other seniors include Nora Gerstenberger, Julie Kachnoskie, and Kathleen Mizzi. Juniors Liz Beckerman, Tiffany Cole, Franziska Denz, Natalie Donahue, Liz Grover, Elizabeth Harris, Mariah Johnson, Emily O’Brien, Heather Parris, Taylor Schmidthuber, Kierstin Schwagerl, and Kacie Vargo are great additions to the team. Sophomores Meghan Fortmann, Karen Hayde, Casey Kobilka, Sarah Lombardi, Casey Luzins, Kat Moakes, Brianna Quay, Katie Randolph, Brandy Rogers, Britney Rohall, Kelsey Szegady, Beatriz Valdez, and Erin Watson provide the team with further talent. Fifteen freshmen round out the team.

Coach Foresta has high expectations for this season, even though it’s still early in the season and a strong group was lost from last season. Coach Foresta said, “Young players need to step it up; we can’t just rely on veterans from last year.” According to Coach Foresta, every team is good competition, but she doesn’t measure success in wins and losses. She said, “If there’s improvement from March to May, that’s success.”

Captain Liz Jones said, “As the season progresses, our growth as a team is obvious to anyone who follows our team. We are not only improving on a competitive level, but we are growing as players and bonding as a team. The girls and I are very optimistic towards our success and are looking forward to ending our season with a winning record.”

Show your support for the Lady Phantoms at their big home game against Boyertown on Monday, April 27th at 7:00 pm. Hopefully, our Lady Phantoms will experience the thrill of victory. Good luck girls!

Review by Jacob Unson

In video games nowadays, it seems like no one wants to fly jets anymore. A glance at most war-related video games these days will yield a plethora of strategy-based combat, squad-based combat and first-person shooters, but very little in the way of aerial combat. What’s that all about? Have gamers resigned the air combat genre to a life of obscurity and written it off as little more than a distraction from their knuckle-dragging, shoot-at-anything-that-moves FPS games?

If this is the case, they should be ashamed of themselves. While having hot lead snap by your head, missing your vital organs by mere centimeters, is very exciting, little can match the thrill and danger of pulling extreme-G evasive maneuvers as missiles fly around you in a deadly, fiery, high-explosive ballet. No first-person shooter can match the satisfaction of outmaneuvering an enemy fighter, hearing the piercing tone of target acquisition known as missile lock, and sending a heat-seeking missile up the enemy’s exhaust. The latest addition to the Tom Clancy video game franchise, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X, accomplishes this task admirably.

The player starts the game by entering the flight suit of USAF pilot David Crenshaw, a member of an elite Air Force unit known as H.A.W.X, which stands for High Altitude Warfare eXperimental squadron. The very first mission has the player flying close air support just outside the U.S.-Mexico border to assist Captain Scott Mitchell and his ‘Ghost’ team in Ciudad Juarez (from Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2; H.A.W.X is set in between GRAW 2 and EndWar). The mission is successful, but it is Crenshaw’s last as part of the H.A.W.X unit, which is deactivated afterwards. Crenshaw and his wingmen are recruited shortly after by the Private Military Company (PMC) Artemis Global Security. Over the next several years, Crenshaw and his wingmen fly various types of missions for Artemis and its clients, including escorting NATO bombers, intercepting a third-world dictator, and defending an oil refinery in the Middle East.

Playing H.A.W.X has been a very satisfying experience for me. Until H.A.W.X came around, the only other air combat games I have ever played were a PC simulator for the EuroFighter Typhoon dubbed EF 2000 and the PlayStation 3 online-only multiplayer game Warhawk. H.A.W.X is a welcome addition to this genre, with more than thirty licensed real-world aircraft at the player’s disposal. The game also features a unique utility known as the Enhanced Reality System (ERS) which, when active, provides vital battlefield information such as RADAR, ammunition status, weapons targeting, airspeed, altitude, and even a neat feature where the press of a button projects a virtual flight path to intercept your currently selected target or an evasion path to avoid enemy missiles. This is also known as ‘assistance mode’, which makes flying the plane much easier but as a tradeoff, limits your spectrum of movement. A simple double-tap of the throttle or brake buttons will turn Assistance mode off, and you are switched to a much wider view of the battle area. With off mode comes a higher level of maneuverability by ‘drifting’ your plane with a steady press of the brake button and movement of your control stick.

Control-wise, H.A.W.X is easy to learn and not terribly complicated. If it feels like your plane isn’t handling as crisply as it should, you either need to look at its stats when you select one, or put it in ‘off’ mode. Otherwise, you need more practice. Graphically, H.A.W.X is decent, but there are limitations. In mid-air, the explosions of enemy targets are impressive and a sight to behold, as well as satisfying to fly through seconds after launching the missile that destroyed the enemy plane. However, when in Assistance On mode and flying a ground attack mission that requires ‘nap-of-the-earth’ flying (extremely low-level flight, practically skimming treetops), the environment gets heavily pixelated, and the trees are practically cardboard cutouts. Sometimes, you are flying at altitudes where you expect to be taken out by a tree, but instead, you fly right through it! This is a little disappointing, considering the developers worked closely with GeoEye Incorporated, the world’s largest space imaging corporation, to create the environments and locales the player takes flight in.

Despite these little bugs here and there, H.A.W.X is probably the best air combat game I have played thus far. Little else has come even close to the intensity of its air battles, where you and your wingmen can easily be outnumbered yet still shoot down every enemy aircraft in your path unscathed. Mind you, this is only the single-player campaign. An online component is included, and you can choose to either fly a co-op campaign with another player, or take on up to several players at once in the online versus mode, which includes free-for-all and team deathmatch modes. If you want the thrill of Top Gun without the silliness of Tom Cruise, then H.A.W.X is the game for you. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone while playing.
In a Nutshell

Title: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.

ESRB rating: ‘T’ for Teen

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Nintendo Wii

Average Price: $49.99

Grade: B+

By: Alex Miller

In every school, there are interesting people who are unknown to many. “RachRow” is a junior at the high school who is FAR from boring. Although shy, once you get her talking she is hilarious!

Rachael has lived in Phoenixville ever since, as she stated, she “was evicted from the placenta!” Rachael attended Renaissance Academy from third grade until ninth grade. She began her sophomore year here at the high school. This year Rachael is taking Economics and Government CP, English 11 Honors, Biology CP, and Spanish III Honors. “Government with Mr. Varady has to be my favorite!” says Rachael. She added, “I really want to challenge myself next year and I would love to save some money by getting a few college credits in high school for free, rather than pay in college.”

Rachael plans to enter Bloomsburg University with an undecided major. She hopes to develop some ideas of where to go in the future, but in the meantime, she enjoys a wide variety of activities, such as B.O.B. and SADD. Although Rachael is a member of B.O.B. she rarely gets to attend because of her hectic work schedule.

Outside of school Rachael loves hanging out with friends, when she isn’t working at Target as a cashier/ sales floor associate. “We hang out at each other’s houses. My friends and I usually just drive around and watch movies, but lately we’ve been hiking and urban exploring abandoned buildings and bridges. I just feel like this is a constructive use of my time. I get a little bit of a history lesson and get to have fun at the same time,” stated Rachael. Her favorite places to visit include Pennhurst State School and Frick’s Lock, both located right outside of Phoenixville.

Traveling and exploring the world is what Rachael loves to do most. Rachael has been to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, France, and England. In the summer of 2010, she will be traveling to Italy, Greece, Germany, and Hungary. “I never knew how much is going on outside the United States. It’s great. People have many different cultures and I am thankful that I am able to see so many things,” remarked Rachael. Rachael has traveled with many organizations such as People to People, EF Tours, and The Girl Scouts. She added, “Some of my favorite memories include wading by Fiji’s most gorgeous beaches, climbing a mountain in New Zealand, taking a nighttime cruise across the Sydney Harbor in Australia, exploring the open air markets and standing on the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England, and checking out the Eiffel Tower in Paris. That’s only a few of them, but they’re some of the most memorable.”

Rachael is always open to meeting new people and having new experiences, so feel free to just walk over to her and strike up a conversation. She may seem quiet and nervous at first, but when she starts talking you’ll be rolling around on the ground in hysterics. She’s one of Phoenixville’s many unknown, yet interesting and funny citizens.

Life can present us with bizarre situations that we deal with in the best way that we can. Most movies seek to portray the stories of life in a dramatic fashion. One story, in particular, focuses on a man who is born under unusual circumstances. The movie is called The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and it’s about a man named Benjamin Button who is born in 1920. Although Benjamin is born the size of a normal baby, his physical means show signs of a ninety year old man. Benjamin is born with cataracts, arthritis, and wrinkly skin that makes his tiny body look like he’s extremely old. Although his body looks old, his mind starts as almost a blank slate, like any normal baby. So while his mind develops normally, his age increases but his appearance ages backwards.

In the beginning, after Benjamin is born, his mother dies. His mother tells her husband to take care of Benjamin and to give him a good life. His father takes one look at Benjamin, sees what he looks like, and becomes aggravated. He picks up Benjamin and runs away with him, only to drop him at some random woman’s door step. The name of this woman is named Queenie and she takes care of Benjamin well into his early years when he begins to talk and walk, all the while his body ages backwards.

After Benjamin has been alive for almost fifteen years, with less wrinkles and a developing mind, he meets a young girl named Daisy and begins to take an interest in her. As Benjamin gets younger, he decides to sail as much as he can on the ocean. He returns home years later, even younger, and meets Daisy again. She is obviously a lot older and more mature. They go out on a date and spend a lot of time together. Several years pass before Benjamin and Daisy meet again. At this point, Daisy and Benjamin finally look the same age. They end up dating once more and they even get married. They have a kid and seem to be happy together. However, problems begin to surface when Benjamin continues to look like he’s getting younger and Daisy looks like she’s getting older. Although their minds are equally developed, their physical looks move in completely opposite directions. Benjamin begins to feel old as his looks continue to age backwards. The rest of the movie deals with the rest of Benjamin’s life as his looks move backwards and Daisy’s struggles as she grows into old age.

The entire cast of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is absolutely fantastic. Not only are they completely versatile with having to change looks and attitudes throughout the years, but they keep their characters consistent despite the lapses in time.

The leader of this phenomenal cast is Brad Pitt, who plays Benjamin. For this part, Pitt had to wear tons of makeup and work with the special effects supervisor to put an old man’s looks on a child-sized body. Pitt also changed his voice to a Southern style to help create a sense of the South. I have to say that this is one of Pitt’s better performances. The audience fully feels the interesting struggle that Benjamin is faced with and they feel bad for him. Pitt brought his character’s confusion and uneasiness to the screen with a performance that will leave you overwhelmed. Brad Pitt was nominated for an Oscar for this performance, but lost to Sean Penn in MILK.

Cate Blanchett plays Daisy, Benjamin’s love interest. Blanchett used quite a lot of makeup in this film as well, to make her look like a young adult or a middle aged woman. I am truly surprised that Blanchett wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for her performance in this movie. This performance was one of THE BEST in the category for females in the past year. Blanchett worked well with Pitt and did an excellent job at struggling with the emotions of being in love and having life throw curve balls. Blanchett was the perfect choice for the character of Daisy and I loved watching her in this film.

Taraji P. Henson played Queenie, Benjamin’s “adopted” mother. Her love for Benjamin was a strong bond in the story line and, as the audience, we could feel her love float off the screen. She was nominated for an Oscar for this performance as a supporting role, but she lost to Penelope Cruz. As a mother, Henson acts with ideal perfection and great poise.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was originally a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote The Great Gatsby. The writer of the screenplay for this movie, Eric Roth, did a brilliant job in bringing Fitzgerald’s themes of life, death, time, and the idea that nothing lasts forever to the script for this movie. It was interpreted and brought to the big screen by an outstanding cast. The film’s technical qualities like makeup, costumes, cinematography, and visual effects, were beautifully done and were the icing on the cake to this amazing movie. Seeing this movie will help you to understand that you should enjoy what you have while it lasts. The ending that will leave no one with a dry eye.

Kathleen Pellegrino

Your browser may not support display of this image. Attempting to fill the shoes of one of Phoenixville’s most successful teachers would seem pretty hard, but Mr. Bolig is doing a very good job! During the fall semester Mr. Bolig was a student teacher here, with Ms. Riccardo. In January a job opened up here for a long term substitute replacing Mrs. Dippell, teaching 12th grade English, and Mr. Bolig got the job.

Your browser may not support display of this image. Mr. Bolig stated that being a student teacher was a good way to prepare for becoming an official teacher. He said, “The hardest thing about being a student teacher was the constant running around, grading papers and coming up with new lessons.” A new teacher has to think of his/her own lessons and come up with different ways to teach the class; it’s like starting from scratch. A veteran teacher can draw from his/her experience. There are a lot of differences between being a student teacher and an official teacher. In becoming an official teacher Mr. Bolig is for the most part on his own. He has to watch over the whole classroom, not just the group of students he works with. There is no teacher there to directly help him, and there’s no more supervisor to make sure he’s doing everything correctly. Being a long term sub here created unique challenges for Mr. Bolig to overcome. Some of his students were familiar to him from the fall, but he had to get to know all the rest. He said, “I wish I could’ve started at the beginning of a school year because there’s a good week or two to get used to everything. I jumped into things in the middle of the year, which made things difficult because there was no spare time.”

While growing up, Mr. Bolig lived in Downingtown and he attended Coatesville High School. After graduating from Coatesville High School in 2001, Mr. Bolig attended Penn State University. While he was there he planned to study engineering. During his second year at Penn State his Goshin Jitsu teacher, Sensei Graves, recommended that he should consider teaching as a career plan. Mr. Bolig then became involved with tutoring fellow engineers in their English courses. Working with other students and helping them through school made him realize teaching might actually work out. He said, “I find teaching satisfying because it’s nice knowing that I’m helping students prepare for the real world after high school.” Mr. Bolig transferred to West Chester University to get his Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education/ English.

Even with the challenges that teaching brings, Mr. Bolig is very happy with his decision of becoming an English teacher instead of engineering. He said, “I chose English in the end because I feel that engineering and English are actually a lot alike. Most people would think that they’re two completely different things, but I see them as similar.” His favorite thing about teaching is seeing the interaction between students and hearing their different opinions. His number one goal in his teaching career is just to get better at it and find new techniques to help the students do the best they can.

Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.When Mr. Bolig isn’t here teaching he enjoys practicing kendo, which is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship. He practices it in a dojo in West Chester called Ken Wa Kan. He says it’s a lot of fun, but he hasn’t been able to go for a couple of weeks because he bruised a rib practicing. He also enjoys playing video games and reading. His favorite book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. He chose that to be his favorite book because its dark themes relate to the real world and it can bring serious topics to the minds of teenagers. His favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back. He said that it is his favorite movie because, “It’s just one of those perfect movies, and it has great directing and drama. I thought it flows really well, and it’s rare that the bad guy wins.”

Mr. Bolig is engaged to get married in the summer to a woman named Angie that he met while he was at Penn State. As of right now Mr. Bolig doesn’t have any pets, but once he gets married he and his wife would like to get a kitty which they are going to name Ichiban.

At the conclusion of the 08-09 school year Mr. Bolig hopes to get a permanent job here at PAHS and we hope he does too! Even one of his students, Emma Cordes stated, “He’s the man and anyone is lucky to have him as a teacher.” We wish Mr. Bolig luck and hope to see him back at PAHS next year.

By: Catherine DiGiacomo

Students, residents and cast members of Phoenixville had been anxiously awaiting the opening night of the high school musical Thoroughly Modern Millie for months. The night finally arrived and the atmosphere was tense with nerves. The lights dimmed in the high school auditorium, and suddenly a silk menagerie of sounds streamed through the auditorium as the audience waited in anticipation for the curtains to open. Finally they parted and we were introduced to our main character: Millie Dillmount (played by Emily Starczewski.)

Millie is a naïve country-bumpkin who comes to New York City trying to free herself from the suffocation of her boring life back home in Salina, Kansas. Her mind is crowded with hopes of finding a rich man who can fulfill her dreams of being a “thoroughly modern woman.” Within ten minutes of her arrival she is mugged and already frustrated with the city. In her desperation she trips a man walking by (Jimmy Smith, played by Liam/Mac Snead) and tells him about her tragedy. After giving her some discouraging advice, he tips her off to a place where she can stay for free until she gets some money: the Hotel Priscilla. Millie takes the tip and heads off to continue her journey in the big city with unrelenting optimism and courage. Her first goal: to marry her future boss!

Unfortunately, Millie is not the best job-seeker in town and also not the only young lady looking to find a new life in New York. After a couple of weeks, a Miss Dorothy Brown (played by Jamie Dougherty) comes to stay at the Hotel Priscilla after seeing a vacancy sign on the door. Millie, unaware of her landlord, Mr. Meers’, (played by Brendan Farrell) evil scam of kidnapping the young and beautiful tenants, assumes the vacancy sign is there because Meers is giving her the boot and replacing her with Dorothy for not paying up. Needless to say, Millie’s and Dorothy’s friendship starts off on the wrong foot, but they soon they realize they are the perfect balance for each other and become close friends. Even though money is tight, Millie never gives up her hope of finding a job. She says to Dorothy, “I’m broke, not poor. Poor sounds permanent- broke can be fixed.”

Soon after, Millie has a job interview as a stenographer for a handsome boss: Mr. Trevor Graydon (played by Ryan Lantzy), who fits all of her husband qualifications: single and good looking. But first, she has to get past the frumpy and grumpy Miss Flannery (Graydon’s secretary, played by Kathleen Mizii), whose rude comments take the audience off guard and add to the humor of this musical. Graydon approves of Mille after making her go through a rigorous interview and she immediately falls for him. Is he in love with her as well? Or is her true love still waiting for her to notice him? Is it possible that being “thoroughly modern” isn’t every girl’s road to happiness?

The beautifully dynamic characters and their contrasting life-styles captivated the PASD audience in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Emilie Starczewski firmly captured the personality of Millie, with her tireless determinism to be a “thoroughly modern woman.” Millie’s modern attitude mixed with Miss Dorothy’s adorable innocence was a terrific match. In one scene, after being confused with what a “New Yorker” was saying, Dorothy explains, “I’m from California; I don’t speak New York yet.” Meanwhile, the antics of Mr. Meers’ Asian henchmen, the Ching Ho and Bun Foo brothers, (played by the Cappelli twins) had everyone in stitches. The glamorous Muzzy “Van H” (Muzzy Van Hossmere, played by Monicka Fosnocht) wowed the audience with her dynamite vocals, while her carefree attitude made even the viewers want to be her friend. And when Mr. Graydon’s type-A personality is faced with a dramatic entrancement for, none other than, Millie’s best friend Miss Dorothy Brown, the audience is able to see a second side of him and revel in his comic love-sickness.

Charming and comical, Thoroughly Modern Millie at PASD was a high-school musical masterpiece. This romantic musical was sprinkled with humor, from the wittiness of the characters to the hilariously awkward circumstances they find themselves in. Lisa Starczewski (Musical Director), Christine Tavani (Musical Producer) and Jessica Starczewski (Musical Direction) truly conducted an amazing program. Everything from the lights (thanks to Lew Osterhoudt and Fitch Electronics), to the dancing (thanks to Diane Hodgkiss, Jean Osterhoudt and Deborah Brand Fosnocht), to the silky smooth sounds casually ascending from the musical pit (directed by Heather Moll, performed in part by the PAHS band) was dead-on, never missing a beat. The beautifully crafted costumes (designed by Lauriel Wisely, Fern Heit and Christine Howson), and the first-class scenery (prepared by Andy Cappelli, Rick Snead, Tom Horan, Jim Henzie, John Henken, and assisted by Franzi Denz, Brad DeLeone, Brett Williams, Aimee Powell and James Pappas) captured the time period perfectly, while the accents of the cast took us completely back in time. As we sang along in our heads to the fun, catchy lyrics of this musical we lost ourselves in the story. Sitting in the auditorium, watching students that I’ve known for years, suddenly transform into 1920’s New Yorkers, I had to frequently remind myself where I was. Do I regret having seen this musical? As they said in the show, “Not for the life of me.”


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoroughly_Modern_Millie_(musical)

By: Laura Gronski

Did you ever have a late night desire to get your celebrity gossip? For everyone who needs their daily craving of celebrity news with a twist, Chelsea Lately on E! is your answer. Chelsea Lately is a talk show on E! where correspondents and comedians take recent celebrity news and bash them. Chelsea Lately is on every week night at 11 pm. Chelsea Handler, the host of Chelsea Lately, uses her sarcasm and comic genius to make this talk show fun and very entertaining.

The main part of Handler’s show is called the Round Table. At this point in the show, Chelsea Handler and three other comedians and actors discuss pop culture and celebrity news. Handler usually picks a topic, whether it is Paris Hilton announcing she wants to be in the second Twilight movie, or Miley Cyrus suing her parents again; comedians on the Round Table go back and forth explaining how ridiculous some celebrities are. Some Round Table regulars include John Caparulo, Heather McDonald, Loni Love, Jason Kennedy, Giulianna Rancic, Jo Koy, Josh Wolf, Brad Wollack and Michael Yo from Yo! On E! At the end of the show, Handler always interviews celebrities, whether they have a new album coming out or they are part of a popular show. Another main part of the show is Chuy, Chelsea’s sarcastic assistant. Chuy and Chelsea have a love-hate relationship.

Chelsea Handler is not afraid to touch on sensitive topics. She always digs deep to make the show more interesting. She’s had rapper T.I. on the show talking about T.I.’s new show on MTV, T.I.’s Redemption. She had him discuss some of the things he’s worried about, such as not being able to produce music when he goes off to jail. Handler recently interviewed Russel Brand and was not shy to discuss his sex addict problems. Also, Khloe Kardashian of Keeping Up With The Kardashians came on to promote the upcoming season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and to talk about herself going to jail after skipping three consecutive DUI classes. Some of Chelsea’s questions throw the celebrities off, but most play along with them. Most of Chelsea’s questions have the celebrities laughing to themselves.

Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image. Chelsea Handler is very blunt when it comes to humiliating celebrities. She openly dislikes many celebrities including Lindsay Lohan and her lover Samantha Ronson, Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, Amy Winehouse, Perez Hilton (who has been on the Round Table), Heidi and Spencer from The Hills, The Jonas Brothers, Madonna and Kanye West. Chelsea is quick to bash these celebrities for anything stupid they may have said to the press. Every time Chelsea Lately discusses Kanye West she challenges him to come on the show for an interview so he can defend himself, but he is yet to be on the show for an interview with Chelsea.

Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image. For everyone who needs your dose of laughter from celebrity gossip, watch Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately. This show is very entertaining and you’ll definitely get a good laugh out of it. So get your Chelsea on with Chelsea Lately, weeknights at 11pm on E!

Sam McMaster

What is the difference between a band that makes it and a band that never finds success? Is pure talent really all you need to succeed in the music business? A group of Phoenixville students found out what it takes to make it from two very successful musical artists: Paul Hammond and Andrew Lipke, two members of the band Get the Led Out, a band that covers Led Zeppelin tunes and produces their own music.

These two talented artists came to Phoenixville on April 1st to speak about the life of a rock star. They answered questions about music piracy, work environment, and what kind of working hours a rock star keeps. They enjoy the relaxed working hours of a rock star, like getting to sleep in and start work late in the day. They also talked about the work environment of a musician, which they said was so fun it barely feels like work. They described the previous bands they had each respectively played in and what styles of music their other bands had explored. Their presentation ended with a small musical performance of a song of Andrew’s own creation. After their presentation was complete, students asked the two musicians questions of their own.

Paul Hammond is proficient in keyboard, bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar, and even the mandolin. Andrew Lipke’s repertoire of instruments includes the drums, harmonica, and bass guitar; he is also a music composer. Paul first started playing the guitar at the very young age of eight and he had started his first band by age twelve. Andrew got his first guitar at age twelve and was in several minor bands that would do cover songs or original music.

So where did these two musicians get their influences? Of course, the most obvious answer would be Led Zeppelin, but they also find musical inspiration from a wide range of artists. Some of their musical influences include The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and Metallica. However, for this band, it all comes back to the great Led Zeppelin. What makes them such a great band in the eyes of Paul and Andrew? Andrew said that “their music was very intricate, and had influences from folk, blues and even classical music.” With such a wide range of music in their arsenal, it makes sense that Led Zeppelin would have such a great influence on Paul and Andrew.

A lot of aspiring guitarists came to hear Andrew and Paul speak, including kids who love music and may want to get into the music business. What words of wisdom could these two successful musicians offer? Paul said that the best policy is to “be flexible and open to new experiences. The more styles you learn, the better off you are, so practice every day.” They also said never to skimp on technique, and to find out who influences your favorite bands and learn their style. Who knows? Maybe the words of these two men will encourage some young guitarists here at PAHS to pursue the art of music, and then one day they can be the ones giving a speech to the next generation of young musicians at PAHS.

Emma Cordes

“I feel like we have truly been making a difference this year in the community. We, as a club, have talked to youth around Phoenixville about the harmful effects of tobacco use, and I really believe that the message will stick with them.” - Steve Kinback, T.A.T.U President.

T.A.T.U is an organization in our school that stands for Teens Against Tobacco Use. The goal of this club, led by school nurse Rosemary Newcomb, is to spread a no use tobacco message to our school and community. Being an active T.A.T.U member, I know how committed this club is to spreading the word of a tobacco-free lifestyle. The club’s activities include teaching younger children about the dangers of tobacco, attending conferences, and going to places in the community and cleaning up ashtrays and cigarette butts. We spread our message any way we can in hopes to make an impact on those around us because many people don’t know the harmful effects tobacco has on the body.

Nicotine is the addictive drug found in tobacco and is the reason why most people cannot quit once addicted. Nicotine kills more people than cocaine, heroin, alcohol, fire, automobile accidents, homicides, suicides, and AIDS combined. Causes of death from tobacco-related products include heart disease, lung and esophageal cancer, and chronic lung disease, as well as cancer of the mouth, gums, and esophagus. The goal of the tobacco industry is to attract a young audience so they become addicted at an early age. This is directly related to the fact that 90% of smokers become addicted to tobacco before the age of 18 and die, on average, 10 years earlier than non-smokers. These, along with other facts, are the messages T.A.T.U tries to spread about the effects of tobacco.

Our most recent project to spread our message was a poster contest presented to 4th graders in the Phoenixville Area School District in order to celebrate a nationally recognized day called Kick Butts Day. This project consisted of a presentation from club members to all 4th grade health classes in the district, followed by the students creating posters with slogans that spread anti-tobacco messages. Winners were picked from classes, elementary schools, and finally, from the district as a whole. “I can say I am proud of everyone in our club. They have gone above and beyond to do peer-to-peer education. The younger students really look up to them and I couldn’t be happier,” said advisor, Rosemary Newcomb. Kick Butts Day is normally celebrated on March 25th but this year our club recognized it on March 27th with an assembly in the high school auditorium. The program consisted of words from Mr.Kaskey, our advisor, Representative Drucker, and the awarding of all the winners of the poster contest from schools and throughout the district. 1st place winners from all schools included Dymond Robertson from Barklely Elementary, Kayleigh Horton from East Pikeland, and Julia Rose Brown from Scuylkill Elementary School.

Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image. After being a part of this club for the past two years, I am happy to know that we have made an impact on so many lives in the community. T.A.T.U is always looking for new ways to spread their anti-tobacco message and welcomes anyone who would like to join. If spreading a message that you know helps people sounds like fun to you, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mrs. Newcomb or any member to join T.A.T.U!

Emma Cordes & Kathleen Pellegrino


10. Po-Po- Noun. (Pronounced poe-poe) a policeman.

“That party I was at got busted by the po-po”

9. Trippin’ -V. /Adv. (derived from "tripping”) to act crazy or hostile about something or toward someone.

"Yo girl why you be trippin’?”

8. Swagga- Noun. A person's distinctive style and confident presentation of self.

“My swagga be betta than yours.”

7. Rollin’ Up- V. To arrive, mainly through the use of a car.

“What time are you rollin’ up?”

6. Nahh mean? -“Do you know what I mean?”

“How was your day?”

“It wasn’t the best, nahh mean?”

5. Sick- Adj. Something exciting or intense.

“Yo man that movie was sick!”

4. Bangin’- Adj. - to describe how good or intense a thing is.

“That cheeseburger was bangin’”

3. Legit- Adj. To be in a state just past coolness.

“His new shoes are legit”

2. A’ight- (Pronounced "ite") All right, okay

“Do you like my new shirt?”

“It’s a’ight”

1. Jawn –Noun. An unspecified thing or person.

“Did you hear that hot new jawn on the radio?”

“Yeah man, that jawn was poppin’.”