This game was big; the locals had heard that a foreign team that came from America was coming to play on their pitch.  “I thought it was neat that people in town knew who we were and why we were there,” said the head coach of the girl’s Downingtown Rugby team, Matthew Dzyunicz.

As the team went through their traditional warm-up routine on the practice pitch, the rain began to stop, and a perfect rainbow emerged from the sky in the background.  The team took the rainbow as an omen as they prepared not only their bodies, but their minds as well.  “Before the game I was a little nervous because I had heard that the Thurles team was really good. But I had confidence in my team. When I saw the rainbow during warm ups I knew that we had a fighting chance,” said Annaliese Zlogar, the starting eight-man for the team.

Coach D gave his inspiring pre-game speech right before the girls took the field.  They entire team linked up on the twenty-two as the coin toss took place.  As the captains retrieved, the team formed a circle to start their chant.  In their blue, yellow and green jerseys, the starting fifteen players took the field on the luscious, green, Irish grass.

As the game began, Downingtown was not satisfied with their performance, as they found themselves trailing in the first half of the game.  “I thought with each minute that passed that we could hang with this team. We let in 2 soft scores, but I knew we had it in us to bang around with these girls and start physically working this game,” said Coach D.

Crucial moments were passing, and the players began to make pivotal plays, tackles, and rucks that turned the game around.  “It started to click, and then it was just continuing to encourage the team to play their game,” Coach D said.  As half-time rapidly approached, the girls were now back in the game.

Although they were still losing, the morale of the team was higher than ever.  “When we were down at the half, I told myself that we were in way better shape and there was no way I was going to lose to them,” Zlogar said.  All the players could feel the determination running through the air, the team was hungry for a win, and they would stop at nothing to achieve success.

“At halftime, all I wanted to do was settle the team down,” said Coach D.  “The team settled, and then things got going our way. We came back roaring and kept scoring.  They were playing unbelievably well. Their Thurles coach lost it at the end, and told them to start playing for the pride of their country. I knew we had them then.”

By this point in the game, even Mother Nature was standing in the Downingtown bleachers.  Hail began to plummet from the sky, directly into the faces of the Thurles squad.  In order to even attempt to play, the opposing team had to run around the field covering their eyes.  With this advantage, Downingtown was able to add two more tries to their final tally.  After seventy minutes of solid rugby, Downingtown emerged victorious with twenty-six points, which trumped Thurles’ twelve points.

This game will always be remembered, not only by the players and coaches, but by the Thurles team, and every spectator at the game.  As Annaliese Zlogar came off the field, after scoring numerous tires in the game, her team showed their gratitude in a very special way.  “The most memorable part of the game was when I was walking back to our side of the field and my teammates were on their knees bowing to me, said Annaliese.  I was in awe that they had so much respect for me. I love my team so much and appreciate every single one of them.”

Coach Dzyiuncz said, “My favorite part of any game is watching the team play its best. Not nervous or scared, and not overthinking or worrying. Just doing what you are best at, and doing it well. Watching the team win has always been my favorite part of any game. Scoring in driving hail was pretty cool too.”

The success of the girls in Ireland holds tremendous significance to the team, and their rugby program as well.  Coach D, to this day remains extremely proud of all of his girls that play for him, and the program.  “It was an unreal experience. We practice on a dirt hill. This team had three practice fields and lights. There was a rainbow. It rained, hailed, and then got warm in the same evening. I got to share it with my rugby family, my favorite people in the world. It was all pretty surreal for me.”

Take a walk down the art hallway. Lockers line half the hall, and the other half is bubbling with character. Glass cases evenly across the wall, displaying the latest works from some of the art classes, with a mural surrounding it, getting more and more to the point of completion every day. Walk into Mrs. Burns’ seventh period 3D AP class. A massive mobile gives an overwhelming sense of warmth, as if it is vibrating with life. The turquoise and brown woven-like teardrops surrounding the focal point made of twigs with a glass ball centered in the middle of the entire structure.

Karla Feeley, perched on the table, trying to put the finishing touches on the mobile, keeping her balance while handling the delicate looking teardrops, while Mrs. Burns gives her advice on the possibilities of how the structure should come together as a whole. Many students may have seen this mobile displayed above the stairwell in the main lobby, around back to school night.

Karla has spent over three weeks working on the mobile, and was glowing while being admired for it. Originally, she was going towards making a statement on the environment, and was going to fill it was trash, but was happy with the way it went in a different direction. She feels strong for her art, and believes that the art students deserve a lot more recognition. She also made the statement that, “Art is important for the creative process, and that’s important for innovation in general. So our society will get nowhere if we are not more creative”.

Many of the works of the 3D AP students were displayed in the hallways on tables around back to school night. Some students stopped to take a quick look at the beauty of the pieces. Yet the art students may see the beauty, and feel the pressure of the budget cuts getting ready to hold them back later on in the year.

Bridget Pawlowski talks about how the budget cuts have affected the art department. She says that some supplies are going to be scarce compared to previous years, such as the glazes for ceramic pieces. She says that she “feels like it really restricts us”, and that some of the students “have to work on a different type of medium”, because such materials might run out later on in the year. The significance of these materials might seem great for some, but for others it wouldn’t cross their mind. Some might point their fingers directly towards the administration, but others thank the administration for all they have given the students.

Mrs. Burns is on of those people. She thanks the administration that we have now for all the opportunities they have given the students. She said that she felt that the arts in general does not get enough recognition, but “If we didn’t have the administration that we have, we would not be able to do half of what we do to get recognized. So I think our program is still growing because of the support of the administration”.

Mrs. Lister, in her 23^rd year of teaching, feels that the art students deserve the recognition, but also feels like its their responsibility to “get it out there” and to “promote it more”. She believes that over time, the appreciation for art has increased, and also believes that its all about the exposure and doing more for the school. Lister also mentioned that the Living Arts at the end of the year is huge for the art students. “Its so much work packed into such a small amount of time”. She believes that if the school had more showcases, like they have in the art hallway, they would be able to spread it out more. People would be able to see more work from the students, and that would be more exposure.

Even though more showcases would be a blessing for the students, and would show the student body more of their capabilities as art students, it wouldn’t show what the student had to go through to get there. “Unless you go though it and live it, you don’t know what it takes. Even to explain to somebody what you [had to go through], you really don’t know. You don’t have any idea at all.”

ssssssssssss

I liked the HUnger Games. It was a great movie. This is a test.

The school has had two penny wars in the past, the last one being almost two years ago which had little success. However, NHS feels like their third war has been far more successful than their last attempt. “The seniors and the faculty really stepped up to the plate. The seniors and faculty almost doubled their contributions from the first week,” said chair Molly Madsen.

To ensure the success of the project, the chairs and co-chairs of the penny war decorated the penny-collection jugs with class colors. “The junior one kicks butt. It’s got really cool stickers on it,” said NHS member Carol Gardner.

By the end of the fundraiser, NHS helped raise a total of $818.01.