Table Of Contents 1. Keystone Requirement

This article was published to The Playwickian website. It was one of my first pieces

written, and it’s about the Keystone Requirement being postponed to my graduating class.

2. Spring Poem

This creative writing piece is one of my favorite things I have written all year. I had a

fun time writing it knowing there weren't all these guidelines limiting my writing.

3. Letter to Virginia

This was an assignment we did as a class, returning a letter to a little girl named Virgin-

ia who wanted to know if Santa was real. Once again the immense freedom we had with the as-

signment made me really enjoy it.

4. Biography

Starting off in Journalism already 5 days into the year I was so panicked I would have

no idea what to do. This first assignment of the year helped me to calm my nerves and break

down that wall keeping myself from writing freely.

5. Literary Journalism

For my ABSOLUTE favorite writing assignment I have my literary journalism where I

was a fly in the ointment at a Speed and Agility program called Parisi. I had a blast writing the

article as well as participating in the fitness class.

6. Same Sex Marriage

Very different from my other writing this piece is very serious and something I’m ex-

tremely passionate about. I wrote this fro my English class but loved it so much I had to include

it here.

7. Because of Anya

My book review for Because of Anya is from 8th grade but is still a writing assignment

that I love so much because of the amount of time I put into it.

8.Pink Out Game

The pink out game article was published to the Playwickian website and is one I includ-

ed because sports writing is a little out of my comfort zone and I was proud of myself for trying

something new.

The Keystones, a set of tests that supposedly

determine whether or not a student can gradu-

ate in Pennsylvania, place a great deal of

weight upon the shoulders of students and

teachers.

The Keystones are state mandated ex-

ams that test the proficiency of students in

several academic subjects. The testing sub-

jects are currently Algebra 1, Biology, and

Literature. The tests, split into two sections

taken separately, are provided mainly to high

school students, but can be taken by middle

school students currently enrolled in Algebra

1.

Along with the immense stress the

tests put on students and teachers, schools as

a whole are affected by the tests, as they are

judged by the results of their students.

Previously, it was decided that as a

graduation requirement, students must place

proficient in all three subjects. If the student

could not place at a proficient level after tak-

ing the exams twice, they were to be enrolled

in remediation classes.

While the assessments are said to be a

requirement for the graduating class of 2017;

the state Senate unanimously signed off on a

bill on Jan. 20, 2016, pushing back the re-

quirement by two years, meaning it will re-

sume for the class of 2019.

"I still support the concept. I just think in roll-

ing out the implementation of this graduation

requirement we ran into a lot of problems,"

Sen. Lloyd Smucker said, the majority chair

of the Senate Education Committee. “The

purpose of this bill is to reset that decision

and see whether there’s a better way to place

requirements around graduation," said

Smucker, in a Jan. 20, 2016 Notebook.org

article by Kevin McCorry.

The Keystones are still to be taken,

however failure to pass, will not hold a stu-

dent back from graduation. As of right now,

the class of 2019 is due to resume the require-

ment, but in the meantime, the Department of

Education is set to propose a redesign plan

within the next six months.

As summer fast approaches we all know what that must mean

It’s the time of year to be surrounded, by tiny bodied teens.

While you don't have to be a skinny girl to be beautiful,

it's important that you try

To eat healthy and exercise for a much longer life

Spring is the time to get in that habit

Of working out and bringing the snacks to an end

The time to start is now or you will procrastinate again

Spring is a beautiful time to cleanse your body

And eat some healthier finds

Pick up your tea it’s much better for you and drop those coffee grinds

It’s as simple as that, one small choice a day

Take it little by little and that unwanted chub will go away

But hey, be smart and don’t go overboard

Losing yourself to be a size 0 is a price you can’t afford

21 September 1897

Virginia O’Hanlon

115 W. 95th Street

Dear Miss. Virgina,

Of Course there is a Santa Claus! Santa Claus is the person who loves you most, and

give you the greatest gift of all, joy. Though Santa Claus may not be who we picture, as the big

bearded man in the North Pole, s/he still exists. In fact, there is even more than one! Santa

Claus lives in the homes of all children disguised! That’s right Virginia, your own parents are

Santa Claus.

I hear your friends do not believe in Santa Claus, but this may mean they are not as for-

tunate as you. You see Virginia, not all kids have a Santa, because not all kids have parents who

are in their life anymore; or maybe their Santa just isn’t as capable to get them all they hope for

like your Santa does.

So here is what you must do. Because I have shared with you the truth to Santa Claus, I

am requesting a favor in return. Whenever you see a kid who hasn’t had a Santa as giving as

yours, be EXTRA nice to them. I need you, Virginia, to spread as much cheer as you possibly

can, because of another little secret. YOU are truly Santa’s helpers. You

have the power to help Santa in spreading the greatest gift as I mentioned before, joy. Please do

not forget, you are one of the lucky kids who has an excellent Santa, and I recommend you be

especially appreciative this Christmas.

As always, Happy Holidays!

Your Friend,

Jenna Kaufman

Jenna Kaufman is currently a freshman

at Neshaminy High School. She aspires to be-

come Editor in Chief of the Playwickian some-

day, as she follows in her sister’s footsteps to

write about issues and controversial topics

circulating around Neshaminy High School.

“Of all the things I have been

looking forward to in the High

School, joining the Newspaper was definite-

ly what I’m most excited for. My sister had

some of her best High School moments in the

newspaper office, and I know I will too,” she

said.

Although the Playwickian is Kauf-

man’s main focus this year, she expects to

become actively involved in as many events

as possible. While she is already involved in

freshman field hockey, she also hopes to be-

come Class of 2019 president, Gym Night cap-

tain, and a participant in Neshaminy’s first

“Mini-Thon.” Her first year at Neshaminy is

No pain, No Gain! As I got in my lines for the first set of warm ups i

could feel my heart already pounding in my chest. No, not

out of fear, but pure excitement. It was eight o’clock on a

monday night and there was no place I would rather be.

“Ready, GO!” Barked Doug, and I started my eight

squats, ten jumping jacks, seal jacks, and crossovers. That’s

nothing I thought on my first night at the Parisi Speed and

Agility clinic. But after four repetitions of it I could see how

this was definitely going to do wonders on my body.

“Switch,” “Again,” “GO,” Doug yells, but not in an

intimidating voice, but a motivational one.

Having gone to the NAC only seven times for this

cross fit training, I am already in much better shape. In or-

der to make it through JV field hockey try outs, and survive

pre-season, I’ll be at the NAC every Monday and Wednes-

day night for an hour until mid summer. The program con-

sists of 19 sessions and costs just over two-hundred dollars.

When we conclude our warm ups we always move

on to some dynamic stretching. This warms up our bodies

even more, so we are prepared for our intense work outs.

We do 10 yard sprints, as well as drill with ladders, lateral

jumping, and long distance jumps.

I am not the tallest girl in the group, (of course there

are close to 80 Neshaminy Field Hockey girls in the pro-

gram) but when I tested me distance jump that very first

night, I felt pretty good about my 5’7 jump. Yes that’s right

they test us. They test us on simple sprints and jumps on the

first night and show us our improvement on the last night.

I get on the ground at the end of the session, sur-

rounded by sweaty--and I’m just gonna come out and say it-

- foul-smelling, girls. The turf scratching my elbows and

hands isn’t the greatest feeling but it give me something to

focus on while I plank for one minute. Just barely, it dis-

tracts me from the pain in my abs, even while I do my star-

fish on my back extending alternate feet and hands in the air

until they meet. Core workouts are by far my favorite part

of the night. They cool me down while also tightening my

soon to be abs.

The hour is an intense one of working out, but it is-

n’t always so serious. Monday at the end of the session we

all did the #RunningMannChallenge for the Parisi instagram

and danced around the gym before leaving. I enjoy those

sessions so much and can feel the positive impact they are

having on me.

Same-Sex Marriage &

Homophobia

I would like everyone to close

your eyes and imagine your dream wed-

ding. Now this may be difficult for some

of you, but the important thing isn’t

your flowers, or your venue, it’s who you

want standing next to you. Picture that

wedding being ripped away from you,

because of a simple characteristic of the

person you are choosing to marry. That’s

what happens all the time to people who

live in one of the 13 states where gay

marriage is not legalized. The fact that

people feel gender should be capable of

taking away someone’s happiness is ab-

surd. Same- Sex marriage is a 100% fair

right that I support and so should you.

I’d like to tell you about a gay

couple who were assaulted this past Sep-

tember. Two men who asked the police

to remain unnamed, were assaulted by

Philip R. Williams, 24; Kathryn G.

Knott, 24; and Kevin J. Harrigan, 26,

who shouted homophobic slurs at the

two men, then beat them on the streets

near Rittenhouse Square in Philadelph-

ia. The men were both hospitalized with

severe injuries. As you can see this is an

act of homophobia, hate or prejudice

acts against homosexuals. These two

men were just married.

According to the Williams Insti-

tute in a study in 2013, a survey showed

approximately 3.5% of Americans were

either homosexual, or bisexual. That

means anyone apart of that 3.5% who

happens to live in Arkansas, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missis-

sippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South

Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, or Ne-

braska; cannot get married. 13 may seem

like a small number but when you

list off those 13 states, it adds up much

more quickly.

People say that same-sex couples

should be forbidden to marry because

they divorce more often. This is com-

pletely false. Most Same-Sex marriages

have had to wait for each other for years

proving how strong their love is. On av-

erage the percentage of Same-Sex cou-

ples divorcing per year is 1% less than

straight couples. In addition people who

are against same-sex marriage believe

that people chose to be gay. I disagree

with this statement as well. I don’t think

you have control over whom you love.

You can hide who you love but that

doesn’t obliterate your feelings for them.

Still, even if people chose to be gay; peo-

ple chose to be obnoxious and hateful

and THEY can get married.

There is such a simple solution to

this issue. GIVE THESE PEOPLE

THE FREEDOM TO MARRY! The

marriage of others in no way affects you,

or harms your life. So why are we so

against it? You may say “affection for

those of the same sex as you is a sin.” If

that’s the case I’m sure you are aware of

all other sins. For example: a lying

tongue. Who’s to say anyone who has

ever lied cannot marry. The right to

marry shouldn’t be fought for as a “gay

right,” but as a human right that all

people should retain.

In conclusion, I know everyone

has their beliefs. But I say it’s about

time to separate our religious beliefs,

from what’s morally right. I hope you’ve

considered my viewpoint on same sex

marriage, and how homophobia is

wrong. Thank you.

Quick Summary

The novel Because of An-

ya is about a young girl named

Anya who has Alopecia Areata,

which makes all of her hair fall

out. One day in gym, she was

tumbling and her wig fell off.

She left school because she was

embarrassed and didn’t return.

One girl named Keeley does eve-

rything she can to help Anya;

even if it means putting Anya

first.

Identify Point of View

The novel Because of An-

ya is told in 3rd person, which

means the narrator was not in the

story. I know this because the

characters were described with

words like she, or they; for ex-

ample, the narrator wrote, “She

said to Anya,” rather than, “I told

Anya,” or “She told me.”

Identify Setting

The setting in the novel

Because of Anya is mainly An-

ya’s room, which, “when she

was younger her mom had made

it into a pink paradise, but Anya

had finally made it her own.”

However there are a few mo-

ments on the school playground,

inside the gym, and classroom.

Anya’s house is evident to the

plot because it’s where she goes

to “hide.”

Describe the Main Character

The main character in the

novel Because Of Anya is Anya

Seaver. Keeley describes her as

“plain looking,” except she used

to have long shiny brown hair

and now she is bald due to her

Alopecia Areata. Some may say

this is what makes her unique but

I disagree. What makes her

unique is her immense amount of

bravery; which is important to

the plot because it’s what gets

her to school everyday to move

on with her life. This of course is

the one word I would use to de-

scribe her. She’s so brave for be-

ing able to except in the end that

she is different, but it makes her

beautiful, and unique.

Identify Irony

One irony in the story

Because Of Anya, is in the begin-

ning of the story one of the girls

said, “It’s not like we are going

to shave our heads,” but in a way

that’s exactly what they did.

Keeley & Steff both cut their hair

so Anya could have a better qual-

ity wig. This made the story bet-

ter because I wasn’t expecting

them to cut their hair for Anya.

Identify the Moral

The moral in the novel

Because Of Anya is that some-

times you need to put others be-

fore yourself. Keeley and her

friends did something extraordi-

nary for Anya. They gave her

their hair, so Anya could have a

better wig. They didn’t just give

her their hair though; they made

her feel like she belonged. These

girls gave Anya a better chance

at confidence.

Neshaminy Defeats Bensalem at Pink-Out Game

It was a game to remember; a game that will stay with many of us forever. Friday Night, Octo-

ber 23rd, was our annual Pink-Out for breast cancer awareness football game at Neshaminy High School,

and also Senior Night. Neshaminy showed no mercy to Bensalem High School, winning 41-8.

We started the first quarter strong in just the first four minutes; with a nine yd. touchdown (TD)

run by #7 Will Dogba, followed by a successful PAT by #26 Dylan McDonald. Neshaminy turned over

possession on downs with three minutes on the clock, but quickly recovered a fumble by Bensalem.

With two minutes on the clock another touchdown was scored by Dogba; yet again, followed by a good

PAT from McDonald.

Neshaminy fans were going wild; we had a minute on the clock and possession at Bensalem’s

nine yd. line. A pass from #9 Kyle Tees was completed to #16 Denzel Hughes for a TD. McDonald

took the PAT, and you guessed it, it was good. It was 21-0 when the quarter ended.

Neshaminy couldn’t be stopped though; two more TD’s were scored in the second quarter, the

first from #17 Jack Spingler completing a pass from Kyle

Tees. Five minutes left in the quarter, Neshaminy recov-

ered a fumble by Bensalem; Dogba scored a 12 yd. rush-

ing TD with four minutes to go in the second. Good

PAT’s followed both touch- downs from McDonald. The

first half ended with a score of 35-0.

The third quarter took an unfortunate turn for

Neshaminy fans. Bensalem recovered a fumble by

Neshaminy and had the ball on their own 44 yd. line.

Bensalem scored a TD on a 56 yd. run by Gerald Whea and a two-point conversion is good.

The final quarter of the game sealed Neshaminy’s victory. Bensalem turned over possession,

giving Neshaminy the ball on the 35 yd. line, #19 Kevin Lutz with a 35 yd. rushing TD.

Senior Jack Spingler said in an interview by WBCB Broadcast after the game, “I really just

wanted to go out there, do my best because I know this was going to be my last time playing on The

Heatbreak Ridge, and I just wanted to go out there and give it my all.”

When asked how it felt to catch his first touchdown of the season he responded, “It felt great,

you know it’s just the rush of the moment, and I realized I was in [the end zone] after I got tackled, but it

was a great experience.”

The game ended with a score of 41-8, and a very rowdy (and very pink) student section. There

couldn’t have been a better game for the senior’s last time playing on Heartbreak Ridge.