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Nov. 21 will be a day the Abraham S. Jenks third-grade class will never forget.
All they were told was it was going to be Phillies Day. Little did the 80 to 85 children dressed in red and white know National League MVP Ryan Howard, who was bestowed the honor the day before, would make a special visit.
"It was a secret," Principal Stephanie Phillips said.
The hush-hush visit came about with the help of Scott Palmer, the Phillies director of media and public affairs. Palmer has been to Jenks in the past to read to the school’s fourth-graders.
The appearance was rather fitting, since Jenks students had recently painted a mural of the slugger inside their school at 13th and Porter streets. After an artist from the Phillies outlined the design, a group of nine kids spent three days painting the wall art. School counselor Scott LaQuay and gym teacher Justine Schwartz assisted with the project. The students even painted the letters "M" and "V," leaving the "P" for Mr. MVP to paint himself. Little did the kids know Howard would actuaally apply his artistic touch to the final letter.
After it was revealed the first baseman was in attendance, the entire class was in the auditorium, ready to sing happy birthday to Howard, who had turned 27 on Nov. 19. There was even a cake with his picture on it.
After the celebration, the All-Star and 2006 Major League home-run champ spent time with the class. "He talked about staying in school, working hard and the importance of education," Phillips said.
Now that the mural is complete, the students will be able to walk through the hallways admiring their work.
"Third grade is a good grade because they have another year to look at the mural," Phillips, whose school goes up to fourth grade, said. "They have another year to say we were a part of that."
As far as hanging with Mr. MVP goes: "It was exciting to say the least," the principal said. SPR
The third-graders at Jenks Elementary School, dressed in their Phillies colors, had a chance to personally ask National League MVP Ryan Howard questions. Photo provided by the Philadelphia Phillies
Harrigan heads to Mexico
Delaware Valley College senior Kevin Harrigan, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive lineman, has been selected to play for the American Football Coaches Association Division III All-Star team. The squad will represent the United States against the Mexican National Team in the 2006 Aztec Bowl.
The Aztec Bowl, which takes place Dec. 16 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, is the traditional season-ending game to the country’s college football schedule. It has been played 35 times since 1947, with the last eight featuring a United States-Mexico match-up.
This year’s game kicks off at 7 p.m. CST and can be heard via Webcast at www.afca.com.
Harrigan, from the 1600 block of South 27th Street, is one of 48 NCAA Division III seniors from around the country making up this year’s cut. The St. John Neumann grad is a two-time all-Middle Atlantic Conference right tackle and a four-year starter for Delaware Valley. His team finished the season 8-3, which included a trip to the Eastern College Athletic Conference South Atlantic Bowl Championship, which it lost 15-9 to Salisbury University.
His time at Delaware Valley has been historic, winning a school-best 41 games over four years, including two Middle Atlantic Conference crowns and two NCAA quarterfinal appearances.
