Benji's in DA HOUSE!

Franklin Elementary School Principal Kevin Downes looks the part, center, while playing Ben Franklin Jeopardy against teachers Matt Cohen, left, and Tina Lundy, right.

Blogger's Note: The following was shamelessly stolen from the Pottstown School District web site:

Recently, Benjamin Franklin celebrated his 308 th birthday and thanks to the students and staff at Pottstown’s Franklin Elementary School he is not in jeopardy of being forgotten.

Benjamin Franklin, aka Franklin Principal Kevin Downes, paid a visit to a full school assembly where he demonstrated his knowledge of history while competing in a game of jeopardy. His opponents for the day were Franklin teachers Matt Cohen and Tina Ludy.

As the master of ceremonies, Mike DiDonato gave each contestant a chance at the various categories. 

Ben Franklin won hands down because it seems that the answer for each of the categories was “Who is Ben Franklin?” As scorekeeper teacher Jen Swenk totaled up the number, and student expressed their enthusiasm for the contest and Dr. Franklin.

Downes said, “We were looking for a way to honor one of our country’s founding fathers and teach American history at the same time. Dressing in costume and using the jeopardy game format made American history come alive for our students and reminded them that learning can be fun.”

During the assembly, Ben Franklin gave the students many things to think about through his words of wisdom. 

 His parting words at the end of the day were to remind students to think of the future and he said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

Saving Lives with Rock and Roll

Bobby Rydell

On Valentines Day, the organ that most comes to mind is the heart, but the body needs all its organs and you can save lives being an organ donor.

Just ask Rock and Roll legend Bobby Rydell.

Rydell will be the featured performer at a Concert for Organ Donor Awareness held Saturday, March 29 at the Davenport Auditorium at Pottstown High School.

Himself the beneficiary of an organ and kidney transplant in 2012, Rydell promotes organ donation and has a web site dedicated to his efforts and telling his story.

"My life donor saved many lives, myself being just one," he wrote on July 18 while recovering from surgery. "I am alive today because of the value one grieving family placed on life. My hearts go out to them."

The Philadelphia native's hits include "Volare," "Wild One, "Wildwood Days" and more.

Here is a video from his web page in which he sings "Mack the Knife" post surgery.



Last week, organizers appeared before Pottstown Borough Council to promote the concert and Mayor Sharon Thomas issued a declaration making March 29th "Bobby Rydell Organ Donor Awareness Day.

Also appearing at the March 29th concert will be The Duprees and the First Ladies of Rock and Soul.

The Duprees hits include "You Belong to Me," "Take Me As I Am" and "Have You Heard?"

The First Ladies of Rock and Soul perform hits by The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Crystals and more.

Tickets for the show, arranged by Tom Coyle, are $55 for reserved seats and $45 for general admission.

You can purchase tickets by phone at 610-853-6776 or at 610-306-9361.

You can purchase tickets by mail by sending a check payable to Tom Coyle to P.O. Box 912, Pottstown, PA 19464.

And you can purchase tickets on-line at www.FirstLadiesofRockandSoul.com

The show starts at 6 p.m.

Below is Tout video of Coyle and Lou Ballezzi of Classic Productions Inc. speaking to Borough Council.

Pottstown's Got Talent

1 of 50 Acts of Kindness

Student leaders at Montgomery County Community College’s West Campus in Pottstown will host their 13th Annual Lasagna Dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 7 p.m.

The dinner, which includes a special presentation by the West-End Theatre student drama club, will be held in the South Hall Community Room, 101 College Drive. 

Take-out meals will be available from 3-5:45 p.m. Both dine-in and take-out options are open to the public.

The dinner includes a choice of meat or veggie lasagna, salad, bread, beverage and dessert and costs $10 for adults, $5 for children age 10 years and under, and $7 for MCCC students with a valid college ID.

All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the West Campus Student Scholarship fund through the College’s Foundation, as it has since 2012.

The Annual Lasagna Dinner raises money for the scholarship fund.

Each year, the scholarship is awarded to a West Campus student who is engaged in community service and is in good academic standing. Representatives from the Foundation will be on hand at the event to answer questions about this and other scholarship opportunities.

In previous years, the dinner raised money for:

• United Way
• Barth Elementary School
• Reach One Touch One Ministries
• Pottstown Downtown Foundation
• Pottstown Library Children’s Department
• Relay for Life
• Family Services of Montgomery County

For more information, contact MCCC’s Office of Student Leadership and Involvement at 610-718-1852.

The West Campus Lasagna Dinner Theater is one of MCCC’s “50 Acts of Kindness” as part of the College’s 50th anniversary celebration. 

Throughout 2014, MCCC students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters are committed organizing 50 acts of community service – one for every year of the College’s existence. 

To learn more at the College’s 50th anniversary activities, visit mc3.edu/50.

Monday Night's Council Meeting was a Quick One

Here, without further ado, is the "Storify" of the live-tweeting I did from the meeting.

Staying Connected with Your Teen

Recycle Mania at MC3

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Montgomery County Community College.

Montgomery County Community College will once again take part in RecycleMania, a nationwide tournament among colleges and universities designed to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization.

After finishing second in Pennsylvania in the Waste Minimization category during the 2013 challenge – collecting 15.292 pounds of combined trash and recycling per capita – MCCC expects to maintain momentum in this, its seventh consecutive year of competing.

Pre-season practice weeks were held from Jan. 19-Feb. 1. Then, the official competition kicked off on Feb. 2 and extends eight weeks to March 29.

During the program, campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita or have the highest recycling rate. Final results will be announced on April 11.

In 2013, 523 colleges comprising 3.5 million staff and students recycled and/or composted 90.8 million pounds of waste. In addition, 

Recyclemania 2013 resulted in a reduction of 121,436 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2E). 

Of the totals, MCCC contributed 34,132 pounds of recycling and averaged 4.252 pounds of recycling per person each week.

According to the U.S. EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), MCCC’s recycling efforts during the competition resulted in a greenhouse gas reduction of 48 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), which translates to the energy consumption of four households or the emissions of nine cars.

RecycleMania is made possible through the sponsorship support of Alcoa, SCA, The Coca Cola Company, Keep America Beautiful, and the American Forest & Paper Association. Additional program support is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise program, College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), Campus Conservation Nationals, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology program.

Check out MCCC’s Think Green blog at mc3green.wordpress.com for RecycleMania stats and updates.

To learn more about the RecycleMania 2014 competition, visit recyclemaniacs.org.