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Penn Pals News Letter Foot Ball Game

The Penn Pals football game in November is always a huge hit. The fun started even before the game began. We all gathered together to decorate signs to show Penn our support. Some Penn Pals were passionate about representing the school colors by insisting on using only red and blue, while others were a little less conventional and colored their footballs bright pink. The facing painting also turned out to be a lot of fun and surprisingly not too big of a mess! The kids enjoyed having their faces painted almost as much as they enjoyed painting their friends’ or pals faces. Although a big P was common among pals and Penn students others supported some other creative and interesting designs. Once at the game, the boys love to watch the game and root for the Quakers while enjoying the classic ball game hot dog. They admire the strength and speed of the players and many dream to be “ that good” someday. Even if some of the younger fans do not have a keen interest in fallowing the details of the game, they all seemed to have a great time. Exploring the stadium of Franklin Field often in search of the best snacks was a popular adventure for many of the Penn pals. The girls may not aspire to be football players, but they still got excited when the Quakers scored a touchdown: they held up the signs they had made and cheered energetically. The girls also very much enjoyed watching the cheer leaders go through their intricate routines and waiting for visits from the Quaker riding around on the top of his football helmet. The highlight of the game for many came in the third quarter when the Penn pals fallowed in Penn tradition to experience and participate in the toast throwing madness and excitement. To top off the great event, Penn beat Cornell 34-0 which lead directly to the Ivy League title. Although the game may not have been a nail bitter, the celebration after clinching the title was certainly a great thing to see.

Penn Pals News Letter Ice Skating

Every December Penn Pals brings out the holiday spirit by going ice skating at the class of 1923 ice rink. Many of the pals and some of the Penn students have never been ice skating before and are a bit apprehensive about the embarrassment of falling. Once they get on the ice however everyone finds themselves in good company and quickly forget their fears and just have a great time. Some pairs wouldn’t dare loosen the grip of their pal’s hand as they make their way slowly around the rink. This is really a great bonding experience for the Pals and students. Learning something new together is always a lot of fun and can give sense of equality and a much needed boost in self confidence to a middle school girl or any child for that matter. This is also a really great way to spend some quality one on one time with your pal in the sometimes more comfortable group setting. It is also fun to look back on it and giggle about how silly you may have looked. For those Penn students who do know how to skate, it can also be a blast and a great bonding experience. Whether it is simply hand holding or even a piggy back it this type of experience that is an important trust building activity. The nice warm hot chocolate and donuts provided at the end of the skate, was a nice relaxing way to end the fun-filled day. .