The Phillies and the World Series: A teaching moment
Room 111 at Roxborough High School is a tribute to the World Series bound Philadelphia Phillies - and a teaching moment.
Room 111 at Roxborough High School is a tribute to the World Series bound Philadelphia Phillies - and a teaching moment.
Inside Rose Lambert's special education classroom there are Phillies rally towels (10 -- 7 hanging from the ceiling, 3 attached to the windows); Phillies pennants (7); red and white Phillies t-shirts (3); helium-filled Phillies balloons (3); a Phillies blanket (1) and photographs of the 2008 Phillies team (dozens).
Lambert, 62, and her seven students (at least one set of parents are season ticketholders) are all about the Phillies these days and their classroom is the most decorated and perhaps spirited at the 935-student high school.
"Welcome to Phillies Central," joked principal Richard Jenkins this morning.
Lambert, a life-long Phillies fan (she's been to 30 games this season), said she decided to decorate her classroom to psyche her students, all of whom are autistic, for a World Series win against the Tampa Bay Rays and express Phillies pride.
"I'm hoping we make it to Game 5 because I'm going to be there," said Lambert, whose favorite Phillies player is Jimmy Rollins. "I don't think we are going to sweep our first four games. I'm a little worried about the batters on Tampa's team and I want our pitchers to wow them."
Today's classroom curriculum for the students: the viewing of a 2006 DVD titled Phillie Phantic Goes Hollywood, which chronicles the adventures of the team mascot. And a baseball cake and cupcakes, decorated in red Phillies frosting, as the late morning snack.
Student James Moran, 19, who brought in the Phantic DVD, said his family has season tickets. "It's paint the town red week," said Moran, attired in a red Phillies shirt personalized with his name on the back.
Ryan Conboy, 16, wore a blue, red and white Phillies cap that belonged to his brother, Adam, a soldier who was killed in Iraq.
"I'm wearing my brother's hat for good luck. I want them to win tonight," he said.
Lambert said she would have been more worried if the Phils went up against Boston in the series.
"Their winning average is a lot better in warm weather," she said. "I would have been concerned if they had to go to Boston."
Michael Hendler, a special education teacher at Roxborough, said the Phillies need to win the first game to set the tone for the rest of the series.
"The city needs this championship in the worst way," Hendler, 52, said. "It will make us all feel better about our lives. The city of Philadelphia will be able to take a deep breath."
He recalled the Philadelphia Flyers parade in 1975 where about 2 million fans came out to express their Philly pride.
"I believe there will be double or triple the amount of people at a parade if the Phillies win," Hendler, a partial-season ticket holder said. "We are so starved for a championship. The city needs it bad."
The decorations in Lambert's classroom will remain up for the next week and a half.
"It doesn't happen very often," she said with excitement, "so lets enjoy it while we can."