Capa

Money is so tight in the Philadelphia School District that the unthinkable has happened. For the first time in 17 years, CAPA - the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, the district's arts gem on South Broad Street - cannot afford to put on a musical. "I was shocked and upset," said Jack Schmieg, a freshman vocal major at Oberlin College in Ohio who starred as Jean Valjean in CAPA's production of Les Misérables last year. "I couldn't imagine not having a musical.

With her school tight for cash like most in the city, principal Ellen Savitz was faced with losing an instrumental-music teacher next year at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts. So in true CAPA fashion, she got creative and trolled for outside revenue, and to the rescue came the Electric Factory. The Philadelphia-based concert promoter donated $25,000 to help Savitz keep the position, and she drew the rest of the revenue from interest on two small CAPA endowments.

Rick Shields slowly walked back to the bench after a time-out yesterday during the Public League volleyball championship match, took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his graying hair, and sat down at the edge of his seat. The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, where Shields is the head coach, was one point away from the title against a gritty Central squad. In the match's fifth and final game at Community College of Philadelphia, Shields didn't know what would come next.

IT'S NOT OFTEN a basketball player nears the end of his high school career with a scoring average of 262.3. Say what?! First, say that you're sorry for Matt Powers, and that you understand all the pain and frustration he has faced - yes, even before we detail the depth and breadth - during a 4-year career at Creative and Performing Arts, a special-admit Public League school at Broad and Christian. Powers' 262.3 average does not represent points per game, of course. It refers to points per win. The heck with just Philly, or even Pennsylvania, or even the East Coast.

Jennifer Garrison lives in fear. When she arrives each morning at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, on the southern edge of Center City, she calls home to tell her mother, "I'm here. I'm OK. " She also calls when classes conclude. "I'm leaving. Be there soon . . . I hope. " Since last month, Garrison, who played volleyball on her school team, can't help thinking something bad is in the offing. "Every person I see, I'm thinking, 'Is it going to happen again?

The long ball told the story of CAPA's 16-14, Public League softball win over visiting Mastbaum on Friday. Shannon Kanak's walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth and final inning was the winning blast, but teammate Courtney Godbolt put the Pegasus (9-1) in position to win with two three-run shots earlier in the game. In other league games: Cynthia Sao did just about everything for host Southern in a 19-9 win over Ben Franklin. Sao, a junior pitcher, had a complete game and hit for the cycle with six RBIs.

THE LAST THING a basketball-playing percussionist wants to do is keep getting drummed. And then, in the final game of the season, better known as The Battle for 65th Place, Anthony Galdo got a chance to experience unabashed fun. Thanks to Ben Dubin, the Public League's new hoops chairman, there are now five divisions grouped by ability/recent results. E is the lowest, and Galdo's school, Benjamin Rush, yesterday found itself hosting another, Creative and Performing Arts, which also had stumbled to an 0-11 league mark.

She's a 17-year-old ballet dancer, singer and sculptor from Berlin. In her spare time, she plays the piano and acts. She wants to master chess - and she likes American football. Her name is Paula Gelbke-Simeonowa, and she's determined to attend the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts for her junior year. There's only one problem: Gelbke-Simeonowa needs a city family to sponsor her, and so far, the Academic Year USA exchange program hasn't been able to find one. "There are plenty of suburban residents interested, but we need somebody within the city limits," said Barbara Overton, regional director of AYUSA.

On stage, Samia Merritt is all poise and presence - a diminutive dynamo with a lilting voice and a commanding air, delivering a monologue you can't look away from. In class at Philadelphia's High School for Creative and Performing Arts, she's bright and bubbly - just another young woman in a pink American Eagle T-shirt, pink hair bow, and mismatched pink and black socks, poring over her precalculus homework. But sometimes Merritt, 18, turns reflective, and you get a glimpse of just how far she's come.

Hundreds of city students gathered Tuesday outside Philadelphia School District headquarters to protest budget cuts that threaten to strip their schools of counselors and support staff, swell class sizes, and chop all extracurricular activities. Musicians sang and played instruments. Teenagers toted handmade signs, waving them at cars beeping their approval. Others lined up to give brief speeches shouted into a bullhorn. "No ifs, no buts, no education cuts," they chanted. Students from around the city - including Central, Bodine, Girls High, Franklin Learning Center, Academy at Palumbo, Masterman, Furness, Frankford, Shawmont, and other schools - were represented in the crowd, which spilled onto North Broad Street.

AHMIR KHALIB Thompson remembers his roots - in every sense of the word. Thompson, better known in Philly and throughout the world as Questlove, is the frontman for The Roots, the alternative hip-hop band that can be seen weeknights on NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. " Questlove formed the group in the 1980s with classmate Tariq Trotter, now known as Black Thought, when the two were students at the High School of Creative and Performing Arts in South Philadelphia. So when news broke last week that CAPA had no money to produce its annual musical due to budget cuts, Questlove stepped up. The Roots' drummer called CAPA principal Johnny Whaley Jr. about 2 p.m. yesterday.

Money is so tight in the Philadelphia School District that the unthinkable has happened. For the first time in 17 years, CAPA - the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, the district's arts gem on South Broad Street - cannot afford to put on a musical. "I was shocked and upset," said Jack Schmieg, a freshman vocal major at Oberlin College in Ohio who starred as Jean Valjean in CAPA's production of Les Misérables last year. "I couldn't imagine not having a musical.

Highlights of Monday's contests can be found at: www.philly.com/rally Final regular season. PUBLIC LEAGUE League Gold Division W   L    Washington. . . 9   0    Northeast. . . 7   2    Central. . . 6   3    Engineering & Science. . . 5   4    Franklin Learning Center. . . 5   4    Masterman. . . 4   5    Lincoln. . . 4   5    Palumbo. . . 3   6    CAPA . . . 1   8    Edison.

The Public League softball playoffs started Monday with a rare individual performance as Frankford's Moriah Cedeno drove in 13 runs during the Pioneers' 20-9 first-round victory over visiting Science Leadership. Cedeno, a freshman shortstop, batted with the bases loaded three times and produced two grand slams and a three-run triple, and also added a two-run single. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations' record book, the national record for RBIs in a game is 16, set in 1983.

THE LAST THING a basketball-playing percussionist wants to do is keep getting drummed. And then, in the final game of the season, better known as The Battle for 65th Place, Anthony Galdo got a chance to experience unabashed fun. Thanks to Ben Dubin, the Public League's new hoops chairman, there are now five divisions grouped by ability/recent results. E is the lowest, and Galdo's school, Benjamin Rush, yesterday found itself hosting another, Creative and Performing Arts, which also had stumbled to an 0-11 league mark.

You really need a game program to know the players on the Palumbo girls' basketball team. Although Palumbo has just over 200 girls in the school, it's a Class AAAA (large) school for PIAA purposes. Under PIAA regulations, a school that does not have a particular sports program may pair up with another school or schools that do have that sport. Last season, CAPA (performing arts) and Furness, which did not have girls' basketball teams, were paired with Palumbo, making it a AAAA team.