Bo Pezanski

"Man, if you ain’t heard of Bo Pezanski then you are definitely checked out on who’s cool in this school. There’s a whole world out there and I’m in charge."

Bodeen Pezanski is an 8th grade student at Whistling Pines Junior High.

Bo is the Whistling Pines' hall monitor and takes his job very seriously. He can usually be seen hanging around Sharla Norvell. He has a soft spot for Jessie Marbella, and thus, can't stand Max Diamond. Despite the fact that Bo doesn't do well in school, he is actually very intelligent at computer science, with proficiency in hacking. Bo created a virus in the school's system by himself called the Jawbone which alters the digital gradebooks. After the first Rockett game, Bo's character art was changed. His original look appears in Rockett's New School exclusively. In his final design, Bo has blonde hair, dark eyebrows, green eyes, and freckled cheeks. He always wears a coat as part of his outfit, either a trench coat or a leather jacket. Bo is a minor character, and is usually talked about more than he is seen.

Even though his birthdate is never mentioned, Bo is marked down as a Gemini in Viva's class astrology book, meaning he was born between May 21 and June 20. In the Rockett's World book, Are We There Yet?, for the calendar fundraiser Bo poses with Ginger on the June page, narrowing his possible birthday to the first 20 days in June.

Background
Bo is one of six children. He has four brothers and one sister. Three of them, Charlie, Lane, and Pete, are older than Bo. His parents are unnamed in the games. According to Bo’s school journal, he is nice to his sister because she is ignored by their mother. The family does not have disposable income; Bo makes a fuss when Sharla brings up holiday presents saying he doesn’t have a way to get her something nice, and he makes his mom a present in shop class.

Bo was able to take extracurricular computer classes because he appears in computer lab with Nicole Whittaker in Secret Paths to the Sea. His full background with coding and computer proficiency is unknown.

Personality
Bo has a cool demeanor and a sardonic way of speaking. He smiles and laughs often, but he is rarely nice or friendly. However, he doesn’t go out of his way to be mean to others. He keeps to himself most of the time, and considers his personal agenda more important than rules or friendships.

Interests & Skills
Bo is highly skilled with computers. He is so comfortable with coding programs that he engineered a computer virus called The Jawbone. The virus spread so prevalently that government agents were called upon to trace the virus back to its source. Since Bo made the virus on a school computer, it cannot be fully traced back to him, and he is never caught or punished for it.

He really wants to own a motorcycle someday, and he already has a plan to earn money in high school so that he can buy a bike by the time he gets his driver's license.

Based on textbooks in his locker, he is talented in mathematics - using advanced level texts combined with computer guides. On his report card, math is his second best subject in school (after computer science).

Bo also has a ship in a bottle which may indicate a skill with building miniatures. He enjoys spray painting graffiti art, as evidenced by the inside of his school locker.

Relationships
Among his classmates, Bo is friends and hangs out with Sharla the most. He also has a soft spot for Jessie due to her friendly nature and acts like an older brother towards her; hating anyone who would try to hurt her. Online, he is friends with a girl who goes by the username "Catgirl7." Other than Sharla, he has a host of older friends that he parties with (named Jimbo, Zonko, Madeline, Bloodhound, Tom B., and Toreen). He has no known student or teacher crushes.

Due to his fondness for Jessie, Bo despises Max Diamond for his crush on Jessie, and he frequently warns Max to stay away from her.

He dislikes the group of girls in the Ones clique. Bo keeps a picture of the three girls in his locker and has drawn unflattering features on each face in black marker and changed the clique’s name from “the Ones” to “the Zeros.”

Among the Whistling Pines staff, Bo's biggest supporters are Eugenie Chen and Spirulina Wheatgrass. Recognizing his talent with computers, Ms. Chen often goes out of her way to defend him and his actions with the other faculty members. He always makes sure to be on his best behavior when he is sent to Dr. Wheatgrass's office, leading her to wonder why everyone thinks he's a problem student.

Academics
Bo has Mrs. Tinydahl as his homeroom teacher. As evidenced by his fall report card, Bo has very poor grades; he has skipped so much work in language arts that he doesn't even have a grade for the class. The only classes he gets decent grades in are math (C-) and computer science (A+).

Despite his terrible grades and lackadaisical attitude towards school, he is still allowed to participate in extracurricular activities. In Secret Invitation, he is a hall monitor - something that even he is surprised about. In What Kind of Friend Are You?, Bo is allowed to run for two class offices under Arnold's Spork Party ticket despite the requirement of a C average GPA. (Though his grades are not revealed in the books.)

In the school talent show with mandatory participation in Who's Running This Show?, Bo ran the soundboard during the performances.

Secret Paths to the Sea
Bo makes one appearance on Nicole's path. Nicole is late to computer class and didn't have time to change out of her equestrian gear. She sits down next to Bo in the computer lab and he loudly points out that she has horse manure on her boots, making Nicole a laughing stock in front of everyone. Bo has bright red hair in this game, but it's styled the same as it is in the Rockett series games.

Rockett's New School
While he did attend 8th grade orientation (since he has a school journal), Bo skips the first day of school; only making it to the front steps before he decided to bail on Sharla, much to her annoyance. His only physical appearance is his locker portrait, which differs significantly from the later games. According to a Rockett Talk article, this is because his character design had not been finalized yet. A boy with the same design wearing overalls can be seen in the background of several scenes in the game.

During the day, he sends a note to Sharla telling her to meet him at the bike racks whenever she decides to leave school, hinting that he might give her the money he owes her.

Rockett's Tricky Decision
Once again, Bo does not make a physical appearance. He does, however, attend school on October 27th, as he mentions in his school journal needing to finish a birthday present he is making for his mother in shop class.

Several months before the start of the game, Bo created the Jawbone virus. At the game's start, government agents have finally tracked its origin to the WPJH computer lab, after it had already infected many computers all around the country. Sometime at the start of the day, he sends a note to Sharla telling her not to save anything important on the school computers due to the virus.

At the start of the school day, Max gives him an invitation to his party and a note asking if he wants to join in on vandalizing the teachers' lounge with him and Cleve. Max tells him that he would be in charge of getting the key to the lounge so they can get in after-hours. They plan to meet in the North Hall landing after 3rd period. Later, Bo bribes Mr. Pill with vegetables found growing by Bo's house into giving away the key. The pranksters than decorate the teachers' lounge with over-the-top Halloween stuff, like cobwebs and a full skeleton from the science lab sitting on the couch.

Part of Bo's deal to get the key for Max and his friends was to make Max promise to fix any mechanical problems with Bo's motorized scooter for the rest of the semester. Bo also receives a letter from Arnold asking Bo for help with a campaign to have sporks added to the cafeteria.

Despite having an invitation, Bo does not formally attend Max's party. He instead crashes it, along with all of the other Halloween parties in town, with Sharla. After seeing Ruben's band play at Max's party, Bo apparently asked Ruben for his bandmate Olivia's phone number. Ruben gives it to him in a note, but also writes that Olivia is probably not gonna give either of them the time of day; she's older than they are and is busy with band practice most afternoons.

In his locker's journal, Bo gives an account on how he acts like his best self whenever he gets sent to the guidance counselor, Dr. Wheatgrass, for misbehavior; this means she is always on his side and says she can’t understand why everyone else says he’s a problematic student.

Rockett's Secret Invitation
Bo gets his first major physical appearance in this game. After meeting with the CSGs, Rockett lingers in an empty classroom to think things over. Bo, acting as hall monitor, catches her ditching class and prepares a tardy slip to the principal’s office. The player can choose how Rockett reacts.

If Rockett challenges Bo’s authority and insults him, she’ll make him mad and he writes the tardy slip as retribution. Or Rockett can think Bo is bluffing and try to escape with no consequences, but Bo isn’t letting her get away. Mr. Rarebit shows up and hears both kids explain. He takes Bo’s tardy slip for Rockett saying he’ll handle it. Bo reluctantly gives up and goes to class, and Rarebit doesn’t punish Rockett. The last option allows Rockett to ask Bo nicely not to write her up, promising to return the favor someday. Bo is unsure, but then Jessie intervenes on her way to class. She asks Bo to let Rockett slide and his soft spot for Jessie gets Rockett off the hook.

At the end of school, the player can make another decision where Rockett encounters Bo. On her way home, Rockett runs into Bo and Sharla who are waiting in the Birdcage for a ride to take them to a wild holiday party. They invite Rockett to come along, but won’t tell her where it is. She says she wants to go but when the car comes, Rockett chickens out and goes home as planned. Bo and Sharla get in the car with Bloodhound and drive away.

Rockett's First Dance
Bo is in school for the game play on Feb 09. His single appearance is when the Pine mascot pulls Rockett Movado out of class so she can go check on the dance decorations. As hall monitor, Bo has made it a mission to catch the Pine out of class without permission and finally nabs the mascot at this moment. The Pine is unconcerned about Bo until Mr. Pill spots them. Bo thinks he has a right to be in the hall as part of his duties, but Mr. Pill doesn’t care and chases both Bo and the Pine to the principal’s office, leaving Rockett behind.

According to his journal, Bo apparently has a long-term argument with Sharla about pulling pranks on the Pine mascot. Sharla thinks Bo shouldn’t target the mascot with mischief, but Bo doesn’t agree and wonders why it matters so much to Sharla.

Bo does not attend the school dance. He also doesn’t believe Sharla when she says that she will be going, thinking she is messing with him and trying to prank him into showing up. At the dance, Sharla does mention to Rockett that she and Bo put extra votes in the ballot box earlier for Rockett to win Queen of Hearts. In lieu of the school dance, Bo spends the night at the town's video arcade with his older brothers, Lane and Pete.

Purple Moon Place Treasures
See: Treasures