Fans of the old PBS series
Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High — and we know
you’re out there — will soon get the chance to bid on some
memorabilia from the cult coming-of-age drama.

Pat Mastroianni, who played Joey Jeremiah on the
long-running shows, is planning to auction off several mementos on
eBay next month (April 10 to 15) to help raise money for the
Multiple Sclerosis Society (http://www.geocities.com/patmeup/).
Among the rare items will be one of his trademark hats from the
series, which originated in Canada and still airs in reruns four
times a day in the Great White North.

Degrassi ceased original production about 10 years ago but
the show’s cult following just won’t die. Gen-X movie director Kevin Smith often cites the show as a major
inspiration. And the entire Degrassi library will be released
on home video next month by Boston public TV station WGBH.

“We weren’t trying to be slick,” says Mastroianni, 28, in
describing the show’s ongoing appeal. “The writing was so natural
and the issues were dealt with honestly. Here I was, an actor with
zits on-camera. I can’t think of any show that does that.”

Mastroianni just moved back to Canada after a four-year stay in
Los Angeles and recently became engaged to his high school
sweetheart. He’s currently shopping around a new series, Maximum
Speed, aimed at motorsports fans ages 9 to 19. And he remains
hopeful that there will someday be a Degrassi reunion.

“I haven’t seen a lot of the Degrassi people in over 10
years,” he says. “Just like when you graduate from high school, you
say you’ll keep in touch but you just don’t.”