Month: March 2010

Jr. Suarez is an average teenage student who walks down the halls of Penn Manor.   There are  just a few exceptions, he has quarter-sized ear holes, known as gauges and two lip piercings.

Although not entirely comonplace, these types of piercings are becoming more of a trend at Penn Manor. It is not unusual now for teens to sport all kind of piercings which, years earlier, may have been considered weird.

Suarez doesn’t just have one gauge and one lip ring, he has two along with his statement: “two is always better than one.”

It took Suarez a minimum of four and a half months to go from an 18 gauge to a ¾-of-an-inch gauge. He now has ¾-inch gauges and double lip piercings known as snakebites.

Jr. says about his gauges “I wanted them since the seventh grade.”

Why would someone go through the pain of having a needle through their face or stretching of their ears?

“I got my eyebrow done because I want to be different and not a lot of girls have them,” said Genny Leonards, a junior at Penn Manor.

Although Adrienne Herr, a senior, doesn’t have facial piercings, she has an opinion about people who do.

“At a first glance, facial piercings may seem scary but if you judge those who have piercings without getting to know them, then maybe you’re the one who needs to change,” said Herr.

Ear Stretching is the means by which one can gradually stretch their ear piercing. A normal pierced ear is a 18/20 gauge.The largest gauge to stretch to, without the capability of returning to the normal size, is a two gauge also considered  the“point of no return” according to www.earstretching.net.

The correct way to stretch your ears is one gauge at a time (14-12, 12-10), the lower the number the larger the piercing, according to www.onetribe.nu.

If someone really wants to fix their ears from having an oversized hole they can have surgery but it shouldn’t be done until the deformity stops improving, according to www.arka-shop.co.uk.

One of the downsides of gauges is they stink.

Travis Healy said, “If you like moldy cheese then get gauges, because that’s what they smell like.”

A majority of facial piercings consist of nose, lip and eyebrow [most noticeable type of piercing.]

Work can be a problem when having facial piercings and gauges.  Some work supervisors tell their workers that they will not accept any types of piercings.

Adrienne Herr said “The biggest downfall to facial piercings might only become evident later in life when students start their job search.”

Another downside is they can interfere with day-to-day activities like eating with a tongue piercing.

Genny Leonards said, “when I sleep, it [eyebrow piercing] sometimes gets caught on my pillow and becomes sore.”

Jack Gunzenhauser doesn’t see any end in sight for his gauges. He already has stretched his ear lobes close to an inch.

“Go bigger, go, go!”

By Stephanie Herr

High school to most people is the time that you build relationships and make memories with the friends that mean the most, what better way to remember those times than by buying a class ring…or is it?

Some people think of a class ring as being something you can keep forever and look back on when you and your friends grow apart.

Some of the students at Penn Manor High School think differently about the idea of spending all that money on one class ring.

Senior football and baseball player, Jared Shearer, commented that, “It’s not that memorable, I’m just going to get a yearbook since pictures mean more.”

“I’m just not a ring guy,” said Shearer.

As the economy worsens and times are getting harder, it’s obvious that students won’t be that interested in buying a class ring this year.  They’ll save their spending money for things of their own interests.

Senior Erik Klugh said, “I’d much rather spend my money on a yearbook that has pictures of everyone and things I’ve done in high school rather than a piece of jewelry. Plus pictures mean more and can tell stories of my past…that’s something a ring can’t do.”

To some people a ring might be the perfect way to remember things; you can engrave your name on it, have sport symbols, and even your birth stone.

To senior Kenny Tomaszfski, a class ring is a good investment.

“It will always remind me of the times and memories I had at Penn Manor,” he said.

No matter what happens in school or in classes, in the halls and even at lunch, there is  always something that can be turned into a memory. You can buy a class ring and have something to wear the rest of your life or you can get a  year book with pictures to look back on.   You will always be able to remember those times you shared with fellow students during your time in high school.

Damien Oswald

The rising sun on July 10, 2009 marked the dawn of a new era for not only the Valentine family, but the entire Penn Manor community.

The death of Secretary Heather Valentine’s son, Cory, happened on that day.  And, as the community gathered to provide any modest support they could provide, the question arose in many: how is it best to support someone who is grieving.

This community reached out quickly to the Valentine family.

“Penn Manor has been a very supportive community for our family,” said Valentine.

This poses the question: what are the dos and dont’s for comforting and grieving with your friends?  With various attitudes about death, that’s no easy question to answer.

Penn Manor counselor Kimberly Marsh made it seem pretty straight-forth:

Do: understand that everyone handles things differently and to be there and listen

Do Not: change the subject when they talk about it, set a time for when you think they should be over it, or act as if you are their counselor.

Marsh also made it clear that: “They will probably never ‘get over it’ and they will have to deal with it day by day.”

And this is true with Valentine, “Cory’s never off my mind. He’s constantly on my mind. It will be with me the rest of my life.”

Senior Jenn Stumpf suffered two traumatic loses in her lifetime. Her brother was killed in 2004, her father in 2007. Her biggest help through all of the grieving: friends.

“The things that helped me the most were hanging out with friends every time that I could and staying on my daily routines. Not laying around and thinking about it all the time. It’s good to keep your mind off of the things the most you can,” said Stumpf.

Stumpf also provided some advice if you would ever find yourself in a similar situation, “I would tell them to keep their head up and stay positive. And reassure them that everything will be okay.”

Bri Delinger, Cory’s sister and a Penn Manor senior had additional advice.

“Be more compassionate,” she said.  “I would appreciate if people would be more supportive… be conscious of feelings when they say certain things.”

To summarize, do not try and be the counselor, no matter how much you think you may know, you really do not have a clue. Every person handles a situation differently, while some refuse to handle the situation at all.

There is so much pain surrounding the death of a loved one, but the stories and memories shared are worth more than anything. As the old Irish proverb states, “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

By Tyler Barnett

The cafeteria’s popcorn chicken is amazing. There are no other words for it.

Well, at least no other word I’ve heard from students. In fact, on days when it’s the main lunch, it makes up almost 75% of the average 1010 meals sold daily.

Polling students on why the chicken is so popular brings in a range of opinions: “People just like it. Maybe it’s the spices?” “There’s no reason, it’s just automatically awesome,” “It’s not about the chicken. It’s about the gravy that comes with the chicken,” “You know, until someone invents bacon that tells me I’m handsome, I will hold up the popcorn chicken as one of mankind’s greatest creations.”

Now, strange thing is, Penn Manor’s popcorn chicken is easily available at local grocery stores as Tyson’s Any’tizers popcorn chicken bites. Nothing is changed, no ingredients added, just sent to the kitchens and prepared according to the instructions on the bag.

This information got mixed reviews. Some students loved the idea; others were indifferent, stating that they’d get tired of it if they started to have it at home.

John Erisman, a Penn Manor social studies teacher and a resident popcorn chicken specialist, said that while popcorn chicken is one of the only two cafeteria’s meals he eats, he wouldn’t have it at home, and that he suggests fans visit a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

“I’m telling you, best chicken in the world,” Erisman said.

Guess sometimes there is too much of a good thing.

By Kennedy Phillips