Big brother is watching you, and at Penn Manor he received an upgrade.
Recently the high school underwent a security enhancement, adding about 120 security cameras to the previously outdated system.
“We were fortunate enough to get a grant in joint with Millersville Borough Police, so we made the upgrade,” said school resource officer Jason Hottenstein. “The system was outdated, it was time for the upgrade.”
Penn Manor recently installed cameras. Photo by Sam Valentin.
Hottenstein jokes, “The system we had was completely outdated, you couldn’t tell who was who or a person from an animal.”
The new surveillance structure is not up and running yet, but will be operational before March. Hottenstein says that in spite of this delay, the presence of the cameras has already kicked in as a deterrent to misbehavior.
“Less trouble has been happening, (the cameras are) going to help a lot,” said Hottenstein. “It’s going to be complete coverage, no partial or blind spots.”
Assistant Principal Eric Howe agrees with Hottenstein and is pleased with the upgrade opportunity.
“The federal government offered to match whatever we put in,” said Howe. “It’s great anytime you can get free money.”
Hottenstein says that the new cameras will help to maintain student safety.
Penn Manor senior, Evan Bigler agrees.
“They can watch more areas,” noted Bigler. “If someone is doing something illegal they can catch them and keep the school safe.”
“The number one thing it will help with is student physical altercations. They can be a tool to determine how it started and who started it,” said Hottenstein. But not all students agree with Bigler.
“I think they are a bit unnecessary,” said Penn Manor senior, Katrina Torres. She added jokingly, “It kind of feels like a jail.” Torres is also a victim of multiple robberies here at Penn Manor. She thinks the cameras will help cut down on this issue.
“Hopefully it will aide in preventing such behavior,” said Torres, a victim of thievery here at Penn Manor. Hottenstein also said how they can help them respond quicker to these altercations, among other concerns like theft.
“It will help solve the theft issues we’ve been having in locker rooms,” said Hottenstein.
Altogether Hottenstein says that Penn Manor should feel safer after these cameras are up and running.
Students shoved their textbooks aside for one day as community presenters piled in to share their knowledge of possible career interests for high school youth.
It’s Career Day.
“It’s tremendous that close to 70 people will come in to give their time to talk to students”, said Principal Phil Gale. “That’s 70 people not doing their job today.,”
“I try to get speakers in the career pathways,” said counselor Marjean Long who is the coordinator for Career Day at Penn Manor.
“(Career day) is a good opportunity for students to hear what a typical day is like for a career they may be interested in.”
Career day presenter Sean Hagins. Photo by Sam Valentin
“The arts are always the most popular category,” said Long. “The tattoo artist is the big one this year.
Another presenter in the arts pathway is photographer Sean Hagins, who has been a constituent of career day for four years and continues to enlighten students about the career path of photography.
“I’ve owned (my own) company for about 9 years,” said Hagins.
He described running SJHfoto as either “feast or famine” because he depends on people to call him for work.
Hagins hires many people locally, including former Penn Manor students like himself.
“The Pennsylvania School of Art and Design and Millersville University is also where I hire a good deal of photographers that work for me.”
This is the fourth year Penn Manor has held Career Day in February to give students insight on different professions. Long began courting speakers in August to spend a day educating students. This year 65 professionals came in to speak, including entrepreneur Michael Tull who owns the “UgLY” t-shirt company, and spoke to the freshman, sophomore and junior classes in the auditorium.
Tull’s word of the day was “believe” which goes well with his t-shirts which stand for ” You Gotta Love Yourself First.”
Another veteran speaker of Career Day is Chef Bob Genet of Yorktowne Business Institute, who keeps coming back for multiple reasons.
“Part of my profession is promoting my career, and it’s just fun,” said Genet about coming in to talk to high school students.
Along with being a veteran at Career Day, he is also a veteran in his career field as he has been cooking for 36 years. He tried other professions but always came back to cooking because he enjoys interacting with customers and never standing still.
Chef Bob Genet. Photo by Jake Shiner
For his presentation at the school he talked about his career and then prepared veal saltin bocca as a demonstration for the students.
Ian Tahmasbi was looking forward to watching Genet’s presentation and spoke highly of him saying “Chef Bob is awesome.”
But this junior feels that career day isn’t effective at Penn Manor.
“I think that people don’t take career day seriously because most people already have their hearts set on what they want to do and the ones that don’t, don’t care,” said Tahmasbi. “(Also) 45 minutes isn’t enough time to get an insight on a career.”
Gale said, “If students listen and take advantage of what is being presented to them it can be a tremendous learning experience.”
It might not be the signing day with the most athletes, but definitely some of the brightest and most unique.
This year 12 Penn Manor students are signing their letter of intent to play collegiate athletics at the university of their choice.
The students who are participating in this year’s signing day include a female ice hockey player, who plays on a team with boys, an athlete who never participated one day in his sport and a basketball player who will be joining her older sister on the team.
Penn Manor had athletes sign in all three college divisions.
The entire list includes:
DIVISION I
Andrew Herr – Michigan State University – Soccer
Vicky Nase – Ohio University – Field Hockey
Logan Kramer – Arkansas State – Soccer
DIVISION II
Alex Cummins – Florida Institute of Technology – Lacrosse
Emily Eddowes – Rollins College – Lacrosse
Sara Bennis – West Chester State University – Soccer
DIVISION III
Kayla Bixler – Bryn Mawr College – Field Hockey
Jessie Capanelli – Stevenson University – Ice Hockey
Courtney Fatta – Thiel College – Lacrosse
Jenn Hanner – Washington College – Softball
Josh Morgan – Washington College – Rowing
Alicia Ygarza – Eastern Mennonite University – Basketball
Penn Manor Athletic Director Jeff Roth is always excited for signing day.
“I think it’s just a nice showcase for athletes who are moving from the high school arena to collegiate level,” said Roth. “Few less (then in past) but it’s a good number compared to other schools.”
Roth added that being a collegiate athlete is like having a part-time job.
“I think most athletes find the time investment difficult,” said Roth. “It shows a level of dedication.”
Kayla Bixler, left, and Vicky Nase signed letters of intent.
Some very dedicated Division I student athletes have known for months where they are going to play college sports.
Senior girls soccer player Logan Kramer had her decision made for over a year.
“I committed last January at the end of the month, just about this time last year,” said Kramer. “I visited a lot of schools but (Arkansas State) really stood out.”
Senior boys soccer player Andrew Herr made his decision at the end of his junior year.
“I wasn’t heavily recruited, but this was my first choice,” said Herr. “(Michigan State) always has a really good team.”
Senior Josh Morgan got recruited to Washington College, almost by accident.
“I never rowed a day in my life,” said Morgan. “As I was walking off campus and the (rowing) coach came up to me and took me to the boathouse.”
Morgan’s scholarship is for academics, not sports. He was a wrestler in high school, and the coach noticed his upper body strength.
“I always wanted to go there, it’s right on the Chester River and it just all worked out,” said Morgan.
The Penn Manor ice hockey team ( a boys team) was helped this year by senior Jessie Capanelli – who will attend Stevenson University in Maryland this fall.
Also, Penn Manor girls basketball star Alicia Ygarza signed with Eastern Mennonite to play basketball there for the Royal Lions with her sister, Bianca, who is currently the team’s leading scorer.
One no-show at signing day may surprise some students, Penn Manor senior Marc Summy. Summy is a basketball standout and is leading the Lancaster-Lebanon League in scoring. Summy is not sure where he wants to play basketball after high school, but he is sure he’ll be playing.
“I’m not signing (on signing day) because the season is still going on. I’m hoping new doors will open and by the time I sign I want to be able to lay all my options out on the table and pick, to have the peace of mind that I wasn’t going to have anymore offers,” said Summy.
Summy is deciding between multiple programs.
“My top picks are Navy, Lebanon Valley, and Wheeling Jesuit,” said Summy.
Come home from school and the report card is sitting on the kitchen table. It’s one of the most nerve-racking things a student can see after an already stressful day at school.
That experience is now a thing of the past for Penn Manor School District students. The district has made a major adjustment in the way they are distributing their students’ progress reports and report cards.
Now, the student will collect their report cards at lunch, and take it home from school to show their parents – hopefully.
Seniors Kyle Black and Michael Schneider didn’t show their parents their latest report card, and don’t plan to.
“I was pumped,” said Schneider referring to the report cards not being sent home.
“I won’t show my parents,” said Black. “They don’t even know (report cards) came out.”
Dayonte Dixon's take home report card.
Not mailing report cards home is a way for the district to pinch pennies at a time when school districts don’t have a lot of extra money.
“This is a cost-cutting procedure. If you figure we would mail out about 2,000 report cards four times a year, and the same number of progress reports four times a year, we are saving close to $7,000,” said Penn Manor High School principal Philip Gale.
The savings may be welcomed by the district but, like many money saving schemes, the new operation has its risks.
The main danger is if students never show their parents the grades.
“We are concerned that the report cards may not make it home,” said Gale. “We did put an announcement on the high school website about the distribution of report cards and plan to announce it at Parents’ Night on February 2.”
Administration can’t make the students bring the report card to their parents, but there is a backup plan. If a parent does not receive a report card, they can always contact the school.
“We don’t have plans to force students to take the report card home. If a parent does not receive the report card, they can contact the office and we will mail one,” said Gale.
The new plan seems bulletproof, give students their report card to take home, if they don’t, parents can request to get it mailed home.
But the new procedure isn’t necessarily a win-win scenario.
Some students are very excited with a change in the system because it means they won’t have to show their parents their, maybe not-so-good, grades.
“Yeah I picked up my report card and showed my parents. Well, I showed my mom,” said a Penn Manor junior who didn’t want her name published. She said her dad did not see her report card.
“My dad definitely would of seen it if it would of been mailed,” confessed the student. “I think (the district) should mail them so we don’t have to bother with them. It’s their responsibility not ours.”
But despite the risk that some kids may be trying to manipulate a good thing for the district, Penn Manor assistant principal Krista Cox isn’t worried about report cards getting detoured to the trash.
Carly Rebman says she has no problem giving her report card to her parents.
“I trust my students,” said Cox.
“Yeah I got (my report card), I have nothing to hide,” said Penn Manor junior Carly Rebman.
But although Rebman took hers home, she doesn’t trust her peers as much as Cox does.
“Honestly I think it’s a bad idea, if I had bad grades I definitely wouldn’t show my parents,” said Rebman.
Penn Manor parents are also concerned with the new change.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a report card yet,” said Claudia Forrey, mother of Penn Manor student Reagan.
When she found out report cards have been available for more than a week, Forrey wasn’t pleased.
“Then I need to ask Reagan where his report card is,” she said. “My concern is for other parents who might not have computers.”
But Mrs. Forrey saw a different side of the issue when she heard the district will save $7,000 by halting the mailing of report cards.
“Oh, $7,000?” asked Forrey. “The school needs to save every penny. Well, parents should check Sapphire or call the school (to get their childs’ grades.)”
Whether parents see the report cards or not, grades are available online. If any student didn’t pick up their report card, they are available in the office.
On Sunday the Penn State community, the college football nation, and the world lost not only a great football coach, but a great educator and man. 85-year old Joseph Vincent Paterno died at Mount Nittany Medical Center Sunday morning after his two month battle with lung cancer.
“He was an outstanding American who was respected not only on the field of play but in life generally — and he was, without a doubt, a true icon in the world of sports,” said former President George H.W. Bush regarding Joe Paterno.
“He was more than just a coach, a man, or a human being, he was everything to Penn State,” said Penn Manor senior Vicky Nase.
Penn State has planned memorial services for all this week to honor “JoePa” beginning Tuesday January 24 with a 10 hour viewing at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State Campus, and another shorter viewing on Wednesday at the same location. Both will be open to the public. A funeral service for close friends and family will be held Wednesday afternoon, and to wrap up the week a public memorial service will be held on Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center. All of the public services are bound to be packed as many people want to pay their respects, and thank him one last time for all that he did for the University of Penn State. On Sunday night a student candle light vigil was held outside the iconic Old Main at Penn State to mourn the loss of Paterno.
During his almost 62-year tenure at Penn State, Paterno became the winningest coach in college football history with 409 wins, but he is arguably most known for the impact he has had in the community, donating countless dollars to the university, including raising over $13 million for an expansion to the Penn State library which was later named the “Paterno Library.”
But what puts Paterno above all of the rest, is the academic and moral standard he held his students to. The “Grand Experiment” was Paterno’s attempt at fusing the academic and athletic lives of his players. In result of this, Penn State has graduated over three quarters of its football players, well above the national average of about 67%.
Written by the statue of Joe Paterno, outside Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, is a quote from Paterno himself, “They ask me what I’d like written about me when I’m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach.”
Paterno had been on the coaching staff at Penn State since 1950, but his record setting tenure was abruptly ended by the university on November 9, 2011 in lieu of a sex scandal involving Paterno’s former Defensive Coordinator, Jerry Sandusky.
Sandusky is currently facing 52 child abuse charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Many of the victims of this abuse came from Sandusky’s own Second Mile charity program. The program, founded by Sandusky in 1977, is a charity that benefits under privileged kids and their parents.
Paterno, who’s contract with Penn State was ending after this past season, had already announced his retirement following the season, however, the board of trustees at Penn State decided prompt action was necessary and announced the immediate termination of Paterno’s coaching job.
Paterno is carried off the field after his 400th career victory. Photo courtesy nydailynews.com
With Paterno’s health already in question before these string of events, his condition making a turn for the worst wasn’t much of a surprise for many.
“I knew that as soon as Joe was done with Penn State that he’d die,” senior Alex Cummins said. “He just didn’t have the will to live without football.”
Unfortunately, Paterno will forever be linked to the Sandusky sex scandal.
“Everyone will remember him as a great coach, but Sandusky has definitely tarnished his legacy,” Cummins commented in remembrance of Paterno.
Students remember Joe Paterno at his statue outside Beaver Stadium. Photo courtesy espn.com
ESPN college football analyst Joe Schad disagrees, “That is just one chapter in a very long book of Joe Paterno, and people would say the rest is good.” That has become very clear since his death with the out- pour of positive statements released by those in the college football community.
“He will go down as the greatest football coach in the history of the game,” said new Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer when interviewed by ESPN.
“There are no words to express my respect for him as a man and as a coach,” said new Penn State head coach Bill O ‘Brien.
“Joe Paterno gave his life to college football. He gave his life to the players and college football,” said Nick Saban head coach at the University of Alabama.
The Paterno family statement said it best, ” “His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.”
Simon Zimmerman and David Mohimani contributed to this story.
Is it just about trust or is it to embarrass the person after they break up? Either way, more and more couples are giving away private information to each other. However, for some it’s beginning to come back and bite them.
As the years have progressed, couples have been giving each other things to remind them of their boyfriend or girlfriend like, hoodies, t-shirts, and other items. Nowadays, because of technology being so popular, couples are sharing passwords to their Facebook profiles, emails, and even phones to view texts.
Reagan Forrey, a senior at Penn Manor, believes that these things are not just limited to couples.
“I had to give my password to Dezire Nightlife because I’m a promoter and they send me dance party information to give out,” Forrey said.
But it can become a big problem if a boyfriend or girlfriend has the password to their spouses Facebook account. They may post crude things for everyone to see, humiliate the person, and make fun of them if the relationship doesn’t work out.
Rupp gave her password to gain trust. Photo by Blake Wales
“I gave my password to someone so he could trust me,” said Penn Manor Junior Melanie Rupp.
It doesn’t always end so well, of course. Changing a password is simple, but sometimes the damage is done before the password can be changed. And the sharing of online lives can be the reason a relationship falters.
“My boyfriend cheated on me so I changed mine back,” Bonnie Prebola Penn Manor junior said.
The stories of fallout include a boyfriend or girlfriend who is spurned then tries to humiliate their ex by e-mails, text, and Facebook posts, using their password.
A Penn Manor junior’s ex went on his Facebook and posted things about him after they broke up.
Garner learned a lesson about giving his password away. Photo by Blake Wales
“I didn’t give my password to her, she somehow hacked my Facebook account and posted a bunch of mean stuff about me,” said junior Eric Garner. “She called me names and said I was the worst boyfriend ever,” recalled Garner.
Couples who think it is okay to share everything, even a password, is at risk of getting hurt after the relationship is over.
If you’re in a relationship, think of the consequences before you give your password to your spouse, before it’s too late.
By Gabie Bauman, Joey Jackson and Patrick Simpson –
Piracy isn’t committed on the high seas anymore, but on the Web.
The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA as it is known online, is an anti-piracy bill that proposes a law that would enable an owner of a certain piece of intellectual property to issue a court order to the domain host, warning that a certain website, if determined by the owner to be primarily made for copyright infringement, can and will be shut down. The court order can also block the site from search engines and advertising services.
The bill also makes it a crime to stream copyrighted material, with
Late in 2011 microblogging giant Tumblr blacked out all text and images on their microblogs.
a penalty of up to five years imprisonment for ten infractions within ten months.
The fact that the potential take-down of websites could happen without due process has made many users very nervous. The wording of the bill is vague, leaving the question of what exactly makes a website copyright infringing open for interpretation.
Some of Penn Manor’s community could weigh in on the subject of the proposed bill, “I think it was originally created for music and film, but it’s now more of a blanket law that covers more than they understand,” said Diane Bounds.
Users attempting to view Google's homepage on January 18 would be met by a black bar.
According to Penn Manor’s Technology Director Charlie Reisinger, this bill would harm the basic structure of the Internet, “SOPA and PIPA threaten creativity and expression on the Internet by granting corporations the ability to enforce widespread censorship via DNS blacklisting. Frivolous tampering with DNS betrays the Internet’s fundamental open technical architecture. Further, SOPA/PIPA legislation may significantly undermine next generation DNSSEC (Secure DNS) protocols. DNSSEC is a re-write of the DNS system and aims to harden the global Internet against fraud and attack. In essence, SOPA would force operators to redirect web requests away from legitimate site addresses, which in turn betrays the goals of enhanced DNS security.”
This bill has generated a firestorm of criticism from many of the giants of the Internet, for instance, Wikipedia.
Wikipedia chose January 18 to file its protest. Users wishing to know the capital of Colombia that day would be redirected to this message: “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge” Wikipedia is protesting both the PROTECT-IP act and the SOPA bill, blacking out it’s entire website, only allowing the articles directly related to the contested bills to be viewed. As they always do, however, users of the information giant had already found the workarounds to the redirection and have circulated them online for those who really, really needed to use Wikipedia.
And they aren’t the only ones. Technology news site Wired.com also blacked out its headlines and images, though the black out wasn’t complete as when the user’s cursor hovers over the headline or image the blackout disappears. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the web browser Firefox, and WordPress all have ongoing petitions and blacked out headings. The webcomic series xkcd, The Oatmeal, and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal also had blacked out their comics for January 18.
The response to Tumblr’s online petition was overwhelming.
Microblogging platform Tumblr blocked out it’s entire site in late November 2011. According to Tumblr, the petition garnered 87,834 phone calls to local representatives, the longest being 31 minutes long.
Google, instead of commemorating the birth of a famous author or artist, had chosen to make their image on January 18 to be simply a black bar. If the user should click on the black bar on the homepage, it links to a blog post asking users to sign their online petition against SOPA and its partner bill, the Protect-IP Act.
Not everyone was impressed by the Internet protests, however. “Some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging,” said Senator Chris Dodd, the chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America in an article by the BBC.
Dodd is a good example of the parties in support of the bill: the MPAA, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and major pharmaceutical companies are all major proponents of SOPA. The intention of the bill is not some apocalyptic doom for the Internet, but to protect intellectual property and keep theft away.
What supporters of this bill fail to realize, however, is if the bill passes, the wrong people will be affected. The law would shut down pirates domain names, but not their IP address, so it would be as easy as setting up a new domain to continue stealing data. It is relatively easy for a website to set up mirror sites — or identical copies of the original site. During the height of the Wikileaks controversy, the leak site had almost 1300 mirror sites.
Congress held hearings on November 16 and December 15, 2011, but much has changed since then. On January 18 alone at least four senators in support of PIPA withdrew their support for the bill, releasing assorted statements agreeing that a bill carrying as much power as SOPA/PIPA does, needs to be revised.
Users attempting to log on Wikipedia to deface the article on Ernest Hemingway would be unpleasantly surprised.
Senator Matt Kirk said, “Freedom of speech is an inalienable right granted to each and every American, and the Internet has become the primary tool with which we utilize this right. The Internet empowers Americans to learn, create, innovate, and express their views. While we should protect American intellectual property, consumer safety and human rights, we should do so in a manner that specifically targets criminal activity. This extreme measure stifles First Amendment rights and Internet innovation. I stand with those who stand for freedom and oppose PROTECT IP, S.968,in its current form.”
Since Congress’s latest talks, there has even been new suggestions on how to limit piracy. The OPEN act, drafted by Senator Ron Wyden, would instead take an alternative approach that is exactly as its name suggests, leaving the internet open to the public. Although it is far from perfect, it seems the OPEN act is much more plausible than it’s overly extreme counter-parts. In fact, the PROTECT-IP act is actually a rewrite of a bill sent to Congress earlier in the year, COICA or the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act .
The discussion on the Stop Online Piracy Act is set to resume February 2012. The PROTECT- IP Act will be voted on January 24, 2012.
With such a controversial bill, it’s hard to guess what may exactly come out of it, but whatever decision they make, let’s hope that it’s the one the people of the Internet want.
It is considered one of the most horrific crimes in Lancaster County to this day.
The victim was only 16 years old. Her name, Laurie Show.
It happened at 92 Black Oak Drive in East Lampeter Township. Show mother, Hazel Show (now Hazel Whitehead), had returned from a falsely arranged counseling appointment to find her daughter, bloodied and gasping for air on her bedroom floor. Laurie’s last words, “Michelle did it. I love you.”
Laurie Show at 16 years old. Photo courtesy of LancasterOnline.
Her murderer, 19 year-old Lisa Michelle Lambert.
“It was so senseless, there was absolutely no reason that her life was taken, none what so ever” said Whitehead who, with Show’s father, agreed to this interview to mark 20 years since the time they lost their daughter.
Just before Christmas 1991, Lambert and two accomplices schemed a way to attack and kill Show against whom Lambert had developed an unhealthy resentment.
Now, on the 20th anniversary of the murder, the stark contrast between the two girls is what many people remember most.
Laurie Show was a giving girl, she loved her family, she tutored kids in school and had a handful of friends. She had a belief in God and enjoyed Bible study and Sunday school.
At the other end of the spectrum, according to people that knew her, was the trash-talking, heavily made up, sometimes violent provocateur, Lisa Michelle Lambert.
According to Whitehead, no one talked back to Lambert, no one voiced their own opinion because she was “in charge.” Lambert would attempt to find kids that didn’t have a lot of friends, so she could become close with them- that way, she felt powerful.
Show met Lambert in the spring of 1991 at a neighbor’s house. Not too long after they met, Lambert starting giving Show a hard time concerning her appearance.
Murderer: Lisa Michelle Lambert at 19 years old. Photo courtesy of LancasterOnline.
In early June, Lambert broke up with her long-term boyfriend Lawrence Yunkin even though she was pregnant with his child.
That summer Show and Yunkin started hanging out and spending time together.
“Everybody says Laurie dated him, they weren’t dates,” confirmed Whitehead. “They hung out together. He was crying, all upset because Michelle broke up with him.”
Show and Yunkin had planned to see fireworks the Saturday before the Fourth of July back in ’91. The time they spent together before then, Yunkin date-raped Show.
Yunkin and Lambert got back together shortly after the holiday. Lambert had a problem with Show spending time with Yunkin, to the point where Lambert developed a strong hatred towards Show.
One night Whitehead went to pick up Show from work at the “Deb Shop” located in the East Township Mall. She noticed that Yunkin and Lambert were parked up front. As Show was on her way out, Whitehead said she noticed a girl chasing Show around the mall and then push her into wall. It was Lambert. Show got away and met her mother outside the mall. Whitehead called the police, who said nothing could be done because everyone had left the scene.
Not too long after that incident, Show noticed that Lambert was waiting for her outside the shop where she worked. She notified Whitehead and the police were called. Officer Robin Weaver of East Lampeter Township Dept. was speaking with Show when Whitehead arrived.
To the officer, Show confessed the date-rape incident.
“That was the first time I had heard Laurie [Show] talk about Lawrence [Yunkin] raping her,” said Whitehead.
Days later, at Lancaster’s local Market, “Roots,” Lambert and Yunkin followed Show and her mother. It was not too long after that the two approached Show and her mother and caused yet another scene, Whitehead and Show were able to find a constable at the market to end the confrontation. Lambert looked very pregnant that day it should be noted.
Lawrence Yunkin Photo From LancasterOnline
In November Show and some friends went shopping at East Town Mall. When Whitehead picked up Show she was in tears, Lambert and Yunkin had pulled up while the girls were outside and physically beat up Show.
“No one did anything. They were scared,” said Whitehead. “Laurie didn’t want to hit her, she (Lambert) was pregnant.”
Police were involved and charges were pressed for simple assault. But it didn’t stop.
“We had to have our phone number changed, she would call the house and scream obscenities at us,” said Whitehead.
It was December 19, when Whitehead got a phone call at work. She was told that she had to report to the high school at 7:30 the next morning to talk about a incident that happened with Show outside the school gym.
About a half hour later, the same person called again and told her to meet them at 7 a.m. the next morning at the junior high school.
“If I would have gone to the high school I would have taken Laurie with me. The bus usually picks her up around that time,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead told Show that she was called to the school. Show told her mother she had no idea what it could be about, Show did not have gym class.
The next morning, Dec. 20, Whitehead left for the “meeting.” Show had been doing her hair when she left.
It was only moments later that Lisa Michelle Lambert and Lambert’s friend who also had harassed Show, Tabitha Buck, showed up to the condo on 92 Black Oak Drive.
Tabitha Buck Photo from LancasterOnline
When Whitehead appeared at the school, the person she was allegedly supposed to meet with wasn’t there.
“It was 7:07, I wrote the teacher a note that said, ‘I was here, if you need me I will come back,'” added Whitehead.
Whitehead knew something was wrong, so she rushed home. Her neighbor had already been outside, and she asked Whitehead if everything was okay, and said that there had been a commotion upstairs.
“Any other time they are nosy busy bodies, but that morning they chose not to go in and see what’s wrong,” said a choked-up Whitehead.
Whitehead rushed up the stairs of the condo. She found Show, lying bloody on the bedroom floor. The phone cord tied around her legs, rope knotted around her neck, and a bloody bread knife lying beside her.
“I walked in and found her,” forced Whitehead. “I screamed for help, I ran out on the front porch and screamed for someone to call 911.”
Whitehead rushed back upstairs. She cut the rope from Laurie’s neck and noticed her neck was cut. The neighbor rushed upstairs and reached for the phone, it didn’t work for the chord was tied around Laurie’s legs.
Jan Faustnaut was the first police officer to the scene. Faustnaut was a paramedic, who was familiar with Whitehead from working together at the hospital. She noticed that Show had been mouthing to Whitehead.
“I told her that I loved her, and her dad loved her and that God would take care of her,” recalled Whitehead as she looked at her dying daughter. “I held her in my arms, holding her head and neck together.”
Laurie’s father, John Show had been working in Philadelphia at the time of the murder. He was notified later that day.
Buck went back to school while Lambert and Yunkin all went on with their regular days as if nothing happened.
Former Penn Manor Principal Jan Mindish recalled Buck coming late to school that day. According to Mindish everyone was on Christmas break when the story of the Laurie Show murder hit the news and only several employees were still to work at the school.
“She came in late to school that day,” said Mindish. “The Principal working at the time was in shock and the concern was how this would make Penn Manor look.”
Buck wrote herself a late note that day. Her Physical Education teacher, Julie Spangler noticed Buck’s face covered in scratches. When she asked what happened, Buck said that she had gone to McDonald’s before school and got into a fist fight with a Hispanic girl.
Both Spangler and the attendance officer had to later testify in court.
Approximately 36 hours after the murder, Lambert, Buck and Yunkin were all arrested at the Garden Spot Bowling Alley in Strasburg.
Laurie Michelle Show's grave Photo from LancasterOnline
Lambert chose to present her case without a jury. Her attorney: Christina Rainville.
When in court Lambert stated that she had always been called by her middle name and her first was actually in fact, Lisa. Lisa Michelle Lambert had been quiet as well as respectful and well-dressed when seen in court.
According to Lambert her home life consisted of strict Christian parents with high morals.
Lambert’s partner, Tabitha Buck was a 17 year-old student at Penn Manor High School, who had transferred from Conestoga Valley a few months before the murder.
Both Lambert and Buck were charged with one count of criminal homicide and criminal conspiracy and committed to Lancaster County Prison without bail.
Yunkin had been charged with one count of hindering apprehension (prosecution) and committed to prison with $1 million bail for driving the girls to the crime scene.
Judge Dalzell on April 15, 1997 freed Lisa Michelle Lambert. He legally voided the conviction declaring that Lambert was innocent.
He said that she was wrongly convicted by perjured testimony, fabricated evidence, withheld evidence and other examples of misconduct. He read the 90-page order that kept prosecutors from retrying her. It took 45 minutes to outline his decision.
Lisa Michelle Lambert Photo From LancasterOnline
Attorney John A. Kenneff referred their cases to the U.S. Attorney Office for further investigation.
Rainville was the only one that spoke the day Lambert was released. Rainville stated that she always knew Lambert was innocent and that justice in America was served that day.
Rainville also made a point that Lambert would probably never step foot in Lancaster again for she is going to try and avoid the harassment that was bound to come with her freedom.
After many legal battles Lambert was found guilty by a federal judge Anita Brody of the Federal District Court in Philadelphia, and is now in jail for first-degree murder along with her accomplice Tabitha Buck.
Lambert had caused trouble in a handful of prisons, and she is now located in an all-women prison in Massachusetts after spending time in Lancaster County Prison and prison in Delaware and New Jersey.
Laurie Show at 15 years old Photo From LancasterOnline
Both John Show and Whitehead agreed that talking about their daughter is how they cope with the pain of losing her.
“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t talk about her in someway,” said Whitehead. “You need to talk about it, it keeps them with you. It brings back memories and that’s a comforting feeling.”
That is how Eastern University Freshman and former Penn Manor student Bryan Hess described his National Scholastic Press Association contest winning story. It was chosen as the top high school news story in the country for the year.
Brian and Sarah, winners of the 2011 National Scholastic Press Association "Story of the Year" contest. Photo Courtesy of the Sunday News
Recently Bryan, along with Penn Manor senior Sarah Schaeffer entered the story which was one entry of hundreds from all over the country.
Hess’ motivation behind the article came shortly after his journalism class at Penn Manor studied court and crime reporting. After several initial ideas, Hess became interested to find out why so many youths in Pennsylvania, more than any other state or country, were being sentenced to life in prison.
“We had just finished a crime unit, and I think he was interested in working on some aspect of that when I assigned the final,” Penn Manor journalism teacher Susan Baldrige said.
Hess started off by reading about teenagers that were in prison for life and the story grew from there. With help from Schaeffer the story grew into a contest worthy article.
“I’d say the last three weeks of the semester went into editing and making sure the story was perfect,” Schaeffer said.
Hess intended for the story to be his final for the class, which required he develop outside resources and complete research for the story, this led him contacting and getting to know various teens who are in Pennsylvania and in prison for life.
“I developed some good relationships with a couple of the prisoners that I contacted, and there are a couple that I still talk to weekly,” Hess said. “They were all somewhere around my age and it’s hard to see myself in that situation.”
In one case Hess told of one juvenile who was in jail for simply just being at the scene of a murder when friends of his broke into a local store.
“It was interesting to hear the other side of the prisoner’s stories, not all of them are them are cold-blooded killers like you would imagine,” Hess said.
One of these prisoners, Anthony Lewis, was simply standing standing guard when friends of his robbed a convenience store. When someone in the store shot and killed the store clerk, Lewis was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced for life without parole.
As of 2008, there are approximately 500 teens in jail for life in Pennsylvania according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and both Schaeffer and Hess saw this story as an opportunity for the teens to tell their stories, and for the students it became very meaningful for both of them.
“I really believed it was important for me to be able to give the inmates a voice to let others know that actions really have consequences you have to live with.” Hess said.
“He is the standard of how people should act in sports,” said Penn Manor senior Eddie Bley and football fan. “You can’t really top Tim Tebow when it comes to character.”
You can’t turn on a sports channel these days without hearing his name or seeing his jersey . He’s the new moral standard of football in a time when there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel for the sport.
The mile-high Messiah.
And his background has formulated the man that teens everywhere choose to either love or hate.
“He’s a good guy and a decent football player, I can’t really say anything bad about him,” said Penn Manor senior football captain Cody Stryker. “Personally I don’t look up to him but I can see how others can because he’s determined and has an impressive work ethic.”
James Servansky, a Penn Manor senior, says he is now a Tebow believer.
“He finds ways to win which is the most important thing he can do for his team. He is truly interesting to follow,” says Servansky.
Some don’t support the new phenomenon. They claim to be unimpressed.
“I don’t think he is anything special,” says senior Michael Weber. “He’s not the first player to point in the air and thank God during a game.”
Tim Tebow was born to American parents on a mission trip in Makati City in the Philippines. Prior to his birth, Tebow’s mother was told her child was going to be a stillborn baby and doctors advised her to have an abortion to protect her life. She did not agree.
When the baby was born with a clean bill of health, Tim’s mother, Pamela Elaine, was relieved with her decision.
She knew from the beginning that her baby would go on to accomplish great things in his life.
Tebow displays his unorthodox throwing technique. Photo by Yahoo Sports.
At Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Tebow became a standout quarterback with uncanny courage and extreme competitiveness. During the first half of a game in his junior season, he suffered a leg injury. Tebow then went on to play the entire second half, including a 29 yard touchdown run, all on a broken fibula. Tebow was named Florida’s Mr. Football and was listed as one of the top 33 football players in Florida’s 100 year history of high school football.
“He believes in something, always works hard, and never says anything bad about people,” said Penn Manor senior linebacker and captain Dylan Weber.
Tebow then went on to shine at the University of Florida from 2006 to 2009. He led the Gators to a BCS National Championship victory and also became the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy in his time at Florida.
In 2010, Tebow was drafted into the NFL by the Denver Broncos in the first round.
The Broncos began this season with Tebow on the bench. After starting off to a dismal 1-4 record, Tebow was named the starting quarterback. The Broncos then went on to win 7 of the next 8 thanks in no small part to the fourth quarter play of Tebow. With a rating of 96.3, Tebow has the highest total quarterback rating in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter in the NFL, according to ESPN. After the winning streak, the Broncos have ended the season with three consecutive losses.
“His main skill was his consistent ball protection,” said science teacher Erick Dutchess. “In the past three games, he hasn’t been as good in terms of interceptions and fumbles.”
Tebow has been criticized heavily by many analysts for his throwing mechanics and his lack of accuracy. One opponent even called Tebow “A good running back” after being defeated by the Broncos.
“He doesn’t deserve the criticism he receives,” said senior Alex Cummins.
Tebow elluding Steeler defenders. Photo by Yahoo Sports.
Others believe the criticism is fair.
“He absolutely deserves the criticism,” said Bley. “He is a horrible passer.”
“He’s a mediocre NFL quarterback at this point,” said Dutchess.
But the reality is that Tebow does what many quarterbacks only hope to do.
“He reminds us that strength comes in many forms and some people have what can be described only as a gift for winning, which isn’t synonymous with any spreadsheet inventory of what it supposedly takes to win,” writes NY Times author Frank Bruni.
Tebow has flamboyantly expressed his religious views during the games and in press conferences. He has become famous for his act of ‘Tebowing’ or kneeling in prayer throughout the game.
“I think he’s a little narrow minded with his religious views in terms of what he feels is correct. But on the flip side, most of his religious views aren’t really going against other major world religions in terms of large differences in belief systems,” said Dutchess.
In addition to football, Tebow has been an active humanitarian and volunteer. According to the official website, “The Tim Tebow Foundation exists to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.” The foundation’s website continues to say, “The Foundation utilizes the public platform that God has blessed Tim Tebow with to inspire and make a difference in peoples lives throughout the world.” This combination leads some to believe that he is someone to look up too.
“He’s a great guy in sports because you can really look up to him,” said sophomore Brad Seiger. “He’s real religious and all.”
“As a role model, I think he’s great,” said Dutchess.
Despite their recent slide, the Broncos hosted the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs. The chances that the Broncos could end the losing streak seemed slim to Steelers fans at Penn Manor.
“I think Denver has no chance of winning whatsoever,” said Dutchess.
“He’s been able to pull through when he has had to,” said Seiger. “But I feel like the Steelers will pull through in the end this time.”
One student even decided to make a bold prediction.
“The Steelers will win 21-7 and Tebow will have three turnovers,” said Weber.
Tebow celebrating yet another victory. Photo by Yahoo Sports.
Naturally though, Tebow did in his game against the Steelers what he does best: WIN.
The Broncos dominated the first half of the game at the mile-high stadium in Denver. They held the Pittsburgh offense to six points, keeping then out the the endzone for two whole quarters. The Broncos managed to score twenty points in the first half, six of them coming from a classic Tim Tebow red zone touchdown run.
The Steelers managed a comeback in the latter half of the game, however. With under a minute left in regulation, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown to receiver Jericho Cotchery to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Upon winning the coin toss, Tebow wasted no time finding the end zone to seal his first ever post-season victory. He connected with Demaryius Thomas for an eighty yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime, ending the Steelers hopes of a Superbowl reappearance. The final score was 29-23 with the Broncos on top.
Through his magnificent display this season and now his triumph in the playoffs (over one of the NFL’s top rated defenses), Tim Tebow has proved himself to be an extraordinary competitor in the sports world as well as a positive role model for anyone to look up to.
