Category: Featured

Anonymous Threatens to End Facebook “OP_FB”

By Frank Herr –

Facebook may cease to exist if the rumors of the technology-hacking group, Anonymous, are true. Months after their warning of the destruction of the most popular social networking site for teens, November 5  may be the end of Facebook.

That’s Saturday.

A recording on Youtube of the Anonymous group threatens the demise of Facebook saying, in the synthesized voice used to release statements, “The medium of communication you all so dearly adore will be destroyed,  we will kill Facebook for the sake of your own privacy.  Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information to security firms so they can spy on people from all around the world.”

The group Anonymous uses this icon to identify themselves. Courtesy of sodahead.com

Not everyone at Penn Manor believes the end of Facebook, even temporarily, would be the end of the world.

“I think I would live. It’s nice to have a Facebook so you can communicate with kids from college, but I would live,” said Lauren Longenecker who communicates with her brother and friends away at school.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment this week on the alleged plot but information on the social networking site clearly states that it doesn’t share information with third party users that the member has not approved.

Anonymous has targeted many companies over the years. These corporations include Bank of America, Sony and various government sites. While supporting the WikiLeaks organization, Anonymous was responsible for overriding and shutting down the Bank of America.  Even Oprah Winfrey’s television network was struck by the sophisticated hacking group.

The fifth of November may have been chosen because it also marks a holiday: Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in the UK, and marks the failed plot of conspirators who planned to blow up a ship, and kill King James I. Is there a correlation? Most likely.

But why Facebook? What has it done to deserve such threatening intimidation?

Anonymous has explained that the motive for taking down Facebook is that the service is corruptly performed. Privacy settings are not as secure as they say that they are. Just the fact that some users may be able to access information that is meant to be private is not what set off the hacking group.

The real bone to be picked is simply the fact that private information is promised to be secure.  Because of what it says is Facebook’s false claims of information privacy, Anonymous believes that it is worthy of being hacked, most sources say to be completely dismantled.

This attack is referred to as “OP_FB”, most likely “Operation Facebook”, to those members of Anonymous who plan to participate in the hacking activities. As of November 3, 2011, a post on piratepad.net stated, “Ideas for OP_FB. Post ideas here guides. We are more powerful than DDoS attacks, and FB isn’t going to keel over from something so small. We have more power than this, and we should utilize it.”

This statement is most likely an open invitation to Anonymous members to share their opinions on how the communication powerhouse should be brought to its knees.

Despite the massive use of Facebook worldwide, the millions of users, most of whom would admit to be dependent on the service, some people seem to believe that their lives would proceed as usual, and in some cases, be better by the destruction of Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild.

“I wouldn’t care. I would get a lot more stuff done in my life,” said Penn Manor senior Matt Noll.

With such extensive use on Facebook, hours of free time may seem to grace a student’s busy schedule.

Ryan Martzall was not upset with the prospect of Facebook’s shutdown.

“I never get on Facebook, so I wouldn’t be heartbroken,” said Martzall.

Some people can actually see the benefits already.

“I would be pretty excited. (Facebook) is stupid. People would start communicating face to face more often,” said science teacher Erick Dutchess.

“We do not share your personal information with people or services you don’t want,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post last year. “We do not give advertisers access to your personal information. We do not and never will sell any of your information to anyone.”

Anonymous is becoming better known of late as a collective of cyber hackers and politcal activists who they say are fighting to maintain internet neutrality and the free flow of information.

Because of there decentralized nature, they do not work from one location, they do not have a set of beliefs or principles and there is little accountability between members. They give all their members the freedom to act freely under the name of the “hive-mind.” However at times some members have angered others and they have launched attacks against each other in protest of their actions.

Anonymous has often worked under the radar of the major media, but after they showed strong support for the site Wiki Leaks organization whose leader Julian Assange was arrested last year.  After Wiki Leaks released classified information last year embarrassing the U.S. government, there was heavy pressure to restrict donations to Wiki Leaks.  The Bank of America blocked Pay Pal donations to Wiki Leaks.

Anonymous saw this as a threat to free internet speech and launched “denial of service” attacks on Bank of America.

Most of the attacks by Anonymous are against corporations that limit the free flow of information and governments that limit free speech. To some people’s surprise, their list includes targets within U.S. law enforcement and governments of Sweden, Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt.

Anonymous will at first send a warning to their next target by releasing a statement or a video that all end with there famous motto:

“We are Anonymous

We are Legion

We do not Forget

We do not forgive

Expect us.”

Expect Anonymous to make their presence known, maybe even this weekend.

Adam Rohrer, Alex Sanchez-Cruz, Amber Brenner and Eric Schlotzhauer contributed to this article.

Gas Leak Explosion Shocks Millersville

By Connor Hughes –

“It’s about the most intense thing I’ve seen in Millersville,” said a volunteer firefighter.

Yesterday around noon, The Framery Etc. at 10 Manor Ave. exploded due to a drilling mistake that led to a gas leak.  The Framery Etc. is a local owned business that was a staple in Millersville for over 30 years.

“From what I understand, the people that were putting in the fiber optic cables were drilling underneath the road and they drilled into a gas main, which caused the gas leak. Which in turn, caused the explosion you see down there.  No one was hurt,” said Millersville Borough patrolman Officer William C. Young.

The aftermath of the Framery Etc.

At approximately 11:53 a.m, fire units were dispatched to the scene of the explosion. Fire units also evacuated  homes and businesses in the Millersville area, due to the risk of other houses being affected by the gas leak.

Not only did the explosion startle Millersville residents, it also left thousands without power, including Penn Manor High School. Trick-or-Treat night was canceled in the borough as well.

“More buildings could explode because the gas is still actively leaking as we are standing here,” said Officer Young.

Staff at the Barn Door, which is located only hundreds of feet from The Framery, reported the smell of gas.

“We smelled gas during our lunch hour,” said Gary McCauley of the Barn Door.

Although, the odor didn’t cause the evacuation, fear of additional explosions did.

“They didn’t evacuate us until after the explosion,” said waitress Tammy Nickels.

John Hanna, Owner of the Framery Etc. in Millersville, doesn’t believe this incident should go unpunished.

“I’m very upset.  I lost a lot, I lost my business, I lost the store I’ve had for 36 years.  Somebody is going to have to answer to a lot of people.  And they put the fire police in a tough situation,” said Hanna.

What also makes the situation so difficult for Hanna is, the fact that he didn’t order for the installment of the cables.

“AT&T had contracted to put in fiber-optic cables, I had nothing to do with it,” added Hanna.

When asked if he would press charges, he said, “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but someone needs to give me some answers.”

Meanwhile at the high school, students and teachers were initially “in the dark” about the cause of the power outage.

“This is incredible,” said Penn Manor senior Landon Alecxih. “What is going on outside that could possibly cause this?”

“I think it’s kind of funny, aren’t there back-up generators?” Jess Huber, a Penn Manor senior, pondered.

During the remainder of fourth block, students were without lights or the Internet.

“I think it’s the first one for Penn Manor,” said Barb Trostle, a Librarian at Penn Manor. “I have to say I’m impressed by how the students maintained their calm.”

Some students have varying opinions about the reason for the shutdown of power.

“We have a student hacker, that is planning the demise of Penn Manor High School,” guessed Selena Hasircoglu.

“This power outage is really distracting me, I have Russian 3 homework to be doing,” said Zach Kauffman, a senior class officer.

The district server was down as well, frustrating Penn Points reporters who covered the story.

School officials were continuing to monitor the situation by Tuesday and had made plans to evacuate the school in the event of an emergency.

Cheyenne Weber, Jake Shiner, Brandon Schuman and Sarah Schaeffer contributed to this report.

Photos by Alicia Ygarza – just click on photos for slide show to appear-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scary Local Attractions Draw Teens for Thrills

By Andrew Morales –

What better place to look for a scary thrill than right around where we live.

Local Halloween scare enthusiasts all know of two places, Jason’s Woods and Field of Screams. These are the places to go to enjoy the spirit of Halloween.

Field of Screams is a haunted attraction located in Mountville. They feature three attractions. The Den of Darkness, a three story walk-through building that brings out the screams, the Frightmare Asylum, a four story hospital that displays movie quality video clips and great special effects, and the Haunted Hayride, a tractor pulled ride through eerie cornfields.

This Mountville attraction offers multiple ways to purchase tickets. A Scream Pass can be bought for $27 and allows access to all three attractions. A Combo Pass pays for any two attractions for the price of $25. Single attraction tickets are $15 for the Haunted Hayride, $13 for the Den of Darkness, and $13 for the Frightmare Asylum. Group rates are available for parties of 25 or more.

Jason’s Woods, another haunted attraction, is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The farm on Stehman Road holds the five main attractions and two minor attractions run by Jason’s Woods.

The main attractions here include the Horrifying Hayride, which is featuring a brand new junk-yard theme for this year, The barn of terror, Pirate’s revenge, an adventure through a pirate ghost ship while wearing 3-D glasses, Lost in Jason’s Woods, the fourth year running of this walking tour through a forest where you will be met by creatures of the night, and The Carnival of Fear. The minor attractions include The Mystery Maze, and new for this year The Jason’s Woods Theater.

“The reviews this year are fantastic,” said Bob Hershey, the owner of Jason’s Woods.

Ticket packages available for purchase are a three show combo for $25. It pays for The Haunted Hayride, The Barn of Terror, and Pirate’s Revenge. A VIP version can be bought for 40$ and will grant you little to no wait to enter the attractions. There is also a five show grand slam which allows access to all main attraction for the price of $45. A VIP of this package is also available for $60. Minor attractions are free with the purchase of any combo package. Group rates are available for parties of 25 or more.

These attractions must be visited before it’s too late. The season ends early November.

Abuse of Adderall Can Happen at Penn Manor

By Mark Dano and Brandon Schuman –

Very powerful effects, from a very tiny pill.

Adderall is a prescription drug commonly used for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

But like any prescription drug, Adderall also can be abused.

“With this many kids in one spot,” said Penn Manor School Resource Officer Jason Hottenstein about Adderall abuse, “these types of issues are always going to come up.”

Penn Manor's stance on illegal use of prescription drugs displayed on a poster on Officer Hottenstein's door. Photo by Mark Dano

The drug can give a person an alert state of mind.  It also increases energy levels and gives the perception to some that a person taking it will perform at peak mental levels for an extended period of time.

A few Penn Manor students think it can help them succeed in class and on tests.

“It helps me focus on my work more and take good notes to later study off of,” said one Penn Manor student who did not want his name used.

While students notice the positive effects, there are many side effects that can seriously harm students.

“You can overdose,” said Penn Manor school nurse Anne Butterfield, “It can increase your blood pressure and that can lead to strokes, heart attacks and other serious effects.”

These side effects can occur even in young students.

“There have been cases where someone takes it and they are brought to us needing medical attention,” said Butterfield.

There are two different forms of the drug.  One is called instant release, which gives off more of a high.  The other is named extra release, or XR, which times the release of small amounts of the drug into the body after it is swallowed.

“I prefer the extra release because it lasts longer,” said one student who took Adderall although it was not prescribed to him.

According to WebMD.com, ADHD affects between 8 percent and 10 percent of school age children and adolescents.  That means about 1 out of every 10 students is affected by the disorder.

“It’s very accessible,” said another student. “It’s only $2-4 a pill depending on the provider.”

Students who used Adderall without a prescription said they bought the pills from other students who had a prescription.

Adderall is a pill which leaves no scent on the user and does not visibly impair the user like cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana.  Because of this, students said they worry little about teachers or the administration catching them.

“It’s very easy to get away with,” said a student.

Students are not allowed to bring Adderall to school unless it’s registered with the nurse. It doesn’t matter whether they are prescribed or not.

“It goes with the school’s Drug and Alcohol Policy,” said Officer Jason Hottenstein. “The student could potentially be up for expulsion.”

Adderall, when not used properly, can be a very dangerous drug.

Blue and Gold Marching Band Dominating the Competition

By Laura Myers –

The Penn Manor Marching Unit does more then play the national anthem and razz up the crowds at football games. PMMU is one of many bands in the area that competes in the Cavalcade of the Bands Association and so far in the competition, the Penn Manor Marching Unit has killed their opponents this year with their show entitled “Insurrection.”

“We’ve won many awards this season, we won high visual awards high music awards, the percussion has won a number of specialty awards and then the three first place finishes that we’ve gotten at competitions,” said Tom Mumma the director of the Penn Manor Marching Unit (PMMU).

Color Guard Memember Michelle Resh As She Prepares To Kill Drummer Jesse Griffith During Practice. Photo Courtesy Of Sabrina Kurtz

This weekend PMMU had added to their impressive record of awards at the 10th annual Manheim Central

Marching Barons Invitational held at Manheim Central high school, with another first place win along with High percussion and High auxiliary (guard). These two specialized awards mean PMMU was the best in those categorizes out of all the bands that had competed. The marching unit now has 4 first place wins a second place win and countless “High” awards.

“It’s a very fun show, we get to kill people, people die,” said junior and flutes and clarinet section leader Natosha Polaski.

Insurrection tells a tale of two rivals continually battling for power and land.

“Conflict is an easy topic that teenagers know about,” said  Mumma

The show is made up of three movements, each with it’s own distinct visuals and music.

“It’s more of a story this year instead of a theme. In our past shows like Earth was last year so it was just one thing per movement, but this year it’s just telling a story so it’s a lot more fun. It’s really intense, I love the intensity,” said Kelly Herr Senior Trumpet Section Leader

In the first movement, the trumpet assembles his clan for another day, when abruptly the enemy strikes. The clan battles to defend itself and during the battle a member is slain during the enemy’s vicious attack.

In the second movement the group realizes the tragedy that has struck them and mourns the loss of their fallen comrade.

After memorializing the fallen, the clan plans a strike of their own, pursuing revenge against the enemy in the final movement of the show.

While the band plays the music, the guard acts out the story.

Co-guard captain and junior Ashley Miller had said, “We are the emotions of the show we tell the story of what’s going on what’s gonna’ happen next.”

The Penn Manor Marching Unit competes in the Liberty Division along with 20 other bands, in the Cavalcade of the Bands Association, along with neighboring school district Lampeter-Strasburg.

“We kind of have a friendly rivalry with LS, (who) we’re all kind of friends with but it’s still there,” said Weston Chambers, a senior and low brass  brass section leader.

Along with LS, PMMU may have some other rivals.

“Two years ago we had one with Hatboro Horsham, which they are ahead of us right now so I guess the rivalry is back,” mentioned Chambers.

Mumma said, “We’re ranked third behind Hatboro Horsham and Southern Regional which are two very good programs.”

“Even though were not in first place right now, we have been elevating our score every week and I’m so proud of the entire band for all of the hard work they’re doing and it’s just a great season altogether,” said senior and co-drum major Tim Duebler.

But with the sweet taste of success comes continuing hard work to stay on top.

Senior, horn and saxes section leader Maranda Kurtz said “We practice Tuesday,Thursday, Friday and a really long time Saturday. And Saturday is completely spent practicing and then going to a competition where we get scored on our performance and we compete with about 30 other bands in our district. ”

PMMU competed Saturday in the Festival of the Bands, hosted at Littlestown High School, where they had their third first place win. But the win didn’t come so easily.

“We move very fast on the field and not a lot of other bands do that so judges aren’t necessarily prepared for getting out of the way with our kids and sometimes they run into them unfortunately and usually it’s just a bump here or there,” said Mumma.  “But this past weekend, when we were at Littlestown, one of the guard girls fell pretty hard because the judge couldn’t get out of the way in time.”

A win never tasted so sweet to the band after a close loss at their last competiton at Lancaster Catholic.

“It was two tenths of a point kept us out of first place because one judge just didn’t get the show which we didn’t see before and havn’t seen after that. So you know it would have been nice to have all first place instead of one second place. But we know that we were probably the better band that night, if it wasn’t for one judge we would of gotten first at that one too,” said Mumma.

PMMU will be competing in the Liberty Divsion championship which will be held on November 13 at Millersville Stadium.

“I expect we’ll be at least top five [going into championships] but if we continue to make progress like we have this season, I don’t see why we wouldn’t go in first or second,” said Mumma

 

 

 

Penn Manor Teacher Explores “Final Frontier”

By Sarah Schaeffer and Tim Harris –

Imagine NASA: Apollo missions, anti-gravity chambers and bulky spacesuits, the things that make up the fantasies of many children and adults alike. For one Penn Manor teacher, NASA was anything but a fantasy.

For Earth Science and Astronomy teacher, Dave Bender, an interest in the skies began at an early age. It was on his tenth birthday that the first man landed on the moon. Permitted by his parents to stay up and watch the grainy, black and white broadcast, Bender has been fascinated ever since.

Two Desert RATS team members work in the Arizona field. Photo courtesy of Dave Bender

In late August through early September, Bender participated in NASA’s annual Desert Research and Technology Studies (commonly known as the Desert RATS) exploration study. Bender traveled to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas to be a part of the Science Operations team, a behind the scenes component of the mission.

It all began with a phone call from one of Bender’s former students, Dr. Jacob Bleacher. Bleacher, the youngest person in Penn Manor’s hall of fame, is now a scientist at NASA and had previously completed field studies as a crew member with the Desert RATS team. With NASA being interested in bringing educators into the process, Bleacher asked Bender to participate.

However excited Bender was to accept the offer, it was necessary to get an “O.K.” from someone in a higher position at the school district. To ensure that Bender could miss the first few days of a new school year, Bleacher contacted Dr. Michael Leichliter, Penn Manor’s superintendent.

Leichliter said the decision was easy, as Bender was one of only two teachers invited to participate in the expedition.

 

“This speaks of both the respect Dr. Bleacher has for Penn Manor as well as the level of esteem he has for Mr. Bender as a teacher,” said Leichliter.

“Dr. Leichliter was like ‘NASA calls? You can go,'” said Bender.

“How could we say no to NASA!” said Leichliter in an e-mail.

For Bender, the purpose of the experience is the opportunity to bring his newly-gained knowledge back to Penn Manor to share with his students. He, along with fellow Earth Science teacher William Yarnell, plan to work on an educational outreach program to bring NASA work into the classroom.

“It was my hope that this program would lead to a connection between the work of NASA and Penn Manor High School.  Penn Manor has achieved some great successes in the past two years in relation to science, our International championship Rocket Team, and the groundbreaking work of Ben Clark.  I am hopeful that this relationship will lead to more opportunities for Penn Manor students,” said Leichliter.

Connect with the Desert RATS team, learn more about analog activities and read blogs from Bender and Bleacher at http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/desertrats/.

Attack of the Nerds!

By Alex Kirk and Kyle Musser (photos by Kirk, Musser, Brandon Schuman, David Mohimani and Miranda Lee)

Penn Manor was taken over Wednesday by a nasal-congested, vision-impaired, pencil-pushing cult….the nerds.

Students at Penn Manor taped up their glasses, strapped on suspenders, rolled up their pants, and dusted off their pocket protectors to show their school spirit for Homecoming Spirit Week.

Nerd Day had the most kids participating of any spirit day known to Penn Manor.  The halls were full of high waders and slide rules, greased back hair and calculators on display.

“it was great because it was the best turnout,” said math teacher Mike Fowler. “Eighties day did not have a good turnout.”

Fowler had no comment about why he chose not to participate.

 

To see the range of nerd outfits, click on any photo to see the slide show below:

To see the lunch ladies in full nerd dress, click on “home” for the feature photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penn Manor Students Tame Hogs

Alicia Ygarza and Amber Brenner-

Wednesday, Sept. 28, a bright and sunny day, the Lampeter Fair hosted its annual hog show.

People wandered around the fair drinking their ice teas and eating their french fries or even stopping by the petting zoo to pet the alpacas, bunnies, and goats.

Brad Groff and his winning hogs

However, there were not as many people in the petting zoo as there were seated by the hog show.

Penn Manor students flaunted their pigs while their parents intently watched to see which student would come in first.

According to Mrs. Fay, FFA teacher at Penn Manor, nowadays, produce companies prefer hogs that are lean and produce the maximum amount of meat.

“Meat companies don’t want a pig that is mostly fat,” said Fay.

Leanness, attentiveness and obedience were three categories the judges took note of.

“When we need the pigs to listen to us, or need to point them in a new direction. We use our whacking sticks,” said Brad Groff, a second and third place hog competition winner.

“Judges take note if the hogs are structurally sound and how they move around,” said Fay.

Cameron Long receiving one of his awards

Groff does not do much to prepare his hogs for competition, but Megan Herr, former swine competitor, takes her hog training very seriously.

“I tried to exercise my hogs everyday. I watched their weight gain and made their diet,” said Herr.

Many competitors were competing with pigs that were brother and sister.

Cameron Long, junior at Penn Manor, and his family breed hogs and sell them to their friends.

“We run it as a family, we breed our own stock and sell to other kids,” said Cameron Long’s mother.

Hogs will remain great animals to breed because they are interesting animals, and great competitors.

Note– The Penn Manor winners in the 2011 FFA Swine Show include:

First lightweight division-

1. Jennifer Drumm

2. Tori Rittenhouse

4. Bryson Neely

5. Jessica Herr

Second lightweight division-

2. Victoria Herr

3. Alex Cantey

4. Rose Drumm

Third lightweight division-

1. Kaleb Long

2. Brad Groff

3. Ben Groff

4. Tori Rittenhouse

First middleweight division-

2. Ben Groff

3. Brad Groff

5. Tyler Brauman

Second middleweight division-

1. Cameron Long

2. Caleb Hess

3. Cameron Long

4. Cody Rittenhouse

First light-heavyweight division-

4. Jennifer Drumm

5. Katie Hess

Second light-heavyweight division-

1. Alex Cantey

2. Aaron Breneman

4. Margaret Drumm

5. Bryson Neely

Third light-heavyweight division-

1. Aaron Steager

3. Margaret Drumm

4. Cody Rittenhouse

First heavyweight division-

1. Katrina Reiff

2. Victoria Herr

3. Kaleb Long

5. Caleb Hess

Second heavyweight division-

1. Katrina Reiff

3. Aaron Breneman

4. Aaron Steager

5. Katie Hess

Champion Winners-

Middleweight- Cameron Long

Light Heavyweight- Aaron Breneman

Heavyweight- Katrina Reiff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students Attempt An Alternative Way To Fish

By Eric Schlotzhauer and Matthew Hatch –

Fishing has never been so shocking.

Penn Manor’s AP environmental science class went on a field trip electrofishing in the Little Conestoga River on Monday, but left their hooks, rods and bait at home.

Matt Kofroth, a watershed specialist, and an employee for the Lancaster County Conservation District directed the students on how to electrofish and taught them the safety precautions and then navigated with his battery pack that electrocuted the fish.

Matt Kofroth wearing the battery pack that allows him to shock the fish. Photo by Matt Hatch

Erick Dutchess,  the AP Environmental Science teacher for Penn Manor, is the man in charge for setting up the trip to Charlestown Park.

The educational goal of the trip was to find out what kind of fish inhabit the Little Conestoga.  With the recent flooding that Pennsylvania has experienced, the students weren’t too sure what they would find.

Students wore water waders so they wouldn’t get shocked and their clothes wouldn’t get wet.  The pants came up to their chest and had overall-like buckles.

The battery pack is just like the batteries used at home, except a lot bigger,  a lot more powerful and a lot more dangerous.  Two-hundred watts of electricity surge through the metal wand used to charge the water.

The fish remain stunned for a short-time due to the low wattage of the machine.  A different machine can shock the fish with  500-watts, keeping fish stunned much longer.

In every battery, there is a positive and a negative end.  The negative end, in this case, is a long rubber tail hanging off the pack.  The positive end is the metal wand.  When the machine is turned on, anything within five feet of the water will be shocked, including any bare skin.

“They only get hurt if the metal ring touches the fish,” said Kofroth.  “They get burned.”

Penn Manor students show off their catches after electrofishing in the Little Conestoga. Photo by Eric Schlotzhauer

Suckers, cut-lip minnows, shiners, chubs and rock-bass were the fish the students found during their trip. After the students determined what kind of fish they were, they put them back into the water due to the requirements of owning a license to electrofish.

Students enjoyed the learning experience about the communities and ecosystems in the Little Conestoga.

“It was a new experience,” said Penn Manor senior Amanda Nolt.

“It was a fun and easy way to catch a fish,” explained senior Nicole Harnish.

While most students had fun, others weren’t too thrilled with the outcome of the trip.

“I fell in,” said  senior Jenn Rote. “I was really surprised”

“It was freezing” said Ian Toomey.

Among these two students, junior Anthony Crognale also took a plunge.

Students follow the metal ring that shocks anything within 5 feet. Photo by Matt Hatch

By the end of the trip, no students were shocked by the battery, and no fish were killed.

Due to expenses and difficulty in getting equipment, electrofishing isn’t a common event outside of the Conservation District.

To go electrofishing equipment is expensive ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.

Also required:

  • a license to purchase the equipment
  • water waders to enter the water without getting shocked
  • nets to catch the shocked fish
  • a lot of patience

Dutchess has been taking his students electrofishing for two years (since he started teaching environmental science) and he plans on continuing the tradition.

“Not everyone gets the chance to zap fish with a car battery,” said Dutchess. “Hopefully it was a novel experience that they’ve never done before.”

To find out more about electrofishing you can visit:http://www.fishandboat.com/images/fisheries/afm/electro/electro.htm


New Face Brings Life To The Library

Students may have noticed a new face in the library and wondered just who is this mystery person?

No mystery at all it turns out. She is Diane Bounds, the new librarian.

But just a librarian is an understatement. You can call her a runner, a photographer and an educator.

The new librarian, Diane Bounds, helps a student. Photo by Sam Valentin.

She is an avid photographer, taking candid shots as a business.  Her favorite part of photography is working with the image after she captures the shot.

“I like taking candid pictures because I like seeing people be natural and honest,” said Bounds.

Another of her hobbies is running. A normal run for her is about five miles with friends after school. Bounds also is a part of an after school program called “Girls on the Run,” which trains preteen girls to run a five kilometer run and build self esteem, self respect and a healthy lifestyle.

“At the end 0f the day it helps me collect my thoughts,” said Bounds.”Have a million worries before running. After all worries seem to go away. Running gives me clarity.”

But she was not always a runner.

In high school Bounds participated in field hockey and softball. She picked up running once she started college. Bounds attended University of Mary Washington where she studied English, linguistics and speech.

She then went to the University of Maryland to get her masters degree in library sciences. But before all this she graduated from Conestoga Valley.

In 2008 she came back to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania as a librarian for Hambright and Conestoga elementary schools.  Before that she worked as a librarian in Virginia.

She is now working at the high school where she took over for Sue Hostetter. She hopes to continue helping people.

“I hope to continue to make the library a place where people can feel comfortable coming to get help and find answers,” said Bounds.