Category: Featured

By Marc Summy –

Spring Fling is synonymous with rain, wind, thunder and lightening.

Yes?

No?

Sometimes?

“Formerly known as Spring Drizzle,” director Doug Eby wants to clarify that it has regained its proper name of Spring Fling.

With so many school clubs holding court this year, offering fun games, delicious food and homemade music, the organizers are hoping, praying and dreaming of a sunny, dry day.  That would be a rare event in the history of the past 10 Spring Flings.

“Deals have been made with Mother Nature to ensure that it won’t rain,” Eby said with a laugh.

Junior Alex Kirk, Eby’s left-hand man, says, “We have checked the Farmer’s Almanac and it looks promising.”

Not so fast.

The Farmer’s Almanac actually predicts for the dates of May 12-15, “fair skies at first for the East then unsettled with showers.”

This year’s Spring Fling is scheduled for May, 13, yes, Friday, the 13.

Penn Manor is holding their annual Spring Fling festival at Comet Field. Admissions is free and it will go from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

In the past five years rain had been the only one regularly attending this event. There hasn’t been a sunny day for the carnival since 2005. The director, Penn Manor principal Mr. Eby, encourages the public to come out no matter what, for dinner, if nothing else.

On the list is Bricker’s French Fries, Dip’ n Dots, Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream and school tents that will be selling pizza, chicken wings and homemade ice cream.

The football team will also be selling chicken BBQ from 10 am until whenever they run out.

In addition, entertainment will be provided. Among the entertainment that will bring people in are the carnival rides, a 68-foot inflatable obstacle course, sumo wrestling, moon bounce, Battle of the Bands, and fireworks.

The fireworks will start sometime between 9:15-9:30.

The agriculture club will be hosting “olympics” which will consist of a bail toss throw, tire flipping and more.

The Young Humanitarians will also have a booth set up for arm wrestling, so grab a friend and get bragging rights for a year.

Speaking of grabbing a friend, there is rumor that there may be a kissing booth.  Eby won’t confirm or deny it.  He suggests the curious come to Spring Fling to find out.

As of right now, weatherchannel.com’s 10-day forecast states a high of seventy degrees with a sixty percent chance of precipitation.

Make sure you come out and enjoy this event filled night, you don’t want to miss it.

 

 

This is another in an occasional series about people at Penn Manor who have changed themselves for the better.

By Amber Brenner –

Phelan Good, a junior at Penn Manor, knows what he is.

“I’m a fat kid,” said Good, “and I know that. I always have been. I hate exercise and love food. I’m like a human teletubby.”

Good hates sports and even walking fast can knock the wind out of him. He loves his food, and the less healthy the food, the better it tastes to him. He learned his eating habits from his family.

“We loved KFC, smorgasbords and beef burgers. You know the greasy, big, disgusting ones,” admitted Good.

The only vegetables he even remotely liked were carrots, potatoes, corn and peas, only two of which are legitimate vegetables and not starches in the “bread” food group.

“No rabbit food for me,” Good chuckled, “I like the ice cream that gives you phlegm when you eat it.”

But in February of 2010, something changed his life forever. He almost lost his mother.

“The missus had a heart attack last February,” Good said. “She almost didn’t make it and I love her too much to lose her.”

His mother was rushed to the hospital by her oldest son just a few days after returning from a family vacation in Key West.  This was only after describing her symptoms over the phone to her husband, who was at work for PPL Electric. He advised she needed to see a doctor immediately.

“She was feeling fine and the next thing you know… it went down the drain. It hit the fan,” commented Good.

Good was not at home when the heart attack happened. He was at school. When he returned home, he knew something wasn’t right.

“The lights were on, her car was in the drive and the cooking was still hot. I knew something was wrong. I was eating leftover spaghetti when my dad called the house phone. He told me not to worry, which made me worry.”

Good was taken to the hospital by his older sister and her husband.

“It was the scariest moment of my life,” Good recalled, “not knowing whether I was going to have a mother the next day. I cried for the first time in a while.”

His mother was in the hospital for what seemed like a long time, and Good remembers that stretch clearly.

“I spent too many sleepless nights worrying and thinking, ‘What would we all do if anything happened?’  I’m always worrying about those two people,” said Good, referring to his parents.

But his mother made it. She survived.  However it was clear to the Good family that changes had to be made in their lifestyle.

So the whole family committed.

The three of them, Phelan, his mother and his father began a revolution in their daily habits and routines.

“We eat stuff like chicken, turkey, rabbit food, fruit, frozen yogurt, fat-free milk and whole wheat bread. The milk is watered down,” Good chortled.

The Good family spends more time outside now. They now walk the perimeters of their neighborhood.

“I definitely feel a lot different. I don’t have to breathe as hard or much now,” said Good,”I’m definitely happier now. I have some good and bad days, but mostly good.”

Good suspects that he has lost weight, but he doesn’t keep track. That’s not what he’s worried about.

“We don’t call it a diet,” Good said with a laugh, “to us, a diet is something skinny people say when they eat next to nothing to lose weight. It might still happen either way, but I’m just trying to avoid a heart attack. I don’t want to be some statistic, so I guess sometimes sacrifice is best.”

By Kira Hess –

From diagnosis to present day, Kim Shenk, a Penn Manor alumni, has been living with MS.

“I have RR MS, which is the relapsing-remitting, multiple sclerosis,” said Shenk of Lancaster County. She is a wife and mother of two and a very happy, outgoing woman who doesn’t let having MS bring her down.

Shenk graduated from Penn Manor and both of her daughters attend Pequea Elementary. She works in a doctor’s office and enjoys helping others.

About 65-80 percent of people who have MS begin with relapsing-remitting MS, where individuals deal with symptoms that may completely or partially disappear, until another attack occurs.

“I wasn’t really too surprised when I found out I had MS. I knew something was wrong with me, I just didn’t have a name for it yet,” said Shenk.

Others living with MS may have blurred, doubled or a loss of vision. Other symptoms include weakness, muscle spasms, fatigue, numbness and prickling pain, loss of sensation, tremors and dizziness. Half of those who have MS experience mental challenges, loss of memory, and concentration.

“MS is very humbling,” said Shenk, who was diagnosed in 2006. “Some of the symptoms are embarrassing. I’ve had double vision, cognitive issues…that’s what bothered me the most. If I read something as simple as a recipe, I’d have to read it again and again.”

Shenk also mentioned numbness and major itching down her one side, “I’d scratch but it wouldn’t go away.”

She has dealt with nerve pain in her hand and had trouble walking at one time a couple of years ago. She also has suffered from severe fatigue which often goes along with another symptom.

There are also those with RR MS who can enter a phase where disability accumulates. This is called secondary progressive or SP MS. Fifty percent of individuals will develop this advanced form of MS within 10 years despite the use of treatment. This could include, but is not limited to, becoming wheel-chair bound or having permanent visual problems.

“The biggest impact in my life was that I wanted to have more kids. However, because you don’t have a guarantee that you’ll be able to take care of them, and I realize there’s no guarantees in life but…I don’t want to risk not being able to be there. I have two beautiful little girls and I’m happy with them,” said Shenk.

Scientists are working on shots similar to a vaccination to prevent MS, since they believe it has a hereditary role, for children that have MS running in their family. Shenk stated that she would definitely get her daughters, Hannah and Caroline, the shots when they come out.

“A couple of years ago it had more of an effect on me than it does now, I feel like my medicine is working, and I don’t have as many cognitive problems now. I feel very blessed and I’m doing very well. I’m able to have a normal life.”

By Matt Ulmer and Faith Walauskas –

Finally.

They got him.

“Justice has been served,” said President Barrack Obama in an impromptu televised speech from the White House late Sunday night after he declared U.S. forces had killed terrorist Osama bin Laden.

After almost 10 years of trying to track down the purported mastermind of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S., bin Laden is confirmed dead.  U.S. Navy Seals reportedly shot and killed him during a raid on a compound in Pakistan, according to several published news reports.

Adults and students at Penn Manor had strong reaction to the news.

Darius Howard, a senior at Penn Manor, said that he was “glad that we found him, but I wish we would have tortured him–he killed a lot of people.  I’m glad we have a president who can clean up after the last presidents’ messes. (As for retaliation), If they want it, they can come get it.”

Penn Manor Junior Jordan Gerlitski first joked saying, “Yeah, I killed him.”

But Gerlitski then got more serious.

“I was shocked, I knew it was going to be all over the news and something to talk about in school. It’s a bittersweet feeling, because even though it was who it was, we still did kill someone,” said Gerlitski.

“As for Obama’s popularity,” Gerlitski predicted.  ‘It will definitively improve his image, but I think he’s going to milk it out, overuse the glory and try to call it all his own rather than who actually killed Bin Laden.”

Gerlitski also added, “Wasn’t there, like, a $50 million reward on his head?”

Social studies teachers in particular took a keen interest in the news.

Cindy Lonergan, teaches social studies at Penn Manor but has a connection to Sept. 11 as a New York native.

“This is definitely one of the biggest days in history, he was wanted dead all over the world,” said Lonergan.

She pointed out that on the same date, 66 years ago, the death of Adolf Hitler was announced, a man responsible for more than 11 million deaths during his reign of terror.

I’m surprised,” said Penn Manor history teacher Rich Brenton.  “It’s been a long time and it seemed to me like the whole liquidation of bin Laden was on the back burner.

“It was a good move,” Brenton said.  “It was something that needed to be done and the repercussions are way less than they would of been two years ago.”

But people are still talking of possible repercussions.

Although crowds cheering in the streets in New York and other locations insist justice was served in bin Laden’s death, other questions are surfacing that have Americans on their toes.

Will this change al Qaeda? Will this change terrorism? What happens with national security?

“The goal is to be a martyr and sacrifice yourself,” said Lonergan.  And I think they are going to use this to praise him.

“Their greatest goal is to die for this cause, and that’s sometimes the scariest thing to face,” said Lonergan.

“The main worry is whether or not remaining members of al Qaeda will react in a violent way,” said  Jeremy Kirchner, also a history teacher.  “I think in the short term they’re going to be prepared for retaliation. Who could they be supporting now that Bin Laden is gone.

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan,” said Obama in his address.

According to CNN news, the U.S. government was aware of a mansion in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan last August, and had been secretly watching the compound to confirm bin Laden’s presence.

Then, in a super secret operation, special forces flew into the compound in helicopters, engaged in a fire fight with bin Laden and supporters, killed bin Laden, his son and two couriers and gathered lots of documentation from the compound, according to CNN reports.

When one helicopter had mechanical failure, the special forces destroyed it to prevent it from becoming part of the terrorist intelligence operation.

Adults in the school reacted about the turn of events.

“It’s good for victims of 9-11,” said Aron Basile, a safety ed teacher.  “He’s an evil creature, I’m glad he’s gone.  He got what he signed up for.  His (bin Laden) hole was a million dollar compound.”

Lisa Campbell, food service worker, said, “Finally he was found, more than found, but, I have a feeling it might stir some more things up (retaliation).  But I hope I’m wrong.”

Sierra Woodworth, a sophomore at Penn Manor says, “I was shocked to hear it, but I’m glad we found him. I definitely have more respect for Obama, and fearful in the perspective of retaliation for sure.”

Bin Laden was called a super terrorist by many.  A man who was ruthless against the West, a man who would stop at nothing and kill thousands without remorse.

Al-Qaeda translates into English as “The Base,” which was what Bin Laden called his terrorist organization that had approximately 3000 followers.  Since his death, U.S. embassies all around the world have been put on high alert, watchful against al-Qaeda retaliation.

Originally, bin Laden teamed up with the Taliban, the former rulers of Afghanistan, who took control of most of Afghanistan after the Soviet Union collapse in 1989, according to published reports. The Taliban had supported Bin laden through his ‘jihad,’ or ‘holy war,’ which was a dedication made to kill all American citizens and Jews.

The history of bin Laden involved in fighting began back in the 1980’s when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and bin Laden began a resistance towards the USSR, forming armies and education systems in the process, which later formed into Islamic radical training centers.

After the fall of the Soviets, bin Laden reportedly moved to Saudi Arabia when U.S. Soldiers responded to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.  He was against the invasion believing soldiers stationed in Saudi Arabia were occupying the birthplace of Islam.

Because of this, bin Laden charged Saudi Arabia with ‘deviation of true Islam.’

Reports showed bin Laden then went to Sudan in 1992 where he claimed responsibility for anti-U.S. attacks in Yemen and Somalia.

In 1994 bin Laden returned to Afghanistan and increased his terrorist activity, encouraging terrorist activity in other parts of the Islamic world.

The 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were linked to bin Laden.

His most devastating attack toward the U.S. were the September 11, 2001 airliner crashes into the World Trade Center in New York City, a airliner crash into the Pentagon and the airline crash in Shenksville, Pa.

Ever since then, the U.S. made the killing or capture of bin Laden a top priority to bring justice to the killer of over 3000 American citizens.

Included in the  speech broadcast all over the world last night was an explanation how the operation was formulated. United States Intelligence had been tracking a lead dating back to late summer, explained Obama.  They identified a courier who was one of the few trusted by bin Laden according to officials. They tracked the courier to a compound that was far too large and too expensive for couriers to afford.

When the news was announced Sunday night, thousands gathered at the White House and  Ground Zero where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed.

The announcement also was made over the loudspeaker at  Citi Field where the New York Mets were playing and the crowd erupted with chants of “USA! USA! USA!”

Coincidentally, the announcement took place in the ninth inning, with a score of 1-1…or “9 11.”

Many predicted the capture and killing of bin Laden would affect the political landscape.

 

 

 

 

 

By Cheyenne Weber –

camel124: “How is QI a word? No, XI can’t really be a word!”

captainkirk29: “What? You can’t use names?!”

swordfish87: “Oh, how I love the Words With Friends dictionary.”

There’s a new craze hitting students at Penn Manor and, while it’s educational,  it can only be played on a smart phone or iPod touch, which are both banned – under teacher’s discretion – in most classes.

The new craze is called, “Words with Friends.” While students used to spend much of their stolen phone minutes texting to friends, they now fill the hallways and classes with their heads down and fingers moving, playing the popular iPhone app.

“I never thought I’d be addicted to a game with educational value,” said Brian Sloss, a junior at Penn Manor.

Words With Friends is a multi-player, mobile word game. It challenges players to take turns building words crossword puzzle style with one or more friends, much like the popular board game Scrabble. Thanks to the internet, you can match word skills against random opponents. Up to 20 games can be played simultaneously using push notifications to alert players when it is their turn.

Words with friends was released July 2009  by Zynga. Mike Isaac from Wired.com said The app boasts 2.5 million daily active users, with over 10 million downloads since its creation.  Words with Friends is available for cross-platform play on devices running the operating systems including Android and iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch). The Words with Friends is one of the top ranking games in the application store.

“The students could be playing other apps that are way worse and not educational,” said assistant principal Eric Howe.

He said the school is not that concerned about the sudden rage of Words With Friends because it has educational value to it and is helping expand the vocabulary of high school students. The school is concerned, noted Howe, that students are playing while they are in class, when they should be listening to the teacher, instead of worrying about trying to land a word on double-letter and triple-word to form a 50-point word.

“It’s something that needs to be played when your work is finish, It’s like another type of enrichment you could say. But I have laptop in front of me all day and I do not search the internet while class is in session, so I expect students to not go on their smart phone while I’m teaching,” said Mellisa Frerichs, an English teacher at Penn Manor.

Lisa Mayo, another English teacher, agrees that students should play in their “free time” not during class.

“I think if students knew they were learning while playing Words With Friends, students wouldn’t be playing the game,” said Mayo.

At least 150 students are currently engaged in the game during the school day, by a rough estimate.

Some students wonder if the school shut down the technology that allows the game to be played?

iPhone users are safe but students who use their ipod touches aren’t because students must access the guest network in order to play the scrabble like game.

“We have the technology and power to do it but we couldn’t shut the individual app off. We have to shut all apps off,” said Charlie Reisinger head of technology for Penn Manor.

Words With Friend users don’t need to be worried because the school has no interest in shutting down the access to apps, Reisinger indicated.

As long as the Words With Friends rage continues, it will be a grammar and spelling epidemic.

“I play it because because everybody’s doing it,” said Brian Sloss.

“I’m playing 20 games at once, I’m a words with friends addict,” said Matt Noll.

The Words With Friends creators don’t know how long this craze will last but they don’t see the word game running out of letters any time soon.

 

 

 

 

By Penn Points staff members –

California is home to Hollywood, the city of dreams. Penn Points headed to “Cali” with visions of another award of excellency at the Spring National Scholastic Press Association Convention, but not all dreams come true as they found out in nearby Anaheim.

Penn Manor was awarded a best in show in the small schools category, but left the Golden State without a consecutive National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker award.

They did, however receive an award as one of the Pacemaker finalists.  The designation means Penn Points is still considered in the top 20 student publications online in the country.

While in California, the Penn Points staff visited many sights including the world famous Disneyland. The staff explored downtown Anaheim every day, visited the outdoor mall and spent time at Huntington Beach. They also attended many conferences on student journalism and concentrated on workshops that dealt with online publications.

When exploring Anaheim the students conducted miniature interviews with random people on the streets.  They actually couldn’t help themselves.

Junior Sam Valentin thought the seminars were very beneficial, “I think the seminars were very informative, we got a lot of information to bring back to Penn Points.”

Valentin said his goal was to use the insight from the conference to come home with the Pacemaker award for next year.

Sarah Garner, a senior at Penn Manor and a senior staffer on Penn Points,  enjoyed the different workshops.

“I liked going to the workshops that were taught by students, it was on our level and it let us have a better understanding.”

Senior editor and writer, Kendal Phillips, also appreciated the seminars.

“My favorite (seminar),” said Phillips, who herself was a national honorable mention award winner for multi-media story last year, “was the one that talked about financing and how to promote our website. I think we really need to get on that.”

Valentin said, “We attended seminars on how to improve our online newspaper I thought were very beneficial. We also had a lot of fun.  We bonded together (as a staff) and just hung out and really explored Anaheim and had a lot of fun.”

Penn Points Co-Editor-in-Chief, Sarah Schaeffer went to several seminars on how to enhance online publications.

“We learned how to get more traffic and enhance our website. We took a lot of notes to show the classes,” she said, “I also had fun going to the beach.”

Jake Shiner, a junior at Penn Manor, went on the trip to the NSPA convention because he intends on pursuing the journalism field in college and beyond.

“My favorite part of the trip, outside the convention, was the evening at Disneyland where I had my most memorable experiences.”

He too indicated he wanted to improve and refine the high school publication to ensure a winning spot on the podium in 2012.

 

By Bryan Buckius –

When tragedy strikes, how will you react? Here at Penn Manor some students took the initiative to take charge and help out a fellow classmate.

Penn Manor’s Varsity Club is in charge of a fundraiser to help support a family in the Penn Manor community dealing with a recent, unexpected tragedy. The club will have a table set up at various sporting events over the course of the next month.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to help out a family in need,” said Varsity Club secretary Dan Elliot.

Athletic director Jeff Roth was also a huge help in organizing this fundraiser.

“It is a great gesture on the part of the varsity club to help out a family in need,” said Roth.

Tonight Varsity Club will be setting up at the boys volleyball game against Manheim Township. The club will also be collecting donations on the following dates:

April 27- Baseball 4:15 p.m.

April 28- Boys Lacrosse 7 p.m.

May 2- Track and Field 4 p.m.

May 2- Softball 6 p.m.

May 3- Girls Lacrosse 7 p.m.

May 5- Girls Soccer 7 p.m.

All of the events listed will be home games. Girls softball will be played under the lights at Garrett Park. Track and field will hold their meet against Elizabethtown High School on the track outside of the West Gym. All other events will be held at Comet Field.  Anyone who can’t attend these events and is interested in making a donation can contact Mrs. Clugston or Bryan Buckius.

This is your chance to help out a member of our Penn Manor family. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.