Category: Featured

All it takes is a little “s.”

Students at Penn Manor High School discovered Thursday a  new way to access their social networking websites.

And they were, every chance they got.

“It’s exhilarating because it’s supposed to be a restricted site, but now we can be able to have access,” said senior Julia Rios.

Putting in “https://” instead of just “http://”  ahead of the address, students were able to access the sites. To jump from page to page, the students figured out to add the “s” to the “http” before they pressed “enter.”

“Well it’s kinda cool that you can get on Facebook at school, but I don’t think the school knows about it yet,” Alex Kirk, a junior, stated.

Interestingly, students were using Facebook at school to spread the word that it was available at school.

Social studies teacher Matthew Scheuing found out Friday by accident when he Googled a friend’s name and the friend’s Facebook page popped up.  He was able to click on it and get in.

“Technology is constantly evolving,” said Scheuing. “It’s all about figuring out the ‘next thing.’ People always seem to find out a way to get around it.”

Not only can students get on their Facebook page, but they can also get onto Twitter, Myspace, YouTube, and many other websites. E-mailing websites were still being blocked by the filter.

But are students willing to take the risk of getting caught and in trouble, just to get onto to check their pages?

“I wanted to get on once I found out, but I am afraid to get caught,” Rios also said, “but that is what makes it more appealing.”

However the administration is not quite sure how they are going to approach this situation, since the students are sometimes one step ahead of them.

“I think in this situation there’s a dilemma educators face when students need to use technology in the classroom, but the negatives arise when the students don’t use it appropriately,” Principal Phil Gale said.

“I don’t think they (administration) would allow it because it’s a pretty big distraction and it would take away from the class and it wouldn’t be good for grades and class work,” Kirk said.

“I feel like I’m not going to get anything done,” said Ella Perry.

“It is not good because kids are going to get distracted,” Mikah Farbo stated.

“I kind of don’t care, it’s not that fantastic,” senior Steph Slagel said, “I don’t need to get on Facebook in school.”

“We haven’t really looked at that (punishment), we’ve been pretty much been trying to figure out what is going on,” Gale stated.

By Jordann Stekervetz

Robert Henry and Alex Geli contributed to this report

Ben Clark does it again, this time winning the top individual award in the regional Siemens Competition for Math, Science & Technology for his theory on star formation.

Clark, a 15-year-old senior at Penn Manor, will be attending the Siemens Competition national finals December 2-6 in Washington D.C. where he will present his theory along with other young scholars from across the nation.

The Siemens competition is sponsored by the Siemens Foundation. They provide $7 million in scholarships annually and much of it is through the Siemens Competition. The money supports students who are doing research and making advancements in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Clark said his experience in the semi-finals was quite enjoyable, and he did not have definite expectations of winning.

“I saw everyone’s projects as comparable,” said Clark. “Anyone could have won.”

By winning the regional competition, Clark was awarded $3,000.The national  Siemens Competition top winner gets a prize of $100,000 in scholarship money, however Clark is already guaranteed at least $10,000 in scholarship money just for being in the finals because last place in the finals still receives $10,000.

To be eligible to compete, students must be working on research and projects which are unique and authentic.

Clark is making real progress in the astrophysics arena.

“I was looking for binary stars and I used a very large, low-quality data set, but through my analysis I was able to get useful results,” said Clark about his data, before the regional competition began.

As he was beginning his research, Clark decided he need a topnotch mentor and contacted the Princeton University astrophysics department. His mentor is Princeton astrophysicist, Cullen Blake.

Clark decided he wanted to take a close look at binary stars for his research. He knew that binaries have significant applications to star formation so Clark and his mentor decided to focus on that.

On November 5 and 6 Clark headed out to Massachusetts to reveal his theory to some of the best in the astrophysics industry.

Clark talked with students and professors from MIT and had a fantastic time.

“All the professors were great, and the students had great projects,” said Clark.

“My initial interest in math and science occurred in kindergarten when my father started giving me math problems as a game,” Clark said in an interview for the Siemens Competition.  “In less than a year, the simple addition problems we started with had been replaced by double digit multiplication and basic algebra.”

Clark has gained local fame and created a lot of buzz throughout Penn Manor. He has appeared on CBS 21 and is set to appear on WGAL channel 8 for his accomplishments which include being a National Merit Semifinalist, Model United Nations member and a National Honor Society head delegate.  Clark is also involved with the Boy Scouts of America, the USA Mathematical Olympiad, USA Physics Olympiad, Princeton University Mathematics Competition and Pennsylvania Math League.

The research he has done has created a career goal for Clark. He wants to conduct physics or astrophysics research at a major research institution in the future.

By Brian Dunne

And today for lunch we will be having cozy sweat shirts, fuzzy blankets and chilled classrooms.

Students and faculty at Penn Manor High School have been complaining about the chilly and uncomfortable conditions in the halls and classrooms. These rooms include the library, auditorium and cafeteria.

Justice Hower, a senior at Penn Manor, decided to eat his lunch outside today. Why eat outside on the first day of November?

“It’s warmer outside than it is in the school,” Hower said.

Many other students and teachers did not know why the school was so cold, but they had their views.

“I think it’s cold because of the doors at central complex were left open to set up for the colleges,” senior Nick Hartley said.

Librarian Sue Hostetter had a more academic response.

“I think the school is doing a research project to see how cooler temperatures affect test results,” she said.  “At this point, the temperature is distracting students.”

“Feel my hands, ice!” added Hostetter.  “Give us ten degrees more heat, that would be lovely.”

During third block, the library staff was making hot chocolate as the cure for the chilly day.

But the explanation for arctic temperatures inside the building

wasn’t all that interesting.

“I can’t tell a difference in the temperature,” said custodian Leighton Dickenson, as he smirked, clearly joking.

The school is either on the “chiller” or the “boiler,” and last week, due to the warmer temperatures, Dickenson explained he had the chiller running.

Over the weekend, Dickenson switched over the chiller to the boiler to make heat but, unfortunately he said, the boilers take a couple of days to heat up.

Dickenson said that “people tend to cope better in cooler temperatures opposed to warmer temperatures.”

With the really cold temperatures over the weekend and the chiller on last week, the school was not able to warm quickly.

“The school should gradually warm up over the next couple days until it gets back to normal,” said Dickenson.

The administration office was suspiciously warm but Dickenson explained that space tends to warm up quite fast compared to the rest of the school because the office has its own heating and cooling system.

The system used in the office has to cover a much smaller volume, so it can heat and cool the area at a much faster speed, he said.

If only the students had access to this luxury on this ever so chilly day.  They might just have to get in trouble to have the opportunity to warm up.

By Cree Bleacher and Kyle Hallett

Although the commercials say, “Droid does,” iPhone users at Penn Manor think iPhone “does” more.

The iPhone has been out for years and has sold millions. The touchscreen iPhone with its thousands of available software apps did not seem to have much competition until November 6, 2009. That’s when the first Droid came out and it is currently outselling the popular iPhone.

Despite the sales figures of the Droid, Penn Manor students seem to favor the iPhone.

Ryan Connelly is an owner of the iPhone 4, Apple’s newest, hippest model.  He recently upgraded from the iPhone 3G and likes the new one a lot more. Connelly likes the iPhone 4 more because it has better screen resolution and it’s even faster then the iPhone 3G.

“I do love the iPhone, but if I had Verizon I would probably have a Droid right now,” said Connelly.

iPhone is exclusively carried by ATT although, reportedly, the phone will be carried by Verizon by the summer of 2011.

The iPhone 4 has brought Apple’s one and only phone line even more attention. The website ijafri.com reports that 1.5 million phones were sold on its launch day.

Nick Weidinger, a Penn Manor student,  is also a proud owner of the iPhone 4. He loves the software because it is easy to use and he is able to jail-break it. Jail-breaking is when you set the phone to not use the exact apple software. Doing this you have no limitations to your device.

“The iPhone 4 is just so sweet,” said Weidinger.

Although he loves his phone, he thinks that both phones are very good.

Mike Gebby does not have an iPhone or a Droid. But Gebby’s dad has purchased the Droid and he is a huge fan.

“If I could, I would buy a Droid 2 (the latest model)  in a second, iPhone just isn’t good. I like it (the Droid) more because it has a full keyboard,” said Gebby.

Even though some students prefer the Droid over the iPhone,  droidforums.net says that the Droid 2 (the second version of the Motorola Droid) sold only 250-350k phones.

And then there are the hybrid phones.  A little of this and a little of that.

Clark Habecker has the T-Mobile G-1. This phone runs on the Android software although it is not technically a “Droid.”  Habecker bought his phone about a year and a half ago and is planning on purchasing a T-Mobile G-2 when his contract is over.

Although the Droid is a new phone and the technology is very advanced, it has a few problems that have not been fixed. One of the problems is “Force Close.”  Some of the phone’s apps tend to randomly stop working and need to restart. Androidforums.com reports more difficulties with the Droid.

“I would actually prefer to have an iPhone, but I can’t get off T-Mobile’s service,” Habecker said.

Apple’s iPhone is outpacing the competition here at Penn Manor.

“I was wowed the first time I used my iPhone 4, the screen resolution is outstanding along with it being very easy to use,” said Penn Manor junior Landon Alecxih.

Alecxih was a previous owner of the iPhone 3GS. He upgraded when the iPhone 4 was released and does not regret his decision at all.

“I have never held any of the Droid phones. I think all the Droid company is doing is taking the apple’s software for the iPhone and making minor changes and calling it their own,” said Alecxih.

“I have the Droid X, and it’s so much better then any iPhone product. The Droids don’t get any bugs unlike the iPhone,” said Brian Sloss.

The iPhone does have quite a few bugs. Pcmag.com shows the top five bugs of just the new iPhone 4. The main example is lousy reception. This is happening because the antenna goes around the phone, so when you hold the phone up to your ear, your blocking your own signal. The other examples range from battery life to screen screw-ups. Buyers should take notice to these bugs before they shell out anywhere from $199 to $599 for the technology.

Even though the Droid has a key board, and the iPhone 4 has face time, the competition between the companies should remain red-hot through the holidays.

By Kyle Hallett

Penn Manor’s parking lot is littered with loads of junky cars.  But they aren’t waiting for a tow truck, students and faculty are driving them away every day.

In a recent USA Today article, Tom Webb, an economist for Manheim Consulting, said used car prices have risen about 5 percent in the last year because there is more demand for cheaper cars with the faltering economy.

These days it may be harder for a driver, especially a teen, to acquire a quality used car, with the economy struggling and used car prices soaring.

So if you can’t get a good used car, some aren’t too proud to drive a junky one.

Steve Hess, a physics teacher at Penn Manor, is one of many who regularly park their junky car in Penn Manor’s parking lot.

Hess drives an “economically friendly” 26-year-old Volkswagen Rabbit diesel with a staggering 358,000 miles.

Hess’ Rabbit may have been red at one point, but the years have faded it to orange, which could be a good thing because it hides most of the rust.

As if it doesn’t look bad enough, in the four years he’s had the car, it’s been through its fair share of mishaps.

It seems to have a little problem in the gear department.

The Rabbit has held up lines of traffic up hills while Hess struggled to get it out of second gear, leaving a trail of black smog and some angry fellow motorists.

And other more serious incidents.

“I was driving and made a quick turn and alls I saw in my mirror was a F-350 bumper as I three-sixtied into a ditch,” recalled Hess.  “I looked at the man driving and he was an Amish man with a totaled truck and alls I had was a dent in my bumper.”

But he’s planning on keeping it for a few more years calling the car, jokingly, a “chick magnet.”

He certainly isn’t the only one with a crappy car.

Zach Rayha, a student at Penn Manor and a player on the school baseball team, drives a slightly girly junker. His 1998 Nissan Sentra is a light blue.

“The color of my car is a very light, faded baby blue. It reminds me of a newborn baby boy,” said Rayha.

When describing the interior of his car, Rayha said “The interior of my car smells like wet baseball cleats, and dried up sweaty T-shirts.”

His older brother literally wrecked any chance of driving the newer Camry the family once had.

“My brother was driving on a rainy day like today, and attempted to drift while driving through the curvy part of Cottage Avenue, he proceeded to total the vehicle and wound up paying for what I drive now,” Rayha said.

Tim Dueble received his car thanks to his parents generosity.

Every day he drives to school in his 1987 Honda Accord. The car, which has been in the family longer then he has, it has over 220,000 miles.

Dueble’s first summer with his car was a dreaded one, he spent the whole summer singing to himself, with no radio in his car. He said it got pretty boring.

Alicia Burns, who got her first car from her grandma, has had her fair share of troubles with her first junker.  Her car, a 1991 white 98 Oldsmobile is temporarily out of service.

“About a week ago I was driving down 741, and my car just shut down, it was really embarrassing,” Burns said.

“I don’t know exactly what was wrong with my car, but it’s fixed now,” Burns said excitedly.

By Brian Dunne

Career Cruising profile? Check. Thirty hours of community service? Check. Case study on the class of 2010? Check.

Four years ago, the counseling department at Penn Manor started a new graduation project that was aimed at preparing students for life after high school. The new project used an achievement goal theory to motivate students to complete the project.

The class of 2010 was the first one to complete this new project, and their progress was recorded and then documented in a case study completed by Sandra Deemer, an associate professor at Millersville, and Penn Manor’s own Melissa Ostrowski, high school counselor.

When the project was introduced, not every student was happy about it.

“When you change something like that, people go, ‘oh this is stupid!’” said Ostrowski.

The graduation project was to help prepare students for life after high school by having them complete tasks related to their future.  The requirements can be reviewed at: http://blogs.pennmanor.net/graduationproject/class-of-2011/

One requirement for the project was to search for schools to further a student’s education. The project does not stress a four-year college over other types of higher education or a career.

“We just care that every student who goes to Penn Manor does something, or has a plan to be a productive member of society,” said Ostrowski.

On the other hand, “the class of 2010 had no one to compare to,” said Deemer.

She said when the class of 2010 were freshmen, they saw the older students doing things like redoing their bedroom as their graduation project, and were angry that they weren’t allowed to do something similar. But the change to the new project allowed every student to pick something different that related to their career and life after high school.

This project was another way to show that Penn Manor is unique because very few schools “represent a unification of career exploration activities with state-mandated graduation projects.”

In other words, the state mandates every high school have a graduation project and Penn Manor now has one connected to skills and exploration the students can use to enrich their future.

The project used achievement goal theory, a motivational theory that highlights the importance of individuals’ perceptions in the learning process and focusing on the influence of the student’s task.

The project was also to give a sense of belonging to students, as well as motivate them to take career-related classes.

“Kids who have a sense of belongingness, are usually more motivated,” said Ostrowski.

“If you have a sense of beloningness, and you feel safe in school and you feel happy, then things tend to go a little smoother,” Deemer said.

This motivation could lead them to picking classes that will help them in their plans after high school, explained the researchers.  Instead of picking classes just to fill their schedule, students started to pick classes based on their career or life after high school in general.

But with new, big projects, there are bound to be problems.

Deemer conducted a series of small group talks and surveys of students in the class of 2010 to find out how they felt about the project and got suggestions on possible changes.

When the freshmen were first interviewed, they had mostly bad things to say and were generally upset about the new requirements, recalled Ostrowski.

“At first the freshmen hated it but we wanted them, and everyone else to know, that we’re not out to get anyone,” said Ostrowski.

During the interviews, Deemer found that students were engaging in  aspects of the graduation project.

Also, Deemer found that students were talking with others about career interests on their own as well as doing career research on their own.

Another case study will be conducted on the class of 2014 with the same project.

Even with the kinks, Deemer felt that the project was a “thoughtful group of educators responding to a state mandate to create a valuable project.”

By Whitney Reno

With the tractors lined up, the animals groomed and the milkshakes cold and frothy the Lampeter Community Fair was ready to start.

“In general, we had a lot more animals entered and that made this a good year for us,” said Penn Manor ag teacher Carole Fay.

More than 30 members of Penn Manor’s FFA team proved to the community how much dedication, effort and hard work they put into making sure their animals were healthy and ready to be shown.

Many of Penn Manor’s FFA members left the fair with awards for their animals.

“There were 192 animals entered and sold on Friday night,” Fay said.

Penn Manor FFA participants and award winners included Brianna Hess, Abigail Reiff, Katrina Reiff, Michelle Zercher, Jessica Bauman, Laura Wissler, Lyndsey Wissler, Victoria Walton, Butch Conver, Taylor Brown, Atalie Winters, Kenny Barley, Milliam Harrington, Kaitlin Harrington and Jessica Herr for showing sheep and lambs. For showing swine Aaron Steager, Ethan Murry, Margaret Drumm, Derric Harsh, Jessica Bauman, Tyler Bauman, Alex Cantey, Michaela Barley, Jonathon Eshbach, Ross Frey, Angela Keagy, Ricky Stetler, Cody Rittenhouse, Bo Perez, Jennifer Drumm, Cameron Long, Katrina Reiff, Katie Hess, Ethan Murry, Caleb Hess, Cade Murry, Ethan Barley, and Jordan Burkholder. Butch Conver for his goat. And for steer and diary beef Caleb Hess, Katrina Reiff, Abby Reiff, Margaret Drumm, Bo Perez, Clara Hess, William Harrington, Wayne Rineer, Ethan Barley, Cameron Long, Ethan Murry and Jessica Herr.

Some of the awards included heavy weight, light weight, medium weight, light heavy weight, showmanship and grand champions.

“This year the kids made more profit due to the price increase and there was more interest, so we are hoping that there will be more involved next year,” explained Fay.

By Jordann Stekervetz

The new electronic Apple “iLine up”… success or terrible flop? The fourth generation of pocket-sized media libraries has hit the market (or fan).

Few students at Penn Manor are able or interested in constantly keeping up with the latest Apple technology, mostly because of cost.  But many still have an opinion on the flashy but familiar design of the iTouch 4.0.  The new iPod has a very similar layout to it’s oldest brother, the iPhone.

Some features are intriguing.  The new iPod has not just one camera on it, but two. The second camera is located just above the touch screen on the device. The purpose of this new camera is so users of the new iTouch can use the popular 4G application, FaceTime.

Facetime is similar to the popular social networking website, Skype.  Although the application had a few bugs when it first debuted on the iPhone 4, it seems to have been worked out with the new iTouch. The application can only be used with a wireless internet connection.

The new device features three hard drive sizes, 8 gigabyte goes for $229. The other two models come at prices that could burn a slightly larger hole in your pocket. The next size up, the 32 gigabyte starts at $299.  The largest and most expensive variant of the iTouch 4.0 costs $399.

Students at Penn Manor High School seem to be hanging on to their funds more than ever this year.  Does this symbolize that the “iPod iCraze” is coming to an end?

“They’re just too much money, I can’t see myself spending multiple hundreds of dollars on something fragile that I’d end up breaking anyway,” said Cory Lentz, a senior.  “Having a camera on an ipod is just too much, Most cell phones have cameras anyway.”

Sadly, most other students seem to have embraced Lentz’s sense of penny-pinching, and instead of splurging on new electronics, they will be spending their hard-earned cash elsewhere.

“I just broke my iPod a few weeks ago, but these new ones are so expensive. I use mine to listen to music, not to take pictures or play games on. They’re so expensive that it doesn’t seem like I’ll be buying a new one soon,” said Tyler Dommel, a senior at Penn Manor.

One of Apple’s newest products seems to have been a success. A recent buyer of Apple’s Apple TV, Kyle Hallett was ecstatic at the chance to talk about his new gadget.

“You save so much money, because you don’t have to pay for cable, you can use things from your iTunes library to stream it wireless to your television. You can watch movies, listen to music, and even view pictures as a slide show. It works really nice and there are no commercials,” Hallett said.

It seems iPods are still common, but the craze to have the newest, best one isn’t, as more and more teens experience the waning value of the dollar, their hard earned cash isn’t being shelled out for electronics that flash.

By Ben Embry