By Mrs. McMichael’s Life Skills and Mrs. Taylor’s School to Work classes
Senior Abby Schultz helps bundle and stack newspapers as part of Penn Manor High School’s recycling program. (Photo by Aaron Dimm)
A program that grew out of a unit on recycling about three years ago has since grown into a school-wide recycling effort run by the Life Skills and School to Work classes. When the students learned that Penn Manor High School was throwing away thousands of newspapers every month, they were surprised.
“I assumed that the school was recycling the daily newspapers,” said Mrs. Barbara Chambers, classroom aide. “I was shocked to hear that they were really going in to the landfill.”
The class took a vote and decided to start a newspaper recycling program.
“I sprang to action by making calls to recycling plants that would accept our papers,” said Mrs. Chambers.
In the first stage of the recycling program, the class took the papers to Shell’s Disposal and Recycling Center in Lancaster. Later, Mrs. Denise Harris, classroom aide, learned that Gordon’s Waste in Columbia, Penn. would recycle the papers and offer a small sum of money for each ton of paper collected. Any money collected is used to fund Life Skills and School to Work classroom projects.
Every Friday, the Life Skills and School to Work classes collect newspapers, copy paper and magazines from drop-off locations throughout the school, then bundle and store them in the back of the Life Skills classroom. One day a month, a small group of students delivers the newspapers to the recycling plant.
Bundled newspapers line a wall of the Life Skills classroom before students load them into a van to be taken to a recycling center. (Photo by Aaron Dimm)
During the 2011-2012 school year, the Life Skills and School to Work students recycled 22,800 pounds of newspapers and magazines
“Recycling was a big issue with the High School up until you started your recycling program,” Mr. Philip Gale, Penn Manor High School principal told the classes. “It’s very expensive for us to have a company remove the newspapers. The fact that you collect and take them to be recycled helps our environment and saves the school a lot of money.”
Newspapers are not the only item recycled at Penn Manor. Mrs. Sallie Bookman and the Recycling Initiative Club collect cans and bottles throughout the school to recycle, as well.
By English 11 students at Penn Manor High School –
There are more than 1,500 students in Penn Manor High School and more than 120 educators. We see each other around the building every day but do we really “see” each other? We’ve had classes with these students, we’ve been taught by these educators. But do we know them, do you know them? We started this project because we wanted to know more about these “strangers.”
We are students in a career prep English 11 class who created a project called “100 Average Joes.” It was definitely outside our comfort zone but our teacher encouraged us to go out and interview and photograph students and staff members who we had not met and or talked to before. During the project we found that we could meet and find out a little bit about different people in Penn Manor High School.
We enjoyed this rare project because we got to move around and meet new people. Although the skills to interview were difficult to learn, after about three interviews we started to look forward to the work.
There is a lot of writing and editing involved but it didn’t feel like work, it felt like learning something important. As career prep students we don’t usually get to do this kind of project. Getting to go out and interview people was a new experience, it was nice getting to write about the students that don’t normally get interviewed. You get to hear over 100 different thoughts and feelings plus the voices of the people in our English 11 class.
Here is our project:
100. Junior Judelky Florez says that the biggest thing that happened in her life was, "when my parents got a divorce."99. Freshman Hailey Spicer says "one thing I'll never forget is when my cousin passed away, it made me realize you can't take life for granted."
98.Tim Deubler, a senior at Penn Manor said a significant moment in his life was when his grandmother passed away. His future plans are to be a music teacher and to be happily married and see his family succeed. His senior year has been very stressful. He says, "Friends come and go but the real ones stay."
97.For James Dejesus, a junior at Penn Manor, the most significant part of his life was when his family decided to adopt foster kids. According to James, his life is very exciting but very contained even with some twists and turns. The past year for James flew by fast and everything passed by in a wink and made it feel like he was here just one day. Plans for his future are going to college at Penn State and to get into dentistry.96.Freshman Robert Geiter's advice for incoming freshman is don't get smart with teachers. His summer plans are hanging out and parties. Robert's biggest accomplishment this year was getting finals done.
95. Bre Whited, a freshman, loved meeting new people this year. Her summer plans are going on vacation. Bre's advice to incoming freshman is don't get in trouble.
94.Casper Rosario, one of many freshman, enjoyed meeting new girls this year. Casper's plans for the summer include hanging out with friends. His advice is "do well in math so teachers don't talk to you."
93. According to Alesandra Hoskins, a significant part in her life was when her parents divorced. Her life is sometimes good and sometimes bad, but she says her life is like a rollercoaster. In the future, Alesandra wants to become a social worker. The past year for Alesandra was a big change because she moved into Penn Manor School District.
92. Zoee White is a junior at here at Penn Manor. She is a cello player in the orchestra.White wants to attend college for fashion merchandising. She has a busy life but she still has time to do the things that she loves.
91. Jordan Rehn has an exciting life but it can be a little tiring, she said. A significant event in Rehn's life was getting a guitar for Christmas. After high school she wants to go to college and become a cop. This past year at Penn Manor has been both boring and fun for her.
90. Ashley Miller has a very hectic life but it is also very relaxing. She wants to go to Millersville University, after she graduates, for genetics and medicine.This past year at Penn Manor for Miller was extremely stressful with all the pressure on the juniors.
89. Julia Ortiz always finds a way to make her life interesting. Her life can be crazy whether it's good or bad. A significant event in her life is getting a puppy when she was 5. Julia loves animals and has a dog. She wants to attend college and get a good career. Her past year at Penn Manor has been good, she can't complain. She spends half her day at here at Penn Manor and the other half she goes to Willow Street CTC.
88. Andrew Torres has a wild life. He lives life to the fullest and lives by the motto "YOLO." You only live once. He wants to be a barber and tattoo artist. A significant event that happened in his life was meeting the love of his life.
87. The most memorable moment for Willow Dimm, a junior at Penn Manor, was working on a social norm project. During the summer, Willow's plans for the summer consist of going to the beach with her family and hanging with friends. Her advice to younger students who are coming into the high school is "don't be scared."86. Elena Lajuett, a junior at Penn Manor said her most memorable moment at Penn Manor was in soccer when the team was almost undefeated but then lost a game. Elena's summer plans consist of spending time with friends and family. Her advice to younger students is to "try your best in everything."
85. Becky Miller, junior at PMHS says, "the biggest impact in my life was when my grandpa passed away." She also said, looking back at her high school career she wishes she would've slacked off a little more and had fun.
84. Kyle Doman says "the biggest impact in my life was meeting Sophia. She has made me a better person." He also said "I can't wait to be a senior and get out of this school."
83. Salma Tumunga, 11th grader says "my life changed when I lost my bestfriend." She also stated that "being in high school made her grow up and get serious."
82. Sophia Forte is a junior at Penn Manor. She says the event with the biggest impact in her life was "meeting Kyle." He changed a lot of her morals and thoughts on life.
81. Junior Dana Mowbray says, "The most important part of my life is my family, that's who I live for." She also said that the person in her life she looks up to the most would be "my parents, I can go to them for anything."
80. Janitor Jeff Davis gives advice to stay in school because it is important. Davis' memory he keeps with him is winning states in softball in the early 80s. Davis grew up in Lancaster, he went to Macaskey JP, he also went to Brownstown CTC, and has been working since he was 12.
79. Junior Alex Quinn says he looks forward to sports, education, and getting out of high school next year. His summer plans are going on vacation, working part time and summer sports. Alex's advice for freshmen is "study hard so that when you graduate you can look back and say you gave your best."
78. Junior Precious LaBloy is excited to work and spend time with family this summer. Precious' advice for incoming freshman is "stay focused and always do your best." Precious is excited for CTC next school year. Her biggest accomplishment was getting into CTC.
77. Penn Manor junior John West, gives the advice to pick your classes that you need not just the classes your friends are in. West also plans on hanging out with friends and working. West's memory is taking the SAT at school.
76. Music teacher Skip Reddig loved the moment he realized the yearbook was dedicated to him. He wishes the whole school realized the auditorium is his classroom.
75.Sophomore Will Stavely got hit in the face this year with an ice skate and he said that was his most memorable moment. He said school would be better with more breaks. He loves to play music and ride his scooter.
74.Dale Braun, 11th grade., enjoyed her years at Penn Manor. She says they could have been better. Her favorite classes are art, she also loves to read.
73. Paige Meshey, a freshman, said she has some favorite memories from her time at Penn Manor. She also said school would be better if the days were shorter.
72.Karina Cruz, a ninth grader, said she loves to leave school every day. She wishes there were more "hot guys" in the high school. She said meeting her friend Carly Patterson was her most memorable moment this year.
71. Joseph Gundel, a freshman, said his most memorable moment this year was going to "Cali" and his favorite activity outside school is to play Xbox. He wishes the school term was a little shorter.
70. Chris McMillan, a junior, believes lunch would be better if the lunch ladies wore hairnets, and his favorite memory is every last day of school.69.Senior Troy Hoke advises others to study hard and pass physics so you can get out of school and not fail. Hoke plans on getting his diploma and getting a full time job to make money. Hoke's memory he is going to hold with him is failing his senior year of school.
68. Javelle Quinn is a sophomore. This year she was on the honor roll. She said she is a stronger person now because she overcame many obstacles. "(This year) was good," said Javelle. "I've been through a lot of things but overall it's been a good year."
67. Laiklynee Kammerer said making the girls varsity volleyball team was a highlight of her school year which she said was outstanding overall. She said her sophomore year was better than being a freshman which was a bit "rough."66.Baker, Cindy Frey, gives this advice: "always do your best, be kind to everyone and be all you can be." Mrs. Frey says one event that she still holds with her is when she went on a mission trip to Mexico. Mrs. Frey was also a Penn Manor graduate in 1973.
65.Junior Lindsay Hutchinson tore her ACL this year. She said she is probably committing to play soccer in college. The school year was good and her injury was life-changing.
64.Jacob Spencer has a goal of getting into CTC. The school year is "alright," he said although he admits he wishes he would have tried harder. A junior, Spencer describes himself as "outgoing, talented and hilarious."
63.When junior Eric Gardner moved to Pennsylvania he said his life was fun and full of events. He also said it was wild and full of drama.
62.Cindy Bachman said that getting married and giving birth to a son were the most significant events in her life. "This year was great and busy, but a good year," she also said.
61.Secretary Diana Alston said, "Year 2011-2012 at Penn Manor was amazing." Her most significant moments in her life were when she had her four kids. When out of school she likes to read and relax.
60.One point in Marisa Figueroa's life that was significant was moving to Penn Manor. Marisa spends a lot of time with her family, even though her life is very loud and crazy. To Marisa, junior year was the hardest but she wants to go to college to become a social worker.
59. A significant part in Linnea Rudy's life was when she started horseback riding. Her life is always interesting, but she enjoys being around everyone in chorus. Her goal is to be a horse trainer or she would like to work with animals.
58.Katie Irwin, a junior, can't wait for the summer when she'll go to Lincoln, Nebraska, the beach, the mountains, and be able to hang out with her friends. Katie can't wait for senior year theater shows. Her most memorable moment was in freshman year, coming into chorus.
57. Caroline Hathaway, a new addition to the junior class, can't wait for summer so she can hang out with friends and keep working. Caroline's advice about school was "PSSAs aren't easy." A memorable moment for her was the Christmas chorus concert.
56. Amber Kuhns, junior at Penn Manor, says her favorite possession would be "The piglet I've had since I was 6 months." The two words she uses to describe herself are "short and awkward." Amber says the thing she hates most is homophobia.
55. A significant part in Julia's life was being a part of the worship band for her church. Julia's life is crazy and not normal, but the past year for her was life changing. Julia would like to do something good for the world, and get straight A's.
54.Sophmore at Penn Manor, Kristen Reckard says the biggest impact on her life was "When I moved here from North Carolina." Her motto is "everything happens for a reason" and "everyone comes into your life for a reason."
53.Christian Olt, freshman at Penn Manor, said the biggest impact in his life was "when he got the mile record in elementary school." He describes himself as sporty and nice.
52.Warren Parker is a freshman at Penn Manor. He said the biggest impact on his life was "when my mom got remarried." He would describe himself as brave, athletic, cool, funny, skinny and black. Warren's favortie teachers so far from school have been Joe Herman and Nick Shwartz.
51.Chris Lafrance does a lot of fishing and boating. This summer he will be working as a boat mechanic. Chris says, "fun classes can make school interesting, there is a point where you have to tolerate it."
50.Junior Keila Anaya writes poetry and turns it into music. Keila works at KFC. Keila shared her biggest memories and claims that every time she's with her boyfriend is her biggest memory. This summer Keila wants to find time from work to visit her family in Massachussets.
49.Nicholas David Rayha refers to himself as a "nerd." Nicholas enjoys playing basketball, baseball, and video games. This summer Nicholas wants to go to the beach and do "the usual." Nicholas enjoys school and sees science as his favorite subject. Nicholas says his biggest memory was when he was wrestling with his brother and his brother caught on fire.
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48. Manny Matos, a sophomore at Penn Manor High, believes that this year in school has been very boring. Manny likes to chill at home in his room because it is boring in his neighborhood. Manny's most significant event in his life was when he got his first braids in his hair.
47. Amber Antonelli, senior at Penn Manor High School, said that working in a nursing home for four years was "life changing." Amber's favorite moments in high school were having classes with Chrissy Stoltzfus. Addison Myer is conducting the interview.
46. Reflecting on her last year of teaching, Teri Hay (art teacher at Penn Manor High School) shared her views on her years of teaching. She also said that, "her husband is 90 percent of her joy."
45. Essence Lausell, a freshman at Penn Manor, said her most significant moment in her life was her first day of high school. She said "This year was not what I expected it to be; it was wack and boring." She likes to play ball as a hobby.
44. Long-term social studies substitute teacher Eric Urban likes to coach the swim team. He enjoyed his year at Penn Manor.
43.FFA senior, Ben Groff, is ready to graduate and move on to Wyo-tech in Wyoming. Ben is going there to study diesel mechanics so he can get a job working on diesel trucks and so he can help on the farm when something goes wrong, he can repair it.
42.Tim Casey, freshman at Penn Manor High School says, "My life can be hectic at times, but relaxed at others." He said the biggest impact on his life was "drama."
41.A significant event in Victoria Torres' life was going to Puerto Rico for the first time and visiting family. Her goals for the future are to get a well-paying job and to have a nice house. Her past year at Penn Manor went well. She spent only first and second block here and then went to half-day CTC at the Willow Street Campus.
40.Penn Manor freshman Gideon Stallings said that his first year of high school has been "swell." He enjoys coming here. He would describe his life as fun and exciting.
39.A significant event in Jordan Williams' life was coming to the high school. His life is not very action-packed, but is slow. In the future he would like to go to college and have a family.
38. For eight years of Eric Kark's life he was home-schooled, but he has gone to Penn Manor for the last four years. He wants to go to Thaddeus Stevens for auto body courses so he can repair cars. To him, junior year was fun and never boring. He recommends the FFA to his fellow students.
37.The biggest impact in Mr.McKnight's life was meeting his wife. After six months of dating, he knew that this was the women he wanted to be with. They flew to Ireland and got married in a castle. Two weeks later they came back and both started working at Penn Manor. The most important thing in his life is to be a good father and a good husband.
36.Melanie Rupp said a significant event in her life "was moving in with my grandparents." Her past year in high school was "boring and fast." Her life in a sentence "like a roller coaster" it goes up and down.
35.Wrestling was a significant event in Bryce Mowbray's life. His past year in high school was very "different" as a freshman. His life in a sentence is "a lot of stupid stuff but a lot of fun."
34. Senior Mike Bucek said that he's looking forward to going to the Millersville Pool during the summer. A significant event in this senior's life is the car accident he was in in 8th grade.
33.Looking back on the school year, Ben Baumen, junior at Penn Manor High School, feels that the walls of the school are boring and that they should be painted purple.32. The halls of Penn Manor would not be the same if it wasn't for Leighton Dickinson. Other than making the school nice and clean, Leighton enjoys making gourmet desserts, and loves working out.
31. Brian Hammaker wants to become a tattoo artist. Brian's dad has many tattoos. In his free time he likes to draw, play guitar and skate. Brian's biggest memory was when his mom passed away.30.Donald McMillan, a sophomore plays soccer and is a leader at the LCBC a big Christian church. He was adopted at the age of two and never saw his biological parents. He can also speak a little bit of Spanish and German
29. Gabriella Minnich, a sophmore at PMHS, said she used to live in Connecticut. She loves to draw and enjoys playing drums. She played basketball for six years. She also said that her brother was born in Italy and has a different dad. She said that she would love to have a volkswagon GTI for her first car.28. School nurse, Nancy Morrell defines living life to its fullest!! Extremely young at heart, Nancy promotes activism. She loves hiking, biking and basking in nature. She is very passionate about her hobbies. “It doesn’t cost anything to be out in the woods! It keeps you younger,” says Morrel.
27. Tristan Feltenberger is a sophomore who likes to hang out with his friends. He says he gets in trouble a lot. He expressed that he has never met his father but does have a step-father. Tristin says his favorite cartoon is Squidbillies.
26. Joey Sweitzer, sophmore at Penn Manor High School, believes "school was better back in the day." In elementary school Joey learned the basics of math, writing, English, etc. Now in high school he feels that the high level of courses is unnecessary because he's not sure how he's going to use it in life.
25. Lunch Lady Yvette Herr said, "I look forward to hanging out with friends at my beach house over the summer." Yvette also said that a significant event in her life is when she got married in October of 1995.
24.Freshman, Kelsea Lynn said that her favorite part of summer is hanging out with her friends.
23. Sarah Scheid is a staff member at Penn Manor. Sheid said, "My life is always interesting and it feels like it's full of surprises." She hopes to graduate grad school and have a healthy family.22. Daulton Karr, 10th grade likes to work and make money.21. Although Danica Gabrielson has a hectic,busy and amusing life she still finds time to make herself happy. A significant event in her life was swimming with dolphins. When she graduates high school she wants to be a professional photographer.20. Savannah Santiago in 10th grade can't wait for school to be over and for summer to be here.
19. Cody Livingston is about to finish high school. He wants to go to college to be a mythologist or a cartoonist. A significant event in his life is getting a job at Chuck-E-Cheese.18. Junior Natosha Polaski said her most significant event in her life was, "Being chased around by my brother." She plans on going into the military or to college after high school.
17."A significant event in my life was having a daughter," said Mike Weimer. "I have worked for Penn Manor five years. I sweep the floor, clean windows, bathrooms and set up events."16. "Last year at Penn Manor as a junior was very long but rewarding and also very fun, I learned a lot and made many friends," said Mac Evarts.
15. "A significant event in my life was going out for the football team in second grade," said senior, Joe Bucek. "This last year was long, but a good year."
14.Colin Koser is a junior at Penn Manor who enjoys powerlifting and training. He is going to CTC for welding for senior year. He is not going to miss being at Penn Manor.
13. Eddie Collazo, a tenth graded, never liked school or being told what to do. This summer Eddie is working two jobs.12. "Making varsity cheerleading was my significant event," said Bailey McKinnie who said she is adventurous, outgoing, probably different from everybody else. "This year it has been fun, better than the year before in high school.
11. Junior Brad Snyder said he looks up to his parents because they help him through everything. Brad said his favorite memory is playing baseball, where he met many of his friends and won the championship in seventh grade.10.Science teacher Paul Milot said a significant event in life was reaching the top of a mountain 14,200 feet high on the 4th of July when it was 30 degrees outside. Life in two adjectives "interesting, challenging." Milot said Penn Manor was a place he chose to be, coming from a private school background. He feels he is easy to work with if shown respect.
9. Brittany Diffendall, a junior at Penn Manor shared her views about junior year and described her life-changing event, which was interviewing Austin Carlile from Of Mice & Men.
8.Senior Courtney Fatta's most memorable moment of high school is coming to school late for PSSAs and prom.
7. Trasee Bleacher is a farm wife who works in the Penn Manor cafeteria part time. Her faith, church and family are the most important things in her life. One day she hopes to go to Australia and be a missionary.
6. Senior Lex Muniz said that graduating high school is a significant event in his life. Muniz said that his life in the beginning was not in his control and now he’s starting to gain more control.
5. For Rebekah Shue, school comes first. Senior year for her was the hardest but the most fun. AP testing was one of the hardest parts of school for her. A significant part of high school was when she started dating her boyfriend.
4."Getting married was one significant event in my life," said Katharine Rodriguez, a Spanish teacher at Penn Manor. "It has been a stressful year, but it has also been really good."
3. Daysha Conner, freshman at Penn Manor, says the most significant event in her life was "when my little brother was born, it was the most special thing that happened." She describes her life as "an interesting journey." She says her first year in Penn Manor was "fun, but filled with drama."2. Teacher Rich Brenton said “My plans for this summer include going to Italy for two weeks to see my son.” Brenton’s favorite thing to look forward to this summer is grilling outside all the time.
1. 1. Streeter Stuart is young at heart and married with two kids. Great at baseball but follows football, loves the University of Virginia, and splits wood for fun so he can light his wood stove.
Authors in order of appearance in the above video: Mily Hill, Angel Torres, Addison Myer, Shane Best, Robbie Conover, Deion Valentin, Devon Reis, Josh Bennett, Trent Sheaffer, Paige Zayas, Cari Concini, Marc Delacruz, Luis Marcelino, John Worthington, Adrienne Eager and Jacqueline Killian.
For many of the past years Spring Fling, the school’s annual carnival and club fundraiser, has been nothing short of a washout with rainy, cold and stormy weather the norm.
But after a decision made by assistant principle Doug Eby to switch the date this year, the “rainy curse” was finally broken.
“It was a good call,” said junior Adam Hess about Eby’s decision to switch the date.
Friday’s event was nothing but sunshine, blue skies and a lot of happy fair goers from the community.
“Spring Fling is usually the second Friday in May, but prom was scheduled for that Friday so we had to push Spring Fling back to the third Friday,” said Eby, “The weather just turned out to be great as well.”
With rain out of the question and temperatures in the low to mid 70’s, Penn Manor students of all ages along with members of the Millersville community flocked to Comet Field to enjoy a night of good food, rides, music and a variety of other activities. The evening ended with a fireworks display that could be enjoyed from over half a mile away.
Despite a record sized crowd, the event ran about as smoothly as possible this year. There was a brief period of time when the Spring Fling Crew had to scramble to find parking spots for everyone coming in, but they were able to get that situation under control, said senior Sara Bennis.
“The crowds were significantly larger than in years past, but we really didn’t have many [behavioral] issues,” said Eby.
“We had to tell a couple kids to quit smoking, but other than that it was pretty uneventful, there weren’t any fights which was a surprise,” said Hess.
This year’s post-Spring Fling clean up also concluded in record time.
“Pretty much everyone that had signed up and had a shift showed up,” said Bennis, “Last year we didn’t get done cleaning up until around 11:30 PM, this year we were done at 10:30PM, which was record time.”
Whether Mr. Eby was able to predict great weather for this year’s Spring Fling or it was just luck of the draw, one thing is for certain, the great “rainy curse” that has hung over Spring Fling for the past three years is finally gone.
It is that time of year again. The school year coming to a close, warm weather, and the review of memories over the long school year. The yearbooks are back with a new look and ready for redemption.
The 2011-12 yearbook went on sale Friday with eager anticipation by most students.
“The theme this year is that is looks like an IPad or an IPhone,” explained Julie Andrusisin one of the two editors for the year book this year.
The two editors of the yearbook this year were Julie Andrusisin and Lindamarie Olson.
Yearbook editors Lindamarie Olson and Julie Andrusisin. Photo by Doug Anderson.
“Last year was a beautifully designed book but there was a huge number of errors because designs kept being changed too late in the game,” explained Doug Anderson, teacher and yearbook club adviser. “Julie and Linda Marie were the editors this year and I think they had the design set which allowed us to spend more time editing and correcting the mistakes and looking for mistakes. There is bound to be mistakes.”
“The cover was pretty cool compared to other years,” said this years prom king, Matt Kersic.
The editors this year looked to redeem the reputation of last year’s yearbook and answer some concerns and questions the students had with photos and layout. This year there is no questions.
“The reputation that last year’s book got was there was a small group of people who were repeated many times and that never should have happened. We do have a little control measure for that but it wasn’t being followed and this year it is not the case,” said Anderson.
“It was definitly better then last year,” said Forrest Paes a senior at Penn Manor.
Perhaps it was the criticism of last year’s edition that took a chunk out of this year’s pre-sales.
“Last year and the year before there was always over a 1,000 that were ordered already. This year there was a little over 800,” explained Anderson.
The book this year has an extra twist. Not only are the senior pictures in color but also all of the underclassmens’ pictures are as well. The yearbook didn’t go completely color but it is more colorful than any in recent memory.
“The baby ads are still in black and white,” Anderson said. “The commercial ads are black and white and the underclassmens are in color. We were paying for color the past several years and we thought it didn’t make sense to pay for it and not use it.”
Even with the additional color photos, the price for the yearbook is staying relatively stable.
” The original price was $61, then it went up to $75 and distribution day it is $85. It is actually cost $75 to make. We loss money on the initial price. This is the second year or possibly third year with the same prices.
The verdict on the yearbook so far is that the yearbook was a success perhaps removing the bad taste that was left in the mouth of the high school by last years yearbook.
“I thought it had a nice design with the IPad and all, I like that most of it is in color this year,” explained Drew Purzycki.
Hempfield versus Penn Manor for the Lancaster-Lebanon League championship.
It was the fourth meeting between the Comets and Black Knights this year. The Comets won the two regular season match-ups, the Knights won in a one game tournament but the Comets did not have their libero Mark Dano during that tournament.
Mark Dano celebrates after Penn Manor's championship volleyball match.
Hempfield has won the last five consecutive L-L League titles. But not this year.
But the Knights streak has ended and Penn Manor’s student section was enthusiastic both at the game and when they inspired one player, Mark Dano, Libero, take it to social-networking.
“So proud to wear a Penn Manor jersey, you guys make it special #realtalk” Mark Dano via twitter Wednesday night after the game.
The atmosphere was electric.
“The fans were great. We have always had fans there but the students who came out and supported really made a difference,” said senior Joey Jackson.
The crowds chanting back and forth, you could feel the tension.
One Hempfield student tweeted “I wasn’t even at the game and I’m annoyed. No school gets me more p***** than Penn Manor.
The Comets hung onto a small lead before a Dayonte Dixon kill and a Hempfield violation gave them the first game 25-21.
After the first game, I knew we could win. Because we don’t usually win the first game with Hempfield,” said Dixon. “But we always pull out the win. So when we won the first game, I just knew that this victory was going to come faster.”
Dixon said his teammates Jackson and Devon Reis, a junior, stood out in the second game.
“Joey and Devon add so much variety to our offense which makes it hard to stop,” explained Dixon. “Our defense was really good, too. We were picking up balls left and right and I think that got in Garrett Dimm’s head (Hempfield outside hitter) because he couldn’t put as many balls down.”
Jackson came up big in the late stages of the second match to lift the Comets over the Black Knights yet again 25-22.
The Comet players wanted nothing more than to sweep their rivals Hempfield in three games, but that was not meant to be.
The Comets had a late lead in the third game which made the Penn Manor fans heads maybe a little too big.
“It should have easily been a 3-0,” said Dixon. “We’ve always had problems finishing a game and that was a perfect example.”
Penn Manor volleyball team and coaches after L-L League championship.
Some could argue the chant “I believe that we just won” by the Penn Manor crowd started a little too early, which ruined the flow of the Comet players. Hempfield capitalized, scoring four straight points, winning the third game 26-24.
Dixon disagrees.
“That chant was mainly funny,” he said. “The crowd just pumped us up. It’s nice having support because volleyball has never been the most popular sport.”
It was tough for the Comets to break Hempfield’s momentum, after such a powerful statement made by the Knights.
The fourth game was all Penn Manor. With a 22-12 lead, the Comets coasted into a 25-16 rout of the Knights. The fans stormed onto the court in celebration of the undefeated season.
The celebration started after the final whistle with the fans bolting onto the court and chanting “undefeated” while the Hempfield fans headed for the exits.
The fans congratulated their classmates, friends, and the new LL League Champions.
The new and improved Sapphire program is now on line for students and parents to see their up-to-date grades. But here are some new features: you get to see your pictures, your semester class grades, also it shows recent school postings and now report cards are available digitally.
“I like the new layout. I like the fact that my mom has to look through it in order to look up my attendance,” Penn Manor junior, Zac Burke said with a chuckle.
“Ehh, I don’t mind it if the school wanted to change it like they did then go for it, but I just don’t like that my senior picture is up. Everything else is fine. The best feature is the report card,” added Kyle Black.
The new Sapphire Parent Portal has ‘My Backpack’ on the left side with all of your information under it with your last attendance, your transcript, letters and progress reports teacher put on for you.
“We are one of the districts that are in the advisory pool for K-12 Systems, the vendor that produces the Parent Portal,” said Penn Manor technology director Charlie Reisinger. “We’ve been working with them to give them some feedback on what we would like to see in the next generation development as are other districts – Hempfield, CV, Township, Ephrata, and a number of local districts. Two of those have already lit it up, Hempfield and Penn Manor, the next generation (version).”
Screen shot of new sapphire program. Photo by Brandon Bowers
Also you get to pull up your report card online and see what you got without taking it home or the school mailing it out. It has your grades from every class and reports teachers gave you.
Penn Manor senior Rachel Shetler doesn’t like the new look.
“I think it’s stupid because I don’t like change and it has my senior picture which is really bad,” said Shetler.
Reisinger said the major changes include a “graphic refresh,” easier navigation around the site and “the big piece” the ability for districts to send digital report cards and progress reports. He said the new Sapphire will enable officials to send all kinds of digital communication to families, unlike the older version that did not allow it.
At the high school level, families will need to opt in to receive a paper report card, said Reisinger. Otherwise they will have digital access to all grades and communications.
“It’s a huge savings in paper and processing time for report cards,” explained Reisinger, who also observed that since parents can see their child’s grades at any time, it makes traditional report cards obsolete.”
“We’re kicking it off now so people can become familiar with the portal opt-in,” said Reisinger. “Middle schools are taking a look at it to see if it makes sense for them.”
Like the saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” some students think the Sapphire should not have been changed but others like the fresh new options.
The high school is being transformed for the post prom celebration scheduled to begin late Friday evening. By mid-morning, parents who have worked on the decor for the past year were making headway with draping and installation.
The theme is supposed to remain secret until the unveiling for post-prom goers but seniors who were in school Friday morning witnessed a sea of Caribbean fish on the cafeteria walls as well as a colorful array of draperies over the windows. At the entrance to central complex, a medieval sea side village will greet all who are attending for this evenings festivities. There is even a jail for anyone that does not comply to the rules.
A senior parent volunteer refused to disclose the theme for this year’s post prom saying, “We’re not supposed to tell anyone until tonight.”
MaryKate Wells heard that comment from one of her own peers about her and her white boyfriend, Austin Wilson.
Although recent studies show interracial relationships are at an all time high, some are prejudice towards these relationships that remain in modern society.
“Society is still marked by racial inequality, and my worry is that it won’t get addressed,” said Rebecca Bigler, a director of the Gender and Racial Attitudes Lab at the University of Texas-Austin in USA Today’s article, New generation doesn’t blink at interracial relationships.
The Loving Story is a recently released documentary about an interracial couple whose last name, coincidentally was “Loving,” living in Virginia during the 1950s. Their lawsuit against Virginia for forbidding them to live together as man and wife in the state prompted a landmark change in the law.
The case was called Loving v. Virginia, and on June 12, 1967, the supreme court overruled Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act, allowing the Lovings their marital freedom.
The Supreme Court overruled Virginia’s law, saying that denying the Loving’s “fundamental freedom” of marriage because of race is taking away each citizens liberty without a action of law.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court decision helped rescind discriminatory marriage laws in many other states as well as Virginia, Alabama held on to their laws until as recently as 2000.
The HBO documentary detailed the lives of Mildred Loving, a half-black and half-Cherokee woman and her husband, Richard Loving, who was white.
The couple did not understand why their marriage was banned by their government and tried hard to maintain their peaceful marriage in Virginia in violation of the laws at that time.
Being married in Virginia during the 1950s was a criminal offense, and the Lovings were banned from Virginia due to their marriage.
But the country has come a long way in the last half-century.
According to CNN News, “nearly one out of seven new marriages in the U.S. is interracial or interethnic,” reports researchers from the Pew Research Center.
The generation of today is less color conscious than past generations, and possibly because “six of 10 teens say their friends include members of diverse racial backgrounds,” according to a report in CNN.
Statistics show that nowadays people are more open-minded to interracial relationships, and Wells confirms this.
“I believe everyone should try dating someone different, and not just their own race. Each person is unique in their own way, and should be able to share that with the person they want,” said Wells.
That is exactly what Sam Smith and Joziah Rodriguez did when they began dating in 2011.
Smith is a white teen at Penn Manor and Rodriguez is Puerto Rican teen. Although they say they have not been judged by their friends, they have had trouble dealing with their parents attitudes.
“My mom was excited to meet him, but she said be careful because of the Hispanic boy stereotype,” said Smith.
Joziah Rodriguez and Sam Smith
“Hispanic men are stereotyped as being poor, uneducated migrant workers who have the tendency to seduce women, and leave them once they become pregnant. They are considered heart breakers, like the infamous Don Juan,” according to Chimes: Stereotypes and Gender.
But Rodriguez’s parents were just as skeptical. At first.
“My parents approved [of Smith] after they got to know her,” said Rodriguez.
Many people in past generations believed interracial relationships were wrong because of the couples’ biracial children, and these thoughts still go on by some even today.
Keith Bardwell, who is a white Louisiana justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, did not marry an interracial couple because he was concerned for the children they would have, The Grio News.
“There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage,” said Bardwell in the article, Interracial couple denied marriage license in Louisiana.
One Virginia judge told the Lovings that their marriage and mixed-race family “violated God’s plan for humanity,” according to womenmakenews.com.
“’Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix,’” wrote the judge in his decision, according to womenmakenews.com.
However, Wells whose mother is white and father is black, is proud of being biracial, and feels it separates her from others.
“Having a white mom and black dad makes me feel unique. I have the talent and athletic ability from my dad, and the smarts and beauty from my mom. People always ask my race, and ask if one of my parents is black, and I’m not afraid to tell them the truth,” said Wells.
Wells said her parents’ relationship has taught her to open her mind beyond skin color in her relationships.
The biracial population has increased by almost 50 percent, to 4.2 million, since 2000, according to nytimes.com.
“The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century,” said sociology professor at Cornell University, Daniel Lichter.
People like Wells are making color the last factor in their life, and are putting their hearts first.
“Every person deserves to love whomever they want. No one should be forced to love anyone of their own race, but should be able to have an open mind and an open heart to whoever they want to fall in love with,” Wells said.
Down 2-0, Penn Manor rallied back with three straight games to beat rival Hempfield.
The victory secured the Section One title for the Comets (11-0 Section One, 13-0 overall), their first since since 2005, breaking Hempfield’s five-year section title streak.
But, being down 2-0 can really weigh on a team mentally.
Hitter Dayonte Dixon recovers a block against Hempfield in Tuesday's rivalry match in Landisville. Photo credit Lancasteronline.com.
“I was actually being really negative. I didn’t foresee us winning at all,” said outside hitter Joey Jackson, who finished with 12 kills.
The Comets just lost two straight sets, and their confidence and performance was lacking going into the 3rd game. But, coach Chris Telesco had a few words with his team, to make sure they were still motivated.
“I told (the players), ‘this isn’t all you have,’ ” said Telesco, talking about his comments after the second game. “I told them I believed they could do it, so let’s do it. I told them not to focus on game four because there was no game four if we didn’t do our job in game three.”
Despite the pep talk, some players were still skeptical.
“If you would of told me that we were going to win (the match) after the 2nd game, I wouldn’t of believed you,” said Jackson.
The Comets were down, but not out. They got a huge moral and adrenaline boost from the traveling Penn Manor fans.
“Fans really kept us in it,” added Jackson. “We really fed off their energy. The crowd was great. you never see that from a volleyball game. At the away match there was twice as many supporters than our last home match (against Hempfield).”
“We can’t say enough about our crowd. We made Hempfield our home court,”
added Telesco. “Our fans came to life in game three and propelled us the rest of the way. It was a volleyball community victory, and that makes it that much more exciting.”
Energy and adrenaline can only get a team so far, and the Comets knew they had to step up their game.
The Comets were propelled by a few stellar performances. One of the most important, but maybe not the most glamorous outputs was from libero Mark Dano.
Dano did the dirty work, and finished the match with a game-high 31 digs.
“Dano was great. We knew what he could do but no one else realized his capabilities,” said Jackson.
The postseason is looking positive for the Comets, who start with a Monday league game at home versus the fourth seed in Section ll.
“This year we are on our way to (making districts and states). We made our road through Leagues slightly smoother. And if we can secure the top position in Leagues, we help ourselves in Districts. We need a good position going into Districts since our district is by far the toughest in the state,” said Telesco about his team’s upcoming postseason.
The Comets had a miraculous comeback win, and the players were ecstatic. But, they all had similar feelings about the game, and junior Devon Reis summed it up perfectly:
“In hard times, beauty can seem frivolous- but take it away, and all you’re left with is hard times,” said contemporary artist Paul Madonna.
That may sum up the situation of many in the high school art department who believe several classes will be cut from the curriculum for next year. Students say they and their parents are concerned about possible cuts in art classes and say they will attend Monday night’s school board meeting to show their concern.
It is no secret Penn Manor has to make cuts to the budget, but many are hoping it’s not at the expense of art courses.
Junior Erin Henry detailed their plan of action,”(We are going) to attend the board meeting. (We are) trying to making it known (that art programs are being cut), by writing letters to the administration just showing that art is important to us and we don’t think it should be cut.”
The board meeting will be held May 7 at Manor Middle at 7 pm. Some of the classes students and teachers fear may be cut for the 2012-13 school year are photo II, watercolor, art independent study and fine art.
“I am really hoping that isn’t a final decision,” said Teri Hay, art department teacher who is retiring at the end of this school year.
“Students are being called down to guidance and their schedule is being changed,” said Hay, explaining why she believes specific classes are on the chopping block. “As people leave (teachers retire) they won’t be replacing them. We don’t have a governor that is pro education so that means we don’t have one that is pro elective education.”
“To some students, they rely on art classes to get through the day, or even the school year,”said Rachel Shetler, a senior art student.
“I have basically taken art classes every single year and every semester,” said junior Trent Sheaffer an avid art student at Penn Manor who plans to go into the art field after high school. “Art always fascinated me ever since I was little.”
The guidance office isn’t calling this involuntary removal of classes a cut.
“It isn’t a cut. It just isn’t running,” explained guidance department head Melissa Ostrowski, “The art department decides which classes they want to run. It is a thing of economics.”
Ostrowski said that some classes just do not have enough people to run.
“The photography 2 class, I know they had enough students to run and it was my understanding that any class they were having, they had enough students to run,” said Hay.
Clearly there is a chasm between the two sides.
Either way the students are planning to make their voices heard.
A Facebook group has been created to attend the school board meeting and plead their case, the event has more than 700 hundred invited students.
Their hope is that the school will realize how important art is to them and keep the courses open to students.
In a recent speech, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan bemoaned the loss of art classes across the country in the wake of No Child Left Behind mandates.
“At more than 40 percent of our secondary schools, coursework in the arts was not a requirement for graduation in the 2009-10 school year,” reported Duncan in an Apr. 7 speech to educators in Washington, D.C. “Our high schools are doing too little to incorporate the arts as an expectation and component of career and college readiness for all students.”
He also said, “For a host of reasons, high-quality arts education is absolutely critical to providing all students with a world-class education,” said Duncan “The study of the arts can significantly boost student achievement, reduce discipline problems, and increase the odds that students will go on to graduate from college.”
“It is dumb to cut art classes because it is a career that people [pursue],” explained Sheaffer.
Senior Cassie Braun put into perspective what she gets out of taking art classes.
“(It’s the feeling of) having something they can call their own.”
