Category: Featured

By Gabrielle Bauman

Morgan Flood may be on Jeopardy, but that doesn’t mean that she’s in jeopardy.

Flood, 17, was invited to participate in the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament earlier this year, and and now the air date of May 3 approaches for her episode of the Tournament. Flood, a Penn Manor junior, was both ecstatic and nervous to be on the program.

“My hands were shaking,” she said.

To compete in the Tournament, contests must first take a practice test on the Jeopardy! website. If the score is good, then potential participants are invited for an interview. If the interview goes well, then the contestant goes to taping to compete.

The taping process actually goes over two separate sessions, the first session in the Los Angeles studio and the players that make Final Jeopardy! going to Washington, D.C. for the second round of taping.

Flood was mum about the results of the taping, “It’s part of my contract. I can’t say anything that might publish the results before the air date. Sorry, ask me all the questions you want, but I just can’t answer the ones about any hypothetical money I could have won.”

As much as Flood can’t say about her potential winnings, the past winnings are public knowledge. Currently, the winner of the Teen Tournament receives $75,000 plus their on-show winnings, first and second runners up earning $25,000 and $15,000, respectively. Semifinalists win $10,000, quarterfinalists win $5,000. Past winners have also won cars, computer packages, and the winners prior to 2001 were all invited to compete in the Tournament of Champions.

When Flood received the phone call that she had made the cut, she wasn’t at home, “My mom called me when I was at Model UN Ivy Leagues, and told me that we were going to L.A. over my birthday,” Flood said, “My dad was freaking out, and he never freaks out.”

The studio itself was ” really big, bigger than you’d think it would be,” she said, “They had this box behind the podium that you had to stand on so everyone looked to be the same height

on camera.”

Just like athletes using good luck charms or eating a special meal before each game, Flood also came prepared with some good luck charms of her own. In addition to special knee-high socks that her family had bought her at a theme park earlier in the trip, “I had my CTY [Center for Talented Youth] lanyard on and my Flash Converse, which Alex Trebek complimented me on.”

The experience wasn’t just a trip to Los Angeles and the chance to compete on a nationally broadcasted game show — it also included the chance to meet Alex Trebek, the host, as well. “He was actually kind of hilarious. I didn’t get to see this, but apparently backstage he had a crick in his ankle and was dancing randomly around trying to get it out,” said Flood, “He was quoting Princess Bride afterwards with me, which was beyond awesome.”

“Beyond awesome” seems to be the general consensus about Flood’s experience in Jeopardy!

More from Gabie at: 4c3ofsp4des

 

By Jay Jackson –

Once, twice, third time’s a charm.  At least the Penn Manor School Board and administrators hope so.

After Lancaster Township rezoned a piece of land owned by Penn Manor this month, the gate was finally open for the district to sell a corner of Comet Field in a deal that has been stalled since the 1990s.

The development will be a one-time boost to the school district budget, a convenience for the locals and a benefit and bane to some neighbors. The student body is excited  for these changes that could be just around the corner.

“I like it and it is close to Comet, and it’s better than going to Turkey Hill,” said Kevin Reinhart, a Penn Manor student. “It will be really busy because the kids will go there after their sports.”

The land in question is on the corner of Route 741 and Barbara Street. Some of the proposed deals over the years included a plan for a Wawa convenience store in the 1990s, a Turkey Hill in 2006, and now possibly a complex that includes a Sheetz, a bank, and a restaurant.

Penn Manor is aiming to finally break through and get the deal done.

The rezoning was essential for the selling of the five-acre plot, which was mostly in Millersvile Borough but had a corner in Lancaster Township.  The property in the Lancaster Township was classified as open space and there could be no commercial use for the land.

This property is estimated to sell for approximately $1.7 million which could help Penn Manor with their financial situation.

“I am afraid that will not erase our projected deficits. Remember, when you are selling land it is like selling a personal item like a car,”  said Mike Leichliter the superintendent at Penn Manor.  “It is a one-time sale and does not add money to your budget on a yearly basis.  Will the extra money help reduce the problem for a year or two?  Certainly?  Will it correct a budget that is projected to be in a continual deficit?  No.”

This land has been sitting next to Comet Field for years just collecting weeds since the mid 80’s until the Blackford Development came through with an offer.

The students in Penn Manor, especially the student athletes who use Comet field regularly, seem to be excited about this new addition to their “Field of Dreams” but some neighbors have mixed feelings about this new plan, some are split even in the same household.

“I am not happy with all of the changes. I don’t want the noise and traffic. The road is so busy anyway. It is going to get crazy,” said Darla Hoke, a long time Barbara Street resident, who also noted her husband is for the project and the conveniences it will bring.

“I am concerned that it will affect my property value,” explained Hoke. “We have been shocked.”

“I always felt like this was the Millersville bypass. It really gets busy,” said Drema Huber another neighbor and  Hoke’s mother. “It is going to create a lot of trash. It has draw backs. Seems like there is enough banks around”

“They can white wash anyway they want but there is going to be more traffic,” said her husband Elwood Huber.  “It will be easier to get gas and there (may) be side walks as well.”

However other Barbara Street natives aren’t up in arms.

Another couple directly across from the proposed development couldn’t have been more welcoming of it.

“We have lived here for 60 years and raised our four kids here and I don’t think it would bother us,” said Bill Helman. ” We would rather see this then a housing development.”

“I am old. How long are we really going to be here?” Margaret Helman, Bill’s wife, asked jokingly.

“Germany has the Autobahn and Millersville has Barbara Street,” explained Bill, “We have all the traffic we can get already.”

Although is does seem like this deal will happen. There is still no timeline yet to the parcel of land.

“There are still several hurdles that need to be overcome before we can complete the sale,” explained Chris Johnston, the business manager for the district.  “After that, the developer would be a better source as to the timeline.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Jake Shiner and Alex Cummins –

Krow. It’s not a typo. It’s the last name of Penn Manor’s most celebrated substitute teacher, Mr. Don Krow.

The district’s renowned teacher of almost any subject imaginable has been subbing here since the spring of 1994 and he continues to stimulate minds and remain a “favorite” of many students.  However, most don’t know his personal story.

“I graduated in December of ’93 and just never got a full-time job,” says Krow.

He’s referring to the fact that for as long as he has been an educator, he’s been non-permanent, and has just decided to stick with subbing.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to teach fulltime.

“One part of me feels really disappointed that I didn’t get a full time job, but I almost hesitate saying that because I just love subbing so much,” said Krow.

Krow isn’t the happiest about his circumstance in obtaining a full time teaching job. In fact, Krow even regrets it, calling it his “biggest disappointment in life.” The biggest problem is “The money isn’t steady enough”.

The fact that Krow hasn’t had a full time job doesn’t make sense when you consider his educational career.

After high school Krow attended classes at the prestigious Franklin and Marshall college. He then stopped going to school at  F&M and obtained a job working with ICS (International Signal Control), but the place turned out to be “crooked” and was closed down, according to Krow.

Krow then went to Millersville University where he graduated at the age of 42.

“I graduated with high honors and a double major,” said Krow, who is certified in social studies.

From there Krow went on to subbing.

“I love Mr.Krow, he’s involved in the community and he’s really outgoing and super funny,” stated senior Penn Manor student Emily Eddowes.

“He is probably one of the wisest people I know,” said Dylan Weber. “He is my favorite substitute and probably the most experienced.”

“He’s an awesome substitute and he’s very personal and tells a lot of good stories,”stated junior, Brandon Stone. “He’s not like other boring subs, he makes sure the work for the day gets done but everyone still has fun throughout the duration of class.”

Although Krow has never realized his goal of becoming a full time teacher, he still enjoys his job very much and is appreciated by students.

“I like working with kids,” said Krow. ” (And by subbing) I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know everybody.”

He also says there is a positive to being a substitute.

“The good thing about being a sub is if I have some bad classes I only have to be with them for one day,” Krow joked.

Krow teaches solely for Penn Manor nowadays and primarily works in the high school and sometimes middle school.

He only subs for Penn Manor because he’s, “used to it.

“I know the routines, I know the kids, it makes it easier,” he said.

“Sometimes I like the energy of middle school and sometimes I like the maturity of high school,” said Krow.

“(Middle school students) They say some funny things to you,” said Krow. One kid was “trying to be nice” and said that if Mr. Krow died everyone would be at his funeral.”

All humor aside he says his favorite subject is U.S. history but, “I can’t think of anything I haven’t subbed for,” said Krow.

When he isn’t teaching, Krow performs other jobs.

Krow said, “I paint at HACC part time during the school year and full time over the summer. I see a lot of Penn Manor graduates there.”

Krow doesn’t just work though. He also maintains several hobbies.

“I like to read, love U.S. history. See minor league baseball games in the summer. A lot of kids here see me at F&M basketball games; every home game.”

By Alex Cummins –

As the number of school days dwindle, a lot of students are looking for their reading material for the next three months of warm weather. For most, this is a long awaited vacation from school and many students enjoy reading throughout the summer.

Thanks to the help of Diane Bounds, Penn Manor librarian, what could be better than a list of five of the most popular books within Penn Manor. For avid readers that might not be 100 percent sure about what books to keep them occupied during months of summer here’s a list that might help some out.

The Hunger Games

This young adult novel was written by American television writer and novelist  Suzanne Collins.  It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic  world in the country of Panem where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, holds power over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are held annually and one boy and one girl ages from 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts around the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle until only one person is left.

Divergent

Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) are the five factions that society is divided into within Chicago. On a certain day every year, all 16-year old’s have to make a decision on which faction the teens will devote the rest of there lives to. For Beatrice Prior, the decision between staying with her family or going with who she really is is tough and the end result surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows the decision making, Beatrice has trouble determining who her friends really are and where a relationship she’s in with a boy fits into her new life. Tris also has a secret that she has kept from everyone and it can even mean death if its revealed, but she realizes the secret could help save the lives of her loved ones.

Sarah Dessen books

The Sarah Dessen books are not a series and are all stand-alone novels. There are 10 novels that Sarah Dessen has written herself that include a ton of topics that all ages can relate to but these are mostly for girls. The books range from topics about love, divorce, heartbreak and a lot more.   A few of the books are listed below:

What Happened to Goodbye, Along For The Ride, Lock and Key, Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, Dream Land, Keeping The Moon, Someone Like You, and That Summer

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Indiana‚ 1818. With moonlight falling through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his dying mother’s bedside. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire. Gifted with his legendary height‚ strength‚ and skill with an ax‚ Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House. Abraham ends up living with a vampire who tells him that there are good and evil vampires. Abe gets trained to kill vampires by his helpful blood sucking friend. From start to finish Abe goes through heartbreaking moments and fierce intense battles, all in revenge for his mom and others that he loses along the way.

Courtesy of Amazon.com

Before I Fall

Honorable Mention: The Hobbit, The Future Of Us

“The Hunger Games is so popular here at Penn Manor that there is a waiting list for the books,” said Bounds.

Bounds also stated that their will be movies coming out soon for Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, and The Hobbit.

And of course The Hunger Games is currently in theaters.

By Penn Points Staff

Prom. A night to remember. A night that may never begin for some Penn Manor students this year.

Administrators, 2012 class officers, and advisers are scrambling to seat all seniors at this year’s prom.

Wednesday, several students were turned away when they attempted to buy tickets for the May 11 event, that will be held at the Eden Resort and Suites.

“We ran out of tickets, because there’s only a certain amount of spots available,” said class officer and member of prom committee, Megan Schlegelmilch.

Penn Manor senior Brian Le was one of the students turned down for a ticket Wednesday.  He was put on a waiting list.

“Well, they said the deadline was (Wednesday), so why didn’t they have tickets? I would of gotten them sooner if I knew there was a limit,” said Le. “I’m pretty mad there’s no tickets left, there must of been some sloppy preparation.”

“That’s correct, there’s none left,” Mindy Rottmund, FCS teacher and adviser of the senior class, said Wednesday during lunch.

But not so fast.

After several conversations with the the hotel’s staff and prom planners, some room was made in “Arthur’s” the adjoining restaurant. There is enough room being made to accommodate 12 more students along with the 13 chaperones (principals), for a grand total of 509 Penn Manor prom goers, according to the Eden.

High school principal Phil Gale said school staff was trying to find additional areas at the Eden for people to sit.

“We have satisfied everyone who wants a ticket as of this morning,” said Gale.  “We have taken care of everyone on the waiting list.”

But, the Eden can legally only fit a certain amount of people.

“The most we can have, by the fire code, is 484 people in the courtyard,” said Eden sales coordinator Cindy Shoffstall.  “We’re trying to stay in the guidelines.”

Shoffstall said there has been many conversations lately between the Eden sales staff and “Mindy” (Rottmund), about accommodating more students.

“If it would have been planned earlier to use the restaurant, we could have handled more people but now we’re too close to the event,” said Shoffstall.

Le had still not received a ticket as of fourth block Thursday, but was optimistic the shortage would be overcome.

“Many, many seniors are taking underclassmen or people from other schools, over the majority (of them),” said Rottmund explaining the problem. “It went from a 400 [body] to a 800 [body] because the number of underclassmen and students from different schools.”

It is not clear what was the major contribution that caused the prom seat shortage.

Schlegelmilch said she and other prom planners are doing as much as possible to accommodate seniors who still want to go.

“Some of the administrators can not go or are not taking dates anymore,” Schlegelmilch said.  “So we may have enough spaces, but probably everyone will not be able to go.  I’m sad that people aren’t going to be able to go but a lot of seniors went out of their class for dates.  People waited until the last day, until the last hour to do it (buy tickets).”

Even with four years of preparation not everything was accounted for, “I don’t think we anticipated the number of students who would go outside of Penn Manor as dates,” said Schlegelmilch.

Or, scheme to go to the senior prom as juniors.

Melanie Rupp, a junior at Penn Manor, admitted that her and Bobby Goss, also a junior who she is currently dating, had plans of going to prom with two different seniors but spend the time there with each other.

“We were going to go to this year’s prom with Alex (Lombardo) and Chloe (Traup), but we were too scared to get kicked out of our senior year prom,” said Rupp.

Schlegelmilch said she predicts there’s a 50 percent chance that there will be people on the waiting list that will not get a seat. She added that the school’s prom is so popular this year,”there’s no venue in Lancaster county that can fit them.”

 

 

 

By Becca Hess –

What is the state of the District? No really, what is it?

With the economy in its current state and so much news about the rising cost of public pension plans, many wonder where  Penn Manor will be in the scheme of taxes, budget cuts and the future of education. Students and staff have already felt the wrath of cuts in supplies and programs but if things don’t change, or if costs take another turn for the worse, will Penn Manor be prepared and ready to take on future challenges and ensure that top priorities remain attainable?

“We are not looking to make big reductions next year.  However, deficits for future years will require more consideration,” said district superintendent Mike Leichliter.

Penn Manor’s business manager Chris Johnston had a few things to say regarding the district’s budget, the same information he presented at recent State of the District meetings.

According to Johnston, Penn Manor spent 48 percent of its 2011-2012 budget on salaries, 10 percent on health care and 10 percent on other benefits. The other 32 percent was spent on other expenses.  Other expenses include transportation, mortgage, school supplies, equipment, utilities and anything else it takes to run a school.

Jump ahead a few years and the projected percentages for spending for 2016-2017 will change a small percentage, but there is no telling how much these small changes will affect the district and those within it. Salaries drop to 45 percent , health care is 11 percent, as other benefits will rise to 16 percent and other expenses will drop to 28 percent.

The proportion of money spent on particular categories is changing. It’s not that the district will be spending less money on salaries in the year 2016-2017, but that the proportion of money spent in each area will change. More money spent on pension means less money to other expenses such as school supplies.  Johnston explained how this change is not just a Penn Manor problem, it’s an issue facing the entire state.

This funding gap is a big issue facing the district. It is the difference between the school’s revenue compared to what the school will pay out in expenses.

According to Johnston, the district is unable to raise revenue fast enough to keep pace with everything it has been able to afford in the past.

“We expect to have our expenses increase at a higher rate than revenue can keep up with,” said Johnston.

Johnston explained that the school board has a few options. First, they are able to raise taxes which could help offset using money in the savings account a little faster, however the amount that they’re able to increase taxes by is limited by state law. The other option, which the district has already seen, is to cut back on expenses.

Aside from the funding gap issue, there is a greater problem at hand. One that will effect the district for many years to come, said Johnston.

“The mandated increases in pension funding is the number one financial issue facing the district in the next decade,” explained Johnston.   “Coupled with rising health care costs, which all businesses are facing, school districts all over the state will need to cut back in many areas to save money.”

He said since most expenses are in salaries, cuts will center around retooling class offerings and the way education is delivered.

“It’s difficult to see what our schools will look like in five years,” said Johnston.

Johnston assured that the district has been discussing options to tackle this crisis for a few years now. They have included members of the community to see what input they could offer, as well as to see what mattered most to them.

“We plan to scale back in many areas rather than cutting a whole program.  We realize that a well-rounded student needs a well-rounded education and our plan is to maintain choice and diversity as we move forward,” said Johnston.

Where some kids value sports and others enjoy music or the arts, Johnston explained that the district will not be cutting any one of those specific areas completely, rather they will be scaling back existing offerings, in each of those areas, in an attempt to save money.

” [We] are trying to reduce a little of everything as apposed to eliminating anything, “said Johnston.

In times of trouble such as these, it is reassuring to know that Penn Manor has seen this issue arising and has been preparing to take on the challenge.

“The district has been planning for the upcoming fiscal problems since 2003 by adding to our fund balance,” said Johnston.  (He said to think of this as the district’s savings account). “The school board has been very proactive in dealing with this and has had the foresight to build our savings up to its current level (about $13 million). The good news is that we have savings to help us  ease into the crisis.  It won’t make the crisis go away, but it helps by giving us time to plan our steps and work out the details before we act. “

By: Brianna Kelly

The time has come again – The ETPM Talent Show has come back to Penn Manor and, as usual, talent is a good description of the event.

Out of the 42 students who signed up, Billie Jo Atkins and the judges had a choice to make – who stayed and who had to go. They ended up picking 22 different acts – from bands, dance numbers, singing, to instrumental.  They will perform at the show held  April 28 at 7:00 p.m.

In the way of students with talent at the school – the list is endless within the walls of Penn Manor.

Sterling Hershey and Preston Ulrich are really excited for the show.  Their band, Definealive, has been performing since late October, however, this will be their first time performing in front of a crowd as a band. The band tends to stay towards mainstream  rock with songs they write themselves and a few cover songs – they’re hoping to use their music to win over Penn Manor’s heart. They were excited to say that after the auditions they had a few others ranting about how good they were and saying they wanted to be the band’s groupies.

Even the freshmen are getting into it. Jesse Landis is bringing Johnny Cash to the show. Landis has been playing guitar for two years, singing since he was eight-years-old and is excited to show Penn Manor what he’s got. He’s been really into performing and likes doing cover songs just for fun although he writes a lot of original music. With a studio at home to record in, it’s only natural that he records CDs.

“We’re ready to go out with a bang this year,” said Sid Kreitzer, a Penn Manor senior and a singer/guitarist from the band Cragsmen.

For Kreitzer, himself and his band have been performing at ETPM since freshman year and they’re excited about it being the last year. They enjoy playing live and have been playing at Spring Fling for the last five years, rain or shine. Cragsmen plays a lot of classic rock and write a lot of their own music but they switch it up every once in a while to cover another song.

After playing guitar for nine years, Angel Torres is ready to show Penn Manor his skill. Torres is comfortable in front of a crowd with his Latin hip hop music but he’s thrilled to show Penn Manor his flamenco hip hop for the show. For the audition, Torres improvised the whole way and didn’t go into the room with a set idea on what to play. Torres likes to improvise his music based off of his audience so one never knows what to expect with his music.

“I don’t watch my guitar – I like to watch the audience to enjoy their expression,” Torres claimed with a smile on his face.

 

By Dayonte Dixon –

So much time after the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. it is shocking for some to see so much disagreement on one issue along racial lines, such as the Trayvon Martin case.

Florida resident and neighborhood watch official, George Zimmerman admitted he shot and killed a 17-year-old, unarmed kid just weeks ago in Florida.

He was never charged in the incident, claiming he was protected by the state’s controversial “stand your ground” law.

Trayvon Martin, the victim of the shooting, was walking with his hood up to his father’s fiance’s house coming from a convenience store with nothing more than an iced tea and pack of skittles in his possession.

According to published reports, Zimmerman began following Martin via his vehicle while he was on the phone with a 911 operator.  During that recorded call Zimmerman referred to Martin as a “suspicious black person.”

By Zimmerman’s own account, he began pursuing the “suspect” on foot. When Martin vanished around a corner Zimmerman followed even after police dispatchers told him to stop following Martin.

It’s at this point that many do not understand or agree with Zimmerman’s actions.

“He should have stopped following him when the policeman told him to,” said Penn Manor senior Tyler Smith referring to Zimmerman. “That makes it seems like he was looking for trouble.”

On the way back to his car, Zimmerman said he was approached from behind by Martin.

According to unidentified witnesses, Zimmerman and Martin only exchanged a few words before the conversation transformed into a violent altercation.

Witnesses say that Zimmerman reached for something, which later Zimmerman claimed to be his cellphone, but what some say may have looked like a weapon to Trayvon.

Published reports say Zimmerman stated that Martin struck him in the face. He claimed that he suffered a broken nose from the blow, which was the reason that he pulled his weapon, although surveillance cameras show Zimmerman later that evening with no noticeable marks or bruises on his face.

Zimmerman is described as a middle-aged, nearly 200-pound man. He is claiming self-defense against a 17-year-old, 140-pound kid.

“He was only 140 pounds?” said senior David Burch. “I feel bad for him. He was just a kid.”

Members of some black communities are outraged by the shooting and the fact that Zimmerman was never arrested.

Since this incident, there has been a movement in the name of Trayvon.  Many people are protesting by wearing hoodies and purchasing and flaunting skittles both of which have become the symbol for the Trayvon movement.

The audio from the 911 call can be heard on Youtube.

The Martin family has requested that the case be investigated outside of Florida Police jurisdiction. The family believes that the Florida Police Department are not trying their hardest to solve this case simply for the fact that the first policeman on the scene failed to follow protocol.

Reports revealed that the first police officers on the scene neglected to perform a sobriety test on Zimmerman. They also did not take Zimmerman into custody until later that evening.

The Martin family, and many others believe that the Florida Police Department are not trying to solve the case in an attempt of covering for the mistakes made by their police officers.

This case has ignited a flame in the hearts of many Americans. Many say this is a clear case of racial profiling and discrimination. Others believe the case has nothing to do with race.

“Honestly, people don’t even know all the facts,” said senior Ian Toomey, “Until we get all the facts, people shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

 

By David Mohimani –

My feet stuck to the splattered soda on the  floor, my eyes focused intently on the screen.

I was completely enthralled in The Hunger Games, but I wondered how I had  never heard of this series before. I always hated people who went to the movie but didn’t read the book. Now I was that person.

Why now?

I’m usually on top of this type of thing, I am (maybe “was” is a better term) an avid reader, but somehow this wildly popular series slipped by me.

This really doesn’t seem likely.

I was even a huge fan of the author, Suzanne Collins, who wrote another popular series which I absolutely loved.

So I started to think about why I had never heard of the Hunger Games until recently and I came up with one answer.

No Friday Reading.

Let’s do the math. There are twenty-five Fridays (not even including early dismissal days), so let’s say all teachers give the minimum 15 minutes( many of which gave more) that’s 25 hours of reading throughout the year.

I read about 50 pages in an hour, so that is 1,250 pages throughout the year.

That’s is about 3 to 4 books.

In fact, the entire Hunger Games trilogy is 1,153 pages in total.

So in theory I could have read the entire series and gotten a decent start on another book.

But instead of reading, I was stuck doing enrichment and practice for a test I had already completed.

Dr. Jan Mindish implented Friday reading more than a decade ago when  she saw the need for a change in students’ reading habits as well as their attitude towards reading. As well as wanting to gain renewed enthusiasm, Mindish wanted to get Penn Manor off the PSSA warning list.

“We don’t teach reading, kids just fake reading,”said Mindish,” because kids don’t get to read what they want.”

She explained that when students’ arrived in high school, they arrived  to a world where reading was mainly confined to textbooks and educational journals.

“Many kids stop liking to read,” Mindish remarked.

She described a situation when she was principal when a teacher told her that she believed one of her students could not read.

“He was so good at faking it (that you did not realize he couldn’t read).”

Mindish quickly realized that action was required, after Penn Manor’s reading PSSA’s score took a severe dip.

She decided that kids would read books of their choice periodically throughout the week.

It was met by resistance not only by students but also by faculty, she recalled.

“Then kids figured out that if you didn’t have a book they sent you to the library,” said Mindish, noting that was unfortunately a  pleasant alternative for many students to flipping through pages of a novel.

So teachers were required to keep substitute materials in their room for students who “forgot” their books.

Eventually everyone, although somewhat reluctantly, bought into the new free reading time.

This free reading time evolved into its modern name of “Friday Reading” because that became the designated time slot when everyone in the school read.

Kids were not only reading during the mandated time period.

“I saw kids with books all the time, which I thought was so cool,” said Mindish.

Mindish had accomplished the first part of her goal of getting kids to read, but how would they improve PSSA scores?

There was an intial surge in scores, but the long-term effect is still in question.

In 2003, after a slight dip in reading scores from 72 percent proficiency in 2002 they fell to 66 percent the following year.

A reading consultant gave Mindish the idea to have students use a list of reading strategies such as making connections, make predictions, asking questions, and reflecting, just to name a few.

Mindish, along with the district’s administration, decided to provide supplmental practice PSSA materials for students to read on Fridays.

This change from free-choice Friday reading, was met by quite a severe backlash, she recalled.

Students’ formed a petition with more than 240 signatures, objecting to the new reading program because it wasn’t free-choice reading.

The issue was covered by local media and was brought to the attention of the school board.

A program that was once despised by students had turned into something that the kids were adamant about keeping the way it was.

Mindish said the so-called “smart” kids were upset and claimed that they did not need this extra practice.

Despite the criticism, Mindish held the program intact.

“It’s hard to change,” she mused.  If you do it (change), everybody has to do it.”

After the semi-freeze on free reading for a couple of months Mindish allowed students to once again read books of their choice.

The results?

A  three percent increase in reading proficiency.

After this Penn Manor moved to a system that included Friday Reading as well as periodic reading PSSA practice.

The new system improved PSSA scores, from 2001 to 2005 the high school had a 20 percent increase in profciency in math and reading PSSA’s.

This was the highest increase in the county during that time period.

After 2006, Penn Manor scores took a slight decrease before eventually plateaued.

“We just couldn’t seem to get above that 70 percent mark.”

She used the analogy of weightlifting, if you keep doing the same exercises you won’t get stronger, you need to change up the routine, she explained.

Toward the end of her career, Mindish admits she may have gotten a bit “lazy.” She retired at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 school year.

Now Penn Manor is back on that PSSA warning list.

Enrichment was the first step taken,but what if that does not work.?

Friday reading was Penn Manor’s savior last time, but now seems like a distant memory for many Penn Manor students, so distant that one new faculty member did not believe it was a real thing.

What will get us back on track?

That is a decision the administration will have to make.