News – Page 5 – Penn Points Online

Susquehanna River not listed as impaired

By Brandon Kauffman

The Susquehanna River, shown here in Bradford County, was not listed as impaired in a recent report but many say it should be. Photo source originally posted to Flickr as Meander via wikipedia.

According to the State Department of Environmental Protection, the Susquehanna’s main waters were not listed as impaired because of a lack of evidence that the waters are contaminated. The Susquehanna River has not been considered impaired under the Clean Water Act according the State Department of Environmental Protection.

However, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said in recent fishing reports that “fishing has been slow in the lower part of the susquehanna river.” The Commission also released reports of smallmouth bass having black splotches, young ones dying off and fish having bacterial infections. The commission has caught some fish that exhibit the “Blotchly Bass” syndrome.

“I have fished the (Susquehanna) river for many years and have noticed a lot more trash, dead fish, and less fish being caught in the last few years or so,” said Sam Brown of Holtwood who fishes the Susquehanna River often.

On change.org, there is a petition to the Pennsylvania senate created by Cynthia Lustig of Biglerville, Pa. She is trying to get the Susquehanna River listed as impaired. The petition has so far reached 750 signatures. If the Susquehanna River is on the Impaired list, there are certain legal actions the government must take to the clean up river.

In an interview with Pennlive.com, the Pennsylvania Boat and Fish Commission said that “The Susquehanna River is sick.” In the same interview, John Arway, executive director of the commission discussed fish having both male and female characteristics, which is “not natural.”

In a 2009 report, the U.S. Geological Survey said that the oxygen levels are low in the river, which causes the fish to have bacterial diseases. The infection is caused by Flavobacterium columnare, a bacterial infection that affects stressed fish.

According to a USGS water report, in October 2009 the Susquehanna River was found to be low in oxygen and warm water was killing smallmouth bass.

According to Americanrivers.org, last year the Susquehanna River was named the “most endangered river in the nation.” The reason for the endangerment was “Natural gas drilling posing unprecedented threat” in Bradford County.

The drilling has been going on for the past few years and is operated on mountains above the Susquehanna River in New York and Maryland causing the runoff to flow into the Susquehanna River according to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

District to Rebuild, Relocate Hambright Elementary

This graphic shows what the planned Hambright Elementary school renovations will look like.

By Olivia Hertzler

Anyone who has driven past Hambright Elementary School recently, might have noticed the “for sale” sign in front of the school and wondered why it is there. In order to expand the elementary school, Penn Manor School District plans to rebuild Hambright behind Manor Middle School.

Hambright was built in the 1930s, and although the building itself is fine, the school cannot expand because it is landlocked. The 440 student elementary school is set on a six acre lot, but 15 acres is the recommended amount of land for a school of this size. To create more space the parking lot or playground would have to be moved.

Central Manor is the only elementary school in the district that can expand if student population increases.

Hambright is located in a very busy area. Every 20-25 years the school district renovates one of its schools. Another reason for Hambright’s rebuilding is that the cost of renovating the current building was greater than the cost of building a new school.

“We have limitations here and [I am] looking forward to new opportunities at the new building,” said Dr. Egan, the principal at Hambright.

This project’s funds come from both the school budget and municipal bonds, which are issued by the state and will be repaid over a period of 10 years.

In January, the school district plans to find a contractor to build the new school.

“We want the building to be flexible” said Dr. Egan.

The new school will be one floor and will provide the option of four classrooms per grade level. Included in the plans for the new building are three learning labs and large-group, academic commons, which allow large-group activities to take place in one big room. There will also be outdoor learning spaces between the labs. The stage will be between the cafeteria and the gym so that it can be opened up to an audience on either side. The district also plans to add a path to connect to the path belonging to the park behind Manor Middle School.

Construction is scheduled to begin in April. The new Hambright building is scheduled to be completed in September 2014.

Because of the construction timeline, the change in schools will only affect this year’s kindergarten through fourth graders. In this case, those students will just move to the new school building.

“Hambright’s boundaries will stay the same same, but some of the grey areas will change. This will take the pressure off of Central Manor and Eshleman to have so many students,” said Dr. Egan.

The number of students being bussed to school won’t increase by much, because there are currently there are only a few students who walk. Other improvements for students and staff include the addition of air conditioning; the current Hambright building is not air conditioned. The new location will also be convenient for students in accelerated classes.

Students are looking forward to the new building.

“I’m excited because I can come back and visit, because its close to the middle school”, said Skyler Flint, a sixth grader at Hambright.

“It seems like we need a new school, “ said Teilah Cruz, a Hambright sixth grader who mentioned that she will miss the old building. “I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone has to say about [the new building.”

The old Hambright building is for sale, and more than 12 groups, including churches, businesses and local private schools have been looking at it.

Penn Manor High School Cleans Up After November Fire

By Emily Thyrum

In one way or another, almost all Penn Manor High School students and teachers have been affected by the November 8 dryer fire that began in the FCS wing and spread smoke throughout the hallways of the school. Most of the fire’s effects have since been resolved.

“Most of the damage was in terms of smoke damage,” said Dr. Phil Gale, principal.

After the smoke spread to the halls, the ventilation system sucked up the smoke and spread the smoke to the other parts of the school. As a result, the hallways around the Central Complex, the East Gym, the auditorium, and the FCS wing were impacted the most.

Dr. Gale said there were no permanent effects from the fire.

“If we hadn’t cleaned it thoroughly, the smell would have come back,” said Dr. Gale.

The district hired Paul Davis Restoration to clean everything thoroughly to get rid of the fine particles of soot the naked eye can’t see. The school district chose Paul Davis because the district has worked with the company before and it is one of the largest companies in the country. The clean up was paid for by the district’s insurance policy after the district paid a $1,000 deductible.

By Christmas break, Paul Davis Restoration had cleaned everywhere except the cafeteria. The company came back during the break to clean this area because students use the cafeteria every day and it cannot be replaced by another room. According to Dr. Gale, the company finished the project ahead of schedule.

“They did a very thorough job…very accommodating for what we needed to have done,” Dr. Gale said.

The fire also affected the teachers of the FCS department whose classrooms were closest to the source of the fire.

“They took every chair, table, filing cabinets, my aprons, my food; they threw out my hand soap. They cleaned the appliances and cabinets,” said Mrs. Mindy Rottmund. All of her videos and files were ruined, and much of her food and supplies were, too.

Rottmund’s classes were moved to the computer lab in room 208 so that her room could be completely cleaned. Other teachers gave her supplies to help replace things she lost.

“For a few days, it was like being a brand new teacher because I had to start new lessons from scratch.”

FCS teacher Ms. Elizabeth Sheerer was also affected by the fire. Sheerers classes were relocated to the computer labs until after Thanksgiving break. If it hadn’t been for Sheerer’s laptop, she wouldn’t have had any of her files.

“I almost felt like a new teacher because I didn’t have my normal files, activities and supplies,” said Sheerer.

Her students did miss their room and asked frequently when they would return.

“I made use of the computer labs by having different activities relating to nutrition, car shopping and loans and housing options. With the generosity of the staff, (and the) whole district, we were able to have some supplies to last until our things came back and we could “run” a normal class,” said Sheerer.

The washer/dryer combo was damaged in the fire and many things were cleaned, but many items cannot be treuend. Some of the items lost included those for a fashion class.

“Mrs. Rottmund and I lost some of our Thanksgiving break due to unpacking over 400 boxes and trying to get our rooms organized again. We had to clean all the dishes and inside cabinets of the two kitchens, organize our office and the main room I use had to have all the cabinets cleaned inside,” Sheerer said.

Students in the First Priority Christian Club had collected toys, clothing, toiletry products and money to donate to Operation Christmas Child.

“The completed boxes were stored in my IPC until mailing scheduled on Friday, November 9. However, the fire broke out on the 8th and the shoe boxes were removed from school. We did not know if they would return or not,” said Rottmund.

Luckily, a $400 donation was given to the club to replace the lost donations.

“Unfortunately, the mailing deadline had passed, so the club decided to purchase toys at Toys R Us and donate them to the Toys For Tots/Water Street Rescue Mission,” Rottmund said.

Meanwhile, the original donations were returned, so First Priority decided to donate the $168, which was supposed to have been used to mail the donations, to Samaritan’s Purse. The club then gave the original donations to the Penn Manor Needy Family Program in order to give the other toys along with the Giving Tree donations.

Keystone Exams to Replace PSSAs

By Amarilis Pacheco-Cruz

Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, students will no longer be taking the PSSAs because the tests have been replaced by the Pennsylvania Keystone Exams.

The Keystone Exams are end-of-course tests that are intended to assess students’ proficiency in the subjects Algebra 1, Literature and Biology. Keystone exams are similar to a final exam in college.

Because the exams are brand new, there are concerns about how to prepare students.

“I think the Keystone is going to be very hard for our high school students,” said Penn Manor School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Cheryl A. Shaffer at the school board meeting on October 1.

“I am concerned about the Algebra 1 Keystone Exam that may cover more material and ask questions in a different way than we normally do in our Algebra 1 course,” said math teacher Jen Kroesen. “It is a good opportunity for us as teachers to review our curriculum and make any necessary updates. It will also put more accountability on the students to study and pass the exam.”

Starting in 2017, students will be required to pass the Keystones in order to graduate from high school. Beginning with the class of 2019, students will also take a composition test, and the class of 2020 will take an additional test in civics. The composition exam will be first given in the 2015-16 school year and cvics in 2016-2017.

There is current legislation that is being proposed that would make Keystone Exams in Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry, US History, and World History available as an option to schools. But at this point, this is only being proposed.

According to Dr. PhilGale, Penn Manor High School principal, the school is taking a number of steps to prepare students to take the Keystone exams.

“We are having students take full year courses in English and math at this time and may have students take full year classes in Biology,” said Dr. Gale. “We are also offering the Keystone Prep Sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays for students who do not have English or math during the fall semester.“

Teachers at the high school are also taking steps to help students prepare for the exams.

“In order to prepare my students this year for the Algebra 1 exam in my Geometry courses, I am doing practice problems for warm-ups. This is a good review and a way to re-teach material these students may not have seen for up to two years,” said Kroesen. “I have chosen warm-up questions based on the sample problems and standards that will be covered in the Keystone exam.”

Fire Delays Penn Manor High School

By Gabrielle Bauman

Students woke up early this morning hoping for a two-hour weather delay. They got the delay, but it wasn’t for weather.

11-8-fire4-jpg — Teachers arriving early on Thursday would be confronted by the local fire department.

Families across the district received phone calls early this morning alerting them to a three hour delay for high school students, due to a small fire.

Devon Pickel, a Penn Manor junior and junior fire fighter at Blue Rock Fire Rescue, was at the scene from about 6:30 am to 8:00 am. The high school “was full of smoke” said Pickel. According to Pickel, the firefighters moved fans around the building, opening all the windows and doors to classrooms in order to ventilate the building.

At approximately 11:30-12:00 p.m. Wednesday night, a member of the custodial staff placed several wet rags in a clothes dryer and set it to run, common practice for the district. However, according to Philip Gale, Penn Manor High School’s principal, the dryer malfunctioned. A 30-40 minute cycle turned into several hours, and when the smoke spread, the school’s security system sent an alarm to the fire company at about 5:15 a.m. Thursday.

At around 6 a.m., a three-hour delay was issued in order to make sure the building could be properly ventilated of all smoke. The families of district students began receiving phone calls at approximately 6:30 a.m. By that time some students were already on their morning bus ride, and as the bus drivers heard the news, they turned around and took the students home.

“I received an email of a two hour delay at 5:58, then a three hour delay at 6:00,” said Michael Fowler, a math teacher at Penn Manor High School. According to Fowler, he arrived at 5:55 a.m. to see “approximately 10 firetrucks.”

11-8-fire1-jpg — No one was harmed by the fire, though the custodian was treated for smoke inhalation.

School started at 10:40 a.m. with a shortened, rearranged schedule. At approximately 11:55 a.m. students received another surprise when the fire alarm went off.

“The alarm company was clearing the alarm,” said Gale, and at that point the school administration made the decision to evacuate the building. There was potential for some alarms to sound in areas of the building with more smoke debris, and rather than cause confusion it was decided to have a fire drill instead.

“We’ll just use that as the November fire drill,” said Gale, “It’s good that today wasn’t too cold.”

As of now, there has been no property damage due to the actual fire, but the district has contracted a restoration company to assess the extent of the soot from the fire. The high school will be closed on Friday, November 9 so that workers from the restoration company can have full access to the building to begin the cleaning process. The time will be used to address any soot and excess smoke still inside the building. District officials expect the complete process to take several weeks.

The custodian who set the dryer was treated for smoke inhalation, and according to Gale, “he seems to be fine.”

Students are scheduled to return to school as usual on Monday.

All images credit WGAL.com

One Hundred Average Joes

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:

delky flores — 100. Junior Judelky Florez says that the biggest thing that happened in her life was, "when my parents got a divorce."

hailey spicer — 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."

jjdejesus — 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."

alesandra hoskins — 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."

jeff davis — 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.

john west — 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.

DaleBraun — 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.

troy hoke — 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.

JavelleMarie — 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."

LaiklynneKammerer — 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.

JacobSpencer — 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."

EricGardner — 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.

cindy bachman — 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.

diana alston — 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.

caroline hathaway — 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.

amber kuhns — 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.

Julia Yoder — 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.

kristen reckard — 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."

christian olt — 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.

warren parker — 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.

chris L — 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."

keila A — 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.

nicholasD — 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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manny matos — 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.

amber — 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."

essence lausell — 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.

eric urban — 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.

erick — 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.

ben — 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.

brianhammacker — 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.

donaldmcmillen — 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

gabriellaminnich — 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.

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.

Health Experts Oppose Soda, but Teens are Unfazed

By Chad Gates –

With statistics showing that childhood obesity is on the rise, health advocates are pushing to get soda out of schools and slowly forcing companies like PepsiCo to rely on selling other non-carbonated drinks to keep the already multi-million dollar markets prosperous.

Last year, Beverage Digest reported a 16 percent drop in the number of sodas being consumed by Americans since the peak of consumption in 1998. John Sicher, the publisher of Beverage Digest, told the New York Times in an interview that he wonders if this decline will; “Bottom out,” but also suggests that; “This drop in consumption could be the beginning of a shift away from carbonated soft drinks.”

However, through a series of interviews conducted on teens opinion of soda, it seems as though their thoughts are unchanged no matter what experts and statistics say.

Addison Myer, a junior at Penn Manor had this to say; “I don’t care what statistics say, I think sodas gonna stick around, and I’m gonna keep drinking it.”

Myer’s girlfriend, Devon Andresen, a sophomore at Pequea Valley has a totally different opinion. She no longer drinks soda because she believes; “It’s fattening,” and drinks water instead.

When asked if teens are concerned about their health being affected from drinking soda, Erik Robison, a student in his junior year here at Penn Manor, said, “I couldn’t care less about how much soda I drink, and I know that many other teens would probably agree with me.”

Penn Manor Students Continue to Drink Soda.

Teens don’t even seem to like the idea of alternative carbonated drinks. Even diet soda, which some health experts suggest because it contains calorie-free artificial sweeteners and no caffeine, (plus bacteria can’t live on fake sugar, it needs real sugar so it’s actually better for your teeth) isn’t good enough for teens either.

Blake Wisnieski, an 11th grader from Penn Manor said, “Diet versions of soda, like Diet Coke, are bland, have a bad aftertaste, and basically taste (bad).”

Tyler Trostle, a junior at Penn Manor expressed his attitude towards soda saying, “Soda is addicting, (but not literally), there’s just nothing better than Dr. Pepper,” which is Tyler’s favorite brand of soda. Sounds like other drinks just don’t satisfy.

Many brands of soda are sold here in vending machines at Penn Manor’s cafeteria, ranging from Coca-Cola to Sunkist, in 20-ounce bottles for a price of a $1.75 each. There is a catch though, if you’re craving a soda to go along with that pizza you just bought, you’re out of luck.

The vending machines are not active between the times of 7:20 a.m. and 2:40 p.m.

Why is that? Cherylln Wolf, the school’s Cafeteria Manager has the explanation.

“The PBE, (Pennsylvania Board of Education), decides what the schools serve to eat and drink in the cafeteria. They want us to provide our students with healthier choices, like milk, water, and fruit juices. And that is why the machines aren’t useable during school hours. Unless the power goes out, then the timers are reset. So if you want a soda, you going to have to get it when you get here at school in the morning, or at the end of the day.”

The soda machines located next to the band room, weight lifting room, and in the technology wing however, are not on timers and because they are not in the cafeteria, sell soda at all times during the day.

What’s the point of even having vending machines that sell soda then? According to Wolf, the school brings in a considerable amount of profit from selling sodas at events held in the cafeteria, such as banquets, luncheons, and meetings. Penn Manor also has contracts with PepsiCo and other representatives of soda manufacturers to have the machines in the cafeteria in the first place.

The laws placed by the PBE allow a school’s board of education a majority of the control over such machines and it is most likely some of the money put into the machines is pocketed by the school.

As federal and state laws continue to monitor and control what’s available to the students in school cafeterias across the country, the drinks at lunchtime that they have imposed is something that students have accepted. But outside the confines of the school, very few teens are swayed by statistics and the healthier alternatives stocked within the coolers. They’re just going to keep drinking soda.

Weather Outlook for Memorial Day is Still Uncertain

By Maggie Dubbs and Brady Charles –

Memorial day is just around the corner and summer is approaching quickly. With all the rain lately, people are wondering if they are going to have to be changing their plans.

“April has been another in a long string of unusually warm months over most of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.,” said WSI Chief Meteorologist Dr. Todd Crawford in a article on weather.com. “However, as we head toward a new El Nino event, we are expecting increasing chances of below-average temperatures in, at least, parts of the U.S. For May, the eastern U.S. remains warmer than average. Looking beyond May, we are expecting a much different type of pattern than what was observed during the last four summers,”

Your plans will be dependent on El Nino and where you are at in the country. Some places have a cooler and wetter period, and some places will have a dryer summer. It depends where you are located.

“I’m planning on being at the beach all summer so the weather better be nice or I’ll be really mad,” said Juan Cubano.

With the oncoming El Nino event [it] suggests that the warmest part of the summer is more likely to be early, with generally cooler temperatures later in the summer, said Crawford.

Eric Horst, Millersville meteorologist, said it’s was too soon to tell how the weather will look for Memorial day weekend. Hopefully it will be like last year’s with warm temperatures, and clear skies.

“I hope it’s nice out memorial day weekend, I hope the weather doesn’t ruin my weekend at the beach with my friends,” said senior Marc Summy about his Memorial Day plans.

Horst also commented that the weather will vary throughout the country, depending where you are at, or planning to go, your plans may change.

“I’m planning on going to the mountains and canoeing about eight miles, so if it rains that will be a long canoe ride,” said Mackenzie Payne.

“I hope our family picnic tradition continues like we were able to continue it last year with the nice weather,” said junior Jessica Hanner.

The weather for this holiday weekend is still to be set in stone, but people are hoping for more consistent, and warmer weather for this coming holiday and summer.

Volks-Fest 2012 Promises Family Entertainment

By Tyler Funk –

Show season is finally here! The sun shall shine and let the good times roll. Saturday April 28th will kick off the car show called Volksfest, rain or shine. The show will open up for vendors at 7 a.m and 8 a.m for show field and spectators. Registration ends at noon and awards will be given out at 3 p.m.

Both spectators and vendors will have the opportunity to show their love and support for European cars. The show has had many great outcomes and plan to have yet another stellar year. The show consists of cars, vendors and people who love European autos.

Senior Ryan DiCamillo plans on going to the show with a couple of his buddies, ” I can’t wait, show season, race season and a bunch of good times with my buddies!”

The weather looks to be be on the positive side for tomorrows car show and so do the students at Penn Manor.

Senior David Burch is also attending the car show tomorrow and plans to tag along with his brother and friends.

“It’s going to be sweet,” said Burch. “Car shows are nothing but a blast! The people there are friendly and love cars.”

With that being said, the car show is a great place for a family fun event. There is no alcohol, pets or grills permitted. The car show is nothing but laughs, nice cars and a great time.

There will be awards given to cars with the Best Exterior, Best Interior, Best Display, Best Engine and Best OEM (Most Original)
All awards will be done for both Air Cooled & Water Cooled vehicles. There will also be a Best of Show and Worst of Show Award for either Air Cooled or Water Cooled.

Usually people were happy to have one car show, now there are several local ones. If you would like to know more information regarding Volksfest, check out their online site and feel free to contact them with questions or concerns.

http://www.parenfaire.com/volksfest/

Stray Cats Run Loose In Lancaster

By Chris Gotwals –

Cat lovers, unite!

There are many more cats for feline fans to love but the problem is, there might not be enough love to go around – for all these cats.

The Humane League of Lancaster County recently estimated there are as many as 84,000 stray cats in Lancaster County.

Aida Aquino from the Humane League of Lancaster Count says, “The numbers seems to be leveling out due to the TNR (Trap Neuter Return) program. As long we continue to TNR the numbers shouldn’t get to out of control. We have seen a slight decrease in the amount of cats coming in to us compared to before the TNR programs really started going.”

Dumped house cats hang out with outdoor cats which creates stray cats. The problem isn’t really the cats themselves it is the alarmingly increasing rate of them.

The more cats a area has, the less birds and small rodents are around, gardens and farms are less fertile, and the more screams from females people hear during the night.

But Aquino told Penn Points, “This number is very hard to keep track of as cats reproduce very quickly. As cats can reproduce every three months each time having a litter of 3-8 kittens.”

Aquino also said that “We offer a low cost program for feral/stray cats. It is $15 to have them altered, vaccinated, and ear tipped. Some parts of Lancaster county such as Lancaster City we host special clinics where the fee is waived completely for the strays of Lancaster City due to the high volume of cats they have there.”

The plan of the Humane League is to have the cats spayed/neutered through a Trap-Neuter-Return program. The cat is altered, given a rabies vaccine, and ear tipped so that everyone knows that they ar fixed.

Jesse Griffith a Senior at Penn Manor and a confessed cat lover said that the plan of the Humane League sounds good to me and that he will even help by volunteering to capture the cats himself.

Griffith said that “I have four of our own and two stray cats that stay in our garage. My dad even has a cat tattoo.”