Category: School Happenings

By Jake Shiner and Patrick Simpson –

Penn Manor High School is hosting the 12th annual Read-A-Thon  Sunday, Feb. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the high school East gym.

This event is open to kids from kindergarten through fourth grade as well as the rest of the public. Organizers predict between 200- 250 people will attend the event.

In the past, the event got rave reviews from those who attended. This year kids will get cupcakes, a book reading of their choice, and they will also get to see the Cat in the Hat.

This year juniors Sarah Evarts and Julie Andrusisin will be reading at the event for the first time.

“We’re going to read our favorite children’sbooks,” said Andrusisin.

They both said they understand the value of reading and the vital role it plays in education.

“Readers make leaders, so we want to encourage kids to read,” said Andrusisin.

Evarts added that part of the way they will be influencing the kids to read is through a connection with sports that the youngsters are interested in and the ones in which the volunteer readers participate.

Although neither girl attended any Read-A-Thons as kids they are looking forward to volunteering at the upcoming event.

Along with the school’s student athletes, the school’s drama department, which is in rehearsal for the play Seussical, is in cooperation  with the Read-A-Thon.

Melissa Minzter, head of the drama department, believes that the play and the Read-A-Thon will both benefit from each other, that it will help draw crowds to both events.

“It is a win-win for the play and for the drama department,” said Mintzer. They both gain publicity.”

Austin Richwine, a senior player on the school’s baseball team, is another athlete reading at the Read-A-Thon.

“I volunteered because I like volunteering with little kids and want to pass my knowledge onto them,” said Richwine.

Similar to some of the other volunteers, Richwine didn’t attend a Read-A-Thon when he was younger but wishes he would have.

“I wish I would have went when I was a little kid because when I was that age I really looked up to older kids and they could have inspired or influenced me in some  positive way,” Richwine.

According to English teacher Jeffrey Taylor, one of the coordinators, the kids are going to be able to interact with the Cat in the Hat and see him whisked away on a fire truck, which should prove to be a great experience.

The motto for this year’s Read-A-Thon is “Exercise your brain, read a book.” This simple but effective slogan for the event that really conveys the intentions of the Read-A-Thon, as well as intertwining it with the sports interests.

Kids attending the event should bring their favorite book to be read aloud and, if possible, a new book to donate to less fortunate children. If it snows the  Read-A-Thon will be rescheduled for February 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Make sure to register by February 21 by calling 872-9520 x1515 or go to http://pmreadathon.wikispaces.com.

By Ian Noll –

For a handful of teachers at Penn Manor, no matter how cool they “act” on the outside, their inner-nerd still lives on.

Since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year a group of teachers has been holding weekly game nights to play “Settlers of Catan.”

Can you say “geeky.”

“The Settlers of Catan is unique in it’s combination of conflict and cooperation, thus allowing the players a sense of camaraderie amidst the struggles of competition,” teacher Nicholas Swartz explained.

But no matter how he tries to pass it off as intellectual, the dedication these guys have to the game clearly puts them in the nerdosphere.

The entire group consists of Swartz, Erick Dutchess, Matthew Scheuing, Brian Osmolinski and Jarod Staub.

Settlers of Catan is a constantly changing board game, with new expansion packs always being released. The point to the game is to acquire resources and construct settlements (which can be upgraded to cities). The way to play is to keep expanding and upgrading settlements or collect development cards.  The first person to 10 points, wins the game.

Scheuing stated that it allows the teachers to have an excuse to hangout and to relax outside of the work environment.

To some people, “Settlers” might just be a game, but to these teachers it means bragging rights and lots of friendly competition. Depending on how the game the weekend before goes, the losers will usually suffer ridicule and some bashing from the winner.

Swartz stated that “coded” messages will usually be left for other teachers in school and that usually goes along with some trash talk.

These are probably the guys who made fun of others who played “Dungeons and Dragons.”

“This is the approach I take to settlers: It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you,” Dutchess said with an intensity that betrays his “unusual” fascination with a board game.  “Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used. That’s from Sun Tzu. In other words, watch out for snakes in the grass and one will find success.”

Also, Swartz said that the teachers use slang when playing; coming up with sayings such as “snake in the grass,” “hydra in the tide,” “going city style.”

They also use words like  ro-ad (row-add) for roads and bo-at (bow-at) for boat.

Their own vocabulary.  That’s uh, cool, right?

The game has brought a sense of camaraderie between the guys.

On game night, the teachers will usually play a game over some pizza or with football on in the background. The teachers from different subjects don’t usually get to associate a lot, so “Settlers” gives them an excuse to interact.

At least that’s the story with which they agreed to stick.

It leads them to become close friends, and for example, play on the same dodgeball team (Swartz & Dutchess).

Although it seems as if the sports they play are only a cover so they seem “cool” but really it may be because they don’t want their “nerdiness”  revealed to the outside world.

But their real bond happens over “the game,” they say, recounting all the special memories that they shared.

“My favorite memory would have to be protecting the crap out of the rock of Mr. Staub, he will know what it means,” Dutchess said.

“It’s amazing how a board game can be so addicting and be so intense,” Scheuing answered.

“As the premiere player, I fully advocate the game as an exercise in statistics and resource strategy,” Swartz said while a big grin flashed across his face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Chad Gates –

There’s a new teacher that walks the halls of Penn Manor.

His name is William Shirk, and he’s a young teacher in his mid-20s with lots of ambition, ready to take on the challenges of working in a high school with over 1700 students.

It was the Spring of 2011 when Shirk graduated from Millersville University. He graduated with a degree in Special Education. Shortly after graduating, William attended a local job fair where Penn Manor had a table. This is where he met Mike Leichliter, the Penn Manor School District’s superintendent.

Some time later, Shirk was called and asked to come in for an interview for a position at Penn Manor High School. It went well and Shirk was then scheduled to teach a practice class at the high school.

After teaching the class, Shirk obtained the position and was hired to work at Penn Manor High School as a math teacher.

“Its been a very good experience, but very busy as well,” Shirk said about working at the high school in his first year. “Everyone here at the school [staff, administration, and teachers] has been helpful, and everything I’ve learned so far has prepared me for this.”

However, Shirk has to commute a far distance from Downingtown each day there and back from his house, which is approximately 50 minutes away from Millersville.

But the commute doesn’t bother the young, energetic math expert.

Shirk said that he enjoys working at Penn Manor and plans to continue to work here at the high school.

By Dakota Jordan–

Guitar teacher Skip Reddig thought he was finally feeling the strain of 29 years of teaching when he started to experience pain in his arm and shoulder last year.

“I had a constant pain,” said the music department coordinator.

Reddig who has been teaching at Penn Manor for 23 years started out as the band director.

“I always wanted to be a band director” said Reddig who began as a drummer in junior high and after college taught at a school in New Jersey for six years before holding the position as band director at Penn Manor for many years.

But after 15 years he felt it was time for a change.

“I saw there was a need and a desire for a guitar class at Penn Manor,” says Reddig. “As soon as I picked up a guitar it was like a new life for me.”

Things began to take a turn for the worse when Reddig went to the doctor to look into his shoulder pain. When the doctor looked at Reddig’s x-ray he saw the problem wasn’t his shoulder at all but the discs in his neck, which had begun to collapse.

“I went in for surgery in September and they went in and fixed my discs” says Reddig “I’m feeling a lot better and it is really good to be back.”

By Alex James Cummins –

Dodge, Dip, Dive, Duck, Dodge. The five D’s of dodge-ball according to the hit movie, “Dodgeball,” are five rules that  Penn Manor science teacher, Erick Dutchess, relies on when he plays competitively outside of school. Competition is an important aspect in Dutchess’s life. Well actually, it might be THE most important part of his life.

One night a week, Dutchess laces up his gym shoes and plays competitive dodgeball with his team, Blitzburgh. This shouldn’t be surprising to many people due to Dutchess’s competitive and fun attitude noticed by many throughout the school.

“I get an intense feeling of satisfaction when I peg someone in the face,” said Dutchess.

As if everyone gets that feeling when playing dodgeball.

Dutchess is a very active person outside of school. Grading papers, coaching rec basketball, coaching lacrosse and much more – it just adds to Dutchess’s competitive life style.

Dutchess is always looking for ways to challenge himself against other people and destroy them.

As much as he likes to come out on top in competitive situations, he uses competition to help others as well. In Dutchess’s mind, competition is engaging life to the fullest.

“I try to use competition in the classroom as much as possible as a motivational strategy, so the students can achieve higher acedemic goals.”

Dutchess uses competition in the classroom while he teaches, to help enrich the lives of his students.

Fans can catch Blitzburgh, which currently has a record of 1 – 1 playing once a week at Wheatland Middle School in Lancaster. The games are at 7 p.m.  on Tuesdays every week. The team consists of 11 players and includes other Penn Manor staff members such as teachers Britney Clugston, Jarod Staub, Nick Swartz and Liz Kelly. 

By Becca Hess –

With 35 years of service  under her belt, Ellen Pollock is ready to take the next step in life and try something new.

Assistant Superintendent of the Penn Manor School District, Ellen Pollock, announced her retirement after 35 years in public education, 34 of them with Penn Manor.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Pollock became an English teacher at Solanco High School. From there she took her talents and passion to Penn Manor where she became engaged in a variety of  jobs and responsibilities not only as an educator, but as an adviser and coach as well.

“If you look at what jobs I’ve done at Penn Manor, it’s been the best place anyone could ever work.  I’ve been able to try so many things here as an educator – high school teacher, track coach, field hockey coach, newspaper and yearbook adviser, middle school teacher, middle school assistant principal, middle school principal, elementary principal, assistant superintendent,” explained Pollock.  “I couldn’t have gone anywhere else and been able to have such a varied and fulfilling career.”

Not only has she influenced the lives of students and staff at Penn Manor, Pollock has done a great deal for the community. She is a member of the Lancaster Rotary South, a member of the Student Assistant Team and a driver for Millersville Meals on Wheels.

“I think it’s important to be involved in your community,” explained Pollock

She said she feels very fortunate be able to work with the people she has over the years.

“I can retire from Penn Manor knowing that we will continue to have a wonderful administration, teaching and supporting staff in place. I also know that this district will work hard to make sure that students’ needs are being met, even as the budget gets tighter and traditional education is examined through a political lens,” said Pollock.

Pollock said during her career she’s learned a few things.

First, she emphasized, that listening to others is key and that she needed to listen more.

And secondly, she said she used to have this big educational philosophy, but she realized that it is more about how one deals and interacts with people.

“I’ve gotten so much more then I’ve given,” she said. “It’s not about me, I am where I am today because of a lot of people”,  said Pollock.

Retiring from a life-long career is never an easy thing, however Pollock is confident that she is leaving a school completely capable of succeeding and continuing its excellence in preparing kids for the future.

“I liked everything,” Pollock said.  “It’s been a good career and I can’t think of anything that’s a low.”

Her plans after retirement include going on a week long trip with her mom to Scotland and a surprising plan to work at Darrenkamp’s grocery store in Willow Street.

“I believe in the value of customer service. That’s what is at the cornerstone of any successful school or business. We work hard at Penn Manor to do this,” said Pollock. “Darrenkamp’s and the Darrenkamp family also believe in customer service and treating people with decency. Since I am retiring from Penn Manor I would like to work at another place that believes in this as I do.”

She explained how working at a place where customer service is the top priority is  her dream job. Similar to working at Penn Manor with such a big staff, she enjoys working with people and is ready to take the jump from superintendent to supermarket.

Although Pollock is excited about the next phase of her life, the prospect of her absence is certainly hitting others in the district.

“She will be missed,” said Penn Manor Business Manager and colleague Chris Johnston.

 

 

By Tyler Funk –

All time high temperatures in the  Susquehanna Valley during the first week of February. Kids wearing shorts to school, driving around with the car top down and pulling out their motorcycles.

Is this supposed to be winter?

You know winter, frosty temperatures, people sick and inches of snow. Well this year students and faculty are seeing the exact opposite. The temperatures are on the rise, and people are actually in a good mood.

So does that mean there are less colds and fevers with the higher warmer conditions?  Not in Penn Manor High School, according to health officials.

” About the same, certainly not better,” said school nurse Anne Butterfield about the amount of illness she has seen in students this winter compared to previous ones.

“The reason illness will go up in winter is because of people are together longer inside buildings,” she explained.  “That’s how viruses and bacteria can be spread by coughing and sneezing on books, hands etc.”

For a student to go home at Penn Manor High School, they must each get evaluated by the school nurse, said Butterfield.

She said there is not a hard or fast rule of sending a student home.

“An assesment is done of each patient and variables are considered when deciding to send a student home,”  Butterfield explained.

According to Scientific American flu symptoms can include fever, sore throat, cough, and joint and muscle aches. The flu epidemic reaches a peak between December and January when winter is at its worst, but there is no direct link to cold weather. Only that people are crowded together in winter, according to researchers there.

Up to 20,000 people die in the United States every year due to the flu according to Scientific American, but many of those are complications from the flu such as Bronchitis and pneumonia.

One Penn Manor student is well aware of illnesses this time of year.

Three weeks ago Nicole Harnish a senior, came down with typical flu like symptoms.

“I probably got sick from work because a bunch of people were sick,” she said.

But Harnish came to school anyway. That doesn’t mean she enjoyed the time being ill.

“It sucks,” said Harnish. ” You can’t pay attention and you just want to be in bed and some teachers don’t have tissues on their desk. You have to ask for them.”

 

By Connor Hughes and Jake Shiner –

Don’t blink, or you might miss this weekend’s snowfall.

Lancaster County will be seeing its first serious snow of the season Friday night.  According to Millersville University weather expert Eric Horst, the snowfall  will start around midnight, and continue through Saturday morning until it tapers off around noon.

Temperatures will be below freezing and ice is expected to form on roads across the county.

“This is the first system that we’ve had of significance since late October, which was a freak event.  We’re going to get a few inches, but not a big storm.  Total accumulation will depend on when it makes the change over from snow to a wintry mix, but accumulation may be as much as 4 inches,” said Horst.

The storm should excite some Penn Manor students, senior John Brimhalm is anxious to play with his family in the snow.

“I hope we get snow, that way I can throw snowball at my brother.  And I like to go out sledding, that’s some pretty fun stuff,” said Brimhalm.

Snow may be a good thing to many, but some Penn Manor students aren’t happy about the fact that the storm falls over the weekend.

“I have stuff to do this weekend, no way it’s snowing,” said freshman Reese Gill.

Other students are upset about the snow effecting their travel.

“I’m going to be mad, I only own shorts and I have to unicycle to work in the snow,” said senior Zach Kauffman.

The storm will be quick, according to Horst, the snow should be completely melted by Monday when the temperature should hit mid 40s.

Becca Hess contributed to this article.