Category: Student Life

By Lizzie Pflumm –

The alarming trend of young kids making stunt videos has come to many schools in the country but it’s not a widespread practice at Penn Manor.

Making disturbing videos that could have easily caused harm to the select few Penn Manor participants is sometimes a popular thing to do when hanging out with friends.

The well-known MTV JackAss Movies, Wildboyz and the never ending videos on YouTube may have some reasoning behind where these teens are getting the ideas to perform acts of harm on themselves.

“I’ve made Jackass style videos, but not to intentionally hurt myself,” said junior Bradon Kruger who rides motocross at a friend’s house or at his own home.

Kruger said he doesn’t make other kinds of stunt videos, just motocross.

“No, (not other types) not really anything other than motocross, just videotaping jumps,” said Kruger.

Double click on the video below to play:

Motocross rider and Penn Manor alumni Dan Holton jumping during motocross practice.

But sometimes the stunts can go terribly wrong.

A 16-year-old girl was killed in 2005 when she and her friends tried to do the same stunt they had seen in “Jackass: The Movie.”

The teens tied a rope around a playground merry-go-round and attached the other end to a pickup truck and pulled it.  The girl was thrown 60 feet to her death, according to a news report on the appeal.democrat.com.

So what is it that makes these students do these crazy things?

“I’ve just seen movies and TV shows, that’s where I get my inspiration,” said senior Trevor Troup.

“I get attention from my friends,” said Troup who made a video of himself jumping off a roof onto a trampoline landing in a pool.

“I don’t think I ever made a video,” said Junior Cody Straub who claims that his friends don’t make videos reenacting Jackass Movies when hanging out.”I’ve seen one of the movies but it didn’t make me want to make one”

“It’s just for something fun to do,” said Kruger.

Like the stunt movies, Youtube videos of tricks and accidents sometimes influence teens to make similar videos and even post them for others to see.

Many videos show bloody live enactments or graphic photos of people that have been harmed while performing these stunts.

“Some of my friends do it,” said a junior at Penn Manor who didn’t want his name used. “It can take away stress and help me relax. I haven’t seen any videos (of the type he makes) on Youtube though.”

Sophomore Zach Sinz,  has videotaped such acts.

“I jumped my four-wheeler, and just ended up with a few scraps and bruises,” said Sinz who has a track at his house in Conestoga and records his jumps on video.

By Kayla Pagan –

Grades dropping, tears falling, bad habits and more, are all results of teenage breakups.

But heartbreak isn’t only a emotional situation, it actually causes physical pain, literal heartbreak.  It also can increase a person’s heart rate and make someone’s pupils dilate.

Adoree Durayappah, a psychologist and writer for the Huffington Post stated that scientists at the University of Amsterdam have found that social rejection is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system.

“Any time I would see my ex my heart would go crazy,” said Shayna Sanchez, a junior at Penn Manor.

But after the reality of the breakup happens, another symptom can be passivity, according to the research.

“I didn’t want to do anything or go anywhere for the longest time.  I found myself locked in my room listening to the most depressing music I could find, wanting nothing to do with the world,” said Liz Rivera, a senior at Penn Manor High School.

Getting over a breakup is like recovering from a cocaine addiction, researchers at Stony Brook University said.  Motivation, reward and addiction cravings are all generated from the same part of the brain as pain and anguish, feelings felt during a breakup.

Relationships are addicting.  We get so used to them, so used to any and everything associated with that significant other, that when we lose them it’s like we’re going through withdrawal.

“Everything changed, I didn’t know what to do, or who to turn to, I relied on her for so long, that when she was gone, I felt lost,” said junior Maddi Eckenrode.

The joy of gaining something is not nearly as strong as the pain of losing someone.

Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist, studied how people make choices where they have to decide between risk-taking alternatives.  Durayappah’s example was that people find that losing $50 is more significant than gaining $50.

Similarly, psychological research suggests the human brain always loses more than it gains.  The joy of entering a new relationship is nothing compared to the pain caused by breakups.

“I’m so scared to give my all to someone else, who knows when they’ll be gone,” said 11th grader, Kyle Black.

“It’s easier to avoid falling for someone, because when they walk out of my life it won’t hurt as much,” said Liz Rivera.

People tend to be loss averse, they avoid the chances of risking loss more than taking the chance to potentially gain.

“We want to avoid the risk of losing, even though there could be a chance for true love,” said Durayappah.

Physiologically, breakups are heart-breaking.  But it’s not necessary to tell teens that, they already know.

By Brandon Bowers-

It isn’t easy for hard-working teens to afford a date to the movies, either a regular show or in 3D or IMAX.

The ticket price for some is a small fortune.

IMAX movie tickets at Penn Cinemas are $15.50 for anyone over 12 and $13.50 for 12 and under. The price is still high,  $13.50 for seniors (over 60).

“Fifteen-fifty for a movie that is in 3D on a super huge screen, come on now!” said junior Will Welsh.  “I would rather wait for the the movie to comes out on DVD and buy it for  $15.

“That is ridiculous to take a friend or that special one to see a movie,” Welsh said.  “Plus if you take the girl you like your spending up to $45 because you have to treat the girl with the movie ticket and popcorn and candy to make everything right. It’s just what you have to do on a date if you want the girl to like you.”

Also, for a regular evening movie at Penn Cinema, it is $9.50 for adults (over 12) and $7.00 for under 12 and seniors.  To see a movie in 3D you will be paying $3 extra.

“If I’m ever going to the movies again I will be going with my family so they can pay for everything,” noted sophomore Zac Burke.  “That is a lot of money for one person to see an hour-and-a-half movie. For my family, my dad would be paying up to $30 plus food and candy.

“I would be broke if I took a girl,” Burke said.

The price for tickets has risen dramatically in the past years. Even a matinee show is $7.50 for adults and $7 for others and $3 extra for 3D.

It may be nice to go see a movie in 3D or in IMAX but the price may scare people away.

“I will always treat my girl to a movie because I put them before me so if that means spending $45 at an IMAX (or) 3D movie then I will, because I want her to feel special and be comfortable with me,” said Tyrell Wickersham a freshman at Hempfield High School.

Penn Cinema has comfortable seating in their new IMAX theater, but Regal Manor Stadium in the Manor Shopping Center does have 3D and is closer for teens driving from Penn Manor. If you’re looking for high quality, Penn Cinema’s IMAX, may be your best bet… if you’re willing to a pay.

At Regal Manor the prices of an adult ticket is now $15 for a 3D movie any time.  For moviegoers under 12 years of age, the tickets are $10.75 to $11, same for the seniors over 60.

Regal may not have an IMAX like Penn Cinema but their 3D feature seems be good enough to spend $15 for an hour and a half  movie.

“I always want the best and will do everything I can do to give my girl the best. If I have to pay $45 for a IMAX 3D movie then I will because I like to be a nice guy,” said junior Kevin Burbaker.

The cheapest movie tickets and concession prices around this area is Kendig Square Movies.  Although it may not have the newest technology or the latest movies but the prices are more affordable.

At Kendig Square movie tickets are $5 for any movie any time and the popcorn and candy is also under $5.

By Jay Jackson –

There is no in-between in life.  You either drink Coke or Pepsi. It’s either vanilla or chocolate ice cream, unless you’re one of those fence sitters who prefers a swirl.  And, by the way, are you a cat person or do you prefer dogs?

Now, the greatest loyalty question ever – is it the pen or the pencil for  your work?

Let’s say you walk into a classroom and the letters BIC are laid in front of you, but that’s not the only thing. Right beside the trusty pen is the hardworking, all-American classic – the number two pencil.

A major decision is presented before you. Graphite or ink? Or more specifically, pens or pencils?

Oh the passion, the heartbreak, the drama!

“I love pens! G2-pilot is my favorite pen by far,” said junior Alex Kirk.

Likewise, Jenna Waite, strongly favors pens.

“I’m an artist,” she said as she was working on a cartoon in the library. “I like the scribbleness of pens.”

J.J. Dejesus agreed.

“Yeah, I’m a pen man,” he said. “I feel like my work is stronger when I use a pen.”

There are pencils, mechanical pencils and all sorts of pens. Many have no preference,  but some refuse to write with anything else besides their own pen or pencils.

“I prefer mechanical pencils because they are erasable and regular pencils hurt my hand unless you have a grippy,” noted junior Sara Bennis.

Not everybody is a pen-hater. In fact people like their pens. No, they are passionate about their pens. No, they are crazy about their pens!

“If I didn’t have a pen, I won’t write notes I would completely shut down,” said Eric Schlotzhauer.  “It feels like I am ripping the paper when I write with a pencil.”

Who knew that  a pen could make that big of a splash in someone’s everyday life?

“Mechanical pencils are the way to go,” said  junior Ryan Martzall, emphatically.

John Soders, a ninth grader, thinks it is all about age.

“I am going to be a pen man when I get older,” said Soder who uses pencils now and who wants to be a mechanic when he grows up. “I think adults use a pen more than a pencil. ”

However the whole school isn’t up in arms with this great debate of writing utensils.

“Depends on the situation, there are times for both,” said Mr. Herman.

Which do you prefer? Let the debate began.

By Alyssa Byers –

What has two legs and is unnaturally tan in the winter? Hint: sometimes the species can be seen in the halls of Penn Manor this time of year.

It’s unnaturally tan girl or tan boy.

Tanning has become a sensation, whether it’s during the windy months of fall, the cold days of winter or on the warm nights of spring. But why are teens doing this when the dangers have been so well advertised?

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics has decided to back up legislation in the making banning teens from using tanning beds. They said that the radiation produced by tanning beds could be worse than what the sun gives off.

But many teens have decided to disregard that advice, concentrating instead on their more pressing  problem of pale skin, using tanning beds day and night. Can tanning become an obsession?

“I think it’s okay to do for special occasions, or once in awhile,” said Jenna Santaniello. “But I don’t think you should do it all the time because it can start to look unnatural and it can be dangerous.”

According to a study compiled by dermatology researchers, not only is tanning dangerous, but it can also be addictive.

According to a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, the ultraviolet light makes our brain release endorphins, a feel good hormone. This helps contribute to some people’s addiction with tanning. The article also said that some may use tanning as a way to reduce stress, and is often the reason why they do it so much.

However, the study also pointed to research saying said that excessive tanning may cause anxiety and depression, and increase drug and alcohol use.

Seniors Sam Adams and Leah Freeman both think tanning can be addictive. Adams used to tan every other day, and Freeman tanned a couple times a week. Adams said she tanned so much because she didn’t like being pale.

This could explain why so many people continue to tan even after hearing about all of its health risks. Cancer and wrinkles are two major symptoms of tanning, but many, including Adams, admit to ignoring the risks.

“I think it can be addictive because people feel the need to feel pretty by matching the definition of beauty which is bleached blonde hair, blue eyes and dark tan skin, when in reality the typical American beauty is not the only beauty,” said Eric Bear.

“I don’t tan mid-winter because it looks unnatural, but when I start tanning in the spring it’s very easy to get addicted because it’s relaxing, and who doesn’t love a good tan?” said Melissa Martin.

It seems, though, that cancer isn’t the only thing groups like this should watch out for.