Student Life – Page 21 – Penn Points Online

Ben Clark Rings the Bell of Success

By Simon Zimmerman

Ben Clark has had many accomplishments in his young life, now he has another.

When the 15 year old Senior from Penn Manor won the Siemens Competition in early December, Clark was also rewarded with ringing the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange.

stock exchange — Ben Clark rings the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Photo courtesy of Siemens

The Siemens Competition is a contention of math, science and technology whiz’s that recognizes their will and strive of research in either one of these fields.

Clark won the $100,000 grand prize for the individual category of the Siemens Competition for his research on how new stars are born. This is a very prestigious award and is regarded as on of Clark’s greatest achievements.

Ringing the closing bell is rewarded annually to the winner of this competition and Clark did not take this merit lightly.

“It was amazing to ring the bell, it is a pretty exclusive group and most people that have done it have been successful in some field,” stated the ecstatic Clark.

Seeing that Clark has skipped two grades in his high school career, qualified for the Untied States Math Olympiad twice, and won the Siemens Competition, success does not seem far out of his future.

Storm Kelley: A Heart of Gold

By Kendall Seigworth

Storm Kelley is one of those guys in the hallways laughing and carrying on with his friends. Many who stop to meet him say he’s a pretty nice and down-to-earth guy. He’s slender, but typically towers over many that walk by him at six foot three inches.

Believe it or not, there is a medical reason for this.

Kelley has Marfan’s Syndrome. According to the National Marfan Foundation, this problem often shows itself physically with extreme flexibility, flat feet, long arms and legs and a long, slender body type. All of these are characteristics that Kelley displays. The cause of this is a lack of protein in his body called fibrillin- 1, which is important in creating connective tissue in the body.

Marfan’s syndrome has taken its effect on Kelley’s heart. During December of 2010, he had to undergo open-heart surgery which has taken a toll on him.

“The doctors cut my rib cage open and fixed my sternum, replaced my aortic root with a Dacron graph and fixed my mitral valve. I’m on a bunch of medication,” said Kelley.

Storm Kelley — Kelley tries to find the brightness lying ahead of him after open-heart surgery. Photo by Kendall Seigworth

His problem has affected him somewhat throughout life but he is still optimistic about his condition and recovery.

“I have a lot of pain, but I’m healing pretty fast.”

It could be said that growing up with this condition wouldn’t be easy.

“I’ve had many doctors appointments and have had to take daily medication. I’ve been restrained from activities such as physical sports. I’ve had problems with irregular heart beats and knew I would have to get surgery ever since I was seven years old, I just didn’t know when it would be,” explained Kelley.

“For the first few years after this surgery I’ll be monitored closely. As long as I adhere to my medicine schedule and act carefully with physical activities, I’ll have a prolonged normal life. As normal as it gets,” he said.

During the surgeries, Kelley did not feel alone and was not too stressed about keeping up with his school work.

“My friends have all been really supportive and Mr. Erisman has devoted a lot of time and concern into my academic success as I recover,” said Kelley.

“It’s hard for me to talk about everything Storm is going through, he’s like a brother,” said Eric Byers a friend and classmate.

“Storm is a really chill, smart kid,” said Cassie Wilkinson.

“I’ve known Storm since the fourth grade, he has always been a good friend,” said Kyle Angelo.

With all of the advancements in medical science, Kelley is confident that after some major treatment he should be able to live a long, healthy life.

“I’m looking forward to seeing my friends at school. I’m also looking forward to being able to drive and swim again. I want to go to college, become a car engineer and travel around the world with a special someone,” said Kelley of his hopes for the future.

Penn Manor: Maroon Central on Friday

On Sunday morning four Manheim Central students: 9th grader DeVaughn Lee, 10th graders Nicolas Bryson and Cody Hollinger, and 11th grader John Griffith were killed in a car accident on Mount Wilson Road. All four boys were on the school’s football team.

Schools around Lancaster County are going to be showing their sympathy and support for the families of these four boys by wearing maroon, one of Central’s school colors, on Friday, January 21.

Shayna Sanchez, a junior at Penn Manor said she personally knew one of the boys, John Griffith, “I think it’s a really good idea for those who were close to the boys,” said Sanchez, “it’s an easy way for us all to mourn together.”

A Facebook group was created to invite people to join the cause and wear maroon on Friday. This is meant as a way for students and faculty from surrounding schools to silently show their support.

Senior, Brian Ramsey stated, “I think it’s pretty awesome, it’s a cool thing, and it shows support.”

Penn Manor students, please help our school and show your support.

“I thinks it’s good that people are showing support to the friends and family members of this tragic loss,” said sophomore Xavier Suarez, “It’s a sad thing that happened.”

By Lyta Ringo and Kayla Pagan. Jordann Sterkevetz also contributed to this story.

Loveable Lunches Keep Cafeteria Staff Busy

Sweaty hands, jitters, constantly glancing at the clock.

These symptoms are experienced by salivating students right before the bell rings, enabling them to rush to the cafeteria to sate their respective appetites.

Those same students devised a top 5 list of their favorite lunches – those which are deemed necessary to elevate their walk to lunch to a moderate sprint. The most popular lunch of course is, you named it, popcorn chicken. This is followed closely by the pretzel ham and cheese sandwich and tangy tacos. Fourth and fifth places are the ever-present bacon cheeseburger and the elusive pasta bar.

Lunches include a student’s choice of milk, dessert and a side.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Students hurry through the lunch line to get to their tables.

“We prepare about 50 more meals for each lunch on the days we know we’re serving school favorites,” said Lisa Caldwell, a cafeteria worker at Penn Manor. “It helps to get kids out to the tables faster when we’ve got extra meals made, ready to be served.”

As far as favorite meals go, the cafeteria workers sing a slightly different tune. The workers’ list of our favorite school foods also starts with popcorn chicken. Then, sizzling in comes the hot ham and cheese sandwich – no pun intended. Third place is where the cafeteria workers’ opinions of food favoritism begins to differ, with grilled cheese being the third place winner. Landing in fourth place is twisted sticks – no pun to be intended there. And finally, in fifth, the bacon cheeseburger.

“When I think about my favorite lunch (tangy tacos), I tend to get very excited and run to lunch,” Kyle Kahn, a Penn Manor senior said. “Me gusta tangy tacos.”

A short animation, by a Penn Manor student, depicting the rush for popcorn chicken. Credit: Ryan Krause.

Juniors Joey Jackson and Brandon Schuman both claim to be die-hard fans of popcorn chicken.

“I love popcorn chicken SO much,” said Jackson. “I look forward to it almost as much as summer vacation.”

Schuman’s favorites also include the bacon cheeseburger and twisted sticks.

Students of all shapes and sizes look forward to the bell that dismisses them to go grab their meals. The same sensation is also felt when more than 2000 sets of eyeballs are all staring at the clock, waiting for 2:45 to come.

The list of favorite lunches may vary from person to person, group to group, but one thing is certain: popcorn chicken will always reign supreme.

By Ben Embry

Alex Geli also contributed to this story

Students will be Scared, Entertained by New Releases

It’s something that can help people make up even over a fight. It’s a great place to go to with family or that classic first date.

Yes, the one thing everybody loves!

Movies.

With the changing of the year, new movies will surface to (hopefully) dazzle, amaze and astound us.

The internet has played a key role in shedding light on this year’s feature films, at least the ones students in Penn Manor will probably want to see.

First on the list, The Green Hornet. In this movie Seth Rogen plays Britt Reid, the main character, son and heir to Los Angeles’ largest newspaper fortune. He is a rich and spoiled man without a care in the world and has never worked a day in his life. When his father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) dies, Britt then meets a man, Kato (Jay Chou). They realize that they have the money and power to do something worthwhile with their lives and make James Reid proud. The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Michael Pena, Adam Sandler and Kwon Sang-Woo. It will be released on January 14.

The third movie in the Big Mommas series is the movie called Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is also set to debut in 2011. This movie stars Martin Lawrence, Brandon T. Jackson, Jessica Lucas, Faizon Love, Emily Rios and Portia Doubleday. Malcolm, Martin Lawrence’s character, and his 17 year old nephew, Trent, go undercover to an all girl’s school after Trent claims to have seen a murder at the school. Malcolm disguises himself as Big Momma and Trent as Charmaine. This movie, coming out Feb. 18, is sure to generate some laughs.

Last but not least, there’s a Scream 4, the fourth in the horror series. After 11 years of silence, a new Scream comes out to make us shiver. The movie picks up right where Scream 3 left off and brings the return of the three main characters. However, a new killer arrives to finish the work of Roman and Billy, characters from the previous Scream movies. This thriller comes to theaters April 15.

By Alex Sanchez-Cruz

Synthetic Marijuana may not Last Long in PA

The state of Pennsylvania could be on its way to banning synthetic marijuana.

Six states have already made the synthetic marijuana, and many of the chemicals associated with the drug, illegal to distribute and possess. Pennsylvania seems to be following suit. The state’s House Judiciary Committee approved a bill in September making synthetic marijuana illegal. It still has to pass the state Senate, the House of Representatives and get the governor’s signature bef0re it officially becomes a law.

According to the bill, and other states that have already banned synthetic marijuana, it isn’t safe for human consumption and can lead to death.

In a timely signal that synthetic marijuana can have serious consequences, a Shippensburg man crashed his car and injured his passengers New Year’s Day after he smoked K2, a form of the substance, according to police.

If the new bill is passed, the substance and many of the chemical properties found in the drug, won’t be allowed to be marketed even as an herbal incense. Many people have chosen to disregard the fact that the incense’s packaging warns “not for human consumption.”

According to Darrin Donmoyer, Penn Manor’s Student Assistant Program Director, synthetic marijuana is one of the newest drugs being talked about by students.

“It’s legal because it’s so new and the chemicals that they are using to produce it were not outlawed when it first came out,” said Donmoyer. “They’re selling it as ‘herbal incense’ blends.”

The desire to get the high from the drug may lead some to smoke the substance even if other forms of the drug are declared illegal.

The effects of this “fake” drug are headaches, anxiety, high blood pressure, stiff muscles, vomiting, temporary lose of vision, seizures and in some cases non-responsiveness.

“My hope is that students will quickly recognize that it is not a suitable alternative,” said Donmoyer.

He also said that the same help that is offered for other substances is also offered to those who use or are addicted to or are using synthetic marijuana.

The thoughts about synthetic marijuana by some members of the student body showed that many already disapprove of the drug.

“From what I have read, trying that stuff isn’t worth it,” said one student.

“Don’t waste your money…it isn’t worth it,” stated another student.

One student showed major concern towards the health risks.

“It’s even worse than cigarettes because it can put microscopic holes in your lungs after just one use. Imagine using that daily, that would cause terrible lung damage.”

Several students who had previously tried the drug said that it tasted horrible.

Both synthetic and non-synthetic marijuana have proven to be extremely unhealthy and cause adverse affects. But certain side affects from the synthetic version are putting it in the illegal zone with the original.

By Kendall Seigworth and Kim Blake

Can I get a Fist Pump Please?

“Smoosh” is the new smash for the Jersey Shore cast members.

For the past two years, millions of teens have been taking a trip to the Jersey Shore every Thursday night on MTV at 10 p.m. and if parents are listening closely enough, they may hear some new and shocking vocabulary their teens are learning from the program.

Since MTV is mainly a teen network, it is safe to say that most of people watching the show are teens.

According to MTV.com, Jersey Shore is bringing in 2.7 million more viewers than the hit show Teen Mom. In fact, of all cable shows, Jersey Shore was ranked second out of twenty-five, only under the ESPN Monday night football and right above Nickelodeon’s iCarly.

In essence, Jersey Shore has become the “talk” of the town. So the question is, is this new hip teen show affecting the way teens live their lives and their vocabulary?

“It doesn’t influence me to act a certain way, but it might influence younger kids who watch it,” said Penn Manor senior Moriah Freeman.

When the show first premiered, it was all about meeting new people and having fun on the Jersey shore. This past summer, the show in Miami was all about drama, drinking and sex.

In the hopes of starting fresh in the second season, the Jersey Shore characters Ronni, Vinny, Pauly, Mike, Sammi, Nicole and Jeni came to the new house to find more drama, more alcohol and more sex.

The first issue to come about and upset the house was former cast member Angelina, who left the show early the previous season, showing up for some additional fun.

With Angelina there last season, it definitely brought more problems within the house.

Vinny and Angelina had both openly expressed their hate for one another, or what they thought was hate.

After Vinny calling Angelina “the Statin Island dump,” and Angelina saying, more then once, how ugly Vinny is, they certainly found themselves in the smoosh room.

This fires up Nicole because she claims that Angelina “smooshes” or tries to “smoosh” every guy that she does.

The “smoosh room”, or “the community sex room,” was created from an extra bedroom for when the girls or guys in the house bring home a date they met.

After the boys get their “GTL” on (gym, tan, laundry), they come back, relax and then…T-shirt time!

Then it’s time to party. The cast member have found themselves at multiple clubs in one night.

The guys were the ones who mostly came back with the “smoosh partner.”

Of course the majority of the scene is cut out, but the young kids, teens and even some adults watching might take this show a little too seriously.

“Smoosh” has become a popular word in everyday life.

“I don’t think it influences anyone but it definitely makes the show interesting,” said senior Kristi Rineer.

“I think it’s stupid how people think it’s OK to act that way,” said senior Livie Stoltzfus.

“Smoosh was added to my vocabulary,” said senior Brock Kauffman.

Those who are against it, are strongly against it and those who love it, won’t miss a Thursday night.

With another season about to start, this makes us think… what is next?

By Sarah Garner

Leggings are a Fashion Hit for High School Girls

When you think of sweater dresses and Ugg boots, what else comes to mind?

Leggings!

“Leggings are the most plain article of clothing, but there is so much to do with them, you can turn your look into anything but basic,” says an article in Teen Vogue Magazine.

Vogue teens agree. In fact leggings seems to be turning into a fashion epidemic here at Penn Manor High School

“They are comfortable, but not exactly warm… it’s like wearing sweatpants but more fashionable, ” said junior Nicole Harnish.

“I buy my leggings from anywhere that sells them, I think they are extremely comfortable,” said senior Emily Nickel, “I just get very annoyed when administration tries to say that leggings are inappropriate. Especially when they cover everything.”

Brittany Wright and Lauren Anderson told Penn Points that the main stores where girls buy leggings include Forever 21, H&M, Charollette Russe and Abercrombie Kids.

Many girls in Penn Manor wear leggings. Photo by Chassidy Sowersby

Many girls interviewed had different opinions about what clothing items go with leggings. But it seems they go with nearly anything and that might just be the reason why they are part of this season’s fashion trend.

“I like to wear long T-shirts or sweatshirts with them, and my Ugg boots,” said Wright.

“I like to wear long flannels with my leggings,” said Anderson.

Each Thursday, an invitation is sent out via Facebook to every Penn Manor Student. The event is called “No pants Thursday.”

On this day many of the girls at Penn Manor wear leggings instead of jeans. This Facebook invite is usually sent out by Maddy Hess, Alicia Burns and Stefanie Friedman.

When two Penn Manor junior boys were interviewed, they had some interesting things to say about girls wear leggings…

“I find girls more attractive when they are wearing leggings, It should be mandatory,” said junior, Errol Hammond.

Junior Marc Summy said, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, however, not every girl can pull them off.”

Both of the boys agreed that the legging colors make a big difference saying either black, brown or grey are the only OK colors for girls to wear.

By Chassidy Sowersby

Jersey Shore is Back, Tanned and Ready For Action

Get comfy kids, turn on your TV’s, and get your bowl of popcorn. MTV’s Jersey Shore is back.

This Thursday, the popular reality show is airing its third season. After spending the last season tanning in Florida, the housemates return to New Jersey to live in their original Seaside Heights home.

All Jersey Shore members are returning for another takeover except one. Angelina “Jolie” Pivarnick, 25, has decided not to be a part of the new season. Pivarnick bailed early during both the first and second season due to confrontations with the rest of the house.

jersey shore cast — The Jersey Shore cast is back for another season on MTV.

To replace Angelina, MTV has cast a new member, Deena Nicole Cortese. Deena originally sent in an audition tape for the first season that aired in 2009. She wasn’t chosen, but Angelina opened the door when she left early in Miami.

Deena had the opportunity to watch the show while the rest of the cast lived it. Her appearance on the third season was a shock to all of them but her best friend Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. The surprise causes problems right away and those problems will be featured in the premier.

This season is sure to bring just as much drama as the previous two. The first episode of Jersey Shore Season Three will air Thursday January 6 at 10:00 pm.

By Toni Warfel

Silent Alarm Not Smart for iPhone Users

Ring, ring, ring… ring, ring, ring; that’s exactly what didn’t happen for some iPhone users whose alarms never spoke on the New Years.

Apple’s famous iPhone and iPod touch failed to wake up their users on the first day of 2011 that left many unsatisfied and asleep. The glitch was felt around the country and around the school.

Senior Alex Geli came face to face with the alarm glitch not only once but twice.

“I set my alarm (on the iPhone) on Sunday for 12 p.m. so I wouldn’t oversleep since I hardly got any sleep the previous two nights,” said Geli. “Instead of my alarm waking me up, I awoke by myself at 12:45 p.m. I was confused because my phone always wakes me up on time and couldn’t seem to figure out what the problem was.”

iphone alarm photo — The iPhone alarm let many people down as 2011 rolled in

Apple told Engadget, “We’re aware of an issue related to non-repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2. Customers can set recurring alarms for those dates and all alarms will work properly beginning January 3,” the Apple spokesperson said.

On January 1, Apple realized that there had been a glitch with the alarms and noted that it would be fixed by Monday, January 3. But alarms remained incoherent for the fourth day in a row leaving users fuming.

On New Years day, people were late to work, missed important appointments and flights and overslept.

Many users say not only are their alarms not going off but also their calendar events would not sound.

For some reason, this iOS alarm glitch is not affecting everyone and many believe that the problem is within the software itself.

Apple issued a statement advising many of its phones would not work at the start of 2011 but the warning was, obviously, missed by thousands of customers all over the world. The glitch effected non-recurring iPhone alarms which stopped working for devices running iOS 4.02, 4.1, and 4.2.1.

This is not the first time Apple phone users encountered a problem. Back on October 31, the so-called “smart phone” failed to recognize the turning of the clock back one hour (Day-Light Savings).

iPhone alarm screen — The alarm that wasn't.

Apple iPhones have had many problems ever since they were put on the shelves and have many questioning how smart they really are. With all of these malfunctions occurring, Apple is losing the interest of people wanting to buy their product and will have to win back their fans.

Here at Penn Manor, some students and faculty experienced this glitch at the best of worst times.

Technology coach Shawn Canady has a son in the Marine Corps who had to return to San Diego on Sunday.

“I set one alarm for 4 a.m. and my son, Scott Tison, set four alarms for 4 a.m to make it to the airport by 5:15 a.m,” recalled Canady. “The next day I awoke and something didn’t feel right. I looked at my clock in surprise and saw the numbers five three zero. We rushed to finish packing and got on our way to Harrisburg airport. We arrived to the airport at 6 a.m. to realize he missed the flight.”

Canady’s son got booked on the next flight but instead of flying to D.C. and then to L.A. with a one hour layover, Tison had to fly to Chicago and then L.A. with a 13 hour layover. Tison’s flight was to arrive at 3 p.m. on Sunday but never got to L.A. until 1 a.m. on Monday.

Canady said, “We have come to depend on these smart phones a lot and when it doesn’t work, it can really throw you for a loop.”

Canady explained that this glitch only happened to non-reoccurring alarms and not ones set weekly or for weekdays.

By Jan. 3, Geli suspected his alarm on his iPhone was not working.

So Geli tried his alarm again on Monday to wake up for school and set two alarms, one at 6:30 and the other at 6:45.

None sounded.

Luckily, Geli set another non-iPhone alarm, the old-fashioned kind, and was not late for school.

“I have a smart phone, it’s supposed to work and when it doesn’t, I get very irritated,” he said. “I’m starting to doubt my iPhone.”

Just remember, smart may not always be what it sounds.

By Cree Bleacher