Category: Student Life

Keep your hands on the wheel, feet on the pedals and eyes on the road.

Drivers continue to be distracted by the same things, no matter the age of the driver behind the wheel, including drivers here at Penn Manor.

In 2009, there were a total of 5,474 distracted driving traffic fatalities, which is 16 percent of all U.S. traffic deaths, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.

Seventy percent of teens say that their parents influenced them how to drive, however, adult drivers do not always exhibit the best role-model behavior. The survey found most parents exhibit the same distracted behaviors as teens,” according to Froedtert.com’s a website that track’s driving statistics.

“iPods, friends, loud country music, my cell phone, eating food and other people’s high beams at night distract me,” explained Marc Summy, a junior at Penn Manor High School.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reports there are many distracting activities while driving that cause crashes. These activities include using a cell phone, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading (including maps), using a PDA or navigation system, watching a video, and changing the radio station, CD, or mp3 player.

Not only does Summy admit to being distracted while driving, but he has recently been in an accident with a 16-year-old who was not paying attention.

“I was rear-ended by a 16-year-old who was distracted by his friend who was in the passenger seat. They were talking and I guess he wasn’t looking and he hit me,” said Summy.

Nick Weidinger said that he hates when there are bugs in his car and fly around because it makes it very hard to drive.

One senior at Penn Manor High School, Tanner Kennedy, also admits to being distracted while driving.

“I was driving and there were four big size cappuccinos on the passenger side floor for myself and my friends,” said Kennedy.  “I was on my way and there was a red light ahead so I pressed the brakes to stop and the cappuccinos spilled. At the light, I tried to pick them up and drive at the same time and I hit a motorcycle. I was going literally two miles per hour and I still had my temporary license.”

“My cell phone, the radio, mp3 player, and good looking women distract me,” said Kennedy.

Nick Hartley, also a senior at the high school, agrees that his phone, friends, music and his iPod distract him. Also, changing the song is a pain for him to do without taking his eyes off the road.

By Jenna Reel

Step away from the lipstick.

A group of girls from Texas are going without makeup every Tuesday, but it seems to be a trend few Penn Manor girls are likely to follow.

In their effort to redefine beauty, a group of six girls from Colleyville Heritage High School, in Texas made a push to promote self-confidence and female empowerment by walking the halls without makeup.

Here at Penn Manor High School, it is rare to see girls without makeup. Many say they wear makeup because they think it makes themselves look better and would not go without it.

“I definitely care how other people see me,” senior Brittany Wright said.

Although going to school without makeup could be a challenge for girls who are used to cover up, mascara, eye liner and blush, there are some who wouldn’t mind joining The “Redefining Beautiful” campaign, as it is called.

“I’m confident about myself whether I’m wearing makeup or not” said Dani Warfel, a student at Penn Manor High School.

“I think girls at Penn Manor should be more confident in themselves because they don’t need all that makeup. The key is to make it look like your not wearing any,” said senior Jeremy Vital.

The Texas girls were inspired to start this campaign after hearing about Operation Beautiful, which has a goal to improve self confidence for females everywhere. The members of the group are responsible for posting anonymous notes and messages in public bathrooms and other locations for other women to later find.

“They should also know they are beautiful without it as well and I feel a lot of girls forget that,” said Jeff Ford.

By Mary Treier

Just because the economy is still struggling, it doesn’t mean every teen is trying to get out and help their parents by paying for their own expenses.

In fact, the annual average employment rate for teens has hit its lowest mark in 56 years, according to the National Youth Employment Coalition.

Between extracurricular activities and their family commitments, students at Penn Manor have different takes on whether they should be employed.

“During the summer, my parents want me to have a job to help save up for college and for me to pay for my insurance, but during the school year, they don’t want me having to deal with school, cheerleading and a job,” explained senior Samantha McCrery.

Some teens’ parents are very lenient when it comes to having their children unemployed. By paying for all of their kids expenses such as car payments, insurance, gas and spending money, the children do not have to worry about being employed.

“My parents pay for all my expenses: gas, insurance, clothes, food, everything. They want me to be unemployed,” Stef Friedman said.

Other parents want their kids to have a  job and make their own money.

Only 33 percent of teenagers, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, ages 16 to 19 were employed in 2008.

“My parents prefer me to be employed during high school,” junior Taylor Goldberg states, “they have me paying for gas and I paid for my car, but they pay for everything else.”

There are other reasons students are unemployed, which include the economy. Many employers look to hire people over the age of 18. This age restriction causes problems for teens who are trying to locate a job. Restaurants that serve alcohol and some retail stores have that age limit restriction for hiring.

That’s what happened to a Penn Manor teen who applied for just such a job.

“It was bogus because it was a janitor job that I applied for, anyone can clean. It shouldn’t take an 18 year old or older to clean,” said senior Zach Miller, who applied for a job, but didn’t get it.

By Jordann Stekervetz

That day of the week that everyone dreads is always here before you know it, filling up the tank.

As the year goes on, prices at the pump are going up. Students and faculty are starting to find transportation quite difficult. It is a constant expense if you have a job or are attending school regularly, you are always spending money.

Filling up tanks can be a huge purchase for some people depending on what type of car they drive.

Senior Alex Blythe said, ” I drive a Mitsubishi Galant and it takes around $35 to fill up my tank. I am at the pump every single week to fill up. I work at Giant and they barely pay enough to help with gas. If I ever had to drive an SUV, I would never be able to afford it.”

President Barack Obama suggested some ways to help the gas situation.

“We should be investing in new technologies,” he said, “so we can replace the internal combustible engine, which has served us well, but it’s time for us to move on, because we want to get rid of fossil fuels.”

It’s difficult for students to think about new technologies when are finding that paying for gas is becoming quite difficult, even with having a job.

“I drive a 2001 Mazda Protege and it takes about 25-dollars to fill my tank,” senior Cheyenne Brubaker said. “I work three days a week at two Cousins in Millersville and it takes one day to pay for a tank of gas and I am paying weekly.

A few seniors have a good paying job but would rather be saving up their money for something else that would benefit them for the future.

Like senior Jenna Spayd who drives a 1996 Dodge Neon.

“It takes around 30-dollars to fill my tank each week,” Spayd said.  “Even though I work four to six days a week and get paid well, it is still difficult to find money for gas sometimes. There are better things I could be spending my money on. Gas is a once and done thing, you pay for it and when it’s gone it’s gone, you can’t re-use it. I would much rather be putting my money towards something for college, like a new laptop.”

Brubaker said, “It’s hard because teenagers have to pay for college application fees, visits and just college in general. That is a big expense for a teenager to be paying for. With being in school it gets difficult because that means less working hours each week for students.”

By Allana Herr

Derek Jeter, Lady Gaga, President Obama, Kobe Bryant, all can be considered role models for today’s generation.

At Penn Manor, however, not just famous celebrities, athletes, and politicians are role models. Family members, friends, co-workers, and many others also are potential shining examples to teens. They come in all colors, ages, shapes, and sizes.

A junior at Penn Manor High School, Austin Richwine, explains that his parents are his role models in his life.

“They let me have fun and balance that with good parenting. I try and pass what they teach me to my friends and my sister,” said Richwine.

“Chase Utley is my famous role model because he plays baseball and he plays it right. I try to play like him,” Richwine said.

Sophomore Cooper Lindsley and junior Ryan Dettrey both say that their famous role model is Michael Phelps.

“I’m a swimmer so I look up to him,” says Dettrey.

“I want to be a ‘swimming awesome machine man’ like him. I try to follow him by swimming like a beast,” Lindsley said.

Sophomore, Aaron Lugo said that Jon Sciaretta is his friend and role model.

“He is so fun to be around and always tries to have a good time. I act like him because I try to do the same and I grew out my facial hair like his,” said Lugo. “My famous role model would have to be David Ortiz because he is an awesome baseball player. I try to copy his batting stance.”

Patrick Ament explains how his grandpa is his role model.

“He is so funny and always makes me laugh. I try to be funny like him and I sometimes use his jokes. As for my famous role model, I’d have to say it’s Lil’ Wayne. We have a lot in common and I listen to his music all the time” said Ament.

Senior Josh Carle said that his famous role model is rapper Eminem.

“I think it’s really cool how he overcame all of his problems and is still a well-known, great rapper,” said Carle.

By Jenna Reel

It’s that time of year for costume shopping.

In elementary school it was typical for students to wear their favorite cartoon character or a Disney movie character as their Halloween costume.

But when student’s reach high school, the decision to pick out a costume gets a little more complex. Costumes in high school are more likely to be based off of a celebrity such as Lady Gaga or the actors from the MTV show such as Jersey Shore.

Most students at Penn Manor said they got their costume from Party City or Spirit Halloween. However, two students told Penn Points that they rented their costumes from The Millersville Costume Shop.

Senior Zach Miller said, “I found my tiger outfit that I used to wear so I’m going to try and squeeze into it.”

According to an online resource, www.costumzee.com, other popular costumes were Chucky, a nerd, Barbie and Disney characters.

People and kids especially spend a lot on Halloween costumes each year. Costumes can be very expensive depending on where you get them, but if it’s a great looking costume, kids will purchase it.

Freshman Alyssa Oktela said, “I am willing to spend over $50 for a costume. Last year, my costume was $80-dollars. I will normally purchase my costumes at Hot Topic.

Even though Halloween is geared toward younger kids, high school kids are still participating in the trick-or-treat fun. Some parents approve of their teenagers going out, and others don’t find it to be a good idea.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do this year yet because my parents said I was too old to go out, but I’m going to try to go with my little cousins. I am going to go to Party City soon to find a costume although I don’t have any ideas yet,” said freshman Brittany Weidman.

Some kids take their younger siblings or cousins around. They still enjoy the lights and surroundings, but are supervising their younger siblings.

Oktela said, “I sometimes go with my younger siblings and cousins, but I don’t dress up or get candy.”

By  Allana Herr and Chassidy Sowersby

Instant energy. It sounds like a good, easy solution to lack of sleep and exhaustion, but what it really does to the human body may be slightly terrifying.

Regardless of the rush many may feel from energy drinks, recent studies have shown that drinking them can cause serious short-term and long-term health risks.

There have been more than 500 energy drinks launched worldwide, according to NBC news. Some of the most popular drinks consumed are Red Bull, Monster, Jolt, Amp, Rockstar and Full Throttle. Many of which find their way, on a daily basis, in the stomachs of students at Penn Manor.

For the students that drink energy drinks, most describe the after-effect as a “crash.”

Senior Amanda Ackerman said, “It’s horrible, I just don’t wanna do anything.”

“Afterwards it feels like my heart is beating really fast,” added Jordan Drexel, also a senior.

Anthony Bernard described his experiences as “very happy” and “giddy,” but nothing like a lack in energy or focus.

“I get jittery for like five minutes and then I go back to normal,” explained senior Justin Herr.

The biggest concern about energy drinks is the most obvious: Caffeine.

According to NBC news, a 12-ounce serving of Amp contains 107 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 34 to 38 milligrams for the same amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Monster has 120 milligrams and Red Bull has 116.

This “drug” can cause addiction, but isn’t necessarily the worst thing about the energy-boosting beverages.

Apart from the caffeine that starts the addiction, energy drinks have legal herbal stimulants within them. Teenage bodies are not always able to handle these types of chemicals. Herbal stimulants can do serious damage to the body’s nervous system and they also contribute to neurological problems.

But what about the sugar?

The sugar that is used to sweeten energy drinks and add to the boost is processed, just like most soft drinks and coffees. But, this type of sugar breaks down very quickly which releases too much energy at one time.

This concept is what puts the body under stress while it is also trying to maintain other body functions; the body plunges into overload. The feeling of fatigue takes over after drinking a Red Bull or a Monster because the energy from the broken sugars is quickly burned up and the rest of your body continues to be in overdrive for awhile.

Other additives in energy drinks also contribute to the negative health risks.

Taurine, B vitamins, amino acids and guarana are the thought-to-be harmless ingredients in the beverages, but in the quantity added to energy drinks can cause an overdose of caffeine and stimulation.

How do students afford such beverages? These “energy enhancers” cost anywhere from one dollar to over three dollars. That’s a big number if you’re like senior Crystal Bugner who drinks at least one energy drink everyday.

Bugner spends $20 out of every paycheck to support her habit.
She introduced herself by saying, “My name is Crystal and I’m addicted to caffeine.”

Other students aren’t afraid to roll out the dough either.

Ackerman said, “I usually pay myself, almost three bucks a drink”

“Depending on the quality and expiration, (I’ll pay) three dollars, but I wouldn’t be afraid to pay up to four,” commented Bernard.

But regardless of price and ingredients, most students are like Herr.

“I am aware of the risks, but I really don’t care.”

By Christa Charles and Cassie Funk

Dying one’s hair is becoming a popular activity for students in Penn Manor High School. Using shades such as red, blue, purple and even rainbow, there’s no room for boredom.

Teenagers love to change their image from time to time and sometimes that begins with their elaborate hair colors.

But what can seem like harmless fun can actually be dangerous, at least to the hair itself, according to some experts.

Hair dye comes in different types such as temporary, semi-permanent and permanent. Permanent hair dye affects the hair shafts through chemical reactions causing a lasting dye job until the hair grows out or is dyed over.

Semi-permanent hair dye lasts for about five to ten washes and is a popular type of dye used by many students at Penn Manor.

There are many different reasons teens chose to change their natural hair color. The most common one is boredom.

“I get sick of it being the color it is,” said sophomore Sadira Royer whose hair is now black, but has previously been colors such as purple, pink, blue, and even red.

Junior Chelsea Daily, who currently has auburn hair, said she began dying her hair “just to get different colors.”

Alanna Margoline, a senior with her hair dyed purple, said that natural hair is just boring to her.

Katie O’Connor, a senior, is no stranger to changing her hair colors. She has had her hair every color under the sun. Even the rainbow. Currently her new look is Blue Envy.

O’Connor started out with blue highlights in her natural brown roots and progressed to more daring colors because she was “honestly just bored.”

Some students, like senior Becca Eckman, feel that dying their hair is more of a way to show off their individuality.

Eckman said, “doing different things to my hair is a good confidence boost because I don’t really care what people think anymore.”

“It’s a great way to show creativity and to express yourself,” said Margoline.

Physical damage to hair is evident if proper care is not taken after dying, however there has also been rumors of cancer causing substances in the dye.

The American Cancer Society led studies on the health concerns hair dye can produce for a routine user. They concluded that there is not an increased risk of cancer, not even for the hairdressers that are constantly exposed to the chemicals.

However, even though there is no direct link between hair dye and serious diseases, that does not mean that changing the natural hair on your head is a risk-free action.

Sophomore Mandee Trout has been dying her hair since she was in fifth grade and has had many different shades, noting that she began her freshman year with hot pink hair.

However, Trout began noticing significant damage to her hair from the constant use of hair dye.

“I had to slow down because my hair started to feel like straw,” Trout said.

O’Connor is aware of the damage hair dye can cause. For that reason, she uses special shampoo that restores her hair.

Margoline also knows about the damage that could occur from the dye. She realizes that she must take good care of her hair in order to continue her individualistic nature.

“It’s called dying for a reason…your hair dies.”

By Cassie Funk