Category: Student Life

Reputations, getting to class on time and academics sometimes go on the back burner when it comes to Penn Manor’s PDA-loving students.

PDA stands for public displays of affection which can be defined and displayed in many different ways.

According to administration, teachers and a large majority of students, PDA is on the rise and many are “disgusted” and “grossed out” by some of the things they’ve seen.

Since the 2006-2007 school year, the number of students referred to the office has increased, according to discipline records. Most cases though are not reported to the administration unless extreme.

Students are mostly cooperative when approached, claimed several teachers who have reported excessive PDAs in the hallways.

What is appropriate PDA and how much is too much? How far does it have to go until it “grosses out” many passing students?

“I think there’s a time and place for it, but it’s not at school,” junior Jon Carty said.  “Holding hands is OK  but people don’t want to see spit-swapping and face-sucking.”

But grossed out or not, surprisingly over half of students questioned have been involved in some form of PDA themselves.

Principal Phil Gale said he feels that students are acting as if “(they) are going to war, not a 90 minute class.”

That doesn’t mean that all PDAs end up in a discipline referral.

The administration understands that high school students can feel the need to show affection and sometimes apply the rules as they feel necessary. But, they also view the extreme behaviors as a distraction to the students near by and a hindrance for everyone getting to class on time.

Senior Kelly McHugh said, “I think  a little bit is okay, but sometimes it gets distracting. Holding hands and a kiss is okay.”

“I hate it!” exclaimed senior Jill Zimmerman.

“I think it’s gross,” said sophomore Amanda Martin, “people don’t want to see it.”

On the other hand, seniors like Riannon Herr and Braiden Weber have a different take on it.

“PDA is okay because you can learn some new moves,” said Herr.

Also, a lunch table full of junior guys all agreed it is “perfectly acceptable” and “isn’t much of an issue.”

As long as students are not “competing for the longest kiss in movie history,” then I’m not going to stop them, said Ms. Cox.

Despite having to deal with things such as hardcore kisses, disrespectful responses,  and students’ lip rings getting caught together, Penn Manor students mostly follow the rules when it comes to sharing the love.

By Christa Charles

Little Monsters from around Philadelphia and even some from Penn Manor lined up to see the live “Monster Ball”  Tuesday night.

Lady Gaga preformed at the Wachovia Center, in Philadelphia, Tuesday and Wednesday night to a nearly sold-out crowd.

She promised to push the limits of a live concert and did according to one Penn Manor freshmen who attended, Greta Lindsley.  Lindsley got her tickets for her birthday in May and eagerly awaited to experience Gaga live.

“The place was packed. But the concert was better than I expected,” said Lindsley.

After going to her cross country meet, Lindsley went to the concert Tuesday night dressed in a t-shirt that she made adorned with Gaga’s name and playing cards with ‘poker face’ written on them.

“Poker Face,” is a popular song by Lady Gaga.  She calls her fans “little monsters.”

She arrived at the Wachovia Center at 8:00 p.m. to see the end of the opening act, ‘The Semi-Precious Weapons.”

Contrary to what people may think of parking in Philadelphia, Lindsley didn’t have to walk very far to get to the front door, where she was told that she was not allowed to bring in her camera. She was lucky enough to be able to use her camera phone from where she sat at the top balcony.

“It was really cool, we were on the highest point, the balcony, and were about 150 feet away from her on the stage, and there was a platform that came out from the stage so she could walk into the audience,” Lindsley recalled.

Gaga had many die-hard fans at the show, and some of them even dressed up like her.
Lindsley said when Gaga walked out onto the stage it was to a burst of screams, and comments of how “fabulous” she looked.

Aside from the overwhelming number of fans, Gaga had an overwhelming number of costume changes. One out of the nine outfits consisted of a white feather-duster dress that she wore while flying out into the crowd during her song ‘So Happy I Could Die’.
Lindsley thought her outfits were “pretty weird” and compared her look to that of  “a mental patient.”

“When she wasn’t wearing weird outfits, she was pretty much running around in her bra,” Lindsley said.

The decor that promised to be a New York City theme lived up to the expectations with Times Square stores and neon lights.

Lindsley left the concert with many memories, but the one that stuck out in her mind the most, she said,  was that she was in the front row of the balcony and felt really close to Gaga.

“It was definitely better than I expected,” said Lindsley.

By Whitney Reno

Break it up, cut open the bag, dump into a bowl and add water then put into the microwave for a couple minutes. Any college student who has run out of mom’s home cookin’ knows what this is about. Ramen Noodles.

College students love Ramen noodles because they’re quick and easy to make. Ramen noodles are more than just food though, there’s many things one can do with a pack of Ramen noodles.

There are websites out there proclaiming many original uses for Ramen noodles.

Although one, http://blisstree.com/live/50-things-to-do-with-ramen-noodles/ deals mostly with recipes, there are many more that have crazy innovations for the crunch starch. And Penn Manor students have their own crazy suggestions.

Want to build a house, looking to remodel your room? You can surely do that with Ramen noodles. Break up the noodles and use them to decorate a class project. You could even add food coloring to the noodles to make them look more presentable. Stand the Ramen noodles up like dominoes and watch them fall to the ground.

There’s even a better idea.. HOW ABOUT A RAMEN NOODLE FIGHT? Sound a little painful doesn’t it? Imagine the pain of getting some noodle in your eyeball. Sounds like a blast to me.

“I would have a Ramen Noodle fight inside a house because they’ll stick to the walls like spaghetti,”  said sophomore Michael Schneider.

Surely there’s more interesting things one can do with Ramen Noodles, kids at Penn Manor sure do have a very crazy imagination. A couple of the students thought up some good ideas.

“I would make a wig with the noodles, guitar strings, a jump rope, use the noodles as floss, throw them on the ground and wait for someone to slip on them, use the broth to make broth popsicles and you could even make a noodle monster!” Proclaimed Justin Herr a Junior at Penn Manor.

“You could use the noodles as a bungie cord, you could make sillybands, best friend bracelets, lassos,party streamers and possibly a raft made out of uncooked Ramen noodles, that would be awesome!” Exclaimed Josh Herr.

“I would make a shirt of out them,” said Bobby Lawrence.

The average person wouldn’t think of half of these ideas, are Penn Manor students going mad?

You can eat em, you can create with em, you can do anything with them. Ramen Noodles.

By Gabby Myers

“It’s not my fault! My teacher hates me!”

Almost everyone has used this excuse when explaining a bad grade to their parents.

Are we lying when we say it though? Every high school has teachers who are known to have favorite students. They call on them more, they joke around with them or is it just the students’ perspective?

“For myself, It’s like a mirror reflection. If a student is friendly and nice, I’ll be friendly and nice. I say that on the first day of school” said math teacher Doug Kramer.

“I don’t think teachers do (have favorites). It’s just that students perceive it that way. If I ask a question and only one kid raises their hand every time, kids say ‘you only talk to this person’ and I’ll feel ‘well they’re the only one to call on,’” English teacher Holly Astheimer said.

But if teachers don’t really have favorites, why does it seem as if teachers like some students better than others?

“I have over 100 kids” said chorus director Melissa Telesco. “I know for me, there are certain students that I’m around longer and get to know more. So if one teacher is a coach outside of school, they might talk to one student more because they can connect with them on whatever sport they play.”

Sophomore Kristina Simon agrees.

“I think teachers have favorites because they might know that person more and have a stronger relationship with them. It’s not intentional. You might think a teacher doesn’t like you, but they really just don’t know you as well as other students,” Simon said.

However, not everyone thinks that teachers have favorites just based on common personality.

“I’ve never really been a favorite. I think people who get better grades and talk and contribute to the conversation are the favorites,” said sophomore Vicky Nase.

So maybe the teacher knows other students better, but doesn’t it sometimes seem like they dislike certain students, and never talk to them?

“I’d like to think that every teacher is nice and professional, but obviously they aren’t. So friends talk to each other and teachers get reputations of not being helpful, and then the students are already prejudiced of the teacher,” said Kramer.

“With a limited amount of time each day, it’s hard to know what everyone wants and is thinking, because I can’t get around to talk to everyone every day. That’s why, every so often, I like to give out note cards and chocolate bars to students so I still have some connection with them,” said Telesco.

But if a student is not the teacher’s pet, does that make them discouraged?

“If you don’t like the teacher, you don’t really want to participate. You won’t want to do what they ask you to do. You become lazy,” said freshman Jessica Hanner

“Sometimes a student might say on an evaluation, ‘You joked around more with so and so and never with me. That’s why I didn’t talk.’ but it’s just human nature to be drawn to the people who are outgoing and funny. I want to tell them ‘No, talk to me,” said Kramer.

So when it comes down to it, talk to your teachers. They really do want to help you.

By Lindsey Ostrum

There’s the Scantron sheets, the short-tempered teachers and, of course, there’s the sweating.

Every student knows these can only mean one thing.

After 130 hours of sitting in a desk, students are forced to recall all the information they’ve learned for one 90-minute test, also know as the dreaded final exam.

Students have realized that teachers can select any question they choose, such as ‘What is the name of the tiny river that runs through Italy?’ that your teacher mumbled the answer to in the first five minutes on the second day of class.

Finals only count for 5-10 percent of your final course grade, but some students that stay up all night on ten cups of coffee studying argue that if a student has achieved an overall ‘A’ in the course, that the final exam should not be required.

“No [we shouldn’t have to] if you have an ‘A,’” said student Kelly Shertzer.

“Yeah, I wish we could be exempt from finals if we worked hard all semester to earn a solid ‘A’,” said student James Servansky.

“We should have an option. I don’t think you should have to if you have an ‘A,’ but if you have a ‘C,’ it can better your grade,” said student Amber Casey.

Local neighboring schools, like Hempfield, already have adopted a policy that is similar to what many of our students seem to like.

“Students that have an ‘A’ in a class both marking periods are exempt from taking the final exam in that particular class,” the Black Knight News reads.

And students here couldn’t be more thrilled with how Hempfield works.

“I heard Hempfield is like that. I’m jealous. It’s ridiculous,” said Shertzer.

But some teachers aren’t jumping on the Hempfield bandwagon just yet.

“I have mixed feelings,” said teacher Holly Astheimer, “When I was in high school, we had that policy, so you didn’t have to. But at the same time [if you don’t have the option,] you’re more responsible for retaining the information [throughout the course].”

Some schools, such as Wildwood School in Los Angeles, are even going as far as to completely remove final exams, and therefore creating a requirement of giving an oral presentation to demonstrate growth in the class.

“I think what politicians are hearing right now is that tests are driving the curriculum and narrowing the way kids learn,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor from Stanford University, in a report to the Los Angeles Times.

Even if the policy would ever change, the newly passed ‘Keystone exams’ or ‘exit tests’ might be the ultimate final exam for all students.

The Keystone exams are a series of tests given at the end of the four main courses, English, math, social studies and science as a graduation requirement, eventually replacing the PSSA tests, another favorite of students.

But these may not be the answer to the tears that run down students’ cheeks during finals.

“I don’t think testing is the only way to measure someone’s aptitude,” said Astheimer.

While the policy has no signs of changing right now, there’s no doubt that all students will be filling in the answer bubbles this year, whether they have a 99 or 59 percent.

By Mike Nitroy

A self-defense class recently helped five young college women in Bangor, Maine stop a man with a knife from escaping after he had just stabbed a 34-year-old nursing student.

That’s just the kind of training that Penn Manor girls have available to them through the school’s self-defense class. And in today’s world, they may need it.

“One out of every six American woman has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime” according to Rainn.org, an organization devoted to enlightening the public about the dangers of rape abuse and incest.

Almost ten years ago, a new health elective was first made available to the school’s junior and senior girls, women’s health and self-defense.  It’s a health class focusing on young women, issues they’re facing and being aware of the hard truth about personal safety.

It debuted during the 2000-2001 school year.

“It’s recommended for junior and senior girls because of the difference in maturity levels and their relationships,” said Heather Paquette, a physical education teacher, who teaches the Penn Manor course.

“The girls who take the class learn about the targets on an attackers’ body that are most sensitive and easiest to reach, weapons protection and general situational awareness,” Paquette said about the course.

“We have more girls sign up each year,” Paquette said, “There were about 50 this year.”

Paquette said it’s important for females to take a class like this. “It creates awareness for high school girls about sexual assault and prepares them for their college and work surroundings,” she said, “It’s not even about strength, its technique.”

She said the class teaches actual self-defense techniques that can keep a girl safe in many situations.

“The class teaches them about awareness, they’re not necessarily completely prepared for an attacker, but they’re at least thinking about high-risk situations that they might find themselves in,” Paquette said, “They should always trust their instincts.”

“I really enjoyed the class, and it taught me a lot about how to protect myself against predators,” said Bianca Ygarza, a senior at Penn Manor High who tookn the course in the fall semester.

Ygarza said she would recommend the class to others.

“It’s a fun and informative class, you do a lot of bonding with your classmates and it’s a stress-free environment where you can talk about anything,” Ygarza raved.

Even though the occurrence in Bangor, Maine is not an everyday happening, Ygarza and Paquette agree it’s all about “preparation.”

By Dana Poetzl and Kayla Pagan