The thirsts are quenched but not the growling stomachs.
No snacks after PSSA’s this week is leaving students outraged.
Elena Hart shows her frustration with being given just a small water after PSSAs. Photo by Sarah Garner
“We work hard to make the school look good so the least they could do is give us snacks,” said Kierstin Creasy.
“I didn’t eat breakfast because I thought we were getting snacks,” said Jackie Schmalhofer.
“We work hard and deserve our snacks,” said Anissa Gerlach.
After having snacks the past two weeks students were expecting to have snacks again this week but were disappointed with only getting water and ice tea boxes. Students want to know why the snacks have stopped arriving.
When Principal Jason D’Amico was asked why students stopped getting snacks his response was, “There was only so much to go around.”
He then explained how there was a certain amount of snacks and it didn’t match up with the amount of PSSA days.
Juniors, don’t get your hopes up for snacks next week.
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Some say it’s a breeding ground for predators, others say it’s a great way to meet people around the world.
It’s creator hails the website as the new “Facebook 2.0.”
Chatroulette.com describes itself as a “brand new service for one-on-one text, webcam and microphone-based chat with people around the world.”
In other words, it’s like a newer, more high-tech and more dangerous version of the original chat rooms that popped up when the Internet was first available.
But the head of Penn Manor technology warns the popular site is a site taken over by perverts.
And although most people who use Chatroulette think they are totally anonymous, other applications allow the participants who are in the chat rooms to be located on a web map.
Chatroulette users may not be as anonymous as they think.
An online newspaper, TheWeek.com, which details national and international news, calls it “(Chatroulette), an anarchic venue where users of any age do whatever they like in front of live webcams.”
A junior at Penn Manor High School, Brittany Wright, is one student who regrets getting onto the site Chatroulette.
“I went on Chatroulette the other day ’cause it was on T.V. and I was curious,” Wright said, “There were half-naked people every other person I got, thank goodness for the “next” button.”
The “next” button Wright is talking about is one of the only considerate things on the site. It allows you to say goodbye to your current chat partner and get a new one, which in many cases doesn’t help at all.
The problem in question is exposure, people are doing whatever they want in front of a camera, sometimes the activities are disturbing.
Genny Leonards, another junior at Penn Manor says of the site, “Every time I would get another person it would be the exact same thing, all I saw was [male and female anatomy].”
Yes, people go on Chatroulette and show their private parts to other users who are usually caught off guard, even the “next” button doesn’t help.
But most of the people interviewed at Penn Manor say the sexual harassment is too much. Kiersten Creasy, a junior at Penn Manor, said, “I definitely won’t get back onto the site. It was so gross, who wants to get in front of a webcam and show themselves off? I mean that’s just gross.”
One of the most frightening aspects of Chatroulette is an application that allows the computer user to see a live map of those users in the area, or for any particular spot in the world.
The site Chatroulettemap.com takes away a users anonymity
Chatroulettemap.com, which is a map that shows where people who are logged onto the site live, eliminates a certain anonymity that generally a Chatroulette member would be looking for. The map shows a user’s exact location, a helpful zoom button lets you narrow down to nearly an exact address.
Creasy, Wright and Leonards agreed the mapping aspect takes the site too far.
Many people would think that a lethal combination of sexual harassment and that added creepy factor that Charoulettemap.com brings to the table, would make Chatroulette a website in decline, but surprisingly some major companies are interested in this growing phenomena. Google, DST, Skype and Yandex, all major multi-million dollar companies, have expressed an interest in investing in Chatroulette, according to its own website.
Andrey Ternovskiy, the 17-year-old founder of Chatroulette, told reporters that he’s not interested in selling the site, and that he would feel he would be letting Chatroulette users down if he sold it already.
The question on everyone’s mind right now is, how safe is this site?
Lindsay Shockley a Junior at Penn Manor warns future users, “I would say you have to know what you’re getting into because its not guaranteed that you’ll get nice and sweet people every time, most of them are perverts.”
Charlie Reisinger, the director of Technology for Penn Manor School district, answered a few questions about the technology and safety of this site.
Q. “Many people who have read about the lap-top camera fiasco at Harrington High school, which involved an allegedly hacked laptop camera of a student, have asked, could someone from Chatroulette hack onto a users laptop camera after they’ve already logged off?”
A. “As far as my knowledge, no. But that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t write a program and hack into a computer and do exactly that. Someone from a remote location couldn’t just simply turn on your camera and spy on you, but it could be possible from a worm or a virus from a hacker.
Q. “What would you say to people thinking about using the site?”
A. “I would tell them going into it you need to know that its an unregulated, uncontrolled, free-for-all. About 20 percent of the people using Chatroulette are perverts and people need to know that before going into Chatroulette.”
Q. “How do you feel about Chatroulette the site?”
A. “It was an interesting tool until it was ruined by perverts, its such an interesting concept, but the same internet safety rules apply, be very careful with the information you release to people.”
Q. “How accurate is the Chatroulettemap.com map?”
A. “It is very accurate. The map itself is based on IP addresses that each indivdual computer has. The IP address is matched up with a Chatroulette snapshot from Chatroulette, and your address is no longer anonymous. Everything you say on the internet or do can be traced back to you, and Chatroulette has no warranties, its basically use at your own risk”
Q. “Would you say Chatroulette is a breeding ground for predators?”
A. “I would definitely agree with that, it’s a shame because it could have been used as a very interesting tool.”
Many people will be watching Fox Network’s award winning musical comedy Glee, which returns at this odd time to the delight of its millions of fans, who are not only teens, but teachers, parents and the elderly as well, all who call themselves “gleeks.”
Glee follows the challenges of starting a show choir, named New Directions at the fictional William McKinley High School in Ohio. In the first 13 episodes, characters found themselves dealing with a competitive cheer leading team, romance and being bullied by their fellow classmates.
Glee returns April 13 for fans everywhere. Photo from tvfanatic.com
“There’s so much on the air right now about people with guns, or sci-fi, or lawyers running around. This is a different genre, there’s nothing like it on the air at the networks and cable” said show creator Ryan Murphy to variety.com.
After a four month hiatus, fans are more than ready to have the show come back.
“I love it! I really think this season will expand on all the drama that last season left off,” said Penn Manor sophomore Maranda Kurtz, “I love the different characters. I can’t wait!”
“Yea, I’m excited. I want to be able to see all the episodes because I didn’t get to last season,” said Tim Deubler.
The remaining nine episodes will feature brand new cover songs that will range from The Beatles to Christina Aguilera including an entire episode dedicated to Madonna.
“The songs are so catchy!” said Kurtz.
“All the music comes from so many different genres. It’s a great variety,” said Deubler.
The soundtracks have sold millions of copies, prompting the cast to go on tour – visiting Phoenix, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York according to gleetourdates.com.
Glee has already been renewed for a second season, and the creators are looking for new cast members who can send in audition tapes through myspace.com according to associatedcontent.com.
Fans can continue watching now until the season finale on June 8, and after that there are sure to be enough songs to hold them over for the summer.
One of the country’s oldest farmers’ market is getting a tune-up.
Lancaster Central Market, located in the heart of the city, has been more than just an occasional meeting place. Residents of the city and surrounding areas have been congregating in and around the red brick building on a weekly basis since 1889.
For the past 121 years, the Market building hasn’t changed much and outwardly, it still won’t. However, the market will experience several changes in the small things.
“Any changes will be in the details,” Market Manager (formerly known as Market Master) Michael Ervin said about the construction.
Central Market construction begins. Photo By Juan Montes.
Improvements will include modifications to the windows, electrical system, mechanical system, plumbing system and the masonry.
The market will be attempting to go “green” by installing 40 state-of-the-art, energy efficient light bulbs as compared to the 480 inefficient lights currently in use.
“It’s good they can focus on the environment without losing their historical aura,” said Penn Manor junior and Central Market attendee Haley Blazer.
The restrooms will also be improved, which comes as a relief to many market-goers.
“The toilets are kind of disgusting, so cleaner toilets are necessary,” said sophomore Brendan Kincade.
In total, the project will cost around $7 million and be finished sometime in March 2011.
The Market is running on its normal schedule, with three stands taking a break for every two-week period. Ervin said Central Market has not lost any business.
With the continuous growth of Facebook and other online social networks comes problems that have never been faced before.
Most troublesome is that employers are now searching potential employees’ Facebooks and they’re finding things they don’t like. Photos, statuses and wall posts are being observed. If the employer finds “unprofessional” items, it could possibly hurt the applicant’s chances of being hired.
These searches are used here at Penn Manor when the district is looking to hire for a professional position.
“It doesn’t play a huge part, but we like to see what the employee is like outside the interview. Anyone can look professional,” Principal Philip Gale said.
Students of Penn Manor, though the applying-hiring process may be off in the future, will still be eligible to be “searched”.
Ryan Davisson, part of the technology department at Penn Manor said, “What’s safe now might not be in the future.”
Although employers have tapped into this resource, teenagers may not be taking it as seriously as they should.
Sophomore Junior Suarez said, “I used to have pictures of me partying from when I was like, 13 and I am worried about it, honestly. But there’s nothing I can do now.”
Suarez is not alone.
“Even if you don’t put [pictures] up, you can’t control what your friends post,” said junior Greg Gydush.
Some students seem to believe they have a sneaky solution.
Like many, junior Sam McCrery said, “I’ll probably just delete [my Facebook] when I start looking for jobs.”
Unfortunately, deleting is not fool-proof.
Head of the technology department Charlie Reisinger talks about Facebook. Photo by Sarah Schaeffer
District Technology Director Charlie Reisinger explained that typically, anything posted can’t be completely deleted. Facebook, and similar sites, must back up all of their data, ensuring users that they will always have access to it. Screenshots taken by other users of your personal information could also surface later on.
“Even if you delete an account, that doesn’t mean it’s not still out there,” said Reisinger.
With an increasingly competitive job market and a current unemployment rate of 9.7%, keeping a clean and professional appearance both off- and online is the key to staying in the game.
“Don’t put anything anywhere that could come back and bite you in anyway,” said Reisinger.
On June 18, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park will open in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida with rides and attractions straight from the series that millions have fallen in love with.
Harry Potter's Wizarding World in Orlando, Fla.
“Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter’s world as it is portrayed in the books and films,” said the production designer Stuart Craig to gossipcenter.com
The park includes a realistic Hogwarts that takes guests on tours allowing them to view areas from scenes in the movies, a replica of the rustic shopping village, Hogsmeade, and a wild, two car racing rollercoaster called the Dragon Challenge.
Harry Potter lovers all around the world– including at Penn Manor, are more than hyped for the unveiling.
“I’m so excited to go in July for my cousin’s 18th birthday party,” said Mikayla Herbert, “I want to walk through Hogwarts!”
“Our field hockey tournament is in Florida next year, so I’m excited to see everything,” said Kayla Bixler.
“I would want to go if it wasn’t so far away,” said Ryan Newswanger.
Along the way throughout the park, attendees may also run into Hagrid’s hut that takes you on a smaller rollercoaster named The Flight of the Hippogriff.
After experiencing all the rides, guests can even visit a replica of The Three Broomsticks restaurant where they can choose from foods such as butterbeer (a non alcoholic beverage from the books), fish and chips, peanut butter ice cream and more.
Many travel sites offer generous travel packages, and universalorlando.com offers a one day pass to Universal Studios for as little as $109 for an adult.
But if one day isn’t enough, the same site offers seven day passes for only $169.99 for an adult.
Households with children ages 7-14 can also enter a scholastic contest for a family of four for an all travel expense paid trip to visit the park for 3 days at www.scholastic.com/realmagicsweepstakes.
Whether a devoted fan, a movie lover, or just jumping on the band wagon, the theme park is sure to fulfill the dreams of anyone who ever wished to step into Hogwarts.
Mindy Rottmund’s advanced foods class took part in a cook-off today and the results were simmering. Wednesday the students spent their time cooking two separate entrees which were then tasted and judged.
The unit was based on the movie “Julie and Julia.” The movie is based off of the famous cook Julia Child and her many recipes.
“I had gotten the movie for Christmas and was excited about it. The kids had participated in a Rachel Ray challenge before so they knew what to expect,” said Rottmund.
All four groups had to create Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon along with another one of her famous soups.
Billy Brice, a chef from Mazzi’s restaurant in Leola, and Krista Cox, Penn Manor High School’s assistant principal, served as the two judges during the competition.
Brice got involved in the event from a local connection.
“I knew Billy from the hotel restaurant where I work,” said Zach Ross, a senior at Penn Manor.
Each student had their own role to play in the making of the soup and Brice found the results of their teamwork quite tasty.
“I was very surprised by the garlic soup. I’d never had it before and didn’t think much of it, but it tasted pretty darn good,” said Brice.
However, one team did not finish in time and was not allowed to compete.
“They just didn’t work well together,” commented senior Brandi Kauffman, one of the participants in the cook-off.
The judges had to grade each dish on a one-to-five scale in categories such as visual presentation, aroma and flavor.
Rottmund had high hopes for her class and was satisfied with the end results.
“It went well,” said Rottmund. “The kids learned a lot about timing, organization and teamwork. We did some good life-long skill building.”
Ross, who plans to attend YTI in his near future, has much appreciation for the class and the skills he is learning.
“All the activities we do are going to be helpful for college and my future career,” said Ross.
However, at the end of the day, it seemed all that mattered was who took home the gold.
Contestants in Penn Manor's first French cooking contest stir up delicious meals.
In the Boeuf Bourguignon competition, the first place award went to “the boys”-Zach Ross, Cory Horst and Vaughn Stetler with 52 points out of 60. Second place went to Mariah Landis and Stephanie Carroll with 45 points out of 60.
The second soup that each group made also received scores out of 60 points.
First place with 49 points went to Zach Ross, Cory Horst and Vaughn Stetler for their outstanding cassoulet de porc et de Mouton soup. Second place with 48 points went to Brandi Kauffman and Cory Bowman for their soupe de poulet, or strained chicken soup. Third place with 47 points was awarded to Emmy Hess and Kendra Keuper for their garlic soup.
Overall, the judges thought the food was a hit.
“I gave high marks all around in different areas,” said Brice. “Some scored high in visual display…and some not so high in taste.”
You know you grew up in the 90’s if you wore jelly shoes and watched Ren-n-Stimpy.
Picture yourself as a child again: What did you watch on TV? What toys did you play with? What games did you play? What was your favorite movie? What trends did you notice?
Sophmore Mitch Wise said, “All of my school friends would collect and trade them (Matchbox Cars).”
Your childhood is a landmark in time where you had nothing to worry about except for whether you were eating Lunchables or Kid Cuisine meals for lunch.
Senior Sam Evans said, “Its so much different, looking back now, it seems weird.”
Gameboy was a popular hand held game in the 90s.
Imagine the time when you woke up and played with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Some students of Penn Manor enjoyed 90’s toys such as Barbie’s, Matchbox Cars, Powerrangers, Legos, Koosh Ball, Beanie Babies, Furby’s, and Play-Doh.
Penn Manor youngsters were groovin’ to the sounds of the Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Spice Girls, Green Day, NoDoubt,Will Smith, 98 Degrees, and Britney Spears.
Senior Krista Conlin said about Britney Spears, “I wanted to be like her and I liked her songs.”
Some cartoons that Penn Manor students enjoyed in the 90’s were Rugrats, Ren-n-Stimpy, Doug and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
Or did you run home to watch Boy Meets World, Full House, Sister-Sister, Smart-Guy, Keenan and Kel, or All That?
Sophomore Jackie Thomas said, “I liked Crumb (Aaahh!!! Real Monsters) held his eyeballs in his hands.”
Certain games and toys bring back good childhood memories.
Were you a Penn Manor tike who picked those cherries off the cherry tree in Hi-Ho Cherrio? Some hit games were Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Gameboy, Perfection, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and Battleship.
Senior Katelyn Harnish said, “I liked playing Monopoly because it gave me a chance to beat my parents.”
If you were a child in the 90’s you may have been begging your parents to take you to see Toy Story, Pocahontas, The Lion King, and Small Soldiers at the movie theaters.
Sophomore Junior Suarez said, “I got really interested in the Lion King because of the subliminal messages throughout the movie.”
Do you remember wearing jelly shoes, Airwalks, light-up shoes, shell tops, bellbottoms, belly shirts, Sketchers, overalls or Mom Jeans? Then you were a child of the 90’s.
Krista Conlin said, “They (Jelly Shoes) felt cool on my feet.”
Amber Schwebel said, “If I had the chance to do it over (childhood), I wouldn’t because it made me who I am today.”
As a child things were much different in the 90’s, although the great toys and movies are still popular today.
The new generation has improved on quality, some movies are now in 3D, bands have become more realistic singing about real life scenarios, games have been generated to online multi-player, and trends have changed dramatically.
Today the childhood toys, games, movies, cartoons, trends and bands are a complete outbreak of the 90’s.
Junior Roy Keagy said, “Looking back you see how innocent you used to be.”
