Category: Student Life

Four tires, three mirrors, two pedals, one wheel…and a small red sticker that screams to the world “I’m an inexperienced driver!”

A law recently passed in New Jersey will require teenage drivers under 21 to buy a $4, red decal to put on their license plate by May 1, and an initial fine of $100 will be given to any youth seen without one.

The goal is to allow police to be able to easily find young drivers who are breaking restrictions on their junior license or learner’s permit.

“Things like a curfew, making sure they’re not having too many passengers in the car, they’re complying with the ban on hand held and hands free cell phones and so forth,” said Pam Fischer, director of New Jersey’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety according to KYW1060 news radio.

But how would students at Penn Manor feel if a similar law came to Pennsylvania?

“It wouldn’t be bad because then the people who tailgate you wouldn’t,” said Kristina Simon.

“I wouldn’t take offense to it. It’s only temporary,” said James Servansky.

“I personally don’t like it because people could make assumptions about your driving skills,” said Amy Feeser.

“On the other hand, it isn’t a bad idea in the sense that you’re making other drivers aware you are new to the road, so they should be wary,” said Feeser.

According to car-accidents.com, 5,000 teens ages 16 to 20 die each year because of car accidents and 400,000 from ages 16-20 will be seriously injured.

Will this law help save lives?

“Identifiers save lives because teens are more likely to drive safely and stay compliant with the law if they know their cars are easily identified,” said New Jersey State Attorney General Paula Dow, according to northjersey.com.

As driving laws such as this continue to get firmer on youth drivers, officials believe it’s worth it.

“The benefits far outweigh the risks,” said Dow.

By Mike Nitroy

What do you fear most? Is it dying? Is it heights? Well, according to faceyourfearstoday.com, the number one fear is snakes and surprisingly, public speaking comes in close at number 2.

Penn Manor’s very own Jennifer Drumm wouldn’t know anything about that, though. She placed first in Extemporaneous Public Speaking, which is a competition that consists of 11 participants from all over the region.

Contestants are given half an hour to prepare a speech about one of three topics pulled from a hat. The speech is timed and must be 4-6 minutes long. After presenting it to the committee, the judges ask questions relating to the topic.

Drumm’s topic was how H1N1, or the swine flu, affected the animal population.

Drumm couldn’t believe that the fear of public speaking topped the fear of death.

“When I was a freshman I was terrified [of public speaking],” Drumm said, “I’d never raise my hand in class, but now I love it.”

It may seem like Drumm is pretty fearless, but it turns out that she has one weakness.

“Snakes. I don’t like snakes at all.”

Amber Williams placed third in senior prepared public speaking, while Margaret Drumm and Katrina Reff placed fourth and fifth place respectively. They will both move onto the regional competition.

By Alex Flurry

Great weather brings out family traditions for this Memorial Day weekend.

According to the Lancaster Intel/New Era, this weekend will be sunny and warm with temperatures from 75 to 86 degrees.

Some Penn Manor students are looking forward to carrying out their tradition with their families.

“I’m going to the beach with my family and friends and having a barbecue,” said senior Ashley Rinehart.

“Every year I go to the beach with my family and we bond over s’mores and time by the ocean,” said junior Veronica Willig.

“I’m going to visit my grandma and spend time with my boyfriend,” said junior Genny Leonards.

Although some students are waiting for their beach trip or visiting family, some Penn Manor students are doing otherwise.

“I have a soccer tournament,” said junior Melissa Martin.

“I’m going to a softball tournament at Shippensburg,” said junior Brittany Wright.

The students are not the only ones with plans for this Memorial Day weekend, the administration has plans of their own.

“I’m waking up Saturday morning and going to the beach,” said Principal Phil Gale.

“I’m going to my oldest’s softball tournament, playing golf and cutting the grass,” said Jason Hottenstein, Penn Manor’s school resource officer.

By Sarah Garner and Kendal Phillips

It’s sticky. It’s sweet. It’s in your back pocket.  And it might just make you smarter.

It’s gum!

On April 12, juniors will begin three  weeks of PSSA testing for reading, math, writing and science. As of now there is no gum chewing allowed during these tests, but if the rule is changed could it affect test scores?

According to a study done by Baylor College of Medicine and sponsored by Wrigley Science Institute in April 2009, “Those who chewed gum had a 3% increase in standardized test scores and had final math grades that were significantly better than the other students.”

“I think it could somewhat affect [scores] but I’m skeptical to accept results from Wrigley Institute,” said Angela Stiklaitis, head of the math department.

Researches began to test 108 students between the ages of 13-16 by assigning half of the students to chew sugar-free gum while in math class, completing math homework and during math tests for 14 weeks.

The other half of the class would do these same activities, but without chewing gum.

The researchers concluded that the students who were allowed gum not only had improved test scores, but also had longer attention spans.

Would this make gum chewing okay?

“I think it would be alright [if they allowed gum]. However, their chewing could not be a distraction, but have to be polite and respectful,” said Stiklaitis.

Even students feel as if  helps them during class.

“[Gum] helps me concentrate,” said Joanne Cusatis.

“It helps stimulate your brain and keeps you focused,” added Abby Talbot.

And some students just like to chew it.

“[Class] is boring without [gum]. I like to twirl it too,” said Jaime Reel.

So whether chewing gum is just for fun, or for helping students concentrate, will it ever be allowed during the PSSAs is a question yet to be answered.

By Lindsey Ostrum and Mike Nitroy

By Robert Henry

In its first year, Penn Points was named one of the 13 finalists in the National Scholastic Press Association’s annual Online Pacemaker award. The Pacemaker award is somewhat equivalent to an Oscar except for high school journalism. Penn Manor’s Penn Points is the only Pennsylvania Online newspaper finalist for the N.S.P.A. and one of few from the east coast.

This year Portland Oregon will be hosting the N.S.P.A. Convention in April where the award ceremony will be held along with seminars and journalism speakers. Other awards that will be given out are Yearbook/ Magazine Pacemaker, Best of Show award, J.E.A. write-off award, Journalist of the Year award, Aspiring Young Journalist award and Investigative Journalism award.

According to N.S.P.A. the Online Pacemaker competition has seen a 70 percent  rise in entries since last year’s 2009 competition. This year, 132 high school websites entered into the category. All together the finalists include:

A Cumberland County teen was killed last week after a gasoline pump he was using burst into flames from static electricity.

Was this just a freak occurrence or is everyone, including the students at Penn Manor, in danger when they pull up to the pumps?

Penn Manor juniors Jennifer Felegi and Jessica Lindaman aren’t interested in taking any chances.

“Yeah I’m scared. I might blow up,” said Felegi, after hearing of the incident.

“It’s a one-in-how-many chance and all, but I don’t want to die,” Lindaman said.

Sophomore Jonny Fernandez is less nervous about dealing with static electricity and a possible explosion at a gas pump.

“[Static electricity] happens,” said Fernandez. “I touch the door when I get out [of the car] and I get shocked. It happens.”

Fernandez is taking the right precautions to prevent injury.

Experts on automedia.com say that although this is rare, the possibility of causing a fire from static electricity is very real and very dangerous.

They also claim that 75 percent of victims of gas pump-related fires are women. They offer these tips to help reduce the amount of accidents and increase awareness of this under-the-radar menace:

• Don’t get back into your car after you begin pumping
• If you have to get back into your car, touch a metal area of your car away from the gas pump to “ground yourself”
• Do not smoke, light matches or lighters while refueling

The Lancaster New Era also warns consumers to get help if a fire is started, not to remove the nozzle.

L. David Byers, the victim, was not smoking at the time of the accident and did not return to his car during pumping gas. However, the weather conditions were very dry, according to Lower Allen Township Fire Chief Frank Williamson, the perfect conditions to create static electricity.

Remember, this sort of incident is rare but can be fatal. Pass along the knowledge to help prevent further injury from ignorance.

By Danie Beck

Every student has their own morning routine, which normally includes the snooze button, a shower and some dental hygiene.

Mine ,however, includes a very crucial element-my coffee, also known as the elixir of my life.

Monday through Sunday, I get my java at 6:15 sharp, found at the corner of microwave and kitchen counter, and I’m always welcome.

I’m welcomed by the soothing smell of deliciously warm coffee beans, and the taste of hot coffee, one sugar, milk and vanilla flavoring.  (I take my coffee very seriously). Now who wouldn’t want that? Who wouldn’t need that?

I can’t even imagine.

On October 21, however, my nightmare became a reality. Yes, the Jackson Household Coffee Shop closed.

I woke up on time, and all appeared well, but little did I know the tragedy at hand.  The bliss-creator broke down.

As I pressed the green button that morning, I was shocked to find nothing was dripping. I was not hearing those musical drips and drops of liquid hitting the bottom of the pot.

I was devastated.

What has this world come to?  Frantically, I approach the owner of the shop, my mother.

“Mom, I can’t do this. I can not go on with this day.”

She was not amused.

That was the day I realized that I have a problem. I’m hooked on the hot stuff.

Throughout the day nothing went right.  I fell asleep in first block, I failed a quiz, I couldn’t pay attention, snapped at anything that moved and I had the most terrible headache brewing inside of me- these being just a few side effects of my coffee withdrawal.

To sum it up, I was cranky – really really cranky, and I was never happier to see 2:45 roll around.

As I was driving home, I realized how ridiculous I was being.  I let coffee ruin my entire day. A liquid. A mere luxury. At that moment I decided I would turn an awful day into a great one.

So what did I do? I drove to good ole’ Turkey Hill for a good ole’ cup of joe.

Maybe it’s time I had a coffee intervention.

By Dessie Jackson

Baladash Melanore, or in other words, greetings! The land of epic goodness starts here in the World of Warcraft. The game boasts 11.5 million players worldwide, and Penn Manor has little immunity to the infection.

“I play [World of Warcraft] at least 4 hours a day,” says Brandon Kauffman, a senior. “WoW is important enough that when I’m at school, I think about it.”

Blizzard Entertainment released World of Warcraft, often referred to as  ‘WoW ‘ on September 2, 2001 and the company is coming out with a new expansion (addition) to WoW called Cataclysm and adding two new characters later this year. It can only increase the game’s standing since WoW is currently the worlds most subscribed MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game).

Many people don’t understand why WoW is so appealing to others, or why they play this game in the first place. But Sean Brunner, a sophmore here at Penn Manor, knows exactly why.

“Roughly, I play WoW 8-9 hours a day,” says Brunner. ” Playing Wow is like a hobby, but it’s really my only hobby. If it were taken away it would make me feel sad.

“It’s so appealing because you can do whatever you want and there’s no consequences,” Brunner concluded.

For those of you who are “n00bs” and aren’t familiar with WoW, there are two sides to this world: the Alliance and the Horde. The Alliance has characters such as Humans, Draenei, Dwarfs, Gnomes, and Night Elves. On the Horde, there are the Undead, Taurens, Orcs, Trolls, and Blood Elves. On top of all of these characters, a class needs to be chosen. A class is the style of a player and it determines the type of weapons and armor the player can use, as well as abilities. The classes are Warriors, Mages, Druids, Death Knights (newest added character), Hunters, Warlocks, Priests, Paladins, Rogues, and Shaman. You’re confused? Maybe this explanation will help.

The demon-corrupted Orcs of Burning Legion destroyed many Human neighborhoods and killed a lot of Humans. When the Burning Legion was defeated, the surviving Orcs were put into concentration camps and forced into slavery until their liberation/escape to Kalimandor. Trolls and Humans have been fighting territorial wars since the beginning of their shared histories. When the Orcs came to Kalimandor, a group of them started logging a portion of Ashenvale (Alliance town), and fought and killed Cenarius, a defender of the forests there. This caused conflict and is the reason why the Alliance and the Horde hate each other. There’s more to the story on www.worldofwarcraft.com.

World of Warcraft might sound like the average game to others, but it’s very different. WoW has it’s own terminology and language which is what separates it from other games. The Alliance cannot communicate with the Horde and vice-versa.

“The neat thing about WoW is it’s realistic and not just a video game. There’s every age, race and sex playing. You can always find a friend if you spam something in trade chat,” Sean Brunner said.

One student said that they skipped at least four or five days of school just to stay home and play WoW.

“It can destroy your life, or make it happier,” said Peter Weidinger, another student here at Penn Manor.

But will you give in? Will you join the World of Warcraft? You decide.

By Gabby Myers