Category: Student Life

Top Halloween Costumes for 2011 range from Scary to Vampy

By  Chris Fleming –

Get ready to see candy hungry zombies roaming the streets October 31.

Image courtesy of halloweencostumes4u.com

“A lot of zombie stuff has been selling well and old school stuff like Mario Brothers,” said a sales associate at the Fruitville Pike Party City, a popular place for teens and adults to buy costumes.

Some students said that they have dressed up as zombies in the past or are thinking about it this year and that a cheap way to do it is to wear old or ripped clothes and just use make up to get the zombie effect to look good.

According to USAToday, the most popular costumes this year include:

1. Zombies

2. Pirate

3. Vampire

4. Witch

5. Batman

According to www.costumesupercenter.com, the new cool costumes are usually based on the new good movies that have been released recently.

According to the same website, a popular choice among teenagers this year is going to be characters from the new movies Green Hornet and the newer Pirates of the Caribbean.

Over 13 percent of adults are dressing up as a witch this year according to USAtoday and other iconic figures such as sports and political stars are always popular.

Couple dressing up together for Halloween. Image courtesy of partycity.com

“”I was going to go to a Halloween party as Michael Phelps, because I’m a swimmer, and wear some fake gold medals,” said Senior Ryan Dettrey.

Being a celebrity can also be a popular way to dress up for Halloween. Senior Logan White took this route last year,” I was Steven Seagal last year for Halloween because me and my friends always watch his movies and laugh really hard.”

Other students don’t follow any trend.

“A cat because it fits with my black uniform,” said  Megan Haines.

Another popular way to dress up is to dress up with another person to match, Jessica Huber plans on doing that this year with senior Liam Kline.

” I’m going to be Sandy from Greese, and Liam Kline is going to match me by being Danny.” said Jessica Huber.

” Olivia, my youngest daughter, wants to be a fairy and my son AJ wants to be someone from Star Wars like he usually is,” said Krista Cox, assistant principle here at Penn Manor.

” My 11 year old daughter is dressing up as a girl from the 80’s for Halloween and my 7 year old son is wearing a Ghost Busters costume,” said Eric Howe, also an assistant principle at Penn Manor.

 

 

 

 

New Trends Hit Penn Manor’s Fashion Conscious Students

By Jena Lacock –

Who would have thought that feathers, glasses and knitted sweaters would ever be trendy.

As the weather gets colder some new trends have been showing up around Penn Manor. Feather hair extensions make a big statement with their bright colors. You can get them put in at most hair salons or get feather hair clips at jewelery shops. Some techniques for installing these new fashion statements include getting them sown in, glued or clipped.  Feather earrings are also very popular.

Kali Herr wears feather hair extensions. Photographed by Jena Lacock

“I think they’re very cool and pretty,” said junior Kali Herr.

“I don’t like feather hair extensions,” said junior, Maddie Rohrer. “It was nice for summer, but I don’t like it for the fall.”

Accessories that made their way back into 2011- 2012 year are scarves. They can boost any simple outfit and make them more playful.

“I still wear a lot of scarves,” said senior Brianna Herr.

If you wore glasses, the thing to get was contacts. Now it’s the other way around. People who don’t even need them would rather wear frames. You can see guys sporting designer glasses like Polo and Ray- Bans.

“I really like the thicker frames and Ray-bans for their good quality,” said junior Ian Martzall. “Also they’re something different.”

Some other trends that are becoming popular with guys are cardigans, Polo tees, khakis and shoes like Sperrys and Polos.

Ian Martzall wears Ray-Bans. Photographed by Jena Lacock

For girls the fall fashions include lots of vibrant colors such as crimson, persimmon, marigold, deep green, bronze, plum, gray and copper. Retro prints from the 60’s also make a chic statement on shirts and blouses. Animal prints can be seen on every clothing piece. Just like last fall, jeans leggings and jeggings remain popular. Compared to previous years, jeans have more options than just plain denim. Blue, black and gray are a couple new jean colors.

“I think animal prints are sweet and i love neon colors,” says junior Kimberly Drennen.

Besides clothing, a new trend appeared on nails. It’s a nail polish that you put on top of a base color and when it dries it gives a crackle-like texture. You can buy crackle nail polish at most drug stores.

Also another nail craze includes Sally Hansen’s Real Nail Polish Stripes. They are stripes of nail polish that you place on your nails. There is no drying time and you don’t have to worry about spilling it on your mom’s favorite coffee table. You can get them in styles like cheetah, lace, glitter and more.

This year’s trends are proving to be anything but ordinary.

Students’ Wallets Getting Lighter (and emptier)

By Eric Schlotzhauer –

Students’ wallets seem to be missing cash and their bank cards may be the culprit.

Nowadays, it isn’t rare to see students flash a debit cards wielding their names rather than a handful of dollars.

But with this responsibility, comes some consequences, according to some Penn Manor High School students.  And now banks may make using a debit card even more expensive for students.

Bank of America, PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, SunTrust Bancorp, Atlanta, and Regions Financial Corp have decided to implement a $5 monthly fee to debit card owners.

With these new fees, Penn Manor students feel this may affect their sensitive balances and could possibly change the quantity of usage.

“It (bank balance) will go down by a lot,” said senior Tyler Smith.  “It’s kind of common sense.”

“Yeah it would affect me,” said Reagan Forrey when addressed about the fees.

Students who own debit cards tend to spend more money, but with the new debit fees added by banks, some students may not have the money to spend. Photo Eric Schlotzhauer

Even without the debit fees, Penn Manor students still have trouble keeping money in their accounts.

“Definitely,” said senior Abby Barely.  “I spend a lot more than if I had cash because it is right there and you don’t have to go to the bank.”

Students say they are trading convenience for costs.  Sometimes the plastic fools teens into thinking they aren’t spending real money.

“Because you swipe away,” said senior Dylan Weber about his debit card habits.

Although many students lack the responsibility to manage their money when dealing with debit cards, others manage their money just fine.

Even with a debit card, carrying around cash is still likely, but the quantity is lessened.

“I usually carry around $30 (in bills) because the MAC machines at Turkey Hill sometimes don’t work,” said Weber.

“Unlike cash,” says the press for the new release of a card aimed at teenagers, “the Current Card gives teens a better way to track and manage their spending while developing smart money-management skills.”

Teenagers are much more likely to spend their hard earned cash when they have bank acess. Photo By http://www.howmuchanswers.com/credit/card/4.htm

Although they have their benefits, not everyone thinks bank cards are a positive way for teens to learn about money-management.

“Despite their lofty goal of teaching young people to manage money, they really make it easier for kids to spend it,” said Janet Bodnar, Editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “With the Current Card, for example, teens are eligible for ‘members-only’ in-store coupons and online discounts when they use their cards at select restaurants, movie theaters and other ‘teen-friendly merchants.'”

Students will have even more to worry about with these new fees.  Their balances are already going down quickly, and with these debit charges, it may be too much for students to own a debit card.

 

 

 

 

 

“Do Something” Club Getting It Done

By Tim Harris –

When Lindamarie Olson first heard about a club called “Do Something” at a youth retreat, she couldn’t help but imagine the club in Penn Manor.

“Me and a few friends just wanted to start a club that will get the student body involved in the community and really make a difference,” said club Co-President, Jillian Heckman.

Even though the founders were excited about the club and couldn’t wait to get started, they weren’t sure if many people would participate.

Club members sell baked goods to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Photo by Tim Harris.

“I was surprised when we had club sign-ups, and 86 people joined the club,” Heckman added.

The student body’s enthusiasm for the club can be seen with the club’s first fundraiser, a bake sale to raise money for breast cancer awareness and selling pink ribbons for a dollar. After the first day the club had already made $250 and had club members proud to see how much they had already raised.

“Usually during times of a weak economy fund-raising, the amount of volunteers decrease, but with Penn Manor, it’s not seeming like that,” said club member, Lake Heckaman.

The club is one the largest organizations in the country that helps teens take action for causes that they really care about. In 2010, the club alone put over a million teens nationwide to action, and the club is gaining more recognition with celebrities from Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino to teen icon, Miley Cyrus, posting videos on DoSomething.org, the club’s website.

“When I was first asked about the club, I never had heard of it before, but it was such great group of  kids that I wanted to get this club started, and they already they were full of great ideas, so it’s a pretty easy and exciting club to be an advisor for,” said club advisor, Melissa Frerichs.

From Wrestling Mats to Body Slams – Penn Manor Grad Looks to Throw Down with the Pros

By Kevin Holton –

This article is one in an occasional series about Penn Manor grads who are doing interesting things with their lives.

He was the guy in high school you never wanted to mess with.

His towering 6′ 5″ height, his broad shoulders, and his massive biceps could cause some students to shake with terror when he’d walk their way.

“That guy is one massive dude,” recalled Penn Manor senior Brad Kruger.

Evan Singleton, the guy who could pick a student up over his head with one hand while curling a freshmen in the other, is realizing a dream to put his brawn to use,  less than a year after graduating high school.

This former Penn Manor graduate (2011) is training to be a World Wrestling Entertainment organization professional wrestler, a giant step toward his dream of being a wrestling superstar.

“I think he has the potential to make it,” said Singleton’s Penn Manor wrestling coach, Steve Hess.

Singleton overpowers his opponent during high school wrestling. Photo courtesy of Singleton

Recently Singleton was invited to travel to Tampa, Fla.,  to try out for the Florida Championship Wrestling Association (FCW) which would guarantee him a spot in the WWE.

“A lot of people shot me down and told me it was only a phase, but I didn’t listen,” said Singleton recently who visted Penn Manor to be interviewed by Penn Points.

Singleton credits the Penn Manor wrestling team as the first step toward his possible career in professional wrestling. He also  worked out at a wrestling gym in York and Gold’s gym since he graduated to take steps toward his dream.

While training in York, Singleton was encouraged to try out for a spot at a  large, well known wrestling gym called Combat Zone Wrestling, in Philadelphia.  During his third week there, he met a man named Nick Berk who had many connections to the WWE all over the world.  Berk pulled Singleton aside and said he had many of the qualities needed to be a WWE wrestler.

Berk then became Singleton’s agent and sent out a letter to the top guys at WWE.

“The head coordinator for WWE called me and said they were really excited to see more from me,” said Singleton.

Impressing others is what Singleton is known for. Photo courtesy of Singleton

At the end of September, Singleton flew to Tampa for a week to try out for the FCW. While there, he had to show them everything he had learned over the years of being in and outside of the ring.

“I wore a suit everyday and did whatever I could to leave a good impression,” said Singleton.

The guys from FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) were surely impressed.  They told him he had the perfect attitude, the right skills and the right build.

Singleton is currently waiting for a call for his big break.  He would have to move to Florida to continue his wrestling career.  If all goes well the Penn Manor grad may soon be seen on televisions across the country.

“I am expecting a call back this week, so my fingers are crossed,” Singleton said.

 

 

 

 

Penn Manor Students Forgetting to Recycle

By Matt Hatch and Mark Dano –

Penn Manor High School students may not be as “green” as you think.

Recycling comes naturally for some students at home, but when it comes to recycling at Penn Manor, a simple task can become a tedious chore.

“They just throw them (the recyclable bottles) away,” said Brian Frantz, a custodian at Penn Manor who said he is offended by the lack of recycling here.

Throughout the school, bottles are thrown in trash cans with recycling bins nowhere to be seen in classrooms.  Students are even putting water bottles in regular trash cans at lunch despite the fact that a recycling bin is sitting right next to it.

“It upsets me,” said Eddie Bley, a Penn Manor student who frequently recycles.

It may be laziness, lack of care or just plain ignorance.  Either way, the recycling efforts at Penn Manor are mediocre at best.  Many students admit to not recycling at school because they have “better” things to worry about.

Penn Manor senior, Dylan Weber, throws a water bottle into a regular trash can. Photo by Matt Hatch

“I think Penn Manor should give reminders to students or a public announcement,” said Lake Heckaman, a junior at Penn Manor.  “What we have now is too easy to miss.”

The tattered recycling sign in the cafeteria signifies what the students think of recycling.

“There’s always recyclable materials mixed in the trash,” said Frantz.

The students are not the only problem, the school is also to blame.

“It is not something that has been encouraged here like it is in many homes,” said Phil Gale, principal of Penn Manor High School.

At the same time, there is no way the school can effectively make students recycle.

“I don’t think (recycling) is something you can force people to do,” said Gale.

Despite efforts by both the school and some students, Penn Manor has failed to create and keep a successful recycling program. This goes against a Pennsylvania law.

“All state-owned institutions of learning must implement waste reduction and recycling programs in compliance with Commonwealth Management Directive #205.22 (8/7/89),” according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“Recycling has gone in phases. There have been many attempts to begin recycling, but due to various reasons a sustained effort has not happened,” said Gale.

Recycling containers are located in the cafeteria.  Every time you drink a Turkey Hill drink or water, throw out the bottles in the blue and white containers. Every effort could make a difference at Penn Manor.

Counterfeit Bill Was Found In Penn Manor

By Jacob Harvey –

One pen mark on a $10 bill can ruin a kid’s day.

Ask Will Downs, a Penn Manor senior, who tried to pay for his lunch in the school cafeteria recently with, unbeknownst to him, a counterfeit bill.  Downs had received the bill as change for a $20 bill from the Turkey Hill gas station in Millersville, PA.

“We don’t check $10’s because we get so many bills we don’t have the time to check smaller bills like that, but we do check like $50’s and stuff in the light to see if people are counterfeiting the big bills,” said an employee at Turkey Hill.

The counterfeit $10 bill was flagged by Lisa Caldwell, a member of the Penn Manor cafeteria staff,  who reported it to Doug Eby and Eric Howe.

the marker changing color on a counterfeit bill
The pen mark on a bill to check if it's a counterfeit image courtesy of bookofodds.com

“To check the bill we (lunch ladies) use a pen with special ink that will turn from yellow to brown on a faked bill,” said Caldwell. “The second I marked the bill it turned noticeably brown and I put it off to the side and brought it to the administrators attention.”

After Doug Eby received the bill, he brought it to school Resource Officer Jason Hottenstein’s attention and turned it in to him. Since it is a serious federal issue, the school couldn’t take part in investigating the counterfeit bill.

Once Hottenstein received the bill, he turned it back into the cafeteria. The cafeteria then turned the $10 bill into their bank who does an investigation to see who needs to be punished and how to go about contacting them.

“Both Mr. Howe and Mr. Eby came up to me and asked me how I got the $10. I told them I got it from the Turkey Hill in Millersville, and then they made me pay for my lunch again,” said Downs. “When they told me that I had to pay for my lunch again, I was so mad. I would have to say on a scale of 1-10 I was like a 7.”

Downs talked to administrators about getting his money back. They turned him down, saying that him paying with a counterfeit bill was similar to a kid trying to buy lunch with monopoly money.

In turn Will Downs lost $10, had to repay for his lunch which cost him around $5, and he had to give back all the change he got from the ten.

Ultimately, Downs spent nearly $20 on one cafeteria lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sports and Video Games becoming a Problem in Relationships

By Alicia Ygarza –

“Here honey, I brought you chips and dip,” says a loving wife to her husband and his friends.

“Aw thanks sweety, but could you move over a little, you’re blocking the game,” replies the husband.

Sports are becoming an addiction that are gaining more importance than relationships for some people.

In a letter on peele.net, a woman complains about her husband watching sports on TV too much, and admits she’s fed up with it.

Her letter is written to a man named Stanton who gives her advice on how to cure her husband’s addiction.

The woman quoted,”Sports is affecting our relationship. He doesn’t just play with our 2 1/2 year old son. He has one eye and ear glued to the game on TV. When we finally get out of the house on the weekends, he rushes us to get home before the start of a game. No more hiking. No more walks on the beach which is only three blocks from our house! No more exercising together. He even bought a second TV so that he wouldn’t feel too guilty, since our son and I could sit in another room watching a different show…”

Group of Men Watching Football Game on TV --- Image by © Chip Henderson/Monsoon/Photolibrary/Corbis

According to USA Today in their article, Are sports obsessions damaging your relationships?

Psychologist, Josh Klapow said, “It’s not how much time you spend watching football that matters, it’s whether or not that is causing negative behaviors in your life. Whether it’s 10 hours per week or 40, the issue is its effect on your real-life obligations.”

According to Bodog Beat, the most watched sport is the NFL, with the Super Bowl being the most watched event each year. Then the NBA with MLB Baseball following.

Every Sunday, boys with their gang of friends will cozy down in a recliner at a friends house, and watch the nightly football games.

A video game is a different type of game that is effecting relationships.

Kayleena Hess, a student at Penn Manor, said on occasions her boyfriend would rather play video games than hangout with her.

When Hess was asked how much time her boyfriend spends playing video games, she replied, “All the time! From the time he gets home, until he goes to bed. He’ll play it until 3 a.m. if it’s a new game.”

A group of boys paying high attention to their video game. Courtesy of students.hw.com

A video game is like food to many, they can’t live without it.

So how does Hess feel about this addiction?

“It upsets me when he doesn’t respond to me. He picks games over me too often.”

The makers of video games most likely don’t mean for them to cause damage to relationships.

“There are other things he could be doing instead of playing games for that amount of time,” said Hess.

But when her boyfriend found out she said that, he responded, “Like what?”

Blue Slide Park Predicted to Blow up the Charts

By Eric Schlotzhauer –

His name’s Mac Miller, who the “frick” are you?

Probably a fan if you are a typical high school student at Penn Manor.

“We like him because we can relate due to his age,” said junior Ian Martzall.

With the upcoming release of his album Blue Slide Park on November 8th, 2011, Malclom “Mac Miller” McCormick’s, fan-base is growing faster than ever.  With over one million Facebook fans, and over 7 million YouTube views and counting on his new song “Frick Park Market,” most can’t comprehend the fact that he started his rapping off as an average high school student out of Pittsburgh Pa.

“The sky is the limit for this 18 year old,” said The Source Magazine just about a year ago.

One of Mac Miller's most popular songs on his new album Blue Slide Park. Photo by Eric Schlotzhauer

Now 19 years old, Mac Miller proved the critics right, reaching out to young teens and adults all around the world.

Starting off with his first album K.I.D.S produced by Rostrum Records, Blue Slide Park is the next next best thing according to Penn Manor students.

Not many people know the reasoning behind his new album cover’s name, Blue Slide Park.

“I am not exactly sure why he calls it that,” said Penn Manor High School senior Robert Warfel.

“I don’t know, why?” asked Penn Manor junior Grant Houck.

During a documentary style video on YouTube, it shows Miller’s thinking process during the time of the album cover’s creation.  He chooses to call it “Blue Slide Park” and explains that it’s a from his childhood.  Starting off as a just an idea, Miller slowly repeated the name to himself until he realized it was perfect.

After deciding on the name of the album cover, it was time to decide what it would look like.

“I knew I wanted to do something more with it than just, you know, a picture of me,”  said Miller in a video interview with MTV.  “We came across this 8-year-old’s drawing and we were like, ‘Yo, that is like the most simple but incredible thing ever; it’s right to the point.’”

“Basically, the point is making something simple that can represent the whole idea. You look at it and it doesn’t look like a park, but you know that’s that Blue Slide Park,” said Miller in regards to the album cover during a video interview with MTV.

Now, a few months later, the album tops the charts on iTunes at number 5 (taking into account pre-orders and song downloads), competing next to artists such as Lil Wayne, Adele, Blink 182 and Lady Antebellum.   Miller now also ranks #6 on the charts for under 21 artists on a popular music website, Billboard.com, beating out famous young artists such as Miley Cyrus, Victoria Justice,  and Nick Jonas.

There are 16 songs total on the album, and Rostrum Records is  still in the process of making music videos for the majority of them.

Mac Miller's album cover to Blue Slide Park inspired by an 8-year-old's drawing. Photo credit deadendhiphop.com

The songs included on the album in order:

  1. English Lane
  2. Blue Slide Park
  3. Party on Fifth Ave.
  4. PA Nights
  5. Frick Park Market
  6. Smile Back
  7. Under The Weather
  8. Of The Soul
  9. My Team
  10. Up All Night
  11. Loitering
  12. Hole In My Pocket
  13. Diamonds & Gold
  14. Missed Calls
  15. Man In The Hat
  16. One Last Thing

The drop of the album is expected to be November 8, but Miller has been talking about exceptions if the album receives 100,000 pre-orders.  Although that is such a difficult goal to obtain, he never ceases to amaze the music critics.

“Miller’s skillful rhymes, humorous themes and upbeat demeanor are catching the nation by storm,” said The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story last year.

“So if they go hard and go crazy — ’cause you never know what my fans will do, they’re so unpredictable — if they go hard and get 100,000 and make history, I’m just gonna give them the album right away because that’s what they deserve and that’s what they would deserve anyway,” explains Miller in a video interview with MTV.

 

 

Students Shell out Big Bucks for Dual Enrollment

By Jacob Harvey –

Let’s say a $1,363 tuition payment for a college student is no big deal.

Well for most high school students, it is.  And with a steep price increase and a non-existing dual enrollment grant, some students have been put on the spot to pay for their dual enrollment classes.

A dual enrollment class is when a student in high school takes a college class at the same time they are attending high school. The big benefit is that the credits can be used by the student in a college they attend saving time and money.

Last year, while the dual enrollment grant was still in the Pennsylvania budget, Penn Manor had 45 students taking 55 classes. This year Penn Manor only has 32 students taking 39 classes, a noticeable decrease.

Image from http://mandarinlessonsingapore.com.

In the past, students have had to pay upfront for their classes, but were guaranteed at least a percentage back.  Now, because of budget cuts, the students won’t be receiving any money back.

“The main contributing factor to not take Chinese was the price. It was just too much for a kid in high school,” said Logan White a Penn Manor senior.

Over the past few school years the amount that the student would get back has been decreasing steadily by around 30% each year for the past three years.  This fact has caused students to bypass dual enrollment.

“I didn’t have to pay for Chinese my freshman and sophomore years but my junior year I did and it was too much hassle to get enough for the class this year,” said Logan White.

Along with the decrease in money returned to the students there was over a $200 cost increase for a majority of the classes for this year. Calculus 3 which would have cost a student $1,134 for a semester last year now costs students $1,363 for a semester.

Students can take dual enrollment at Millersville University.

The huge leap in dual enrollment prices has students in disarray trying to afford these classes.  Zack Kauffman, a Penn Manor Senior is paying for the classes out of his pocket. He is doing a payment plan where he slowly pays off the fee’s for his classes which are Russian and Calculus. He is still paying off the bill for them.

“I took calculus so I could get a head start on (college) classes so I didn’t have to wait a year to take calc in college,” said Zack Kauffman. “I wanted to take Russian because I just enjoy the class a lot.”

Some students have parents who are willing to put up the extra cash needed to take these advanced classes.  While the price increase and the decrease in money back has changed some students minds about taking their dual enrollment.

Still, students are signing up and teachers and counselors alike are happy with the number of students who signed up.

“I was really excited by the number of students taking dual enrollment classes. It’s great to see that students are willing to pay the money for the higher education.” said Kimberly Marsh a counselor at Penn Manor.

In the past if a Penn Manor student took a course at Millersville, HACC, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, LGH, F&M or an 0nline school that teaches languages called Blended Schools they would have been reimbursed at least a percentage because of an agreement that Penn Manor has with these schools. This year the refund for students is probably just out of the question with the dual enrollment grant being cut. However Penn Manor seniors have a chance to be selected for a class at F&M to take for free. For information on the free F&M class Penn Manor seniors should talk with Sallie Bookman or their counselor.