Penn Points Online

The water is still. The air is cool and silent. Our world for a moment has paused. Leaves on the trees begin to fall and decorate the ground-pretty browns, yellows, and reds. A canoe parts the river and begins a day of serenity.

This year has marked the 15^th anniversary that Barb Rathbone-Frank, high school science teacher, has been taking students on field trips to learn about the environment. These hands on experiences will help these kids learn about how important it is to keep our environment safe.

“I really feel that in order to understand and inspire students to make personal choices to help the environment they have to have some kind of recreational activities and then they’ll feel a sense of ownership for a body of water,” says Rathbone-Frank.

This year, Rathbone-Frank and Steve Hess, took 20 students from Rathbone-Frank’s ecology classes to Muddy Run Recreational Park for a day of canoeing and learning about our surroundings.

Christy Rhoades, a senior at Penn Manor, thinks that it is very important for kids to learn about the environment at a young age.

“I think it’s important to learn young because then we can all do our part to make the environment safer,” Rhoades said.

These field trips started about 15 years ago when Rathbone-Frank was a teacher at Marticville Middle School. A club at Marticville called the “Wet Land Club” was for gifted students, these students were able to go on these field trips to learn more about the environment.

Rathbone-Frank is still making sure that her students are getting their chance to work in the field and have hands on experiences.

While on the field trip, the students were kept very busy. After a quick safety lesson on how to canoe, the students headed out into the water.

First, the students did some chemical water testing to see what types of chemicals are in the Susquehanna.

Then the students canoed over to the other side of the water to search for macroinvertebrate. Macroinvertebrate are also known as creatures that have no back bone.

After the search for macroinvertebrate the students had a mini lesson on Marsh/wetlands. That was followed by a game called “camouflage” and then a short history lesson on the “Susquehannocks.”

The day was finished by taking a small trip down to the historic “Locke 15,” which is part of the Susquehanna tide water canal system.

Rathbone-Frank plans to continue her field trips for many years to come.

By Allison Martin

“I think tan people look better,” said Penn Manor Junior, Chassidy Sowersby.

And that’s why she tans.

Nowadays many teens, including ones here at Penn Manor, believe having a tan is the only way to be gorgeous.

But keeping up with sun-kissed color can be a risk.

According to the FDA and other cancer experts, recent studies have shown that the risk for both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers rise for young people when they use a tanning bed.

According to studies from U.S. and international dermatologists, the younger you are the more at risk you are of melanoma from tanning. If you are exposed to tanning beds by the age of 35, then your risk of melanoma increases by 75%.

Drop-dead gorgeous now has a whole new meaning.

But many teens say the benefits of tanning outweigh the risks.

For special occasions like homecoming and prom, Sowersby tans two times a week and over Christmas break for about a month.

“I don’t like being pale,” she says.

Many states have either proposed legislation on teen tanning or are in the process of it currently, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Pennsylvania legislators have proposed legislation that would require a parent/legal guardian presence and consent for anyone under the age of 18 to use an indoor tanning facility. This policy would provide penalties to any tanning facilities that permit minors to use tanning devices for anyone without parent/legal guardian consent and presence.

Many local salons have already enforced those safeguards.

Casey Bernhard, an employee at 5 Star Tanning said, “We don’t play no games,” with regards of warning people under the age of 24 about tanning risks.

Information about proper eye coverage is posted at 5 Star, encouraging clients to be aware of the dangers of tanning. Also, parent consent forms are required for those under the age of 18.

Christine, the assistant manager at Tanfastic in Willow Street, stated that clients between the ages of 13-15 need to have a parent accompany them while they are at the tanning salon. Also, clients between the ages 15-16 need a note from a parent or guardian. Clients who are 17 and older do not need any kind of consent form.

Some people believe that tanning in a bed is safer than tanning in the sun, but this is not the circumstance. Tanning beds exceed the amount of “safe” UV rays, therefore being more dangerous.

Since the age of 15 Sowersby has been tanning, and she claimed it can be called an “addiction.”

Sowersby said she spends about 8-20 minutes in the regular tanning bed, but when using a high-power bed she only spends 12 minutes.

A “high power” bed gives you a faster tan giving off more UV rays in less time.

Different skin types offer different dangers. Though tanning may be dangerous to everyone, fair-skinned people are at the greatest risk when it comes to tanning, according to the Department of Health.

People with a darker complexion are less vulnerable to burn and do not get as many UV rays absorbed into their skin, also according to the Department of Health.

Many high school students, the majority being female, tan for things including prom and homecoming. At these times, managers from local tanning salons say they are the busiest with teenage customers.

“The regulars tend to shy away during homecoming and prom,” said Christine, the Assistant Manager of Tanfastic.

Andrea Pagliai, an employee at Tropical Tan, stated that about 50% of the clients at the salon are men. Also, their salon is serious about giving warnings and there are signs posted about wearing eye protection.

It is hard to find a male who tans but Kurt Farmer, a senior at Penn Manor high school, is one of few.

Farmer went tanning last winter with his cousin because he liked how it looked. Not only is it women that think they look better from tanning, it can be men also.

Nearly 30 million people in the United States use tanning beds every year. Among these 30 million people, 70% of them are Caucasian females from the ages of 16 to 49 years old.

Farmer knows all about the dangers of tanning.  But will it get him to stop?

“No,” he said.

It seems that even when people are given the facts on the dangers of tanning, they will continue to do so because of the way it makes them look.

By Cassey Graeff

Have it your way at Penn Manor?

Maybe not.

These days everyone is trying to cut costs and get more bang for their buck. Food is no exception.  Surprisingly, fast food prices tend to be cheaper than our school lunch prices for many of the same items, but at least one local high school’s lunches are even pricier.

“I pack my lunch because the school prices are higher than I would like them to be,” said Penn Manor freshmen, Anthony Cozolli. “A lot of families apply for reduced lunches but make just a little too much to qualify,” Cozolli added.

Over 30 million students receive subsidized lunches nationwide.

Many fast food prices are lower than ours and many items available to Manheim Township students are cheaper as well.

For example our fries are $1.50 while Manheim Township’s are only $1.00. The same is true for the fries at McDonalds and Burger King.

Lunch prices rise almost every year, but is that increase in price justified?

Penn Manor cafeteria employee, Vonda Smoker, explained that it is costing the school a lot more to provide the same food this year.

U.S. Foods, Reinhart, and Feesers all supply the bulk of Penn Manor’s food, and some of them raised their prices this year, however; our school didn’t increase the price of main line lunches, Smoker said.

“You guys are getting an even better deal this year than last,” said Smoker, noting that the cost of food is higher but not the cost of lunch.

Some students think school lunch costs a little too much. One student is sophomore Ellen Blazer .When compared, Penn Manor’s hamburger, is listed at $2.oo a full dollar more than at McDonald’s.

“That is ridiculous,” said Blazer, “overcharged for poor taste”.

The lunch ladies, including 14 year veteran Lisa Caldwell, don’t agree..

“If kids take advantage of what they get then it’s a better deal,” said Caldwell. “Kids don’t get milk or fruit because they don’t want it and it ends up costing them more.”

Milk and fruit are cheaper in school than almost anywhere else.

Penn Manor’s prices exceed fast food prices and, in some cases, the prices of both Conestoga Valley and Manheim Township’s lunch.  For example those two schools main line lunches cost $2.00, $2.05 respectively. Hempfield’s costs a whopping $2.85. Our main line lunch cost $2.15.

These prices may be driving some kids to steal.

“Yeah, (students are) stealing a lot,” Caldwell said with a grin.

Caldwell explained that once a student is caught stealing they are sent to the administration office for disciplinary action.

Packing and stealing just to avoid high lunch prices? Would Penn Manor be better off sending a truck out to McDonalds, buying bulk, and reselling it?

“It would be nice to have a dollar menu here,” said senior, Kyle Haines

Even if Penn Manor would buy their burgers from McDonalds for 1$, they could resell then for $1.40, which would still be less than the price of burgers on this cafeteria menu this year. They could do the same thing with nachos, which are only $1 at Taco Bell and chicken sandwiches only $1 at McDonalds.

By David Mohimani and Jake Shiner