The month of November is full of turkey, graduation projects, and facial hair.
Everywhere I look, I see a half -hearted beard sprouting up here and there, each one as equally bad as the one before it.
David Mohimani ponders the important issues.
In most cases, students look like they have a prepubescent hygiene problem rather than a beard.
Who started No-Shave November, anyway?
Nobody knows, yet dozens of students are putting away their razors for the month of November, myself included.
Some students have been able to boast a nice little beard,but most can’t even manage a rough goatee.
We have all had a nice laugh over kids who are sporting half -beards and whiskers. We’ve also marveled at the few students who are able to grow a complete beard.
We joke about the kids who look like they’re in seventh grade and could barely muster up a pimple, let alone a few whiskers. We ask them if they are participating in No-Shave November just to get a laugh.
November was somehow chosen as an arbitrary month for guys to relax and not have to shave but are girls granted the same leisure?
But is No-Shave November fair to everyone?
What if girls put their razors away?
I think No-Shave November would quickly turn into a forgotten pastime, if even 10 girls were to allow their body hair to be seen by the school.
Fair or not, that’s how society is and even though I know girls have body hair the same as guys, it’s just not acceptable for them to go unshaven.
So if it is deemed socially unacceptable for girls to do this, then it should be for guys too.
Enough is enough. I stopped to look at myself in the mirror and couldn’t help but smirk at the ridiculous whiskers protruding from my face.
Tonight I have a date with my razor and I suggest everyone else who is boasting a half-beard do the same. Let’s agree to leave it to the professionals.
The other day I was on the parking deck and, being my first day in my coveted senior parking spot, I didn’t feel the need to pay attention.
Now if you’ve never been up on the deck you might not understand, but it’s a senior war zone, imagine the parking deck filled with seniors trying to get out of school at the end of the day? Do i need to be any more descriptive than that?
Abby Wilson
If you aren’t turned completely around in your seat backing out, and possibly have an aerial view of your parking space, like on Google Earth, you won’t move without a fight.
It would seem to me that the parking deck should have extra large spaces, since the deck is predominantly for seniors, and let’s face it guys, we’re not all the best drivers. At least I know for sure that I’m not.
As I attempted to back out of my spot blaring Biggie Smalls, I almost hit three different cars. As people were screaming bloody murder for me to stop (I could only tell this as I turned around and saw their mouths moving, hence the loud music) all I could do was laugh. For some reason whenever I royally mess up while driving I laugh, not a good trait I must add.
Anyway, after I almost hit the person behind me, who coincidentally was the same person who had been parked beside me, I thought I was in the clear. So I continued to back up until I saw a huge truck in my rearview that would have been a new addition to my car if I wouldn’t have stopped.
FINALLY I got out of my spot and almost, almost, almost rear-ended the person in front of me.
I believe some day there will be an “I Survived: the Parking Deck” television special on the BIO channel for any of you fellow science nerds.
That’s the Penn Manor Field Hockey team’s very own motto.
But the phrase was probably more useful to Hempfield fans when their team got beat by the Comets for the District III championship at Milton Hershey’s school field.
The score was tied 1-1 with just over four minutes left in the game when senior, Jill Witmer, was awarded a penalty shot.
“I was about to cry,” Witmer said, “Usually Nancy (Stehman) takes them. She’s our best stroker.”
Yet, Coach Matt Soto made the decision to send Witmer to make the shot.
Let’s just say that call paid off. Witmer scored and Penn Manor Comets claimed their first District Championship crown since Soto became coach five years ago.
Hempfield was the first to score in the game, minutes before halftime. The Comets, not used to being behind in the points, decided to change their strategy.
“We needed to shape up and play our normal game,” said junior midfield, Renee Suter, noting it was about to be a passing game.
The Comets are known for their stamina and desire to win. The team was named number one in the country by an internet sports rating association this year.
“We have a great coach,” said player, Kelly Harsh.
Soto returned the compliment, saying the team is not unique except that “they work so darn hard and know what it takes to be great.
“It’s all about them,” he said.
Tuesday, the girls entered the first round of PIAA State Playoffs, hoping to duplicate their state championship of last year.
You can bet they will be continuing all their traditions, working hard, playing their trademark song for the trip, Trace Adkin’s “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” and winning.
“Oh, man!”
(Note: The Comets passed their first hurdle in states by defeating Radnor by a score of 3-0 and will play Lower Dauphin on Saturday in the second round of the PIAA State Tournament)
The Comets won by a whisper Friday night but the fans were not sure they would.
They wondered as the Comets fell behind, should we leave? No, just one more play.
The Penn Manor fans were doing a lot of this in the blistering cold during Friday night’s eventual victory against Cedar Crest to win the game 36-35.
The Cedar Crest Falcons started the game out tough and continued throughout the game as the Comets kept taking steps backwards with key injuries.
Starting quarterback, P.J. Rehm was put on the sidelines after getting a helmet-to-helmet hit and head coach, Todd Mealy, didn’t want to risk his player for the playoffs.
Freshmen, Adam Sahd came into the game with lots of pressure to collect the win and gain
Freshman, Adam Sahd, led the Comets to victory Friday night. Photo credit Connor Rowe
home field advantage for their first district playoff game. He entered the game with the score 21-15 in favor of the Falcons.
Sahd is only a freshmen, but looked to be fearless on the field as he scrambled and ran right at Cedar Crest defenders.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Falcons were up 35-22, and showed no signs of slowing down as their offense looked to be unstoppable.
Penn Manor didn’t give the Falcons the chance to slow down they enforced their own rules.
LeRon Lee rushed for a touchdown to cut Cedar Crest’s lead to only 6 points with the score 35-29.
Making the game close wasn’t the reason the Comets fought so hard in the 4th quarter. They were here to win the game as they did ,thanks to Jarod Shearer’s powerful run, plowing his way through Falcon defenders to tie the game 35-35.
Now it was time for Keith Eshlemen to complete the game and just place the ball through the uprights. Eshlemen has seen pressure all throughout his high school career from basketball, soccer and now football. He always seems to come through in pressure situations.
Eshlemen had a textbook kick to complete the win and bring the Comets to 8-2.
They will now start preparing for the District Three Class AAAA first-round playoff game.
It was one out in the eighth inning. Mariano Rivera made his way to the mound while he and, “Enter Sandman” gave Phillies’ fans that certain feeling that seems that your heart is beating five times faster.
With a sad face, Taylor Groff hangs his head after the Phillies' loss in the World Series
With a four run cushion, Rivera shut down the game, Series, and Phillies’ hopes to win back-to-back World Series’.
The air was electrified in Yankee Stadium as Mark Texiera caught the ball from Robinson Cano with his foot on first base to capture the Yankees their all-of-sports leading 27th World Championship.
While the city of New York and all of the Yankees’ fans here, there, and everywhere were having the time of their lives celebrating their first World Series in nine years, Phillies’ fans in Philadelphia, and also Penn Manor, were in the totally opposite situation.
“I’m upset,” Taylor Groff, a Phillies’ fan, said, “I was. I’m a Phillies’ fan.”
He also had a word to Yankees’ fans in Penn Manor.
“I think Yankee fans have to go back to New York. This is Pennsylvania,” he said.
Gary Luft, a math teacher who is a Phillies’ fan, had to wear a Yankees’ shirt because of a little bet between fellow teacher, Sean McKnight, a Yankees’ fan
Sean McKnight is all smiles after winning his World Series bet against Gary Luft.
“I’m upholding my obligation,” Luft said about his attire the day after his favorite team lost to the team whose jersey draped his shoulders. He made sure to put a Phillies’ sweatshirt over the Yankees’ jersey. He also said that he doesn’t feel too bad about the outcome of the 2009 World Series because the Phillies won last year.
Although most Phillies’ fans would be angered by the fact that some students wear Yankees’ shirts, hats, etc., Luft doesn’t really mind it.
“I think it’s a great conversation piece,” he said. And of course he added a smart comment about the Yankees – maybe to make him feel better about his team losing.
“They can buy their Championship next year,” Luft said.
The math teacher may not mind seeing Yankees’ apparel around the school, but that isn’t the same with another Phils’ fan.
“It feels like you’re at the bottom of the toilet,” Kyle Hallet, a Phillies’ fan said about the Phillies losing and seeing Yankees’ clothes around, “and a Yankee fan is about to flush it.”
Most Phillies fans are bummed about the end of the Phils’ season, but they still have their Championship last year, and they got to the Series this year and gave the New York Yankees a tough opponent.
Phillies fans probably won’t be watching ESPN for a couple weeks while Yankees fans everywhere will be celebrating, capping it off with the parade in New York City on Friday.
While our world is constantly gaining new forms of communication, we are also losing the valuable interactions we used to hold. People rarely talk to each other face to face, as they would rather talk online or by texting. Is the internet world really worth losing all the other valuable aspects of life? Texting has allowed private matters to enter everyone’s lives with ease, opening the door to just as many benefits as issues.
One of the hazards of cell phones is texting while driving. Over one-third of young drivers admit to texting while on the road. While all forms of cell phone use are dangerous to use on the road, texting while driving is the worst. While texting, drivers have their eyes off the road for much longer than if they were to actually be talking on the phone. In fact, texting while driving creates a 23% increased chance of getting in an accident, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s research. Regardless, cell phone usage at all while driving can be fatal, as it caused approximately 6,000 American deaths in 2008.
It’s worth waiting to get home, yet people are fascinated with multi-tasking in today’s fast paced world.
Text messaging has become a way for people to supposedly get things done faster. However, it would take less time to actually call the person than to send a message, wait, and repeat for a full conversation. It is fast in the manner of sending simple, short messages. These short messages seem to be a way to avoid drawn out conversations with people you know will talk for a while. If you don’t want to hear what they have to say, however, it seems pointless to bother ‘talking’ to them at all.
A loss in the sense of personality given through a person’s voice and expressions also occurs. Those qualities of personality are being replaced by smiley faces that every other texting teenager is using – where is the individuality with that?
Texting has allowed people to do harder tasks without having to meet people face to face, as well. This creates an escape from facing emotional problems, which leads to another way for people to disregard human qualities. People enjoy the idea that they can break up with someone, tell someone bad news, or simply pass rumors without the need to actually throw emotion into anything. It lacks the personal touch people should receive from others.
Everyone wants to cut things short. As the world around us has become fast moving and thrives on ideals of quickly getting things done, communication suffers. With car accidents, loss of personality and easy escapes from hard conversations, texting certainly has hindered a world that used to thrive on talking and getting together with people in person, rather than forwarding information by cell phones.
The Powder Puff game has been rescheduled for Wednesday December 9. There are two mandatory practices which are taking place on Monday December 7, and Tuesday December 8.
There will also be a mandatory dinner before the game that all players and coaches are required to attend. The dinner will be free!
Another change to this year’s game is that there will be no boy cheerleaders, the junior and senior classes will have to cheer for themselves.
The permission slips for the game are due next Friday November, 13. If you don’t hand in your permission slip by 2:45 on the due date, then you will not be able to participate in the Powder Puff football game.
The price to get into the game is $1 or a canned good.
Don’t miss seeing the Senior and Junior girls duke it out on Wednesday December 9!
It felt as though I had stuck my head inside an ice hockey bag for an hour. It stunk worse then my hockey team after we get off the ice and it felt like I was wearing clothes that were way too big for me, shoes that were 100 times my size and a helmet that was like looking through goggles.
This is the job of Comet man, our friendly mascot here at Penn Manor. A job I held for one hour of my weekend.
I am the backup Comet man and luckily, because the regular character couldn’t make it, I got to make my debut in the game against Warwick.
It was my job on October 23 to get the crowd pumped up and to encourage the Comet fans to energize the Comet players with the Stanky Legg and my comic sense of humor.
Many people have a phobia of people in costumes due to the fact that they cannot see who is truly inside. But when the same people know who is inside running the show, they are less intimidated by Comet man’s big eyes and flaming hair.
The phobia of mascots, which has not been named, is one of the top five phobias and is more prominent in older kids. Younger kids feel safe around Comet man, giving him high fives and receiving autographs.
When playing my role as Comet man I walked up to the student section where a bunch of the “Comet boys” called me over. They all said I should go talk to a senior girl, which turned into a wreck as she screamed bloody murder and almost jumped over the fence.
It’s coming. The day seniors have been dreading since they first stepped foot in Penn Manor High School this year.
In a mere two weeks, Penn Manor seniors will be presenting their graduation projects. But do any of them really know what they’re doing?
In Brian Gorski’s case, no, he doesn’t.
Brian Gorski stresses over the upcoming graduation project for seniors.
“I’m not prepared for it,” Gorski says.
Gorski only started his project two weeks before it was due, and still hasn’t finished it. He claims that this project isn’t going to help him in life.
“I think it’s pointless,” Gorski said, during a Tuesday homeroom.
But the point of this four-year project was to help students explore different career paths, and point them in the right direction, according to high school counselor, Jess Minko.
However, senior Ryane Hillery, feels differently. She also hasn’t finished her project and she feels that it was a terrible experience.
“You’re expected to pick your life’s work while you’re in high school, which is unrealistic,” Hillery says.
Although, many students feel this way, the counselors want to send the message that the project was never intended to be portrayed that way.
Minko explained that the students were not expected to pick a career and be stuck with it for the rest of their lives. They were supposed to explore different career paths so that they can learn a little about many different careers.
Guidance counselor, Kim Marsh, clarified that no matter how many students decide not to do their project, it will still be a requirement to graduate.
Marsh explained that every state must have a graduation project and Penn Manor cannot change that.
This year’s senior class had a different project than any other class. The classes that graduate after them aren’t required to collect any papers, which eliminates the problem of losing papers and folders. The freshman, sophomore and junior classes got the advantage of having their entire project online.
However this isn’t the only a problem for this year’s seniors; it’s an adjustment for everyone. The teachers, counselors, and principals had to learn how to teach and grade a project that was also foreign to them.
This project change was not completely up to the staff at Penn Manor either. The state had changed the requirements for the graduation project, so Penn Manor had to do the same. The project at Penn Manor was also intended to be similar to other schools in the county, according to Minko.
Students like senior Kayla Drexel just felt that the project had been disorganized, but not completely pointless.
“It’s not going to help with my life. It was good to research colleges, but I would have done that on my own…I didn’t need a project to help me do it,” says Drexel.
Minko explained that the students that have taken the initiative to ask questions about the project haven’t had as tough of a time with the project and have realized that the project is not as confusing as it may sometimes be portrayed.
But was asking questions always very helpful?
In senior Katie Trout’s case, it doesn’t seem so.
“Guidance counselors couldn’t even help us because they didn’t know what was going on,” Trout says.
Trout is finished with her project, but feels that everything seemed impossibly hard to do and she doesn’t feel as though this is going to help her with her life.
Marsh acknowledged that yes, the projects are definitely getting better by grade and fewer problems have arisen.
Seniors this year who didn’t have their projects finished weren’t able to get a parking pass at the high school in August.
“Typically most students wait until it’s due,” Marsh says, however this year’s seniors were required to hand their project in last spring, “that threw a curve ball in some people’s plans to do it later.”
Marsh has seen several problems with this graduation project. Marsh said that many students just don’t know what’s required of them.
“I just feel like I wasn’t informed enough on exactly what to do,” senior Taylor Coulton says of his graduation project. Taylor’s guidance counselor had to walk him through his project and now he’s mostly done, except for the three-page paper.
Other students either lost their folders or claimed their folders were lost by someone in the school. Some students just didn’t get their community service done.
Lynn Torbert and Lexus Embry can definitely relate to these statements.
Torbert’s papers were lost but she did finish her project and she says that the project did its job. It helped her figure out what she wanted to do as far as a career.
Lexus Embry is still having trouble getting her community service hours done. She still has twelve hours to finish. However Embry’s project wasn’t all bad.
“I already knew what I wanted to do but the project helped me realize it was exactly what I wanted to do,” says Embry.
However there is a solution to many of these problems. Mrs. Minko holds sessions during homeroom to go over the requirements of the project and to help walk the students through the process.
There had also been a senior class meeting where a video was shown of a sample interview, and a grading rubric had been handed out that had some examples of questions that may be asked to the students. There are samples of graduation project work at the circulation desk in the library, if any students are interested in looking at an example.
The senior’s presentations are scheduled for the 11, 12 and 13 of November.
