The forthcoming of Gatsby

May 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

By Abbey Bailey

The much-anticipated Great Gatsby movie opens on May 10.

The much-anticipated Great Gatsby movie opens on May 10.

From the mind and hands of renowned director Baz Luhrmann, known for Moulin Rouge, Australia and Romeo + Juliet, comes the retelling of the iconic story “The Great Gatsby.” The release date of the film is May 10.

Originally written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, “The Great Gatsby” is a book that many high school students are familiar with. Fitzgerald tells the story of Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate and WWI veteran who gets a job in New York and moves to Long Island. He is immediately attracted to the lifestyle of his flamboyant neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Carraway meets and bonds with many people whose lives connect with his and Gatsby’s in different ways he can only dream of. The island holds many secrets.

There are many renowned stars in this film, such as Tobey Macguire and Carey Mulligan. Macguire is known for his role as Peter Parker in “Spider-Man” (2002-2007), and Mulligan for her debut portrayal as Kitty Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice.” Mulligan has also starred in many British television hits, like Doctor Who and Northanger Abbey. Macguire will play Caraway in the film depiction of Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Mulligans is to play Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby’s one love. But the biggest star of them all is Leonardo DiCaprio who will portray the eccentric Jay Gatsby. DiCaprio starred as Romeo Capulet in Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” (1996), so the two men have worked together before.

The anticipation for the movie grew when Warner Bros. made the decision to postpone the release of the movie due to the original date in December being close to many other hits, such as “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Les Misérables” and “Django Unchained.” Dicaprio also played Calvin Candie in “Django,” which also interfered with the making of “Gatsby.”

Penn Manor English teacher Tim Joyce , who teaches “The Great Gatbsy” in his 10th-grade American literature course, expressed his anticipation for the movie. Mr. Joyce enjoys the directing styles of Luhrmann, along with the soundtracks chosen to go along with his movies.

“I like the way he [Luhrmann] puts a modern spin on classic literature,” says Joyce. Luhrmann did this in the 1996 film version of “Romeo + Juliet.”

The film trailer was released in mid-March and caused a frenzy of excitement in movie goers and fans of the book alike. There will be a midnight premiere of the film at Regal Cinemas in Lancaster on May 9 starting at 10 p.m. for 3D and 10:30 p.m. for 2D.

Filed Under: Arts and Entertainment, Featured, Uncategorized

Hambright Elementary students find “The Leader in Me”

February 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

By Jordan Machado

Students at Hambright Elementary school are participating in a new program to find "The Leader in Me."

Students at Hambright Elementary school are participating in a new program to find “The Leader in Me.”

 

Inspired by a book a teachers at Hambright Elementary read called “The Leader in Me” by Stephen R. Covey, the the teachers and students of the school have implemented a program to teach students some of the important points in the book. This program began in September 2012.

There are seven habits in the book that have been incorporated into the school’s culture. The entire school has learned and uses them in their everyday lives.

Hambright Principal Dr. Jerry Egan is proud everyone took part in this school-wide effort.

“The habits made a significant change in the culture of students and discipline has dropped by at least half,” said Dr. Egan. “Hambright has gone through many changes and this by far, is one of the best.”

These habits consist of the following:

1. Be proactive – you’re in charge
2. Begin with the end in mind – have a plan
3. Put first things first – work first then play
4. Think win-win – everyone can win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood – listen before you talk
6. Synergize – together is better
7. Sharpen the saw – balance feels best

This program is the product of three years’ work. Beginning in summer 2010, the teachers read the book to familiarize themselves with it. Later, the teachers raised $10,000 by holding a chicken barbecue, cookie sales and dress-down days to hold a two-day training to learn everything they wanted to pass on to the students.

The 2012-2013 school year was the beginning of the actual “Leader in Me” program. The students have picked up these habits very quickly and use them as much as possible.

“All the students show and prove they like to use these skills all the time, many have told me they use them at home and even pass it onto their siblings to learn. This program is heading in the right direction.”

Filed Under: Featured, News, Uncategorized

The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey with Expected Quality

January 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

the hobbitBy Bennett Manning

The Hobbit, a three-part series directed by Peter Jackson, launched with its first release, An Unexpected Journey, on December 14. Director Peter Jackson is well known for his work with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it is no surprise he has decided to continue making films based on Tolkien’s work. Now, I found The Hobbit to be a very good movie, but is it as good as it could be?

First of all, there are a couple things I noticed fairly quickly into the film.

1) Obviously there were some heavy special effects put into the film. The characters look almost exactly the same in The Hobbit as they did in Lord of the Rings, despite a lengthy time difference. Also, the scenery and a lot of the shots in The Hobbit seem to be very spiced-up visually. Whether or not that was intended, it still gives off that vibe.
2) The Hobbit is lighter and more humorous than Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit had me laughing (or at least smiling) many times throughout the film, but it still had the action scenes that people love. Things like that are what make me really enjoy a movie.

For me, the more important criteria for a good movie is a good plot. Now, although Mr. Jackson and New Line Cinema and, well, anyone involved in creating this film are not responsible for the original story (based on the book The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien), most of everything from the movie is fairly accurate when compared to the book..

Next, what makes a great movie is some sort of action. Not needless, this-explosion-looks-cool, let’s-show-off-our-special-effects action, but action that is well-choreographed and makes sense with the film. The Hobbit does this well, but there is one thing that I didn’t like too much: the repetition. The main characters in this movie are constantly thrown from one near-death situation to another and somehow made it out alive. It became quite predictable by the third time it happened. That said, the situations were always nerve-racking and made me feel worried. They were also all pretty original for the most part.

Another contributing factor to a good film is the ending. Since The Hobbit is a three-part series, obviously the first movie was going to end in such a way that it makes you want to see the next movie. A fairly common way of doing this is using the cliffhanger technique, which The Hobbit uses. After watching a movie that seems almost interminable (The Hobbit is almost three hours long), I think any ending would seem abrupt, but when I saw it in theaters it was pretty obvious that the movie was coming to a close.

The last thing that a movie needs is an amazing soundtrack. Music is what sets the tone for the production. One of the reasons I’ve seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy more times than I care to admit is because it has one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard. In The Hobbit, they kept some of the same songs (which I loved) and added some great, new ones. All in all, the music is perfect.

So, after considering what I think makes a great movie, I can say that, yes, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is as good as it could be. It’s a movie I plan to see many times in the future. Naturally, there are some things that could be fixed (the three-hour run time, maybe), but this movie is something to remember. Or see, if you still haven’t done that.

Filed Under: Arts and Entertainment, Featured, Uncategorized

A Bazaar Success

December 7, 2012 by 1 Comment

By Mrs. McMichael’s and Mrs. Taylor’s Life Skills and School to Work classes

Students from the Penn Manor High School Life Skills class joined other classes from Lebanon-Lancaster Intermediate Unit 13 to show and sell an assortment of homemade crafts. The bazaar, held at Burle Industries in Lancaster, is is an annual event that the Life Skills class participates in each year. It is designed to help prepare the students to learn basic work skills, good communication and money skills.

The Life Skills class had a lot of success selling a variety of holiday crafts, including cinnamon ornaments and Silly Santas made from old Christmas balls.

“I liked the smell of the cinnamon as we were rolling out the dough,” said Jordan Hillery, a Penn Manor student.

“I had fun being creative,” said Freddie Antes of making the Silly Santa ornaments.

One customer purchased the entire box of Silly Santas.

The students also made neck warmers with different fragrances. Aaron Dimm helped sew the neck warmers.

“I had fun learning to use the sewing machine ,” said Aaron.

Some of the students’ parents helped the class with the Christmas Bazaar, including Mrs. Barb Phibbs, Mrs. Kristina Bates-Ross and Mrs. Di Ann Duick. The students were grateful to benefit from their creativity, generosity, help and support.

Some of the money the class earned from the Holiday Bazaar will be used to pay for a trip at the end of the school year for the students of both the Life Skills and School to Work classes.  The Life Skills class will also use some of the profits to purchase items for their classroom as needed throughout the school year.

Remaining holiday crafts will be for sale at the tables in the cafeteria from December 11-13 during all lunches. Teachers are encouraged to stop by Room 239 prior to the sale in the cafeteria to purchase Christmas gifts and décor.

Filed Under: School Happenings, Uncategorized

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Holiday Tradition with a Long History

December 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Elise Klingaman

Many citizens of the United States have different traditions for Thanksgiving: baking turkeys, watching It’s Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown!, or traveling to different areas to be with their families for Thanksgiving Dinner.  One holiday tradition commonly shared among Americans is the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade.

According to The New York City Tourist website, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a New York holiday tradition since 1924.  The website also states that the Macy’s Day parade attracts more than 3.5 million people to attend the streets of Manhattan and more than 50 million to watch the parade on the fourth Thursday of November.

According to the TLC Family website, in 1924 there were only three floats in the entire parade, each one pulled by horses.  There were also four bands and groups of camels, elephants, donkeys, and goats, all from the Central Park Zoo.  Santa was last in the lineup, a tradition still carried to this day.

In comparison, the 2007 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade included 24 floats, 800 clowns, 11 marching bands, 1,900 performers, and 42 balloons.

The famous-and sometimes comical-giant balloons in the Macy’s parade first appeared in 1927, because the zoo animals were beginning to frighten the children.  The first balloons were of cartoon characters, such as Felix the Cat. The balloons used to be released into the air at the end of the parade, but in 1932 a pilot almost crashed into one of the balloons and that tradition came to an end.

The New York Police Department does not release the exact number of police officers are stationed at the parade. Officers are found riding along the outskirts of the parade on their motorcycles and watching from the Sky Watch, a portable two-story building that allows the guards to view the parade from above and can be displayed with multiple cameras.

Before the parade begins, all objects that could damage or obstruct the balloons, such as lampposts, street lights, and trees are either removed or altered.  By 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, all of the floats and balloons and prepared and ready to go.  The parade begins at 9 a.m.

Immediately following the parade, each of the structures and balloons is taken down and deflated.  The Sanitation Department estimated that the cost of cleanup after the 1990 parade was about $30,000, including mechanical sweepers to clean up the mess.  According to the book, Imponderables-The Solution to Mysteries of Everyday Life by David Feldman, the parade’s trash rarely exceeds 10 tons.

Filed Under: Arts and Entertainment, Uncategorized

Keystone Exams to Replace PSSAs

November 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Amarilis Pacheco-Cruz

Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, students will no longer be taking the PSSAs because the tests have been replaced by the Pennsylvania Keystone Exams.

The Keystone Exams are end-of-course tests that are intended to assess students’ proficiency in the subjects Algebra 1, Literature and Biology. Keystone exams are similar to a final exam in college.

Because the exams are brand new, there are concerns about how to prepare students.

“I think the Keystone is going to be very hard for our high school students,” said Penn Manor School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Cheryl A. Shaffer at the school board meeting on October 1.

“I am concerned about the Algebra 1 Keystone Exam that may cover more material and ask questions in a different way than we normally do in our Algebra 1 course,” said math teacher Jen Kroesen. “It is a good opportunity for us as teachers to review our curriculum and make any necessary updates. It will also put more accountability on the students to study and pass the exam.”

Starting in 2017, students will be required to pass the Keystones in order to graduate from high school. Beginning with the class of 2019, students will also take a composition test, and the class of 2020 will take an additional test in civics. The composition exam will be first given in the 2015-16 school year and cvics in 2016-2017.

There is current legislation that is being proposed that would make Keystone Exams in Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry, US History, and World History available as an option to schools. But at this point, this is only being proposed.

According to Dr. PhilGale, Penn Manor High School principal, the school is taking a number of steps to prepare students to take the Keystone exams.

“We are having students take full year courses in English and math at this time and may have students take full year classes in Biology,” said Dr. Gale. “We are also offering the Keystone Prep Sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays for students who do not have English or math during the fall semester.“

Teachers at the high school are also taking steps to help students prepare for the exams.

“In order to prepare my students this year for the Algebra 1 exam in my Geometry courses, I am doing practice problems for warm-ups. This is a good review and a way to re-teach material these students may not have seen for up to two years,” said Kroesen. “I have chosen warm-up questions based on the sample problems and standards that will be covered in the Keystone exam.”

Filed Under: News, School Happenings, Uncategorized

Interactive Map Shows Where Seniors Will Be Next Year

May 23, 2012 by 1 Comment

By Sarah Schaeffer and Becca Hess -

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

With only a few school days left seniors are counting down the days until graduation.  A mixture of emotions cloud the minds of the seniors as they spend their last days as a Penn Manor Comet. From being excited for college to being sad that they’ll have to say goodbye to friends, bittersweet covers it all. Many will go onto college or a type of trade school and others will join the military, work, or take some time off.

Tim Deubler. Photo by Becca Hess

Based on the information from those seniors who replied with their plans for after high school, the two most popular schools for seniors next year are Millersville University where 24 have reported they will attend and Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), where 18 have reported. The military will take at least 12 of our seniors and 11 others say they will either be working, taking a year off or doing missions work.

“It (University of Pittsburgh) had the program I wanted and I liked the campus. I wanted something in the city and my mom wanted me to stay in the state,” said Russ Thorsen.

Selena Hasircoglu. Photo by Becca Hess

“I’m excited to be on my own and be more independent,” said Kate Harrold. “(For the juniors) I would say, take your senior year seriously, don’t slack off. Get involved.”

Jess Huber plans to fly out of PA and into Texas for boot-camp this summer. Huber is enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

“It’s a different career opportunity  and that’s why I chose it,” she said. “I’ll be doing online classes, so I’ll be getting my degree while I’m in (the Air Force).

“I looked for a good music school that was still going to be cheap,” said Jesse Griffith, who will be attending IUP.

“I’m gonna miss some of the teachers, especially Ms. Vita,” said Shayla Moore who also will attend IUP.  “I’m excited to meet new people in college and being able to focus on something I love.”

Shayla Moore and Jesse Griffith. Photo by Becca Hess

“There are a lot of things to do in college. I’m doing track and field at Delaware Valley College,” said Eli Marcelino. “I’m gonna miss some of the teachers, my friends and sports.”

Senior Logan Kramer will be traveling one of the farthest distances from home this fall when she attends Arkansas State University.

“I’m excited to meet new people and make new friends, and since I’m playing a sport (soccer), I’ll be close with my team,”said Kramer. I’ll probably get home sick in the beginning. I’m gonna miss seeing my friends everyday,” she added.

Penn State University-bound Emily Laughlin is excited to kick off her freshmen year.

Emily Laughlin. Photo by Becca Hess

“I can’t wait for the football games and for the Penn State pride,” she said.

Choosing a college is not always an easy task but for Laughlin, Penn State’s “home-like feeling” won her over.

Zane Kreider’s decision to join the military (National Guard) was based on a few factors.

“(I joined) because it’s a family tradition and the college benefits are good. In the next two years I’m looking at deployment to Kuwait,” he said.

Kreider explained how he’s excited to be deployed and he isn’t afraid because Kuwait isn’t that bad as of now.

Fellow senior Chris Gotwals, who is in the U.S. Army, is also planning on getting deployed but to a place often associated with danger and fear, but he isn’t scared. He joined the army for all of the reasons they advertise: to protect his country, his family and the college benefits.

“If NATO doesn’t pull out then I’ll be in Afghanistan in April (2013),” he said. “I’m not scared, and if i don’t go to Afghanistan I’m sure I’ll get deployed somewhere else.”

Senior Karla Mylin has plans that will take her to the other side of the world. She’s going to India, or at least she hopes to.

Karla Mylin. Photo by Becca Hess

“I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do for college, like a major or the college, and I’ve always had a heart for missions,” she said. “I’m nervous and excited about it. It’s pretty expensive though, more than $8,000 I think.”

If Mylin is able to raise the funds necessary for the trip she plans to go on the trip of a lifetime.

Senior Julie Schultz will travel to the UK for a royal college experience. This fall Schultz will make the journey to Scotland where she will attend University of Saint Andrews.

“It’s where Prince William went and during the wedding there were advertisements and a lot of information on the college, so I looked into it,” said Schultz. “It’s the only school in the UK on the common application. I applied on a whim and I got in.”

With a graduation rate of nearly 98 percent, the Penn Manor class of 2012 is in a great position for success.  According to research information about Pennsylvania graduation rates, Pa.  hasn’t made much progress in raising graduation rates from 2002-2009. It currently stands at about 80 percent.  Penn Manor is in great shape compared to Pennsylvania as a whole and especially compared to the national graduation rate of approximately 75 percent.

Although many have predicted the world ending in 2012, this is not the case for the seniors. This year, 2012, marks the beginning of their next step. A step that has required a great deal of preparation and, at times, been intimidating, but nonetheless is highly anticipated. It brings a new self image for the seniors as they prepare for college, prepare to become more independent and prepare for adulthood.

Here is a listing of plans seniors have for their lives immediately after graduation.

This is not then entire senior class of 2012. The senior map is a link to Google maps which has a pin marking each college listed below.

Senior Map

Arkansas State University

Logan Kramer

Art Institute

Kaitlyn Ibach

Belmont University

Kelly Lenahan

Bloomsburg University 

Alex Flurry

Becca Hess

Hannah Robb

Bryn Mawr College

Kayla Bixler

Cabrini College

Kierstin McDonald

Career and Technology Center

Amy Shoop

Central Penn College

Steven Morris

Consolidated School of Business

Jarkysha Jones

Davidson College

Harrison Manning

Delaware Valley College

Eli Marcelino

DeSales University

Corina Connelly

Drexel University

Alec Keck

Joey Jackson

Alex Kirk

Eastern University

Lindsey Ostrum

Ryan Martzall

Katrina Torres

Eastern Mennonite University

Alicia Ygarza

Elisa Ott

Kate Harrold

Elizabethtown College

Abigail Buckwalter

Brent Lefever

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Alex Cauler

Florida Institute of Technology

Alex Cummins

Franklin and Marshall College

Sarah Schaeffer

Geneva College

Chris Ressler

Goucher College

Maria Detweiler

HACC

Austin Hess

Jen Rote

Chloe Traup

Karli Heiserman

Dylan Kneisley

Elena Frank

Tonya Fox

Jade Hess

Dylan Keagly

Dani Sprankle

Iris Santana

Abby Schaefer

Maddie Shertzer

Demi Greenwalt

Tyler Maysilles

Kevin Holton

Braden Kruger

Brandon Schmertz

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Shayla Moore

Logan White

Eric Schlotzhauer

Jake Harvey

Jesse Griffith

Brandon Schuman

Austin Richwine

Johns Hopkins University

Jake Schick

Lancaster Bible College 

Frankie Herr

Lancaster General College of Nursing

Alex Evans

Kym Kipphorn

Nicole Harnish

Amanda Nolt

Miranda Hahn

Becca Frankford

Lancaster School of Cosmetology

Katie Melrath

Kutztown University

Grace Gundel

Brianna Mackison

Lebanon Valley College 

Cody Stryker

Liberty University 

Austin Howett

Lock Haven University

Kendall Arment

Messiah College

Trevor Jones

Maegan Keperling

Eddie Bley

Michigan State University

Andrew Herr

Millersville University

Nick Zell

Amber Brenner

Clayton Secrest

Drew Purzycki

Bri Rice

Faith Zimmerman

Kelly Herr

Ryan Dettrey

Mike Nitroy

Devin Sanchez

Matt Kersic

Emily Sisson

Angela Oppido

Truman Mylin

Kevin Brubaker

Beck Shue

Zainab Gilani

Maranda Kurtz

Cameron Hughes

Colby Sangrey

Matt Weidinger

Ashley Bollinger

Dakota Jordan

DaYonte Dixon

Ohio University

Vicky Nase

Sal Dumas

Penn State University (Altoona)

Kristina Simon

Cheyenne Weber

Penn State University (Berks)

Patrick Simpson

Penn State University (York)

Kegan Minney

Penn State University (Main Campus)

Dylan Weber

Megan Haines

Emily Laughlin

Brian Sloss

David Mohimani

Janelle Musser

Cody Straub

Ian Toomey

Pennsylvania College of Art and Design

Cody Livingston

Point Park University

Mitch Wise

Courtney Jacobs

Rollins College

Emily Eddowes

Savannah College of Art and Design

Jenna Hess

Shippensburg University

Kelsey Rebman

Errol Hammond

Alex Lombardo

Simon Zimmerman

Jay Jackson

Austin Rowley

Stevenson University

Jessie Cappanelli

Andrea Tracy

Temple University

Billy Green

Tosh Chambers

Brendan Kincade

Bob Warfel

Michael Andrusisin

Weston Chambers

Sid Kreitzer

David Burch

Tyler Smith

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

Chris Fleming

Kyle Black

Ryan DiCamillo

Alex Sorce

Tommy Hotchkiss

Ryan Newswanger
Thiel College

Courtney Fatta
Universal Technical Institute

Dylan Tremellen
University of California (Los Angeles)

Landon Alecxih
University of Kansas

 Alli Long
University of Maryland

 Sam Valentin

Abby Barley
University of Pennsylvania

Ellen Blazer
University of Pittsburgh (Greensburg)

Michelle Dempsey
University of Pittsburgh

Selena Hasircoglu

Russell Thorsen

Jake Shiner

Megan Schlegelmilch

Brian Le

Ian Bricker

University of Saint Andrews

Julie Schultz

Virginia Tech

Lauren Pironis

Washington College

Jenn Hanner

Josh Morgan

Waynesburg University

Kayla Laukhuff

West Chester University

Sara Bennis

James Servansky

Natalie Dell’Estate

Alexa Stewart

Tim Deubler

York College

Taylor Gamber

Kara Overmyer

York Technical Institute

Phelan Good

Military – Zane Kreider (National Guard), Skyler Major (Marine Corps), Kyle Musselman (Marine Corps), Aaron Sellers (Marines), Chris Gotwals (Army), Nathan Harsh (Marines), Troy Hoke (Navy), Jared Hall (Marines), Liam Kline (Air Force), Jess Huber (Air Force), Andy Morales (Air Force), Cody Kemps, Julie Ault (Air Force)

Working – Alex LaFrance, Zac Jenks, Michael Schneider, Aaron Alleman

Taking a year off and working- Lauren Gerlach, Jake Mercado, Breiana Herr, Matt Shroyer, Adam Morris, Kami Mylin, Michael Schneider

Missions work - Karla Mylin, Emily Peris


 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Mother’s Hardest Job

May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Iris Santana -

Some people claim being a mother may be the hardest job you’ll ever apply for.

There’s the diaper changing, bottle feeding, screaming at 4 a.m., the first steps, the ‘boo-boo’s’ (cuts) and the first day of school.

Even with all the work, some people still fail to realize that being a full time mother is basically the same as having a full time job. The pay is just different.

“You have a lot more responsibility. You have to do EVERYTHING, especially if you’re a single parent. You have to basically play Mom and Dad.” said Kayla Brown, a junior at Penn Manor.

Instead of getting paid every two weeks, a mother is paid everyday with laughs, smile and the satisfaction of caring for her child and giving them all that they need. Especially love.

Stay-at-home moms never have a day off.

“A lot of the time your not able to talk to them and bond with them as much because when they’re getting in, you’re leaving for work or practice.” said Brown, who wished her mother was a stay-at-home mom rather than a working mother.

Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney claims stay-at-home moms “lack the dignity of work”.

On April 15, in a small town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire, Romney stated this quote.

“I wanted to increase the work requirement. I said, for instance, that even if you have a child two years of age, you need to go to work. And people said, ‘Well that’s heartless.’ And I said, ‘No, no, I’m willing to spend more giving day care to allow those parents to go back to work. It’ll cost the state more providing that day care, but I want the individuals to have the dignity of work.”

“That’s false. It makes them work two times harder to provide more for their child to give them what they want and need.” Brown added.

Whether a working or not, when you're a mother you're never 'off the clock'.

The Pew Research Center say sixty percent of working moms work part-time because they feel that is the ideal situation compared to the 48 percent in 1997. The percent went up from 39 to 48 since 1997 for stay-at-home moms.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics state that 24 percent of working moms worked part-time in 2006.

The Pew Research Center also surveyed 2,020 men and women in 2007 about the increasing numbers of mothers of young children that are working. 41 percent of the people surveyed thought it was a bad thing. 32 percent thought it didn’t really matter or make much of a difference and 22 percent thought it was actually a good thing.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How to Choose a College That Fits

April 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Brady Charles -

So where are you going to college?  No, really, what have you decided?

Is it going to be the campus life, academics, athletics, location, or the cost of the college?

It is now the beginning of April, and time is dwindling for the 2012 senior class members to decide their future school.

According to Todd Cooley from examiner.com the top five reasons in helping students choose a college are academics, location, cost, size, and acceptance rate.

Number one: The top factor in deciding your college is academics and majors. The school needs to fit your desired major. The first thing you should look at is to see if they have your major, if not you may want to reconsider your options.

“I was being recruited by many schools, but as I looked further into these schools I crossed off all the schools without my desired major,” said senior Marc Summy who plans to major in premed.

“You don’t want to attend a school just to play a sport or for other unimportant reasons, the school you pick needs to fulfill all of your top requirements, including your desired major,” said Summy.

Even though the Penn Manor guard plans to play basketball in college, it’s not going to be the major factor in deciding his school, he said.

Image from jezebel.com What's the Right College for you?

A college classroom

Number two: Where is your college located? Is it a two hour drive from your hometown, or is it a $150 flight from Orlando to your local airport? Some people want to be away from home, but at the same close enough to home that they could make it home in one night if they really need something or just want to see their family. If you’re one of those people, location needs to be at the top  of your priority list.

“My biggest factor in my decision making for college is definitely the cost and location of the college,” said senior Reagan Forrey who is deciding between Millersville, West Chester, Shippensburg and West Virginia.

“I don’t want to be too far away where I’d have to take a plane home, but I don’t want to be too close where I’d feel at home,” said Forrey.

Number three: How expensive is your college? Paying for college is one of the top fears from prospective college students. Not to mention, it is by far the top fear of the parents. Cost of college is skyrocketing in the past decade. As the colleges you look at become more prestigious, the price range rises as well. When a school’s price is out of your range, seeking financial aid is a viable option for many students.

“In this economy I don’t want debt after college that I’d have to pay back afterwards,” said Forrey.

Number four: How long does it take you to get from one side of campus to the other? If it takes you over an hour to get across campus to your class, it may be too big of a campus. You want to be close enough to all of your classes, recreational places or the cafeteria so you don’t have to walk in the rain or snow for an hour to get their. Also, how many people attend your school? Some people prefer to have a small school where you meet everybody and no one is a stranger. Others prefer to have a big school atmosphere, either way it’s your preference.

“When I was picking my college, I took all of my visits to my prospective schools and really thought about the size of each school and how big the campus was. It was a very important factor in my college choice, I would hate to take an hour each day transporting to classes,” said senior Sara Bennis.

Number five: What’s your chances of getting into this school? If the school is out of your range you might not want to send in your application, just to save yourself some money. Know your limits and apply to schools that are in your  acceptance range. You can log onto www.collegeboard.com and search what each school’s requirements are.

“I was really interested in Johns Hopkins University, I was talking to the basketball coach of the school and he was very interested in me,” said Summy. “It is one of the top medical schools in the country, and I want to be a doctor so I was really into it.”

“Then he got to telling me all the requirements I needed to get into the school, and I started to reconsider it, the requirements were insane, and at that point I knew it wouldn’t work,” said Summy.

When it comes time for your choice, using all of these factors will narrow down your choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Why isn’t Pink Slime a Crime

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Chris Gotwals -

It’s pink, meaty,and filled with chemicals. It’s “Pink Slime.”

The “meat” is the low-grade trimmings of meat that isn’t sold to stores or restaurants. First it is spun out to remove the fat, then it is bathed in ammonium hydroxide to make it acceptable for food health standards. Then it is infused into higher grade meats to increase the poundage and increase the price.

Most schools are now dropping this meaty substitute off the menus and for awhile, many school cafeterias, will not have hamburgers and other Pink Slime-created meals until a “consumer acceptable” substitute is found.

Photo taken from educationnews.org

Randy Wolfgang, Director of Support Services in the Penn Manor School District said, “I can’t say we don’t have it here at Penn Manor because I specifically prohibited it, I just use reputable processors and don’t buy cheap food.”

Also in a newsletter sent to the Penn Manor District’s staff Wolfgang stated that, “These beef products come from our two suppliers, Tyson and Silver springs. Both of these companies have provided documentation to the school district that finely textured beef is not used in their products processed for the school lunch program.”

Sherlyn Wolf, the Penn Manor High School Cafeteria Manager stated, “We have never used pink slime or low grade meats.”

Penn Manor Junior Deion Valentin, didn’t even know what Pink Slime was and said that if he ever found out the school uses it or any of his favorite restaurants he would never eat there again.

On the other hand Penn Manor senior Michael Schneider said that “If this meat is said to be safe and is approved by the food safety organizations then obviously it is safe to eat and people are blowing this out of proportion because they think it’s gross.”

Pink slime, and other similar methods like it have been used for years. Fast food chains used to or still are using it, cafeterias have been serving it to children for years, and just now companies are giving it up.

So the next time a piece of steak falls on the ground, dip it in aluminum hydroxide, it should be safe.

 

Filed Under: School Happenings, Uncategorized
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