One Hundred Average Joes

 By English 11 students at Penn Manor High School –

There are more than 1,500 students in Penn Manor High School and more than 120 educators. We see each other around the building every day but do we really “see” each other? We’ve had classes with these students,  we’ve been taught by these educators. But do we know them, do you know them? We started this project because we wanted to know more about these “strangers.”

We are students in a career prep English 11 class who created a project called “100 Average Joes.”  It was definitely outside our comfort zone but our teacher encouraged us to go out and interview and photograph students and staff members who we had not met and or talked to before. During the project we found that we could meet and find out a little bit about different people in Penn Manor High School.

We enjoyed this rare project because we got to move around and meet new people.  Although the skills to interview were difficult to learn, after about three interviews we started to look forward to the work.

There is a lot of writing and editing involved but it didn’t feel like work, it felt like learning something important.  As career prep students we don’t usually get to do this kind of project. Getting to go out and interview people was a new experience, it was nice getting to write about the students that don’t normally get interviewed. You get to hear over 100 different thoughts and feelings plus the voices of the people in our English 11 class.

 

Here is our project:

100. Junior Judelky Florez says that the biggest thing that happened in her life was, "when my parents got a divorce."
99. Freshman Hailey Spicer says "one thing I'll never forget is when my cousin passed away, it made me realize you can't take life for granted."

 

98.Tim Deubler, a senior at Penn Manor said a significant moment in his life was when his grandmother passed away. His future plans are to be a music teacher and to be happily married and see his family succeed. His senior year has been very stressful. He says, "Friends come and go but the real ones stay."

 

 

97.For James Dejesus, a junior at Penn Manor, the most significant part of his life was when his family decided to adopt foster kids. According to James, his life is very exciting but very contained even with some twists and turns. The past year for James flew by fast and everything passed by in a wink and made it feel like he was here just one day. Plans for his future are going to college at Penn State and to get into dentistry.
96.Freshman Robert Geiter's advice for incoming freshman is don't get smart with teachers. His summer plans are hanging out and parties. Robert's biggest accomplishment this year was getting finals done.

 

95. Bre Whited, a freshman, loved meeting new people this year. Her summer plans are going on vacation. Bre's advice to incoming freshman is don't get in trouble.

 

94.Casper Rosario, one of many freshman, enjoyed meeting new girls this year. Casper's plans for the summer include hanging out with friends. His advice is "do well in math so teachers don't talk to you."

 

93. According to Alesandra Hoskins, a significant part in her life was when her parents divorced. Her life is sometimes good and sometimes bad, but she says her life is like a rollercoaster. In the future, Alesandra wants to become a social worker. The past year for Alesandra was a big change because she moved into Penn Manor School District.

 

92. Zoee White is a junior at here at Penn Manor. She is a cello player in the orchestra.White wants to attend college for fashion merchandising. She has a busy life but she still has time to do the things that she loves.

 

91. Jordan Rehn has an exciting life but it can be a little tiring, she said. A significant event in Rehn's life was getting a guitar for Christmas. After high school she wants to go to college and become a cop. This past year at Penn Manor has been both boring and fun for her.

 

90. Ashley Miller has a very hectic life but it is also very relaxing. She wants to go to Millersville University, after she graduates, for genetics and medicine.This past year at Penn Manor for Miller was extremely stressful with all the pressure on the juniors.

 

89. Julia Ortiz always finds a way to make her life interesting. Her life can be crazy whether it's good or bad. A significant event in her life is getting a puppy when she was 5. Julia loves animals and has a dog. She wants to attend college and get a good career. Her past year at Penn Manor has been good, she can't complain. She spends half her day at here at Penn Manor and the other half she goes to Willow Street CTC.

 

 

88. Andrew Torres has a wild life. He lives life to the fullest and lives by the motto "YOLO." You only live once. He wants to be a barber and tattoo artist. A significant event that happened in his life was meeting the love of his life.

 

 

87. The most memorable moment for Willow Dimm, a junior at Penn Manor, was working on a social norm project. During the summer, Willow's plans for the summer consist of going to the beach with her family and hanging with friends. Her advice to younger students who are coming into the high school is "don't be scared."
86. Elena Lajuett, a junior at Penn Manor said her most memorable moment at Penn Manor was in soccer when the team was almost undefeated but then lost a game. Elena's summer plans consist of spending time with friends and family. Her advice to younger students is to "try your best in everything."

 

 

85. Becky Miller, junior at PMHS says, "the biggest impact in my life was when my grandpa passed away." She also said, looking back at her high school career she wishes she would've slacked off a little more and had fun.

 

 

84. Kyle Doman says "the biggest impact in my life was meeting Sophia. She has made me a better person." He also said "I can't wait to be a senior and get out of this school."

 

 

83. Salma Tumunga, 11th grader says "my life changed when I lost my bestfriend." She also stated that "being in high school made her grow up and get serious."

 

 

 

82. Sophia Forte is a junior at Penn Manor. She says the event with the biggest impact in her life was "meeting Kyle." He changed a lot of her morals and thoughts on life.

 

 

 

81. Junior Dana Mowbray says, "The most important part of my life is my family, that's who I live for." She also said that the person in her life she looks up to the most would be "my parents, I can go to them for anything."

 

 

80. Janitor Jeff Davis gives advice to stay in school because it is important. Davis' memory he keeps with him is winning states in softball in the early 80s. Davis grew up in Lancaster, he went to Macaskey JP, he also went to Brownstown CTC, and has been working since he was 12.

 

79. Junior Alex Quinn says he looks forward to sports, education, and getting out of high school next year. His summer plans are going on vacation, working part time and summer sports. Alex's advice for freshmen is "study hard so that when you graduate you can look back and say you gave your best."

 

78. Junior Precious LaBloy is excited to work and spend time with family this summer. Precious' advice for incoming freshman is "stay focused and always do your best." Precious is excited for CTC next school year. Her biggest accomplishment was getting into CTC.

 

 

 

 

77. Penn Manor junior John West, gives the advice to pick your classes that you need not just the classes your friends are in. West also plans on hanging out with friends and working. West's memory is taking the SAT at school.

 

 

 

76. Music teacher Skip Reddig loved the moment he realized the yearbook was dedicated to him. He wishes the whole school realized the auditorium is his classroom.

 

75.Sophomore Will Stavely got hit in the face this year with an ice skate and he said that was his most memorable moment. He said school would be better with more breaks. He loves to play music and ride his scooter.

 

 

 

74.Dale Braun, 11th grade., enjoyed her years at Penn Manor. She says they could have been better. Her favorite classes are art, she also loves to read.

 

 

73. Paige Meshey, a freshman, said she has some favorite memories from her time at Penn Manor. She also said school would be better if the days were shorter.

 

72.Karina Cruz, a ninth grader, said she loves to leave school every day. She wishes there were more "hot guys" in the high school. She said meeting her friend Carly Patterson was her most memorable moment this year.

 

71. Joseph Gundel, a freshman, said his most memorable moment this year was going to "Cali" and his favorite activity outside school is to play Xbox. He wishes the school term was a little shorter.

 

 

70. Chris McMillan, a junior, believes lunch would be better if the lunch ladies wore hairnets, and his favorite memory is every last day of school.
69.Senior Troy Hoke advises others to study hard and pass physics so you can get out of school and not fail. Hoke plans on getting his diploma and getting a full time job to make money. Hoke's memory he is going to hold with him is failing his senior year of school.

 

 

 

68. Javelle Quinn is a sophomore. This year she was on the honor roll. She said she is a stronger person now because she overcame many obstacles. "(This year) was good," said Javelle. "I've been through a lot of things but overall it's been a good year."

 

67. Laiklynee Kammerer said making the girls varsity volleyball team was a highlight of her school year which she said was outstanding overall. She said her sophomore year was better than being a freshman which was a bit "rough."
66.Baker, Cindy Frey, gives this advice: "always do your best, be kind to everyone and be all you can be." Mrs. Frey says one event that she still holds with her is when she went on a mission trip to Mexico. Mrs. Frey was also a Penn Manor graduate in 1973.

 

 

65.Junior Lindsay Hutchinson tore her ACL this year. She said she is probably committing to play soccer in college. The school year was good and her injury was life-changing.

 

 

 

 

64.Jacob Spencer has a goal of getting into CTC. The school year is "alright," he said although he admits he wishes he would have tried harder. A junior, Spencer describes himself as "outgoing, talented and hilarious."

 

63.When junior Eric Gardner moved to Pennsylvania he said his life was fun and full of events. He also said it was wild and full of drama.

 

 

 

62.Cindy Bachman said that getting married and giving birth to a son were the most significant events in her life. "This year was great and busy, but a good year," she also said.

 

61.Secretary Diana Alston said, "Year 2011-2012 at Penn Manor was amazing." Her most significant moments in her life were when she had her four kids. When out of school she likes to read and relax.

 

60.One point in Marisa Figueroa's life that was significant was moving to Penn Manor. Marisa spends a lot of time with her family, even though her life is very loud and crazy. To Marisa, junior year was the hardest but she wants to go to college to become a social worker.

 

59. A significant part in Linnea Rudy's life was when she started horseback riding. Her life is always interesting, but she enjoys being around everyone in chorus. Her goal is to be a horse trainer or she would like to work with animals.

 

 

 

58.Katie Irwin, a junior, can't wait for the summer when she'll go to Lincoln, Nebraska, the beach, the mountains, and be able to hang out with her friends. Katie can't wait for senior year theater shows. Her most memorable moment was in freshman year, coming into chorus.

 

 

 

57. Caroline Hathaway, a new addition to the junior class, can't wait for summer so she can hang out with friends and keep working. Caroline's advice about school was "PSSAs aren't easy." A memorable moment for her was the Christmas chorus concert.

 

 

 

 

56. Amber Kuhns, junior at Penn Manor, says her favorite possession would be "The piglet I've had since I was 6 months." The two words she uses to describe herself are "short and awkward." Amber says the thing she hates most is homophobia.

 

 

 

55. A significant part in Julia's life was being a part of the worship band for her church. Julia's life is crazy and not normal, but the past year for her was life changing. Julia would like to do something good for the world, and get straight A's.

 

 

 

54.Sophmore at Penn Manor, Kristen Reckard says the biggest impact on her life was "When I moved here from North Carolina." Her motto is "everything happens for a reason" and "everyone comes into your life for a reason."

 

 

53.Christian Olt, freshman at Penn Manor, said the biggest impact in his life was "when he got the mile record in elementary school." He describes himself as sporty and nice.

 

 

52.Warren Parker is a freshman at Penn Manor. He said the biggest impact on his life was "when my mom got remarried." He would describe himself as brave, athletic, cool, funny, skinny and black. Warren's favortie teachers so far from school have been Joe Herman and Nick Shwartz.

 

51.Chris Lafrance does a lot of fishing and boating. This summer he will be working as a boat mechanic. Chris says, "fun classes can make school interesting, there is a point where you have to tolerate it."

 

 

50.Junior Keila Anaya writes poetry and turns it into music. Keila works at KFC. Keila shared her biggest memories and claims that every time she's with her boyfriend is her biggest memory. This summer Keila wants to find time from work to visit her family in Massachussets.

 

49.Nicholas David Rayha refers to himself as a "nerd." Nicholas enjoys playing basketball, baseball, and video games. This summer Nicholas wants to go to the beach and do "the usual." Nicholas enjoys school and sees science as his favorite subject. Nicholas says his biggest memory was when he was wrestling with his brother and his brother caught on fire.

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48. Manny Matos, a sophomore at Penn Manor High, believes that this year in school has been very boring. Manny likes to chill at home in his room because it is boring in his neighborhood. Manny's most significant event in his life was when he got his first braids in his hair.

 

 

47. Amber Antonelli, senior at Penn Manor High School, said that working in a nursing home for four years was "life changing." Amber's favorite moments in high school were having classes with Chrissy Stoltzfus. Addison Myer is conducting the interview.

 

 

46. Reflecting on her last year of teaching, Teri Hay (art teacher at Penn Manor High School) shared her views on her years of teaching. She also said that, "her husband is 90 percent of her joy."

 

 

45. Essence Lausell, a freshman at Penn Manor, said her most significant moment in her life was her first day of high school. She said "This year was not what I expected it to be; it was wack and boring." She likes to play ball as a hobby.

 

44. Long-term social studies substitute teacher Eric Urban likes to coach the swim team. He enjoyed his year at Penn Manor.

 

43.FFA senior, Ben Groff, is ready to graduate and move on to Wyo-tech in Wyoming. Ben is going there to study diesel mechanics so he can get a job working on diesel trucks and so he can help on the farm when something goes wrong, he can repair it.

 

 

42.Tim Casey, freshman at Penn Manor High School says, "My life can be hectic at times, but relaxed at others." He said the biggest impact on his life was "drama."

 

41.A significant event in Victoria Torres' life was going to Puerto Rico for the first time and visiting family. Her goals for the future are to get a well-paying job and to have a nice house. Her past year at Penn Manor went well. She spent only first and second block here and then went to half-day CTC at the Willow Street Campus.

 

40.Penn Manor freshman Gideon Stallings said that his first year of high school has been "swell." He enjoys coming here. He would describe his life as fun and exciting.

 

 

 

39.A significant event in Jordan Williams' life was coming to the high school. His life is not very action-packed, but is slow. In the future he would like to go to college and have a family.

 

38. For eight years of Eric Kark's life he was home-schooled, but he has gone to Penn Manor for the last four years. He wants to go to Thaddeus Stevens for auto body courses so he can repair cars. To him, junior year was fun and never boring. He recommends the FFA to his fellow students.

 

37.The biggest impact in Mr.McKnight's life was meeting his wife. After six months of dating, he knew that this was the women he wanted to be with. They flew to Ireland and got married in a castle. Two weeks later they came back and both started working at Penn Manor. The most important thing in his life is to be a good father and a good husband.

 

36.Melanie Rupp said a significant event in her life "was moving in with my grandparents." Her past year in high school was "boring and fast." Her life in a sentence "like a roller coaster" it goes up and down.

 

 

35.Wrestling was a significant event in Bryce Mowbray's life. His past year in high school was very "different" as a freshman. His life in a sentence is "a lot of stupid stuff but a lot of fun."

 

34. Senior Mike Bucek said that he's looking forward to going to the Millersville Pool during the summer. A significant event in this senior's life is the car accident he was in in 8th grade.

 

 

 

33.Looking back on the school year, Ben Baumen, junior at Penn Manor High School, feels that the walls of the school are boring and that they should be painted purple.
32. The halls of Penn Manor would not be the same if it wasn't for Leighton Dickinson. Other than making the school nice and clean, Leighton enjoys making gourmet desserts, and loves working out.

 

31. Brian Hammaker wants to become a tattoo artist. Brian's dad has many tattoos. In his free time he likes to draw, play guitar and skate. Brian's biggest memory was when his mom passed away.
30.Donald McMillan, a sophomore plays soccer and is a leader at the LCBC a big Christian church. He was adopted at the age of two and never saw his biological parents. He can also speak a little bit of Spanish and German

 

29. Gabriella Minnich, a sophmore at PMHS, said she used to live in Connecticut. She loves to draw and enjoys playing drums. She played basketball for six years. She also said that her brother was born in Italy and has a different dad. She said that she would love to have a volkswagon GTI for her first car.
28. School nurse, Nancy Morrell defines living life to its fullest!! Extremely young at heart, Nancy promotes activism. She loves hiking, biking and basking in nature. She is very passionate about her hobbies. “It doesn’t cost anything to be out in the woods! It keeps you younger,” says Morrel.
27. Tristan Feltenberger is a sophomore  who likes to hang out with his friends. He says he gets in trouble a lot. He expressed that he has never met his father but does have a step-father. Tristin says his favorite cartoon is Squidbillies.

 

 

26. Joey Sweitzer, sophmore at Penn Manor High School, believes "school was better back in the day." In elementary school Joey learned the basics of math, writing, English, etc. Now in high school he feels that the high level of courses is unnecessary because he's not sure how he's going to use it in life.

 

 

 

 

25. Lunch Lady Yvette Herr said, "I look forward to hanging out with friends at my beach house over the summer." Yvette also said that a significant event in her life is when she got married in October of 1995.

 

24.Freshman, Kelsea Lynn said that her favorite part of summer is hanging out with her friends.

 

23. Sarah Scheid is a staff member at Penn Manor. Sheid said, "My life is always interesting and it feels like it's full of surprises." She hopes to graduate grad school and have a healthy family.
22. Daulton Karr, 10th grade likes to work and make money.
21. Although Danica Gabrielson has a hectic,busy and amusing life she still finds time to make herself happy. A significant event in her life was swimming with dolphins. When she graduates high school she wants to be a professional photographer.
20. Savannah Santiago in 10th grade can't wait for school to be over and for summer to be here.

 

19. Cody Livingston is about to finish high school. He wants to go to college to be a mythologist or a cartoonist. A significant event in his life is getting a job at Chuck-E-Cheese.
18. Junior Natosha Polaski said her most significant event in her life was, "Being chased around by my brother." She plans on going into the military or to college after high school.

 

17."A significant event in my life was having a daughter," said Mike Weimer. "I have worked for Penn Manor five years. I sweep the floor, clean windows, bathrooms and set up events."
16. "Last year at Penn Manor as a junior was very long but rewarding and also very fun, I learned a lot and made many friends," said Mac Evarts.

 

 

15. "A significant event in my life was going out for the football team in second grade," said senior, Joe Bucek. "This last year was long, but a good year."

 

 

 

14.Colin Koser is a junior at Penn Manor who enjoys powerlifting and training. He is going to CTC for welding for senior year. He is not going to miss being at Penn Manor.

 

 

13. Eddie Collazo, a tenth graded, never liked school or being told what to do. This summer Eddie is working two jobs.
12. "Making varsity cheerleading was my significant event," said Bailey McKinnie who said she is adventurous, outgoing, probably different from everybody else. "This year it has been fun, better than the year before in high school.

 

 

11. Junior Brad Snyder said he looks up to his parents because they help him through everything. Brad said his favorite memory is playing baseball, where he met many of his friends and won the championship in seventh grade.
10.Science teacher Paul Milot said a significant event in life was reaching the top of a mountain 14,200 feet high on the 4th of July when it was 30 degrees outside. Life in two adjectives "interesting, challenging." Milot said Penn Manor was a place he chose to be, coming from a private school background. He feels he is easy to work with if shown respect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Brittany Diffendall, a junior at Penn Manor shared her views about junior year and described her life-changing event, which was interviewing Austin Carlile from Of Mice & Men.

 

 

8.Senior Courtney Fatta's most memorable moment of high school is coming to school late for PSSAs and prom.

 

7. Trasee Bleacher is a farm wife who works in the Penn Manor cafeteria part time. Her faith, church and family are the most important things in her life. One day she hopes to go to Australia and be a missionary.

 

6. Senior Lex Muniz said that graduating high school is a significant event in his life. Muniz said that his life in the beginning was not in his control and now he’s starting to gain more control.

 

5. For Rebekah Shue, school comes first. Senior year for her was the hardest but the most fun. AP testing was one of the hardest parts of school for her. A significant part of high school was when she started dating her boyfriend.

 

4."Getting married was one significant event in my life," said Katharine Rodriguez, a Spanish teacher at Penn Manor. "It has been a stressful year, but it has also been really good."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Daysha Conner, freshman at Penn Manor, says the most significant event in her life was "when my little brother was born, it was the most special thing that happened." She describes her life as "an interesting journey." She says her first year in Penn Manor was "fun, but filled with drama."
2. Teacher Rich Brenton said “My plans for this summer include going to Italy for two weeks to see my son.” Brenton’s favorite thing to look forward to this summer is grilling outside all the time.
1. 1. Streeter Stuart is young at heart and married with two kids. Great at baseball but follows football, loves the University of Virginia, and splits wood for fun so he can light his wood stove. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authors in order of appearance in the above video: Mily Hill, Angel Torres, Addison Myer, Shane Best, Robbie Conover, Deion Valentin, Devon Reis, Josh Bennett, Trent Sheaffer, Paige Zayas, Cari Concini, Marc Delacruz, Luis Marcelino, John Worthington, Adrienne Eager and Jacqueline Killian.

Prezi: Better than Powerpoint?

By Connor Hughes –

It’s like a more customizable, creative version of PowerPoint, and Penn Manor students are catching on.

Prezi's user-friendly interface is simple and fun.

This cloud-based, no downloads needed, presentation software opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides. The zoomable canvas makes it fun to explore ideas and the connections between them. The result; a visually captivating presentation that leads your audience down a path of discovery.

“When I started teaching 15 years ago, PowerPoint was around,” said English teacher Scott Hertzog who is requiring students to produce a project using the new presentation software.  “[PowerPoint] is a tool that was used to death and you’ve seen them all before.  There’s something about Prezi, the way it zooms in is very creative,” said Hertzog.

Prezi’s most advertised feature is the ability to zoom in and out of your presentation. You can visualize your ideas, pan left, move right, zoom-in on a detail, or zoom-out to show the big picture.

Prezi is very customizable.  You can add custom time-lines, charts, and graphs.

But why would someone use Prezi instead of, the very popular presentation program, PowerPoint?

Hertzog is using Prezi in a mandatory project, and he has nothing but positive things to say about the PowerPoint-killer.

“Intuitive, I mean it’s really straight forward.  The learning curve is easier to overcome compared to PowerPoint or Keynote because it’s all there and it has a really nice interface,” said Hertzog.

Hertzog thinks using PowerPoint is like beating a dead horse.

Although, Hertzog doesn’t think that Prezi is the do-all solution to every presentation.

“Like PowerPoint, Prezi can also be overused,” said Hertzog. “Teachers say it’s just another tool in the toolbox for students, it doesn’t have to be used every time you need to present something.”

Prezi is also free, you can use it online with for no cost. And, everything you do on Prezi is open for the public to see.

“There’s nothing you need to download.  And everything you do on Prezi is public,” said Hertzog. “They’re not just doing it for me. They’re doing it so anyone in the world can see it.  It raises the stakes in terms of education, suddenly people from the outside world can comment on it.”

Penn Manor senior Abby Barley likes the flexible and futuristic qualities of Prezi.

“PowerPoint is so 20th century, Prezi is the 21st.  With PowerPoint, you can’t customize anything, and a Prezi is just so much more fun to make,” said Barley.  “PowerPoint is just standard and boring.”

Another technologically advanced feature that Prezi has to offer is the ability to collaborate.

“Prezi Meeting” is an online collaboration feature that allows up to ten people (together or geographically separated) to co-edit and show their Prezis in real time. Users participate in a Prezi simultaneously, and each is visually represented in the presentation window by a small Prezi avatar.

This means a group of people can all be working on the same Prezi, at the same time, from completely different places.

Prezi is a free, creative, collaborative, and exciting way to create and deliver an amazing presentation.  What’s not to love?

 

 

Mosquitos Genetically Engineered to Die

By Jacob Harvey-

Genetically engineering mosquito’s to kill their offspring before adulthood sounds like science fiction.

On Sunday, however, just this happened when Oxitec showed recent signs of initial success after releasing their genetically modified mosquitos into the wild. With their success brings about doubts about if genetically modifying animals to die off is really “healthy” for the ecosystems they inhabit. These concerns are serious because once a genetically modified insect is released it is practically impossible to just catch them and take them back into the lab.

With this advancement, scientists hope to create an age where genetically modified insects can be used to help control agricultural pests and control or limit the amount of wild insects that carry harmful diseases.

Image courtesy of skilletcreekjournal.com

Authorities in the South end of Florida plan to conduct a test on the genetically modified mosquito’s in the wild as early as December but are waiting for permission from the Agricultural Department.

“I think that it has potential to create a few situations where insects reproduce too fast and they end up with more insects with the modified gene than what is safe for their species,” said Erick Dutchess, a Penn Manor Biology teacher.

If these tests turn out a success, then it is believed that genetic engineering insects can be used to control other agricultural pests like the Mediterranean Fruit Fly and the Medfly.

In Yuma, Arizona, there was a release of millions of genetically altered Pink-Bollworms into the cotton fields to try and reduce the amount of Pink-Bollworms destroying the cotton fields.

However, Oxitec has been under fire for rushing their new genetically engineered insects out to field test without more lab tests. Oxitec made the Aedes aegypti mosquito’s which are the main carriers of the Dengu and Yellow Fever viruses. They released these mosquito’s into the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, Brazil, and Malaysia with known success in each environment.

“I think it is about time we started killing off mosquito’s they are just annoying to deal with and carry unwanted diseases,” said Logan White, a Penn Manor senior.

The effects that this will have on the ecosystem could be nothing, but it could be devastating but we won’t know for sure until more research is done along with more field tests. In the end time will tell if the genetic engineering of insects is harmful or helpful.

Habeas Corpus Lost for U.S. Citizens Suspected of Terrorism

By Adam Rohrer –

The National Defense Authorization act is set to to be signed into law Thursday. The bill will allow for the removal of due process of American citizens who have been accused, without evidence, of being a suspected terrorist.

Not everyone at Penn Manor, or the country for that matter, has been following the issue but those that have, have strong opinions.

Penn Manor junior Haley Smith said “Every person deserves a fair trail, If you’re an American in America you should have your right to a fair trail.”

The National Defensive Authorization Act would give the U.S. military the ability to detain and arrest American citizens on U.S. soil indefinably without due process if someone is suspected of involvement in terrorism. The U.S. government believes that those deemed as “terrorists” are “special cases” and cannot be given due process which is why they were kept in Guantanamo bay. With this bill passed, nothing technically could stop the government from labeling  someone a terrorist, arresting that person and putting him or her before a military tribune.

In other words “guilty until proven innocent.”

Penn Manor Junior Ben Murphy said “If they’ve done nothing wrong they have nothing to be afraid of” in regard to the possibility that these new powers might be abused.

The part of the bill in question can be found in section 1031 where it defines the entirety of U.S. territory as a battleground. While the wording in this section is vague, near the end of the bill it comes back to the issue and confirms US citizens are included in the bill. In essence the bill states that any US citizen accused by the White House of being a suspected terrorist will be subjected to military law.

“Why would you accuse your own people of terrorism?” asked Penn Manor Junior Emily Stotoft.

The NDAA was a bill drafted in a private session not open to the public by several U.S. senators. It has already passed the Senate, 86-14 and in the House, 283-136.

Obama had previously promised to veto the bill but sources indicate that he is now going to sign it. A veto from the president would not be enough however as the Senate would be able to override the veto with such overwhelming bipartisan support.

“By signing this defense spending bill, President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in U.S. law,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “In the past, Obama has lauded the importance of being on the right side of history, but today he is definitely on the wrong side.”

Obama has taken heat from civil liberties groups for his support for the indefinite detention of Bradly Manning without trial or due process. Bradly Manning is known for leaking classified documents that provide evidence of war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to Wikileaks.

Republican Presidential candidate and long time Libertarian Ron Paul have been one of the only influential public figures to attack the bill for its violation of civil liberties.

“This is a giant step – this should be the biggest news going right now – literally legalizing martial law,” said Paul.

“This is big,” emphasized Paul, adding, “This step where they can literally arrest American citizens and put them away without trial….is arrogant and bold and dangerous.”

While many Americans and students at Penn Manor may think that this does not effect them, and that suspected “Terrorists” do not deserve a fair trial or human rights. These people may be interested in the fact the the U.S. Department of Defense lists “protests” as an activity that warrants suspicion of low-level terrorism.  With this law you can be arrested and indefinitely detained without due process or a fair trial for protesting in the United States of America.

Some fear the new law would correlate with events that led up to Nazism in Germany.

“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.” –  Martin Niemoller – Holocaust survivor on the silence of Germans during the rise of Nazi Germany

 

Penn Manor Students Predict Spectacular Labor Day Holiday

By Jared Heming, Monica Hoffman, Heury Ventura,  Samantha Padua, Brooke Stoops, Delky Flores, Carly Rebman and Eric Gardner-

After four grueling days of school, the Labor Day weekend is finally here! The holiday will be fantastic because the weather will be mostly sunny.

This Labor Day weekend’s weather will be very nice but a bit humid for the first three days.   Look out for possible thunderstorms on Sunday.  Friday will be humid with a high of 80 degrees and a few showers on Monday may ruin some Labor Day plans.

Friday looks good for Penn Manor’s first football game.  Fans will enjoy the summer temperatures.

Weather forecasts predict mostly sunny skies for Labor Day weekend. Photo courtesy of Stockxchange

Although mostly glorious, this long weekend may include intervals of clouds and sunshine with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms and showers on Sunday and Monday.

Friday through Monday it looks like the humidity will be mixed with sun and clouds throughout the days with highs mostly in the 80s.

Penn Manor Senior Chris Gotwals is hosting a family party and an all-day swim with friends.  Later in the weekend, Chris is golfing with his dad and grilling out for Labor Day.

“It’s gonna be gorgeous, but I’m having my plans, rain or shine,” said Gotwals.

Another student, Penn Manor junior Jordan Machado said he is planning to go to Dorney Park Sunday.

“Sunny, hot, unbreezy.  I would love it,” he said.

Delky Flores, a Penn Manor junior is hoping for good weather for First Friday.

“Saturday I have to work but I may go to the movies and have a picnic with my family on Sunday.”

Penn Manor’s Angelica Cruz, a junior, plans to go to First Friday (in downtown Lancaster) and to other parties during the weekend.

Although there is some chance of possible showers toward the end of the weekend, students should keep their heads up and enjoy the plentiful good weather that will be around.

Tonsil Removal Gone Bad

By Iris Santana –

The door opens, her hands are over her mouth, head bent down, blood everywhere.

It was a regular, boring Tuesday afternoon until the last two minutes of Streeter Stewart’s third block class in early June.

Danielle Brooks, a junior at Penn Manor, had just gotten her tonsils removed and during the ending of the class, Brooks felt nauseous. As she approached the bathroom, instead of actually throwing up, Brooks started to spit up blood. She rushed out into hallway, where she was pulled back into the classroom and the nurses were called.

When the nurses arrived, they knew right away it wasn’t something they could take care of. And 911 had to be called. Everyone without gloves was kicked out of the room while they tried to get Brooks laid out on her side on the floor until the ambulance came. When she arrived at the hospital, the doctors numbed her mouth and “sucked” all the blood out. She was released from the hospital the same day.

“They didn’t really say much about why that happened, just that the scab from my stitches opened up.” said Brooks.”But I was so nervous, I thought I was going to die.”

Although it is very rare, Brooks was lucky because some people don’t make it after a tragedy like that.

There was an incident in 2007 where an 18- year-old died eight days after having her tonsils removed. Another teen, Kayleigh Kennard, woke up from her sleep and threw up a pint and a half of blood. She was rushed to a nearby hospital. After removing a blood clot from her throat, a major hemorrhage from a ruptured artery was found. She suffered from extensive brain damage and died later that evening.

“The frequency of death after tonsillectomy is one in 40,000, so statistically it is very rare for this to happen,” said Anthony Morley, who carried out Kennard’s tonsillectomy.

For more on this story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-460097/Teenager-died-routine-tonsil-operation.html#ixzz1OEofTWyI

A tonsillectomy is when the tonsils are removed from either side of the throat.

Tonsils are lymph glands in the mouth that help to fight infection. Sometimes they can get infected in the process of fighting infection. This usually only occurs in children. In adults, tonsils are usually a problem only if they are too large and obstructing the airway/throat, causing sleep apnea.

There are four main reasons why someone will need to get a tonsillectomy.

1. Recurrent Tonsillitis- This is when inflammation of the tonsils keep occurring, due to infection.

Tonsillitis can easily be spread by close contact of an infected person.

According to WebMD, droplets of disease-causing agents pass through the air when an infected person breathe, coughs or sneezes.Infection can also occur if pathogens get on the skin and end up in contact with eyes, nose or mouth. Symptoms will then start to occur 2 to 5 days later.

2. Quinsy- A quinsy is when an abscess forms in the tissues next to the tonsil (following an attack of tonsillitis). Two or more quinsies need to occur before a tonsillectomy is performed.

3. Obstructive Sleep Apnea- This is when tissues in the upper airways come too close to each other while sleeping, temporarily blocking the inflow of air.

4. Malignancy- This is usually associated with tumors. A malignant tumor can easily spread. This can also become cancerous.

Everyone has three different types of tonsils located in different areas of their mouth.

1. Palatine Tonsils- These tonsils are located on both sides at the back of the throat.

These are the tonsils that are usually removed for infection or obstruction.

2. Lingual Tonsils- These tonsils are located at the base of the tongue.

3. Pharyngeal Tonsils (also known as Adenoids)- These tonsils are located high in the throat, behind the nose.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Logo

In 1959, 1.4 million tonsillectomies were performed in the United States.

According to The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery also known as AAO-HNS, the number of tonsillectomies has decreased in the United States since the 1970’s.

Thirty years ago, nearly 90 percent of all tonsillectomies performed on children were because of recurrent infection. Today nearly 20 percent are for infection and 80 percent are for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Reason Why People Self Harm

 

Person who is harmful to himself.

By Abby Talbot –

Eye brows are raised and judgments are made when people see self mutilation for what it really is.

Dr. Kathleen Young, a psychologist in Chicago is often asked about self-mutilation. For instance why people do it and why it happens.

“Broadly speaking self injury is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by causing physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to your body,” saidYoung

Young also said, “Self mutilation happens for multiple reasons and there is no cure that will work 100 percent, truthfully therapy and depression medications are the best solutions if someone you knew started developing symptoms and revealed self injury.

Young also stated that that there is a difference between attention-getting (behaviors) and true self harm. She said there were a few reasons that a person who does not fit the category of self harm, such as a person who causes injury for sexual pleasure, body decoration, spiritual enlightenment or ritual, and fitting in or being cool.

True self-harming behavior, according to Young, is seen in teens who also suffer from depression and mental illness.

Teens Health website published a story this year addressing teens addiction to cutting and why they do it.

“Some people do it for attention, others do it to hide behind their emotional pain with physical,” said Gabby Myers a senior at Penn Manor.

There are many reason why teens and adults participate in self mutilation. Most people who cut are girls according to the teen health website, but guys as well may self mutilate.

The major reason why people cut is because of emotional stress, relationship problems, problems at home and emotional pain that the people who cut would rather feel in physical pain, said psychologists. They want emotional relief.

For some, cutting is a way of feeling in control. When it in fact it is exactly the opposite.

PubMedHealth, another website aimed at helping people with self-harm issues and mental illnesses published an article in 2010 stating that cutting is more then a bad way of dealing with stress, sometimes it is accompanied by mental illness.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)  is a disease in which people go through long-term patterns of unhealthy, uncontrollable, overly powerful  emotions and can be accompanied by self-harming behaviors.

Abandonment at an early age of life, sexual abuse, poor communication between family members and any other issues dealing with family are the most common factors of this disorder.

BPD is more common in women just like cutting is, men as well are just as capable of acquiring the disease. The symptoms of BPD which are also experienced before a person gets addicted to cutting are very similar. The person starts to feeling abandoned, extremely impulsive and gets mad quickly, according to PubMedHealth.

Maddi Eckenrode junior at Penn Manor has heard about BPD and found it interesting.

“I feel like the people that cut don’t realize that it could be more serious then just a bad day or week, most of those people probably have BPD and should get help for themselves,” said Eckenrode.

UPMC Life Changing Medicine, is a website recommend by Young for teens who want more information about self injury.

UMPC published an article about self harm and the sometimes genetic reasons behind it. Self-mutilation is often associated with psychiatric disorders that may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

UMPC stated that self-mutilation can be hard to diagnose because usually in most cases of self harm the person hides the self inflictions because it is not social acceptable and because they feel guilty and ashamed.

Affirmative Action Not always Supported

By Morgan Fletcher –

“Oh, you only got in there because you’re Black.”

Under the surface, a number of people find themselves bitter about the principles of affirmative action.

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “affirmative action” means “positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.”

America’s history is reflective of the struggles minorities and women have had over time.  To reduce the discrimination, certain amendments and rights have been implemented in attempts to provide equal opportunities for all, regardless of race or gender.

The phrase “affirmative action” was first introduced in President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Executive Order 10925.  Kennedy required federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”  In 1967, Lyndon Johnson expanded the Executive Order to include women under the affirmative action requirements.

One of the most controversial aspects of affirmative action is the role it plays in college admissions.

In attempts to increase their minority representation, colleges have employed affirmative action to help match representation quotas.

This practice took form in the 1970s.  One of the earliest incidents in which it caused controversy was the case of Allan Bakke.

Bakke, a white applicant, applied to the Medical School at the University of California at Davis, which reserved 16  of its 100 slots for the entering class each year to minority students.

Bakke applied to the school in 1973 and 1974, and both times was denied admission even though his test scores and grades were better than most accepted applicants.

Bakke sued, and his 1977 case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, is famous because of the decision the Supreme Court reached.

Four members of the court were in favor of Bakke’s argument, and four others were against it.  It came down to Justice Powell, who was persuaded by members in favor of Bakke’s case.  Thus, Bakke won his case and a door was opened that revealed the nation’s stake in the matter.

May 4th is a historic date in our nation’s history.  The passengers known as the “Freedom Riders” just celebrated the 50th anniversary of their journey to the deep South.  Their goal was to bring attention to race relations in the racially divided southern states.  Instead, they were greeted by a lot of violence and hostility.

The courageous efforts of the riders showcased to the world the horrors of the racial segregation that embodied the South.  Whites and Blacks were able to come together in a time when unity meant everything and differences in appearance could be set aside.

It is evident that divisions amongst the races are still present in our nation, however, as there has been a lot of opposition to policies like affirmative action, which are set in place to help eliminate segregation and unify everyone.

President Bill Clinton presented a speech about affirmative action on July 19, 1995.  Based on his assertions in the speech, he is an advocate for affirmative action.

“The purpose of affirmative action is to give our nation a way to finally address the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the basis of their gender or race from opportunities to develop, perform, achieve and contribute,” Clinton stated.  “Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to open the doors of education, employment and business development opportunities to qualified individuals who happen to be members of groups that have experienced longstanding and persistent discrimination.”

Clinton cites the fact that at times, affirmative action is used too liberally and unjustly.  He also cites the changes that have and are being made to help eliminate these problems.

”When affirmative action is done right, it is flexible, it is fair, and it works,” he stated.

Penn Manor history teacher Todd Mealy sides with Clinton’s notion that affirmative action is effective as it is a policy set in place to benefit individuals who have been excluded from certain opportunities over time.  He also cites the fact that it never hurts to reform certain policies.

“Affirmative action is decades old.  Most policies that are 40 or 50 years old need change,” Mealy said.  “Affirmative action should still be a policy but should be shifted.”

Mealy asserts that affirmative action should focus more on socio-economics and levels of education, with a concentration on working class people.

His move to Penn Manor from the diverse School District of Lancaster was quite surprising, he remembers.  In his first faculty meeting at Penn Manor, he remembers looking around and not seeing any variety among the faces.

He believes this should be changed.

“[Penn Manor’s] student body is changing, but the teaching staff is not,” said Mealy.  “I think it would be a good idea for the district to start recruiting minority applicants.”

Mealy believes that beneficial connections can be made between faculty and students that look like them.  He believes that affirmative action is not in place simply to fill the quota.

Hiram Martinez, Interim Assistant to the President for Social Equity and Diversity at Millersville University, could not agree with Mealy more.  Martinez does not believe Millersville University focuses on affirmative action.

“I think the admissions office [at Millersville University] in general works very hard in making sure every freshman class engages with folks of underrepresented groups,” he said.

Martinez believes that rather than practicing affirmative action, the university effectively works to engage its students in activities with others who are not like them.

Rich Brenton, another history teacher at Penn Manor, is not a proponent of affirmative action.

“I understand it in principle, but I’m opposed to how it plays out,” Brenton said.

Brenton believes that our nation should never have gotten in the state of inequality that it has throughout history.  He believes that everyone should have the same institutional opportunities and that academic rewards should be given based on merit.

“It’s really, really difficult to legislate equality,” he said.  “All men should be created equal, but aren’t.”

Brenton believes that head start programs are better alternatives to affirmative action.  He sees it to be more beneficial to find at-risk youth at a very early age and provide them with resources that enable them to be more accomplished and qualified later in life.  He cites the fact that this idea will probably never happen, though, as change takes a lot of time to happen.

“We don’t want to commit to it,” said Brenton.  “We’d rather put on Band-Aids at the end.”

Peace-Keeping Mission Could be a Cause for Concern for PM Enlisted

By Vaughn Stetler –

America is turning over its enforcement of the no-fly zone to NATO.

The United Nations authorized the intervention after massive violations of human rights were taking place in Libya, namely its leader, Moammar Gadhafi, was attacking his own people in order to squash a civil rebellion.

Not everyone agrees with the intervention.

One high level aide said that “The U.S. would once again be meddling in in the Middle East,” and “There are a number of risks including political and tactical.”

Civilians run from house that was hit in an air strike. CNN.com

There are people who are on the  other side of this argument such as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,  John Kerry, who said “We must not make repeating mistakes like we did in Iraq, Kurdistan, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Any sort of foreign military action may have some of Penn Manor future enlisted members worried.

Penn Manor senior and future NROTC enlistee Kyle Kann said, “I do not think that we should get involved.  We should let them work out their own problems.  It would give them an opportunity to shape the future of the country as they see fit.”

When Kann said the decision by the U.S. to get involved in Libya would not change his plans for enlisting.

Rebels celebrating after capture of city. CNN.com

“No not at all,” said Kann, “I still want to serve my country even if I do not agree with what they are doing in the Middle East.”

Penn Manor senior James McElroy is thinking of joining the Marines.

“We don’t need to send any more troops over there (Middle East),” McElroy said.  “There is already enough problems with Iraq and Afghanistan.”

McElroy  thought that we should send aid to some of the people who had been affected by this conflict he said, “Of course the U.S. has always been an ally of foreign countries that are having crisis, why should that change now.”

Another senior, Andrew Noel, who is going into the Navy to be an engineer said, “I was supposed to be stationed in Germany but now the (military action in Libya) might change were I am going after basic I may be stationed in the Middle East or somewhere else.”

iPad 2: Now Thinner and Better

By DaYonte Dixon –

The new iPad 2 was just released Wednesday and the fans are lining up for it.

Apple is now selling a new, lighter, cheaper and more easy-to-transport  iPad. The iPad 2 is one-third thinner than the original version, which was one of the main complaints about that early version.

It will begin shipping in over a week, according to the company, and with the hype around the world has carried into Penn Manor high school.

“People are going crazy over the new iPad,” said Alex Kirk, a Penn Manor student. “Actually I already asked my mom if i could get it today.”

Most people just want it because of the word “new” that is in front of the name but Kirk has done some research.

“I heard it is as thin as the iphone and holds more memory,” said Kirk.  “I also heard that it’s selling at the same price as the original, that’s why I want to go out today so I don’t miss the opportunity of this great pricing.”

But it comes with many more new features than the last tablet Apple put out. According to the company, the new pad has rear and front facing cameras for recording video, taking photos, and for FaceTime video chat. The new iPad also has a new A5 dual-core processor which offers up to nine times faster graphics processing.

Ipad 2. Photo courtesy of http://www.devicemag.com

Apple’s official statement says, “The faster speeds of the new processor will not have any greater power consumption than the previous A4 processor.”

So it’s sort of green and fast.

The new iPad will also be available in two different colors, black and white.  It will also be available for both AT&T and Verizon.

“Once I heard about the iPad 2, I eliminated a laptop from my Christmas list,”  said senior Demetrius Dixon, a Penn Manor student.

“But I plan on getting it a lot earlier than Christmas.” added Dixon, who is off to college this year.

With all the hype around the world, and at Penn Manor, the iPad 2 may end up being very successful.

According to Kirk and Dixon, many of Apple’s first ipad 2 sales will be coming from Penn Manor students themselves.