Penn Points Staff

Penn Manor and Hempfield Combat in Never Ending Rivalry

By Mark Dano and Kyle Musser-

Every time Penn Manor is on the verge of a sure thing in sports, it seems that there’s one school that can crush the morale of the Comets in a single night – their arch rivals Hempfield Black Knights.

It’s surely not every time, it just seems like it.

For example, a heavily favored Comets football team hosted the Black Knights this season. After maintaining a lead late into the fourth quarter, the Knights stormed back to an overtime victory.

The Penn Manor’s girls volleyball team took a 2-1 lead over Hempfield. Yet again, the Knights stormed back to a 3-2 victory.

This trend dates back for years. In 2005, Penn Manor boys volleyball team defeated Hempfield twice earlier in the season. Then in the state quarterfinals, the Black Knights came out on top.

Is it magic dust or something a little more tangible?

In the eyes of some Penn Manor athletes, Hempfield is an eternal enemy. But does that rivalry mess with Comet athletes’ heads?

“Hempfield is not very likable, we don’t get along,” said senior varsity golfer and volleyball player Dayonte Dixon.

When the two teams meet, a competitive game always seems to occur. But pure talent does not always dictate the out come of the game.

“Our skill level matches up, but people always say, ‘Oh my god it’s Hempfield,'” said Dixon. “We just lack confidence.”

Some coaches agree with Dixon.

“Hempfield has a lot of confidence, and some of our kids think that they can’t compete,” said lacrosse coach Erick Dutchess.

Others completely disagree.

“So many teams play Hempfield and they get intimidated,” said volleyball coach Jarrod Staub. “Penn Manor teams get more fired up.”

There may be another reason why Penn Manor struggles against Hempfield.

“They have about 2,300 students (in their high school),” said Penn Manor athletic director Jeff Roth. “We have 1,778 students. They have five-six hundred more students.”

The idea of how this affects athletic teams is simple, if you have more kids then you’ll have more athletes. More athletes will lead to more competitive sports teams.

There are other advantages as well.

The more spread out Penn Manor school district. Photo from lancasterdems.com

“In terms of amount of land, Penn Manor is actually the second largest school district. The district is more spread out, which is the problem. We have kids that live 45-50 minutes away from the high school,” said Roth. “Some of those kids choose not to play a sport because of the traveling time.”

On the other hand, Hempfield is the opposite.

“Hempfield is smaller in land size. It’s more of an industrial area,” said Roth. “As a result, everything is closer together. No one worries about a long travel time to and from practice.”

The Comets may even be destined to fail at birth.

The more compact Hempfield School District. Photo from lancasterdems.com

“A lot of it is just genetics,” said Jon Zajac, Penn Manor’s strength and conditioning coach. “Look at the size of our kids compared to their kids.”

All of these factors could affect the outcomes, but there is one key factor.

Dedication.

There are many hard working, and productive student athletes at both schools, but sometimes Penn Manor student athletes become lazy.

“We have practices where people are just joking around,” said Dixon.

“There are definitely some kids that are lazy,” said Zajac.

For Penn Manor, the weight room is what makes up for all these disadvantages.

“The best way to get better is to lift more and get more dedicated,” said coach Zajac.

Zajack conditions with many teams when they are in season. In the fall he works with Football, Girls volleyball, Boys Soccer, and Field Hockey. He works with Boys and Girls Basketball in the winter, then Baseball, Boys Volleyball, Boys lacrosse, Girls lacrosse, Girls soccer, and Track and Field in the spring.

Injury prevention is the reason for in-season workouts.

“Our in-season injury rate is really low,” said Zajac. “I take pride in keeping it low.”

Although the faces and names of players will change, one thing will always remain the same.

“They’re always the teams (Penn Manor) kids want to beat,” said Staub.

Penn Manor holds Holiday Turkey Drive to Feed Local Families

By Frank Herr and Kevin Holton-

Penn Manor School District will be putting the ‘giving’ in Thanksgiving this year.

Both the “Do Something” Club and Student Council at the high school have launched a fundraiser that will raise money for local families who find themselves in a tough spot this holiday season. Members of both of these organizations are collecting money that will cover the expenses of turkey dinners for those in need.

They hope the whole school district gets involved to meet the goal.

“We don’t think that it might be successful,” said Jeremy Nesmith, Coordinator of Alternative Education and Student Council Advisor. “We are sure that the staff and student body will be successful.”

After the success of the recent clothing drive, organizers feel the district will pitch in to raise at least enough money for 80 to 100 turkeys.

Students, faculty, administrators and families are encouraged to help reach this goal. Each turkey voucher costs $15 but the club members warn there is much work to be done in order to provide for the community in this manner. These turkeys are being discounted for the fundraiser by Darrenkamp’s Market.

This turkey drive will give a full turkey dinner to district and local families who find themselves in a tight economic spot, to feel that there are folks around willing to lend a helping hand, said the club members.

“A lot of these families feel like they are disconnected from the community, so they will feel appreciated, and that they are a part of something,” said Penn Manor social worker Megan Martin.

A large part of having a functional community is letting the public know that when they need help, there are almost always people to turn to.

This is the kind of meal Penn Manor needy families will be able to enjoy if enough money is donated

Penn Manor isn’t the only school participating in this drive. Both Lampeter-Strasburg and Solanco school districts are taking part in the fundraising process. All proceeds from each district go directly to L-S YMCA. From there, they are dispersed to the families. Penn Manor wants to make sure that every needy family in their district will be provided with a turkey and then hopes to have extra to donate to the rest of the community.

Although turkeys are the primary goal of this drive, the fundraiser is trying to get canned good, too. Elementary schools are collecting canned goods, while the secondary school is responsible for collecting money for turkeys. But everyone is encouraged to give.

“Families will feel as if a burden has been lifted off their shoulders,” predicted Nesmith.

Organizations that have already contributed to this fundraiser are the Penn Manor staff and athletes, Penn Manor Alumni Association, Millersville Women Association, Millerville business Association, Marine Corps. League, and The American Legion.

If anyone is interesting in donating money to the Turkey Drive, please give money to a member of the Student Council or The “Do Something” Club. You can also make checks payable to Penn Manor Family Fund with Turkey written in the memo section and send the checks to the high school.

All donations should be sent to Penn Manor High School c/o Jeremy Nesmith or Deb Meckley at 11 E Cottage Ave. Millersville Pa, 17551. Also, if anyone knows of a family in need of help for the holidays, please have them contact Deb Meckley.

Spread the word and spread the joy, said the club members. Everyone’s support in this fundraiser is very important.

Victory Comes Easy To Penn Manor’s Star Harrier

By Alex Kirk –

To most people, running is a punishment that causes the body a great deal of pain. To Greta Lindsley, it’s a hobby, a sport and a lifestyle.

“I love to run and I like to work hard at practice,” said Lindsley.

Greta and her dad, Todd Lindsley. Photo by Jeanne Caggiano

Ever since she was young, Lindsley has been an extraordinarily fast competitor. She ran for Pequea Elementary in the district fun run every year since kindergarten. While this event primarily focused on participation of students from the schools rather than the competition, Lindsley always placed in the top two of her grade. She had a strong rivalry with Eshleman’s Alisa Herr and the two girls battled for first place every year since kindergarten.

“I started running in kindergarten in the Millersville Borough Park fun runs,” said Lindsley. “I just did it to get in shape earlier in elementary school, but I started liking it a lot in seventh grade.”

Her inspiration to become a great runner comes from her father, Todd Lindsley, who ran track and field all the way through high school and college and is still a current record holder at the College of William and Mary. He has coached her ever since she was little by taking her running and teaching her a strong work ethic. He still pushes her to be the fastest she can be.

“My dad has influenced my running career A LOT,” exclaimed Lindsley. “He works my butt off over the summer, literally everyday. He had a lot of success as a high school and college runner and I’d love to follow in his footsteps.”

Lindsley, now in her sophomore year at Penn Manor, has just finished her second season of cross country for the Comets. Last season she was undefeated in league competition and was crowned the LL League Champion. She placed fourth in districts and did not run in states because of an illness. This year, she remained unbeaten in the regular season and won the league title yet again. She finished first at Hershey and added a District Three Title to her resume. When states came around, she was healthy and eager to contend for the top spot. States was held at the same course as districts, so knowing the course helped her prepare for the big event. She concluded her season with an impressive eighth-place finish in her first-ever state appearance.

“At districts, I was really nervous because I came in fourth last year and I wanted to do better, but I didn’t know how well I was going to do,” recalled Lindsley. “I worked the hills just like I was told to do to win and it worked out just like that. I’m very happy with how I did.”

This year she was also named to the 2011 Second All-State Cross Country Team. She was selected for this honor by a committee of the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association. The award was presented for her honors received, her quality and consistency of performance and her head to head competition.

Greta Lindsley at full throttle down the final leg of a race. Photo by Caroline Lovett.

Lindsley has ambitions to further her running career after high school. Even though she is too young to officially talk to any college coaches, she knows that she would like to continue the sport at the collegiate level.

“I plan to hopefully be a helpful member on a collegiate cross country or track team,” she said.

This star still has unbelievable potential for the remainder of her high school career. With her upperclassmen years around the corner, Penn Manor sports fans are eager to watch her continue to dominate in the future.

“It’s exciting to think that she has two whole seasons left,” said fellow teammate and sophomore classmate Starrett Metzler. “I’m excited to see what more she is capable of.”

Penn State Students And Fans All ‘Fired’ Up

By Eric Schlotzhauer –

With all the scandalous events unfolding at Penn State University, Joe Paterno decided to take a leave after the current football season, but that was not enough for the Board of Trustees who took control of his fate.

Penn Manor alumni who attend Penn State and other local high school alums are torn about the events in State College and the resulting turmoil.

Paterno, Penn State football coach, was fired after 61 years of service to the school. All of this happened when Jerry Sandusky was charged with allegedly raping multiple boys dating back to 1994. Paterno knew of the allegations and told higher authority about it, doing everything right under legal terms.

Penn State and their football team has been temporarily tarnished by the breaking news of the Sandusky sex scandal. Photo credit: thesportsreportgirl.com

A melting pot of emotions and opinions are surfacing throughout the college, Penn Manor High School, and the nation.

“The moral responsibility of all the leadership positions within the association (both coaching and academic) was thrown out the window like a red headed step child,” said Erick Dutchess, Penn Manor Biology teacher, with a half joking demeanor.

“I personally think he should have been fired,” said Casey Wells, Penn Manor alumni who now attends Penn State University as a freshman.

Paterno has made multiple statements during the course of the scandal investigation starting with his decision to retire prior to the Board of Trustee’s news conference.

“That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more,” said Paterno in a statement before the break of the news of his contract being terminated.”

Joe Paterno will never run off with his football team again due to the Board of Trustees announcing his contract termination. Photo Credit: live.psu.edu

Wednesday’s press conference regarding Paterno’s fate broke the news at approximately 10:15 p.m.

“The university is much larger than its athletic teams,” board vice chair John Surma said during a news conference. “The Penn State board of trustees tonight decided it is in the best interest of the university to have a change in leadership to deal with the difficult issues that we are facing.”

Directly following the Board of Trustees announcement that University President Graham Spanier, and Paterno would no longer be a part of the college, gasps and objections echoed through the room.

“I am disappointed with the Board of Trustees’ decision, but I have to accept it,” said Paterno after hearing the boards final decision on the matter. “A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed. I appreciate the outpouring of support but want to emphasize that everyone should remain calm and please respect the university, its property and all that we value. I have been incredibly blessed to spend my entire career working with people I love. I am grateful beyond words to all of the coaches, players and staff who have been a part of this program. And to all of our fans and supporters, my family and I will be forever in your debt.”

Paterno was delivered a letter containing a phone number in which he called, and the board members told him that they would no longer be needing his service as head coach of Penn State’s football team. Students and fans believed Paterno deserved more than a phone call after being coach for more than four decades.

Paterno announced how devastated he was about hearing the charges of the sex scandal, but he is not the only one devastated over the whole thing. With all the news of Paterno hitting the air, the victims are sometimes shoved under the rug.

“The whole situation is so messed up. I feel for the victims and their families,” said Josh Carle, a Penn Manor alumni and now a student at Penn State University as a Freshman

“WE ARE…angry that innocents would be violated under our care,” said Brittany Jones, Penn State freshman via Facebook.

“As bad as I feel for JoePa, no matter what, we will ALWAYS have him. I can’t imagine what the victims are going through. They should’ve never experienced things like that. I think it is hard to see how they are all being overshadowed by these events. My thoughts and prayers go out to them,” said Tyler Pobursky, a local high school student and devoted Penn State fan, via Facebook.

Penn State fans, students and employees have shown sympathy for the victims throughout the scandal. Students rallying and rioting in the streets of University Park wanted the nation to see their feeling of anger, sadness and betrayal.

Wednesday's aftermath of the Penn State students' riot after hearing the news that Joe Paterno, their beloved football coach, has been fired. Photo Credit: csmonitor.com

“A news van got flipped over and windows were broken,” said Wells. “People got tear gassed and hit with rocks.”

Penn State students have been insistent that the destruction and violence of the riots were a select few from the university.

“WE ARE…in support of appropriate punishment for every person involved,” said Jones via Facebook.

Penn State’s Football team will play their last home game of the season this Saturday against Nebraska.

“A lot of people just aren’t going and there is going to be a blue-out,” said Carle.

Students have announced that the game will be a blue-out instead of the “norm,” which is a white-out, to support child abuse awareness. Police have warned the students that poor behavior will not be tolerated during Saturday’s game.

“There was a rumor that all the seniors weren’t going to play in the game,” said Carle.

While most people bid farewell, reminiscing on the legacy he left behind, some who remain say they have no faith in the Penn State Football program.

“They will rebound with another coaching hire,” said Dutchess. “They will continue to propel the program into its current downward spiral.”

“I don’t think Joe understands the ramifications of the last 10 years of his coaching tenure. I believe he will find a happy life at home eating ice cream and watching Penn State lose to Pitt in 2016,” said Dutchess with a lack of emotion.

Time will tell how the college and their football team will recover from this tragedy. It is apparent that everyone wishes for the well-being of the victims, and it will take time for things to go back to usual.

“WE ARE…PENN STATE proud and we will rise again,” said Jones via Facebook.

Sandusky Dirties the Lions’ Paws

By Cheyenne Weber

Happy Valley isn’t very happy anymore.

Not the Penn State students on campus nor the alumni who teach here in the high school.

Former Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged by the state Attorney General with sexually assaulting eight boys over a 15-year span. And those charges and suggestions of a cover-up have painted a broad brushstroke of shame over the entire administration and the football program.

In the wake of the sex abuse scandal, long-time football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were fired Wednesday night by the university’s board of trustees.

“Joe Pa is this god-like icon and he just did enough legally but not morally,” said Penn State graduate Lisa May who teaches English at the high school.

Mrs May — Lisa May, a Penn State graduate and teacher at Penn Manor. Photo Credit Cheyenne Weber

Several other Penn Manor teachers who graduated from Penn State said they were too upset about the scandal to give a comment.

The central issue is why university officials who were informed of Sandusky’s assault of a young child in the Penn State locker room in 2002 did not report the incident to law enforcement.

“My question is why they kept silent so long,” pondered potential Penn Stater Penn Manor senior Alex Cauler who is considering the school for his engineering degree. “It will hurt their reputation and they will have to work to fix it.”

Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and university vice-president Gary Schultz are charged with perjury for their testimony in front of the grand jury and obstruction of justice. Curley has taken a leave of absence and Schultz has retired from his temporary position at the college.

Hundreds of students rioted Wednesday night after being told of long-time coach Paterno’s firing by telephone call.

“The rioting over the incident just exacerbates things and is not constructive,” said Cauler.

“It’s sad it has to end like this,” said Emily Lyons, a new Penn Manor learning support teacher who also graduated from Penn State.

Pennsylvania state law requires sex abuse charges to be reported to the police. In this case they weren’t. Shock and outrage across the country has smothered the usual pride of the Blue and White, at least for now.

Paterno and Sandusky — Jerry Sandusky, left, charged with child sex abuse, was former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's assistant.

But there’s not much light at the end of the tunnel for this child sex-abuse scandal for the Nittany Lions, even as they head into Saturday’s game against Nebraska without their long-respected coach at the helm.

After an astonishing 46 years with Penn State, Paterno has been the face of Penn State, but his legacy will be forever tarnished.

According to the grand jury report, A graduate assistant told Paterno of an incident he was an eye witness to in the showers of the gym at Penn State. Neither the graduate assistant or Paterno called police. The matter was referred to Curley and Schultz. Their course of action? To tell Jerry he was not allowed to bring kids on campus anymore. The “resolution” was reportedly approved by Spanier.

Sandusky, who maintains his innocence, is the founder of the Second Mile Foundation, a charity to support at-risk youth but from which, the attorney general charges, he groomed victims for assault.

Ms Lyons — Emily Lyons is not proud of the officials at Penn State who ignored charges of child abuse. Photo Cheyenne Weber

There’s even more to the scandal than meets the eye. Mike McCreary, the graduate student who witnessed the shower incident in 2002 became the assistant coach to Paterno in 2003.

Strange circumstances surround the Centre County District Attorney, Ray Gricar, who first had the opportunity to prosecute Sandusky when charges of child rape by Sandusky were brought to him in 1998. Gricar said at the time that he didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute Sandusky. The D.A. disappeared mysteriously in 2005. His car was found in a parking lot in Lewisburg and the hard drive to his computer was found in the Susquehanna River. Gricar was declared legally dead this past summer. His body has never been found.

Investigations on both the state and national level are continuing, although Paterno is not a target. The state police commissioner called his failure to contact police after being told of the 2002 incident a lapse in “moral responsibility.”

Law enforcement officials have not ruled out prosecution of Spanier.

One of the outrages against the administration is that Sandusky still had priviledges at Penn State and had used the gym, reportedly as recently as two weeks ago. This was after the grand jury testimony had been given and administration officials were clearly informed of the charges against Sandusky.

McQueary, one of the central figures in the burgeoning child sex abuse scandal at Penn State, will coach Saturday when the Nittany Lions play their final home game of the season but many are calling for his dismissal as well.

“We are….Penn State” is the long-practiced chant of pride for the students of Penn State. But whether the students and alumni can say it with pride may take a long, long time to resolve.

Cauler said if he does go to Penn State, he is not going to worry about the scandal or the possible association people might make of graduates from the school.

“I think the people who did this should be criticized,” said Cauler, “not the school or the students.”

PMFH Bounces Back After District Lost

By Samuel B. Valentin-

The Comets looked to bounce back following a crushing defeat in the district championship on Saturday. They did just that on Tuesday night.

Despite a late arrival by the Maidens, the Comets picked up a 2-0 win to advance to a quarterfinal match-up against defending state champions, Emmaus on Saturday.

DSCN0027 — Coach Soto talks to his girls during halftime against Warwick. Photo by Sam Valentin

The McCoy twins powered the lady Comets to the victory. Emily McCoy scored the first goal less than seven minutes into the game. Her twin sister, Eryn McCoy drove in the second goal for the Comets.

“We played a good first half,” said Comets coach, Matt Soto in a tone that he expected more out of his girls but was satisfied with the victory.

His tone was less than satisfying on Saturday after the Comets could not handle the Falcons in the district three Championship game in Hershey. The Comets lost a one nothing heart-breaker to Lower Dauphin to claim second place in districts.

Soto reiterated after both games that they have a lot to work to do between games. Well they seemed to have figured it out before their state game. Well see on Saturday at noon at Exeter High School if they made enough changes to get redemption on Emmaus.

Concussions Alert Penn Manor Students to Possible Brain Injury

By Taylor Goldberg –

“Basically, it’s a bruised brain,” said Penn Manor School Nurse, Anne Butterfield.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a fall or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. Although there may be cuts or bruises on the head or face, there may be no other visible signs of a brain injury, according to WebMD.

Concussions are caused by trauma to the head. Photo courtesy of WedMD.com

Causes of concussions vary, including: fights, falls, playground injuries, car crashes and bike accidents. Concussions can also happen while participating in any sport or activity such as football, boxing, hockey, soccer or even cheerleading.

A new bill going through the state legislature will set specific requirements for coaches if any athletes suffer head injuries. The bill, known as the Safety in Youth Sports Act, also increases the awareness and prevention of head injuries among athletes in school-sponsored athletics.

The bill requires students showing symptoms of a concussion to be sidelined and kept from participating in games, competitions, scrimmages and practices until cleared by a doctor.

It also requires students and their parents to review information regarding the risk of head injuries and concussions and sign an information sheet every year before participating in scholastic sports activities, and requires coaches to be trained in the risk of brain injury in sports.

High school junior and varsity cheerleader Mackzenie Payne could be labeled as the queen of concussions. Payne is still recovering from her most recent.

“I’ve had five,” said Payne. “My first concussion I fell out of a stunt cheerleading. It messed up my vision and I had to attend vision therapy for a year. I had to get glasses.”

Payne’s concussions weren’t just a bump on the head, she has experienced some fairly traumatic situations. Not all of Payne’s concussions were due to cheerleading. Two of them were other accidents, one in a car and another on a four-wheeler.

“My third one, I was in a car accident and hit my head on the windshield,” stated Payne. She actually cracked the windshield with her head. “People don’t realize that even if you aren’t unconscious, it can still really affect you.”

It is not always easy to know if someone has a concussion. A person doesn’t have to pass out (lose consciousness) to have a concussion.

Symptoms of concussions include: thinking and remembering, physical discomfort, changes in emotion and sleeping habits. People with concussions have problems thinking clearly, concentrating and sometimes problems remembering the event in which it happened. Symptoms of a concussion range from mild to severe and can last for hours, days, weeks or even months.

“I was zoning out a lot,” said Dylan Weber, Penn Manor senior and football player. “If you play a sport and get a concussion, be prepared to be out for, like, 3 weeks.”

Weber experienced his first and only concussion in August 2010 when former Penn Manor graduate Garrett Young tackled him, forcing Weber’s neck to go backwards, clenching his teeth together.

People with concussions are prone to very strong headaches, dizziness and nausea. People are usually very emotional and frustrated and tired. When people get concussions their sleeping habits change a lot and they sleep either more than usual or not at all.

“People can get hit in the head, be diagnosed with a concussion and have symptoms anywhere from a week to several weeks,” said Butterfield. “A physician may make the recommendation that a student not attend academic studies in order to give the brain a rest.”

For young people, ages 15 to 24 years, sports are the second leading cause of traumatic brain injury behind only motor vehicle crashes.

“I was concussed,” said Weber.

PMFH Earns a Spot in the District Final after Overtime Victory

By Sam Valentin and Matt Hatch–

Penn Manor put on a great game as they held off Warwick in overtime.

“Feels better than last time,” said Coach Matt Soto.

The Comets faced the Warriors three times this season only winning one of the games.

Warwick beat Penn Manor for the League Championship just two weeks earlier.

Penn Manor starters wait to start the game. Photo Credit- Travis Wells

The field hockey team got off to a quick start with Shannon Sloss scoring a goal in the first half.

The game was quiet for almost the rest of the game as the teams went back and forth trying to put in rebounds.

Then Warwick got a huge goal with two minutes left in the game.

The game was sent to overtime with only seven players out on the field compared to eleven in the regular time.

This is just what Penn Manor needed to win the game with Eryn McCoy ripping a shot two minutes into overtime for the win.

The Comets stormed the field hugging the starters as they now are heading to the District Championship at Milton Hershey.

“Great game, I am speechless,” said senior starter, Vicky Nase. “Felt like the championship game but we have one more.”

Penn Manor plays Lower Dauphin Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the district Title.

Anonymous Threatens to End Facebook “OP_FB”

By Frank Herr –

Facebook may cease to exist if the rumors of the technology-hacking group, Anonymous, are true. Months after their warning of the destruction of the most popular social networking site for teens, November 5 may be the end of Facebook.

That’s Saturday.

A recording on Youtube of the Anonymous group threatens the demise of Facebook saying, in the synthesized voice used to release statements, “The medium of communication you all so dearly adore will be destroyed, we will kill Facebook for the sake of your own privacy. Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information to security firms so they can spy on people from all around the world.”

Not everyone at Penn Manor believes the end of Facebook, even temporarily, would be the end of the world.

“I think I would live. It’s nice to have a Facebook so you can communicate with kids from college, but I would live,” said Lauren Longenecker who communicates with her brother and friends away at school.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment this week on the alleged plot but information on the social networking site clearly states that it doesn’t share information with third party users that the member has not approved.

Anonymous has targeted many companies over the years. These corporations include Bank of America, Sony and various government sites. While supporting the WikiLeaks organization, Anonymous was responsible for overriding and shutting down the Bank of America. Even Oprah Winfrey’s television network was struck by the sophisticated hacking group.

The fifth of November may have been chosen because it also marks a holiday: Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in the UK, and marks the failed plot of conspirators who planned to blow up a ship, and kill King James I. Is there a correlation? Most likely.

But why Facebook? What has it done to deserve such threatening intimidation?

Anonymous has explained that the motive for taking down Facebook is that the service is corruptly performed. Privacy settings are not as secure as they say that they are. Just the fact that some users may be able to access information that is meant to be private is not what set off the hacking group.

The real bone to be picked is simply the fact that private information is promised to be secure. Because of what it says is Facebook’s false claims of information privacy, Anonymous believes that it is worthy of being hacked, most sources say to be completely dismantled.

This attack is referred to as “OP_FB”, most likely “Operation Facebook”, to those members of Anonymous who plan to participate in the hacking activities. As of November 3, 2011, a post on piratepad.net stated, “Ideas for OP_FB. Post ideas here guides. We are more powerful than DDoS attacks, and FB isn’t going to keel over from something so small. We have more power than this, and we should utilize it.”

This statement is most likely an open invitation to Anonymous members to share their opinions on how the communication powerhouse should be brought to its knees.

Despite the massive use of Facebook worldwide, the millions of users, most of whom would admit to be dependent on the service, some people seem to believe that their lives would proceed as usual, and in some cases, be better by the destruction of Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild.

“I wouldn’t care. I would get a lot more stuff done in my life,” said Penn Manor senior Matt Noll.

With such extensive use on Facebook, hours of free time may seem to grace a student’s busy schedule.

Ryan Martzall was not upset with the prospect of Facebook’s shutdown.

“I never get on Facebook, so I wouldn’t be heartbroken,” said Martzall.

Some people can actually see the benefits already.

“I would be pretty excited. (Facebook) is stupid. People would start communicating face to face more often,” said science teacher Erick Dutchess.

“We do not share your personal information with people or services you don’t want,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post last year. “We do not give advertisers access to your personal information. We do not and never will sell any of your information to anyone.”

Anonymous is becoming better known of late as a collective of cyber hackers and politcal activists who they say are fighting to maintain internet neutrality and the free flow of information.

Because of there decentralized nature, they do not work from one location, they do not have a set of beliefs or principles and there is little accountability between members. They give all their members the freedom to act freely under the name of the “hive-mind.” However at times some members have angered others and they have launched attacks against each other in protest of their actions.

Anonymous has often worked under the radar of the major media, but after they showed strong support for the site Wiki Leaks organization whose leader Julian Assange was arrested last year. After Wiki Leaks released classified information last year embarrassing the U.S. government, there was heavy pressure to restrict donations to Wiki Leaks. The Bank of America blocked Pay Pal donations to Wiki Leaks.

Anonymous saw this as a threat to free internet speech and launched “denial of service” attacks on Bank of America.

Most of the attacks by Anonymous are against corporations that limit the free flow of information and governments that limit free speech. To some people’s surprise, their list includes targets within U.S. law enforcement and governments of Sweden, Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt.

Anonymous will at first send a warning to their next target by releasing a statement or a video that all end with there famous motto:

“We are Anonymous

We are Legion

We do not Forget

We do not forgive

Expect us.”

Expect Anonymous to make their presence known, maybe even this weekend.

Adam Rohrer, Alex Sanchez-Cruz, Amber Brenner and Eric Schlotzhauer contributed to this article.

Girls Volleyball Takes the Win toward District Champs

By Becca Frankford-

In a heated match last night against Central York, Penn Manor’s Girls Volleyball came out on top once again.

“The team and I were happy that we won but we think we can still do better,” said coach Staub.

In a match to the best of five, Penn Manor lost the first game (25-27) and then proceeded to overcome Central York in the next three games to go on to win overall (25-22, 25-22, 25-23), respectively.

With their win against Central York, the Comets will play at Dallastown again tomorrow night against Hempfield.

“Its going to be a battle, we have to play well because they are a very good team,” said Staub.

The girls will start off their battle against Hempfield at 3:00pm on Saturday afternoon.

Their line-up includes Myranda Kemrer, Caroline Raush, Dana Mowbray, Nicole Harnish, Cassidy and Remi Sangrey, and Jessie Greenslade.