Category: Featured

For some, the holidays can be the lonliest part of the year, especially if you have no one to share it with.  Senior citizens particularly can relate to this.  It may be because of the loss of loved ones or they themselves may be ill or even bedridden.

One organization that works to combat the sense of loneliness and isolation some seniors feel at the holidays and all throughout the year is Meals on Wheels.  About five or six years ago, seniors citizens who were receiving Meals on Wheels in the Millersville area, started not only receiving a warm meal but a warm welcome as well.

Penn Manor Assistant Superintendent, Ellen Pollock, began taking sixth graders with her every Friday as she personally volunteered with the Meals on Wheels program.

 “The kids are always excited for this,” said Pollock.

Pollock, Lisa Roth-Walter (Hambright Elementary School Teacher) , Beth Wagner (Hambright Elementary School Teacher), and Bill Southward (Hambright Elementary School Teacher) are the ones who thought up and have been putting in motion this plan, but are also the structure beneath the smiles of every senior who receives a meal every Friday from a different group of three 6^th graders.

Fridays in December and January are especially important because of the holidays and Pollock was mindful of this when she picked up her young volunteers.

“You’re job is to be really cheerful!” Pollock told three 6^th graders Zedan Rahwan, Daniel Wolf, and Wynn Kanagy.

“It’s a blessing to have this service,” said Pauline Webb, a Meals on Wheels beneficiary “I think the children are wonderful.”

It’s clear the sixth graders are benefiting from the experience, too.

“I thought it would feel good to help someone out.” said Wolf.

“I always enjoy helping people in need.” said Kanagy.

“I thought it be cool to help out too.” said Rashwan.

The first stop after picking up the Hambright helpers, was the First United Methodist Church in Millersville. From there,  the students and Ms. Pollock picked up the meals and set off for the first food recipient. On average there are about 10-11 homes on the Meals
on Wheels route that
receive a hot and cold meal. The kids took turns navigating and getting the meals out for the next stop.

“I love it!” exclaimed Helen Young a Meals on Wheels beneficiary also.

Ever since the first year of the program, sixth graders have come back with such stories as the “Pencil Lady” (also known as Ms. Helen Young) and the “din-dong-ditch house”(where Agnes Perry resides) have been passed down from previous helpers to current or soon-to-be helpers.
                                                     (Daniel Wolf, Helen Young, Wynn Kanagy, and Zedan Rashwan)

“My favorite part was the ding dong ditch house.” said Wolf

“My favorite part was the Pencil lady,” said Kanagy

“The Pencil Lady was my favorite too.” said Rashwan.

As the helpers returned to Hambright after their last delivery and dropping off boxes at the church, they looked back and reflected on what they learned.

“I learned it’s good to be helpful, especially because I’ll want people to help me when I’m older.” said Wolf.

“ I learned how good of an experience this is,” said Rashwan “I like helping people in need.”

“I learned a lesson about helping others when they’re in need.” said Kanagy.

“If I could give the kids one thing it’s the thought that they can make a difference.” said Pollock.

To see a personal account from those involved on what happened during their experience, go to blogs.pennmanor.net/mealsonwheels. Ms. Pollock who is now on the Meals on Wheels board says hopefully this program between the elementary school and Meals on Wheels will go on forever. And judging by the enthusiastic look on both the faces of the sixth graders and the seniors, it will be going on forever.

By: Robert Henry

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a day dedicated to a man who spent his whole life fighting for civil rights,  civil liberties and, among other things, the day when people of color to be seen as equals among peers. Fifteen years after his 1968 assassination, Ronald Reagen signed the holiday in to law and three years after that in 1986 it was first observed. Today it is now observed on the third Sunday of the year.

Education on King’s life and works has created awareness among some Penn Manor students.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. day is to celebrate him for equalizing different races,” said Genny Leonards, a Penn Manor junior.

“To celebrate freedom among everybody and for equal rights,” said Lindsey Thomas, reflecting on the holiday.

“It’s a day dedicated to a great man who changed the world,” said Penn Manor junior, Evan Singleton.

Although most people know why there’s a  M.L.K. Jr. day, many have no idea how to celebrate it.

“I usually watch B.E.T.” responded Kaylin Madonna.

“Honestly nothing, but I watched a movie about African Americans before,” said Thomas.

“We’ll I am going out to dinner, but I been planning that.” said Lauren Richards.

There are local ways to celebrate the man and his dream.  Starting from 7 to 9 a.m. Lancaster County Convention Center will be hosting the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. day breakfast. There also will be a wide range of key speakers thoughout the city of Lancaster. The day is also going to be spent as a day of betterment and service for the community as many volunteers help with cleaning up the streets, repainting buildings and promoting racial tolerance.

August 28 of this year will mark the 37th anniversary of one the most well-known and talked about speeches in all of history, the “I have a Dream Speech.”

Some would ponder on whether or not King’s speech has been fulfilled or has been overfilled, the answer only the King would know.

By Robert Henry

So and so is a slut. Somebody else is a b****. Inappropriate drawings, Nazi symbols, racial slurs, phone numbers, explicit sexual comments and name-calling are drawn or engraved on nearly all of the stalls or walls of the bathrooms at Penn Manor High School.

The administration is frustrated trying to curb and control what many people see as increasingly personal attacks written in the bathroom stalls.

In fact, this week the girls’ bathroom in the English/social studies wing has been repainted to cover the inappropriate writing and etchings.

Already, a handful of students have started marring the freshly painted stalls.

“It got worse,” said high school principal, Phil Gale, referring to graffiti in the girls’ bathroom. He said there might be two more bathrooms in the school that could receive a similar makeover.

English teacher, Lisa May, said “It’s definitely the worst it’s ever been. There is bullying and targeting of specific girls.”

She said she is embarrassed when adult guests come to the school, referring to senior citizens who recently came to see the school play and used bathrooms that were riddled with graffiti.

“This is not a reflection of our school,” she said.

The students have been writing on the stalls and walls using pens and sharpies. They have also been using sharp objects to carve what they have to say on the stalls in black paint.

The custodial staff said they tried covering the stalls this year with black paint so markers and pencil wouldn’t show.  But as always, determined kids found a way to deface the surface.

“We’re disappointed,” said assistant high school principal, Jason D’Amico, “As long as there’s been bathrooms, there’s been writing on the walls.  But this has been more in the extreme and I think enough is enough.”

Those who have been victims of the graffiti would agree.

Junior Taylor Smith, said when she was a freshman someone used her name and called her a “slut” on a bathroom stall.

“Its retarded,” said Smith of the bathroom comments.  “People just need to get a life.”

Fellow junior, Allana Herr, agrees, “It’s catty, ignorant and immature. There’s nothing that can be done because you can’t put cameras in the bathrooms and all the speeches they give don’t work.”

In the past, students have gone so far as to burn the toilet roll dispensers with lighters.

Dean of students, Eric Howe, is disappointed with the increasing graffiti. “I think it’s immature and inappropriate,” he said.

The writings in the stalls do not really differentiate by the wing in the school but the writing is different between the girls’ and the boy’s bathrooms in each wing.

The writing in the girls’ bathroom stalls tends to be mostly focused on name-calling and explicit accusations of what some girls have done with others.  The boys’ bathrooms have mostly racial and sexual comments, but not as much about specific people.

Even attempts to paint a bathroom in bright artistic scenes, like the ones students painted on the stalls of the bathroom in the language wing have been defaced.

Between the beautiful swirls of paint, some students have written indictments of students they accuse of engaging in specific acts, they link students to drug use and even make desperate comments about themselves such as “I take 3 L’s to the head! Live love life and boom I’m dead.”

Although the graffiti is aimed at students, the people that really have to pay for it are the janitors. When a janitor gets a call about offensive writing on the walls, they have to stop what they are doing and clean up the graffiti.

John Wealand, school custodian for 14 years, thinks that when a student sees something on the walls, they should report it immediately. If the graffiti is reported, it can be cleaned and the process can begin to find the student that did it, said Wealand.

Assistant principal Doug Eby agrees there is only one way to stop it.

“It’s important for students to report it,” Eby said.

By: Patrick Miller

It’s their call of duty, patriotism, bravery and dedication that keep our future Penn Manor soldiers eager to protect our country by enlisting in large numbers every year.

This year is no different even though President Barack Obama has made the choice to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, a surge designed to end the conflict.

Students at Penn Manor who will be enlisting in the military after they finish high school will most likely be  impacted by this decision and be some of those 30,000 who are shipped into combat.

“At Thanksgiving my aunt said she thinks joining the military would be suicide because of all the troops getting shipped off to Afghanistan,” said senior David Karabaich.  “She also doesn’t believe we will be treated fairly because of the economy.  I disagree entirely.”

Karabaich is just one of the many Penn Manor students who  will be joining the Army Infantry after their high school graduation. Although some of his family members disagree with his decision to join the military, he is standing his ground.

Karabaich isn’t the only brave student getting ready to serve our country.

When Kenny Weidman, junior,  learned of the Afghanistan troop surge he felt up to the challenge anyway.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said, “I just always wanted to do something for my country.”

Weidman is joining the Marine Corps and his way to prepare for fighting is to “stay in shape” and “get ready for basic training.”

But his mom is not as thrilled.

“She doesn’t want me go overseas.  She doesn’t want something to happen to me.”

Those two recruits are content with President Barack Obama’s judgment, however another isn’t exactly a fan of the Commander-in-Chief.

Joe Gordon, a junior, who is most likely going into the Navy, isn’t scared of getting injured in the heat of battle; he believes that it “comes with the job,”  but what really makes him turn and toss in bed, he said,  is the president himself.

He said simply,  he just doesn’t trust him.

Gordon’s sole purpose for joining the Navy is to support his college plans. If he gets a scholarship though, he most likely won’t enlist.

No matter what these future troops think of the decision to build up forces in Afghanistan, they will be fighting as one, standing by each other through the perils of war, struggling to keep a high morale, while defending the United States of America.

By Katlin Blake and Jake Shiner

It may look as though a slew of lumberjacks have taken over Penn Manor, don’t be mistaken, it’s just the new fad.

Freshman Adrienne Eager says simply, “It got hooked on people.”

Originally, the flannel was associated with certain groups of people such as lumberjacks, woodsmen, farmers, or “manly” men.

But not anymore.

This fad seems to be coming out from all angles, from preps to skaters to hicks, or just anyone who wants to be comfortable. This seems to be one of the main reasons that many Penn Manor students like to sport their flannels on a regular basis.

Junior Ryan Wissler, who has been wearing flannels for what seems his whole life, says that he just wakes up in the morning and puts on his flannel because its there. He also says that he doesn’t care if other people have started to wear them.

“Whatever floats their boat,” Wissler says.

Tonya Fox, also a flannel wearer, agrees with Wissler, “I don’t really care they can wear what they want.”

Despite what these Penn Manor students may think, they aren’t the only ones who support this fad. It seems to be one of the newest fads in America and many stores including American Eagle, Hollister, Pac Sun, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Zumies now sell the beloved flannel.

However other students seem to feel offended that so many kids in Penn Manor have started to turn onto the flannel fad.

Angie Keagy says, “It’s overrated. Now preps wear it, everyone wears them and it’s annoying.”

Whatever your style, it seems that the flannel will find you and according to the students and Penn Manor, you’ll be comfortable and happy in your new lumberjack attire.

By: Abby Wilson

Wednesday night into Thursday morning, in the Millersville area, high winds ripped through the county hitting Penn Manor High School’s overpass and caused extensive damage.

School officials say that there is no structural damage, only cosmetic, and the overpass may be repaired by the end of the day, Thursday.

“Yes insurance covers it all,” said dean of students, Eric Howe.

According to a weather website in Millersville, Pa., the wind gusted up to 26 mph during Wednesday night’s storm.

A good portion of the bottom of the overpass was blown off and pink insulation is exposed. Debris was strewn across the high school’s main entrance. Workers blocked off the area underneath the overpass with cones and detour signs on saw horses.

School officials say the overpass is safe for students to walk across from one end of the building to the other.

“No (it’s not dangerous) not at all, unless walking underneath it, you must wear a hard hat,” said Howe.

Although this had never happened before, the school officials are confident that this will be fixed to prevent it from happening again. “But you can never tell with the weather,” said Howe.

According to WGAL news site, South Eastern School District dismissed before 11 a.m. due to power outages, most likely caused by the storm while Lampeter-Strasburg School District had a two-hour delay due to power outages as well.

“Were a lot tougher than L.S., we decided not to cut off school,” joked Howe.

By Cassey Graeff and Alex Blythe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Allison Martin

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

And that’s why she tans.

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

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

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

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

Drop-dead gorgeous now has a whole new meaning.

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

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

“I don’t like being pale,” she says.

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

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

Many local salons have already enforced those safeguards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No,” he said.

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

By Cassey Graeff

Have it your way at Penn Manor?

Maybe not.

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

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

Over 30 million students receive subsidized lunches nationwide.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These prices may be driving some kids to steal.

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

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

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

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

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

By David Mohimani and Jake Shiner

This year Penn Manor’s trying something they haven’t done in two years, putting on a non-musical play. “Check Please” is described as a romantic-comedy by assistant director, Melissa Mintzer.

“We saw the first act at our state conference.” said Carole Shellenberger, the experienced director and former long-time Penn Manor English teacher.

The play was originally written by Johnathan Rand and was meant to be a one-act play but now, under the direction of Shellenberger,has been stretched into three acts.

Assisting Shellenberger and Mintzer is Mark Dennis, the tech director, and Rebecca Cotich, the costume coordinator.

The students involved with the play on and off the stage have been attending rehearsals usually four nights a week

The three-act play circles around the story of two single people, “Guy” played by veteran high school actor, Nate Lussier, and “Girl” played by the experienced high school actress, Dessie Jackson. The couple go on a series of blind dates to find the right person, but instead they find an array of strange characters.

“It’s funny, because I usually play the crazy one.” said Jackson

“Unique show, these are the blind dates you would never want to be on.” Lussier says.

Dana Landis, the stage manger and her assistant Traci Harkins, are two key characters behind the scenes.

“I think for some of them their biggest problem was being eccentric enough,” explained Landis “for some of them being that eccentric is like..really weird.”

But one thing they didn’t have a problem with was the comedy.

“I wouldn’t say there’s one or two funny characters,” said Landis, referring to the natural comedic abilities of the entire cast.

“The acting was all natural reactions for me,” told Jackson.