Editorials – Page 3 – Penn Points Online

Save the Date (and some money)

By Brandon McCormick –

What’s the hype for prom night? Every senior starts to worry when the first semester nears the end. This means prom is only a couple weeks away. But what does everyone get so stressed about anyway? One night at the end of your senior year that you probably won’t remember a couple years from now.

Senior women in particular spend outrageous amounts of money on dresses, hair, nails and accessories for the big event. According to deborarachelle.com, on average, women spend $250 on a dress! That’s such a ridiculous amount of money to spend for a dress you will wear probably one time in your life. Including hair, nails, accessories and other random girl stuff, they’ll spend about another $150.

On the guys side, buying two tickets for the night on top of a tux and transportation can add up quickly. Penn Manor’s tickets this year cost $35. This means $70 just on tickets for a gentleman who buys his and his date’s ticket. Plus a tux which costs around $150, and transportation for the night.

Most seniors see this as the thing you kind of have to do. Girls get all pepped up for the event and guys get dragged along. There is reason to go. It’s traditional to find a date, get ready and have the night of your life. Yet traditional views aren’t always right, it is also traditional to have family dinner with relatives but who really loves doing that? Don’t forget you’re not spending a couple hundred dollars when eating dinner with extended family.

Traditions can be changed. Nobody likes to worry about things. Added pressure on top of graduation and senior finals isn’t needed. The pressure should be taken off of prom. The homecoming dance isn’t taken so seriously, why is prom. Go, or don’t go…who cares. If you enjoy dancing and want to spend money with your friends by all means go and have the night of your life.

Seniors need to stop feeling so obligated to attend prom, spend money and have an amazing time. College is near in the future. Some seniors should save the money for bigger and better things, and focus their attention on more important subjects. Take a deep breath, relax and make an informed, unemotional decision before deciding whether to go to prom or not.

You’re Looking Awfully Racist Today

By Amber Brenner –

We all hold prejudices, whether we know it or not. We judge a person based on how we see them at a glance in the halls. And yes, that is holding prejudices.

“He is wearing cowboy boots, so he must be a redneck. And we all know that every redneck is a racist. Therefore, because he is wearing cowboy boots, he must be a racist.”

This probably seems made-up. If you don’t believe that it’s true or don’t think it happens often, maybe you should try it. Wear cowboy boots and flannel, perhaps, because, of course, all rednecks love flannel. See what reactions you get.

I was raised on the same farm that I was born on and I don’t plan on ever leaving the rural countryside. Basically, I’m your typical, home-grown, country girl. I love my cowgirl boots and my plaid and flannel shirts. I would love to wear them more than I do, but sadly, I don’t wear them more than once every two or three weeks. When I do wear my boots, people make more eye contact with my feet than they make with my eyes. People will even go as far as making comments about my personality, again, based only on the way I am dressed. I often hear comments like, “You’re looking awfully racist today.”

I find myself making a calendar of what I wear when, just to avoid “looking racist” too often.

Everyone claims that we have too many “rednecks” in our school and they cause too many racial problems, but the fact is there are probably just as many people who hold prejudices against these rednecks as there are racists.

Everyone needs to realize that not every rednecks/hick is a racist.

Quay Hanna, a reformed racist and mediator here at Penn Manor, has had a table on the side of the cafeteria for years. Here sat students from his club of the past 15 years. They could talk about anything and everything. But this past semester, Hanna had the table removed from the cafeteria. There had been many incidents that originated from the table and Hanna didn’t want his name attached to what had happened.

Quay’s club was never a club for those “racist rednecks” to go be racist. It was started in 1997 after racial tensions broke out at Penn Manor and turned into what is referred to as “the whiteout.” This was after a white student stabbed a black student with a pencil and upon his return from suspension, his fellow “racists” all wore white tees to support his actions. Hanna held an assembly about the whiteout and met with the involved students during club period. These students asked him to come back and talk with them every week. The club morphed into a place where students meet weekly and discuss issues of race and other topics. They can speak freelyand all races can have their eyes opened by this club.

We have weeks taken from our schedules for PSSA testing and other things that the school needs us to do. Well, the school needs to be accepting and understanding of each other. There needs to be days set aside where everyone participates in these activities and discussions. Even the PSSA testing times could be used for the three grades not taking the PSSAs.

We all need to open our eyes a little. We are so fixed on what stereotypes and prejudices that we think we know, that we lose sight of what is truly real. After all, the rednecks aren’t the only ones with a problem. Neither are the racists.

But hey, what do I know?

I’m just a girl who suffers at the hands of prejudices in our school every day.

The Dreaded Winter Fun Day

By Laura Revelt–

As the Christmas season approaches students start to think about the presents they will get and give, come up their vacation plans and grow excited for a break from school. But as the first day of vacation nears, there is an event to dread: Winter Fun Day. Winter Fun Day is a school day set for an early dismissal schedule in which the blocks are shortened, but to the students’ dismay the day is not over after fourth block. It is suppose to be a way for the school to give students the opportunity to celebrate before the break, but in reality it is a boring, grueling couple of hours before we are released.

Of course there are a variety of options to choose from for the activities you wish to participate in for the time designated. Some of the choices include movies, a café with music entertainment, and the student- faculty basketball game including a dodge ball game or other activities at half time. I regrettably attended the basketball game all four years of my high school experience. You would think I would know better after giving it a chance my freshman and sophomore year, and sign up for a different option instead, but the majority of the school including my friends attend the game and this year, as seniors, some played in it. I also don’t find the idea of sitting in a dark room, watching a movie that I most likely have seen before, appealing.

The pros of the basketball game are having the freedom to talk, secretly texting and some, if they have the option of a car, attempt to ditch the game completely. The cons are that sitting on the bleachers for an extended period of time causes back and butt pain, it’s extremely boring, the anxiousness eats at you, and no one wants to watch their teacher jump around in athletic clothes, unless you find them attractive. During the games I found myself staring at the minute hand slowly move around the clock more than I actually watched the game. And surprise! You find out from an administrator the old clock is twenty minutes fast. Groan.

So why I ask did we continue to have this so-called “fun” day? It doesn’t help boost our excitement for the break. Frankly, I think it angers most of the students and even teachers. I was pleased to learn that the school is finally doing away with Winter Fun Day. Instead the last day before winter break will be an early dismissal day. A decent amount of teachers have small celebrations in their classes with movies, candy, or an interactive activity that ties in the season and the class material. We do not need further festivities in school that are more painful than enjoyable. I feel the most sympathetic to the students who, because of poor behavior, sit in a detention while the rest of the school participates. Sure it’s their fault they did something wrong, but punish them with a detention some other time instead of having a huge downer on the start of their vacation.

This change has been long-awaited and I envy those who will continue the rest of their high school years without having to deal with Winter Fun Day. I can say that those hours sitting in a hot, noisy gym with little entertainment will not be among my cherished high school memories.

Westboro Church Constantly Seeking Headlines

By Bryan Hess –

Westboro Baptist Church is known for their extreme beliefs towards homosexuality. They believe that God is punishing America with tragedies because of our tolerance of homosexuality. That church also feels that homosexuality should be considered a capital crime and all homosexuals should be put to death.

When Westboro was taken to court by Albert Snyder, of York, who sued after church members picketed at his son’s funeral, they won the Supreme Court decision 8-1. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts stated that Westboro’s protesting is protected under the first amendment.

Also in the majority opinion, Roberts wrote that Westboro used signs that related to a public concern and were not specifically directed toward Matthew Snyder or his family.

The signs that said things such as “You’re Going to Hell” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” were displayed at the funeral of Matthew Snyder, who did just happen to be a soldier fighting for this great nation. The church also notified authorities in advance they would be protesting Matthew Snyder’s funeral. It’s obvious to almost everyone that Westboro was directing their hateful protest towards the Matthew Snyder. Unfortunately, their were eight people who didn’t see the connection.

Also on Westboro’s website, the church posted a poem titled “The burden of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder”. In the poem, the church states that Albert and his wife raised Matthew for the devil. This is another example of how Fred Phelps, head of Westboro, and his crew attacked Snyder and his family.

Justice Samuel Alito said it perfectly in his dissent. Westboro could have protested any public place they desired, such as the US capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court, US Naval Academy, or any public road or park.

This wouldn’t suit the publicity hungry Fred Phelps. The church could care less about spreading their word, because if they did, they would go about it in a way in which people would listen. In protesting funerals of fallen soldiers or any other person for that matter, no one will listen to the “message” they are trying to get across because they will be grieving. The church protest funerals for the sole purpose of gaining national media attention so Phelps and the rest of this church can become famous for being idiots rather than spreading their religion.

Westboro plan to protest the funeral of actress, Elizabeth Taylor. It’s almost a certainty the church won’t show up just as they hardly ever do. The church was also supposed to picket at Millersville University a year ago as well as the funerals of the Clouse children. The church notifies media ahead of time and lets them know of their intentions to picket, then ends up being a no-show. They do this because they still get the media attention without having to do any work.

It’s obvious to everyone that what Westboro Baptist Church is doing is wrong. But in their years of protesting funerals, there have been very few attacks on the church. Many, including myself, are shocked at this number. After causing so many families painful funerals and burials of their loved ones, this church has been left alone. Is it because we are afraid if the we stand up to them, they will sue us just like they have done to the city of Topeka several times, or could it be that maybe in a world filled with immoral acts, no one is willing to stoop down to the level Westboro Baptist Church is on.

NCAA – It’s Time to Pay Up

By Stetson Hershey –

Compensating college athletes is becoming more and more popular every year. Players receive cash, gifts, etc. from schools and agents. This gets the players in major trouble with the NCAA, but what’s wrong with paying them?

Simply because it is deemed ‘immoral’ to pay athletes that are in college is the reason most of the “amateur player” rules are enacted. But why shouldn’t they be paid? College athletics is a full-time job for these students. They must attend classes like any other student, yet they must go out and compete in sports that make the university’s millions in merchandise, advertising and publicity.

These athletes do get scholarships to go to school for free or at a nice discount, but what does a scholarship do if the player doesn’t graduate? Where is the value in that? Graduation rates among football bowl subdivision (FBS) players is 69 percent while mens basketball is 66 percent. African-American athletes graduation rate is even lower at 60 percent. Which, by the way, is roughly on par with Shaquille O’Neal’s free-throw percentage.

More and more athletes are leaving school early to take a chance at playing in the pros. Maybe it’s because of the restrictions on paying athletes while they are in college.

There were 60 selected players in the NBA draft in 2010, 37 of them were underclassmen including 11 freshman. Eight of the top 15 picks in the 2010 NFL draft consisted of underclassmen. Athletes are leaving school early, realizing that the same talent they bring to a college arena can make them money faster in a pro arena. Some elect to just simply go overseas to play for a few years instead of attending college because they will be paid.

Kemba Walker, a junior at the University of Connecticut, is the star of the basketball team. His UCONN Huskies made an improbable run in the Big East tournament, winning five games in five days to win the tournament. Kemba scored 130 points (26.5 ppg) and played 180 minutes in those five days.

UCONN players did all of this while keeping up with every facet of their school work just like every other student, but they were also making tons of money for the schools and conference. The aggregate cost to attend the Big East tournament was $934, according to estimates by Forbes magazine. That’s a lot of money being brought in for the school but the players don’t get any of it, even though they were the main attraction of this tournament. Why don’t they deserve anything for all the work they do to win?

When these players do receive compensation, they must do so illegally. Boosters and agents continue to contact and pay to persuade these players to go to a certain school or sign with an agency. When these players are caught taking money from these people, they are in big trouble with the NCAA. They can be suspended for games or simply suspended from participating anymore. If they are suspended from participating, then what is keeping schools from taking their scholarships as well?

Student athletes feel the stress and pressure to make money for themselves, like any other student. Yet many are unable to hold down a job because of school and sports. So why not give these athletes some money, like an allowance, for what they do?

At the end of every month students could receive money ($1000-$2000) for what they do for the school. Or to be fair to all the student athletes, give them all $500 dollars a month. Then at the end of each month give the players more money, or a small percent of the revenue they created for the school. That way, the school gives out an equal amount, and then some for how much money the sport brings to the school.

These “allowances” would give them money for gas, food and entertainment. It would also eliminate the practices of paying college athletes that are currently deemed illegal.

I’ll Never Give in to Buying a Tablet

By Ryan Krause –

Tablets, why does everyone buy into them?

I know that I personally don’t see a point to them.

They’re as expensive as a computer that could outperform it to start off.

Ryan Krause. Image by Spencer Barnett and Laura Revelt.

If you’re willing to carry around something that size, you should just carry around a laptop.

Most, if not all, tablets require one to buy special hardware to implement a physical keyboard.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not type on an onscreen keyboard. There’s no feedback and you have to look at your hands to see where your fingers are located in most cases.

A regular laptop’s keyboard has physical keys that depress when touched and usually the “F” and “J” keys have those little bumps on them so you know where to place your index fingers without looking down.

On the other side, there are some positive sides to tablets.

CNN said, “Apps that never made sense on computers with keyboards and mice, like GarageBand and finger paint apps and eReaders, suddenly found life on a 9.7-inch slate of glass and metal.”

But is it really worth the hundreds of dollars just to use a choice few apps?

Tablets really aren’t physically strong. They’re thin and have the sensitive screen uncovered.

If one wanted to protect their precious sheet of metal and glass, they’d have to spend money on an overpriced case that will cost nearly 50 dollars.

While a laptop has an outer shell that protects its screen and keyboard.

I know that I personally would not like to have to worry about my precious glass screen being broken in my backpack because of how poorly it was designed.

The iPad 2. Doesn't it look easily breakable? Image by news.cnet.com.

Another thing that is a compete turn off for tablets is how Apple completely misled everyone with lies during a Keynote Speech on the iPad 2.

Steve Jobs claimed that Apple owned greater than 90 percent of the market share.

That was a statement which became widely known for being completely incorrect.

According to CNN, “Apple would have needed to sell 3.2 million more to reach 90 percent of 2010’s tablet market share against just Samsung alone (in triple the time).”

“Apple may not have even reached 50% of the market,” the CNN report also said.

Another thing that was incorrect was Jobs claiming that the iPad 2 is the “First dual core tablet to ship in volume.”

The Motorola XOOM has the exact same chip and is definitely shipping in volume. Let alone the fact that Apple hadn’t even launched the iPad 2 at that point. So the iPad 2 was obviously not even shipping, let alone shipping in volume.

Sure a tablet is shiny on the outside, but does it actually have the performance to back up its cover?

I can only picture someone owning a tablet like this for the purpose of having it in their collection.

I Play Games, so I Kill People

By Ryan Krause –

Games make kids violent. No, actually that’s a myth.

I’ve played many violent games: Counter Strike, Team Fortress 2, Gears of War, Halo, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Dead Space and many more.

Heck, some games like Dead Space reward you for dismembering zombies with a plasma cutter. In fact, the whole point of the game is to basically be as violent as possible.

Ryan Krause. Image taken by Spencer Barnett and Laura Revelt.

But hey, you don’t see kids running around with plasma cutters chopping people’s limbs off.

These games are rated “M” for mature for a reason.

And yes, of course, there is violence in the world, but it’s not directly related to games.

Some kids have said that the game, Grand Theft Auto, taught them to be violent, but it’s not their fault that their parents let them play these 17+ rated games.

Game stores are supposed to ask for identification if the customer looks underage for a game.

That’s why there is the ESRB rating.

It’s not the game company’s fault that kids buy their games underage and that parents don’t monitor their 12-year-old who bought it.

Some people say that the kids aren’t at a good age for judgment, but isn’t that what parents are for?

Parents are supposed to be guiding their kids. While their kids might be playing Call of Duty, it is their parents’ duty to make sure no overly violent games are in possession of their children.

There was a news story on FOX claiming that games cause rape.

Dead Space 2 is full of graphic violence. Image owned by Electronic Arts.

On the FOX News website, Carole Leiberman said, “The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of (sexual) scenes in video games.”

How can one know what goes on in another individual’s brain?

Another quote – this one is by Dr. Jerry Weichman – on the FOX News website was, “If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm’s explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant.”

The parents of such a child should not have let their kid play such a game or allow it in their presence.

They should have thought ahead of what their kids could have been up to.

Games like Call of Duty give you a rating for how well you kill people. Does that make kids go around and kill people and act out scores?

Nope.

According to USnews.com, “The average video game player is 35 years old and has been playing for 12 years.”

“According to FBI statistics, youth violence has declined in recent years as computer and video game popularity soared,” they also stated.

Kids have a better outlet with video games because, in short, they’re not real.

Every single head-shot, every stab, every punch and every curb-stomp is simulated.

And all of these actions are performed on virtual characters who have no feelings whatsoever. I promise.

For the advertising of the game, Dead Space 2, the creators emphasized on how violent the game is and how your parents would hate it.

It attracts teenagers who need a way to vent their frustration with everyday life, and have fun doing it.

Now, every console comes with parental controls that restricts what games can be played based upon the ratings.

Basically it all comes down to how well parents monitor their kids. It’s not the company’s fault their games are misused.

It’s like blaming Marlboro for giving you lung cancer or McDonalds for making you overweight.

You’re already given a heads up – caution labels, nutritional information. The final decision to lift the cigarette or Big Mac up to your mouth and ingest it is in your hands – literally. And if you can’t control yourself, well, parents are there for a reason.

Games have warnings of their own. They did their job. It’s time for the moms and dads out there to do theirs.

Kids, Do Yourself a Favor and Learn How to Swim

All kids know how to drink water. Not all kids know how to swim in it.

Approximately 1.2 million people around the world die each year from drowning incidents and over 50 percent of those incidents are from children, according to ilsf.org, the website for the International Life Saving Federation, which is the world authority for drowning prevention and lifesaving sport.

About one third of those children who drown, do so in and around the home, according to the website.

All children should be taught how to swim.

Many parents picture their family vacations on the beach or at a resort, swimming in the ocean or the pool, playing, laughing and having a great time. The happy thoughts always drown out the bad ones. The thought of their child drowning is the last thing that crosses their mind. In fact, 58 percent of parents do not even consider drowning a threat to their children, as reported by infantswim.com.

Two key barriers preventing children from learning how to swim are fear of injury or drowning and lack of parental encouragement, according to the USA Swimming Foundation.

Yes parents, you may think “my child never is near water and never gets in the water, so why should they need to know how to swim?” That is a reasonable question, but the answer is that your child is not safe.

These accidents that have been causing deaths among young children are unnecessary. Swimming is a skill that must be taught. There are many basics to swimming that can only make a child safer near and in the water. Breathing is a crucial skill that can and will save one’s life. Floating and bobbing also have the same result.

“All kids should most definitely be taught how to swim. Its one of those ‘everyone needs to know how to do’ things. Once you learn, you can’t really forget it because its a skill,” said Abby Barley, who is a swimmer herself. “I’m a lifeguard and I’ve seen too many people who try to learn how to swim when they’re older, and it is much harder for them. Do everyone a favor and start when you’re young.”

With so many local places that offer swim lessons for all ages, it should not even be a question whether to sign up for a session. Its not like it is a hassle to hunt down a facility. In Penn Manor, the Conestoga and Millersville pools offer swim lessons to children in the summer, and local rec centers in Lancaster county do as well.

By Jenna Reel

It’s Time to Start Calling Cheerleading a Sport

Dancing.

Stunting.

Working out.

What exactly is a real sport? Cheerleading definitely has all the qualities of a sport such as strength, agility, endurance, teamwork and competition. Many say that cheerleading is nothing but a distraction to real players. Others say that cheerleaders have what it takes to be real athletes.

Cheerleading does meet the dictionary definition of a sport. Going behind the miniskirts and the glittery makeup, you will see a very strong athlete who has confidence, courage and a high spirit.

Mary Treier — Cheerleading is a sport, I can prove it.

Cheer practice will usually last around two hours every day, depending on the school. Practices include exercising and stretching, developing a dance routine, tumbling and of course cheering. The length and intensity of the practice is comparable to many varsity sports practices.

Cheerleaders at competition and cheerleaders at football games are very different. Sideline cheerleading at a high school football game? Not a sport. Professional cheerleaders at NFL and NBA games? Not a sport. Competitive cheerleading with tumbling, stunting, and dance that requires stamina, strength and endurance? A sport. The miniskirts and pompoms are just uniforms.

At competitions, cheerleaders show off everything they have learned while representing the school they attend. It’s just like every other athletic sport, giving 100 percent effort, and showing what they are made of.

Competitive cheerleading can be seen on the sports programming network (ESPN).

The skills involved in cheerleading leave no doubt that cheerleaders are exceptional athletes. To perform their activities, they must be as strong as any football player, as poised as any dancer and as flexible as the best gymnasts. They are athletes by every definition of the word.

Cheerleading is definitely a real sport.

By Mary Treier

Friday Reading Editorial

Penn Manor’s “Friday Reading” is a great way to get students interested in reading.

Yes it is, in a way, forcing them to read, but many students find themselves attached to their book, newspaper, or magazine when those fifteen minutes are over.

“Friday Reading time is great, it makes your classes go faster and I like the book I’ve been reading, so that time set aside is awesome.

Especially when your teacher goes over fifteen minutes and lets the class read longer,” said sophomore student, Jaime Reel.

It may be taking time out of learning in the classroom, but it allows students to teach themselves, in a way. They are able to use their imagination and explore their minds in different ways, rather than being forced to read something that they could care less about.

Jenna Reel — I like to read, and that's why I support Friday reading.

Not just Penn Manor sets aside reading time, but schools all over the world believe that setting aside time for students to read their own material, will increase their knowledge in vocabulary and comprehension in general, according to iteslj.org.

Although called “Friday Reading” at Penn Manor, in many other schools, this time set aside is referred to as “DEAR” (drop everything and read), “SQUIRT” (silent, quiet, uninterrupted individualized reading time), “USSR” (uninterrupted sustained silent reading) or “SSR” (sustained silent reading). No matter the title used, they all have the same basic principles.

Studies indicate that students who engage in SSR improve in both reading achievement and attitude toward reading, according to readingonline.org.

These programs for reading can only benefit students. There are no cons in allowing students to read material of their choice for a few minutes out of a school day.

By Jenna Reel