Delay? Early Dismissal? No School? No Way

Waking up tomorrow, turning on the news and seeing that school is canceled due to a lot of snow will be a big disappointment to the students who discover the rumors of snow turned out to be rumors.

According to earth science teacher, David Bender, Penn Manor’s unofficial meteorologist, the district will see a very small amount of snow tomorrow, just a dusting to an inch, if that.

David Bender explaining the chance of large amounts of snow tomorrow not happening. Photo by Kyle Hallett

A low pressure system is creeping in from central Canada, carrying with it only little moisture.  The system will pass just south of Pennsylvania towards the coast. Snow will start falling late tonight where only a dusting will be seen, according to Bender.

“The Great Lakes are the only thing fueling this system right now and won’t flare up until it gets to the ocean,” he said.

The system will become a secondary low pressure system when it reaches the ocean where more evaporation will take place and moisture will build up.  This is when it will crank up and most of the snow or snow squalls will come (morning to early afternoon).

Snow storm in effect gathering moisture from the Great Lakes creating the lake effect snows. Photo by NWS Enchanced Radar

“Areas south of the Turnpike will accumulate a dusting to an inch, but when the system becomes a secondary low and there is something like a high pressure system further out in the ocean to block it,” Bender explained, “more snow will be dumped since the low will hang around longer and strengthen.”

The science teacher continued, “I’ll give it a 20 percent chance at the best for this to occur.”

“I don’t expect a delay or an early dismissal tomorrow,” Bender stated.

This snow storm doesn’t seem too promising but the weather coming next week seems to have more activity with a possibility of snow.

Bender explained that when a system starts out west, dips south toward the gulf and starts up the coast, a larger chance of a bigger snowfall will occur. If the system does not travel far enough south, the moisture will gather further north in the Atlantic ocean and miss Pennsylvania as it completes the rotation coming back into the US.

By Cree Bleacher and Kyle Hallett

Tuesday Night Romping of the Tornadoes is Huge for Comets

Penn Manor’s boys basketball team took on their rivals, McCaskey, on Tuesday night. Many thought it would be a close game but early on it became evident that it would be anything but close.

Penn Manor jumped out to an early lead being led by senior Brian Ramsey. Ramsey had a great game finishing with 24 points.

Landon Alecxih was also a force to be reckoned with scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Once the Comets took the lead, they never looked back.

By halftime, the Comets had a 21 point lead over the Red Tornadoes. The Tornadoes struggled all game to get anything going their way.

2 of Ramsey's 24 points off a reverse layup. Photo Credit: TornadoAlleyHoops.com

While the Tornadoes were having a tough time finding their rhythm, the Comets were in full stride and the scoreboard showed it.

Coming back to the court after half time, the Comets remained hot and by the end of the third quarter they had extended their lead to 38 points.

The game ended much differently than last year’s game with McCaskey, with the Tornadoes winning 91-84. This year’s game, on the other hand, ended with Penn Manor handling McCaskey, 64-35.

Needless to say, McCaskey is looking to prove that this was just a fluke when they come to Millersville for a rematch in 23 days.

The Comets, 4-0 in section, 7-1 overall, now get ready to take on Manheim Township who is tied with them for first place in their section.

The game is set for Friday at Penn Manor at 8pm.

by Brian Sloss

Leggings are a Fashion Hit for High School Girls

When you think of sweater dresses and Ugg boots, what else comes to mind?

Leggings!

“Leggings are the most plain article of clothing, but there is so much to do with them, you can turn your look into anything but basic,” says an article in Teen Vogue Magazine.

Vogue teens agree.  In fact leggings seems to be turning into a fashion epidemic here at Penn Manor High School

“They are comfortable, but not exactly warm… it’s like wearing sweatpants but more fashionable, ” said junior Nicole Harnish.

“I buy my leggings from anywhere that sells them, I think they are extremely comfortable,” said senior Emily Nickel, “I just get very annoyed when administration tries to say that leggings are inappropriate. Especially when they cover everything.”

Brittany Wright and Lauren Anderson told Penn Points that the main stores where girls buy leggings include Forever 21, H&M, Charollette Russe and Abercrombie Kids.

Many girls in Penn Manor wear leggings. Photo by Chassidy Sowersby

Many girls interviewed had different opinions about what clothing items go with leggings. But it seems they go with nearly anything and that might just be the reason why they are part of this season’s fashion trend.

“I like to wear long T-shirts or sweatshirts with them, and my Ugg boots,” said Wright.

“I like to wear long flannels with my leggings,” said Anderson.

Each Thursday, an invitation is sent out via Facebook to every Penn Manor Student. The event is called “No pants Thursday.”

On this day many of the girls at Penn Manor wear leggings instead of jeans. This Facebook invite is usually sent out by Maddy Hess, Alicia Burns and Stefanie Friedman.

When two Penn Manor junior boys were interviewed, they had some interesting things to say about girls wear leggings…

“I find girls more attractive when they are wearing leggings, It should be mandatory,” said junior, Errol Hammond.

Junior Marc Summy said, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, however, not every girl can pull them off.”

Both of the boys agreed that the legging colors make a big difference saying either black, brown or grey are the only OK colors for girls to wear.

By Chassidy Sowersby

Learning the Road with a Few Close Calls

Parents: Are you ready to see your life flash right before your eyes?  Well, get ready to because your teenager is driving…

After getting my permit, my parents would not let me drive. Yes, I was 16, plus two months, but no, they were not ready for the terror of having me drive.

The first day I was “allowed” to drive, my parents made sure that I was educated on how the car works, how to work the turn signals, turn the car on, work the windshield wipers, etc.  Yeah, yeah. I already knew all of that and at that time, I thought that I was ready to drive, get out on the road, but it turned out I knew less than what I thought.

When we left my house in our silver Sequoia, my family was clutching on their armrests like they were trying to get to the last life boat on the Titanic. With my mom sitting next to me, my step-dad and two sisters sitting in the back, I heard criticism coming from everywhere how I was or should be driving.

“Jordann, slow down!”
“Jordann, start braking earlier!”

With no radio to help drown out the sounds of their negative voices, I was forced to hear the bickering about my hard braking or my speeding problem, that still hasn’t been cured. But anyways.

I may have had my license for almost 2 years, but I still am learning.

When my parents had enough of the stress through my reckless driving, they called in the big guns. The driving instructor. When I started working with him, he would tell me a few of the errors that occurred during my driving, such as my speed. But, by the way, he thought I was a good driver. He must have because he didn’t criticize every wrong move I made while driving.

When my six months were over and July 23, 2009 came around, my nerves were getting the best of me. While driving to take my test, I almost gave my mom a heart attack while I tried to beat a car to a turn, when they had the right of way. With the lady’s horn beeping at me and “b*&%$” coming out of her mouth, my mom said that she totally agreed with her.

After meeting up with my grandparents (I was using their Corolla for the test), I walked into the DMV, so nervous my hands were sweating. When my name was called and I walked out to enter the car, the reality hit me. It was time, time for me to pass my driving test, get my license and have a new responsibility in my life.

When the driving prompter finally came and got into the car, I felt confident, I was ready to go. When I went up to the parallel parking area, I was positive that I would ace it, since I was just there practicing in the Corolla the night before. I backed in and fixed my position and was told to go on. Awesome, I’m half-way to my license.

As I took off for the driving part, my heart was beating. All that was going through my head was “don’t speed, make sure you stop for three seconds at the stop signs.” I pulled into the parking lot and parked my car. Before he got out, he told me “you passed.”

I still sometimes wonder how I passed. I still have the speeding problem, I still ride people’s tails, but I have definitely grown up since that day. Yes, I still have my driving problems, such as wrecking my car, a powder-blue Toyota Prius, racing a friend and a few close calls where I almost got hit by pulling out in front of someone, and all the other times I almost got hit, but, hey, who doesn’t have some driving issues. So, it can’t be only me.

By Jordann Stekervetz

Jersey Shore is Back, Tanned and Ready For Action

Get comfy kids, turn on your TV’s, and get your bowl of popcorn. MTV’s Jersey Shore is back.

This Thursday, the popular reality show is airing its third season. After spending the last season tanning in Florida, the housemates return to New Jersey to live in their original Seaside Heights home.

All Jersey Shore members are returning for another takeover except one. Angelina “Jolie” Pivarnick, 25, has decided not to be a part of the new season.  Pivarnick bailed early during both the first and second season due to confrontations with the rest of the house.

The Jersey Shore cast is back for another season on MTV.

To replace Angelina, MTV has cast a new member, Deena Nicole Cortese. Deena originally sent in an audition tape for the first season that aired in 2009. She wasn’t chosen, but Angelina opened the door when she left early in Miami.

Deena had the opportunity to watch the show while the rest of the cast lived it. Her appearance on the third season was a shock to all of them but her best friend Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. The surprise causes problems right away and those problems will be featured in the premier.

This season is sure to bring just as much drama as the previous two. The first episode of Jersey Shore Season Three will air Thursday January 6 at 10:00 pm.

By Toni Warfel

Coming soon, to the Mac – Apps

The leader in technology, Apple, changed the world with the introduction of the iPod in 2001. In 2006, they unveiled the iPhone and iPod touch.

iOS, the user-friendly operating system the iDevices are based on, is now influencing the way we use our computers. Ever since software version 2.0 came out, iOS included the App Store. The App Store is a place to download and install new applications for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Soon, the same App Store we have known for hand-held devices is coming to the Mac.

The upcoming Mac App Store. Image provided by Apple Computer.

The current Mac operating system, Snow Leopard, will have support for the Mac App Store. Mac OS X Lion, the upcoming Mac OS, will include the App Store. Like the iOS App Store, it will be a repository for software and games.

The Mac App Store will have both paid and free apps available. The categories will include: education, games, graphics and design, productivity and lifestyle.

As a unified distribution center for applications, the Mac App Store will allow users to browse and select applications without having the hassle of going out and buying software on disks or performing various steps to download and license software from websites.

Apple also made the Mac App Store convenient for developers. Developers who sell applications through the store will be able to pick the price per app and receive 70% of each app sale. The Mac App Store will allow developers to update their apps and submit them directly to Apple, which allows users to easily update their Mac’s applications through the App Store.

On Jan. 6, the App Store will be open. Also, on Apple’s website, the “Downloads” section will be taken offline.

By Nick Joniec

Silent Alarm Not Smart for iPhone Users

Ring, ring, ring… ring, ring, ring; that’s exactly what didn’t happen for some iPhone users whose alarms never spoke on the New Years.

Apple’s famous iPhone and iPod touch failed to wake up their users on the first day of 2011 that left many unsatisfied and asleep.  The glitch was felt around the country and around the school.

Senior Alex Geli came face to face with the alarm glitch not only once but twice.

“I set my alarm (on the iPhone) on Sunday for 12 p.m. so I wouldn’t oversleep since I hardly got any sleep the previous two nights,” said Geli.   “Instead of my alarm waking me up, I awoke by myself at 12:45 p.m.  I was confused because my phone always wakes me up on time and couldn’t seem to figure out what the problem was.”

The iPhone alarm let many people down as 2011 rolled in

Apple told Engadget, “We’re aware of an issue related to non-repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2.  Customers can set recurring alarms for those dates and all alarms will work properly beginning January 3,” the Apple spokesperson said.

On January 1, Apple realized that there had been a glitch with the alarms and noted that it would be fixed by Monday, January 3.  But alarms remained incoherent for the fourth day in a row leaving users fuming.

On New Years day, people were late to work, missed important appointments and flights and overslept.

Many users say not only are their alarms not going off but also their calendar events would not sound.

For some reason, this iOS alarm glitch is not affecting everyone and many believe that the problem is within the software itself.

Apple issued a statement advising many of its phones would not work at the start of 2011 but the warning was, obviously, missed by thousands of customers all over the world.  The glitch effected non-recurring iPhone alarms which stopped working for devices running iOS 4.02, 4.1, and 4.2.1.

This is not the first time Apple phone users encountered a problem.  Back on October 31, the so-called “smart phone” failed to recognize the turning of the clock back one hour (Day-Light Savings).

The alarm that wasn't.

Apple iPhones have had many problems ever since they were put on the shelves and have many questioning how smart they really are.  With all of these malfunctions occurring, Apple is losing the interest of people wanting to buy their product and will have to win back their fans.

Here at Penn Manor, some students and faculty experienced this glitch at the best of worst times.

Technology coach Shawn Canady has a son in the Marine Corps who had to return to San Diego on Sunday.

“I set one alarm for 4 a.m. and my son, Scott Tison, set four alarms for 4 a.m to make it to the airport by 5:15 a.m,” recalled Canady.  “The next day I awoke and something didn’t feel right.  I looked at my clock in surprise and saw the numbers five three zero.  We rushed to finish packing and got on our way to Harrisburg airport.  We arrived to the airport at 6 a.m. to realize he missed the flight.”

Canady’s son got booked on the next flight but instead of flying to D.C. and then to L.A. with a one hour layover, Tison had to fly to Chicago and then L.A. with a 13 hour layover.  Tison’s flight was to arrive at 3 p.m. on Sunday but never got to L.A. until  1 a.m. on Monday.

Canady said, “We have come to depend on these smart phones a lot and when it doesn’t work, it can really throw you for a loop.”

Canady explained that this glitch only happened to non-reoccurring alarms and not ones set weekly or for weekdays.

By Jan. 3, Geli suspected his alarm on his iPhone was not working.

So Geli tried his alarm again on Monday to wake up for school and set two alarms, one at 6:30 and the other at 6:45.

None sounded.

Luckily, Geli set another non-iPhone alarm, the old-fashioned kind,  and was not late for school.

“I have a smart phone, it’s supposed to work and when it doesn’t, I get very irritated,” he said.  “I’m starting to doubt my iPhone.”

Just remember, smart may not always be what it sounds.

By Cree Bleacher

Oh For Show! New Trophy Case Full of Hardware

Rows and rows of trophies sit gleaming by our East Gym.

We’ve all seen them. Glittering against the cement in such a fashion you can’t help but do a double-take at the mementos of past athletic victories. But that’s just it: athletic achievements. Does our school really value brawn over brains?

Senior Joe Jackson stops to gaze at the new trophy case. Photo by Ben Embry

To combat this perception, the librarian at Penn Manor High School, Sue Hostetter, petitioned for our brain bank to have a nook of their own. Upon entering the library, but right before passing through the unchecked book alarm, immediately to the left, there is a new trophy case.

“I just wanted a place for our academic achievements to be seen and recognized,” said Hostetter.  “It took almost a year for the new display to get installed. It was very nice because in the beginning I thought I was going to have to dip into my own pocket or somehow set up a fundraiser for it.”

Unfortunately, as soon as it went up, the case was nearly full.

“It would be really nice to have the long display cases in between the library entrance and the water fountains by the gym to also be renovated to be used for academic trophies,” she noted.

In the trophy case itself sits just under 10 trophies, each one its own symbol of brainy excellence. The trophies, range from an individual awards to national awards to quiz bowl trophies.

Hostetter’s goal is to have academic awards displayed next to athletic ones, to  show how our student body differs in interests, boost morale of students and Comets fans, and to have a collective area for all student achievements.

By Ben Embry

Comets Will Try to Calm the Tornadoes

By Ryan Mays-

One game at a time.

The Penn Manor Girls basketball team (3-4) takes on J.P. McCaskey (1-5) Tuesday at 8:00 pm. The game is at home and the “up-and-down” Comets are looking to create a winning streak.

The Comets are coming off  a pretty big win against the Hershey Trojans with a record of (5-2) before the game. Indeed, this was a non-league game, but a 41- over 32-point victory is nothing to sneeze at.

Even though some are predicting a tight game and a win by McCaskey, the Comets hope their better record and their undefeated home court advantage pulls off a victory.

The Tornadoes are coming off of a 59-29 loss to Ephrata, a team Penn Manor beat by two points before Christmas.

It sounds like Penn Manor has an advantage.

When looking at the stats, the Penn Manor girls have 281 points-for( the Comets scored) and 285 points-against(the opponent scored). On the other end, McCaskey only scored 263 points-for and 349 points-against. This is 18 points-for and 64 points-against better in the Comets favor.

New Year’s Resolutions Run the Gamut at Penn Manor High School

The new year, 2011, is here and it’s time to think about that New Year’s resolution.

It is time to set your goal to bring in the new year. Something that will motivate you to meet your goal by the end of the upcoming year. Many people can reach their goal, however others struggle or just never get to it.

A list posted on www.kcnewyears.com shows some of the most popular resolutions for the year. The resolutions are listed n order of most popular from one to ten. They are, spending more time with family and friends, getting fit, losing weight, quit smoking, enjoy life more, quit drinking, get out of debt, learn something new, help others and get organized.

A resolution list. Courtesy photo from http://www.google.com/imgres

Penn Manor students and staff are preparing for bringing in the new year by setting their resolutions.

“I don’t make New Year’s resolutions because I can never stick to it!,” said senior Cassey Graeff.

“My resolution is to have a definite answer to my future,” said senior Leah Freeman.

“My New Year resolution is to keep a perfect driving record,” said junior Taylor Goldberg.

“My goal is to get a 1.10.00 in back stroke for swimming,” said senior Olivia Rinier

The new year is a time for looking in to the future and setting goals to benefit you and keep you healthy.

“My resolution is to read more and watch less TV,” said administrator Jason D’Amico.

Being fit and getting in to shape was a popular resolution for the administrators at Penn Manor High School.

“I plan to eat healthier and stay in shape this year,” said administrator Eric Howe.

The New Years Ball. Courtesy photo from http://www.google.com/images

“My New Year’s resolution is to get in better shape,” said School Resource Officer Jason Hottenstein.

While some people are setting goals to benefit themselves physically, others are setting goals to help them emotionally.

“My resolution is to not be as stressed and to not worry as easily,” said senior Kristi Rineer.

“My goal is to spend more time with my family and friends,” said administrator Doug Eby.

Many people take resolutions seriously to improve their future and a lot of people set a goal, but fail to follow through with their resolution. Each year the list changes for different resolutions and the number one for people is always changing.

By Allana Herr