Staying Healthy While Feasting over the Holidays

Cookies and candy canes will not be an option for some people at Penn Manor, but most of them say they “don’t care.”

The winter holidays is the time of year where most families get together and enjoy a lot of good fatty food together. Cookies are annually made along with lots of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy. Even though most students at Penn Manor choose to ignore the nutritional values of the food, a few people do.

The classic ginger bread cookies, baked for the holiday season. Photo by fun.familyeducation.com

“I am going to try to not eat a whole lot of candy over Christmas break,” said Jeremy Vital.”I am trying to improve my dental health because it is not very good.

The best way to avoid cavities and have the best oral hygiene is to not consume sweets at all. This rarely happens over a holiday such as Christmas and New Years, so instead you could brush twice a day with toothpaste containing fluoride and also visiting the dentist for regular check ups according to dentistry.about.com.

“My wife makes great food for Christmas, so I don’t care what I will eat on Christmas,” said assistant principal Mr. Howe.

Howe will be doing “CrossFit” to work off some calories from Christmas dinner over the break.

“CrossFit is the principle strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide,” according to crossfit.com.

The average American eats an about 2,500 calories of food for just one meal. Participating in an activity such as basketball typically burns up to 600 calories in a full hour of play.

” My mom is making turkey and I will eat a lot of it,” said Pat Navin. “I am all about protein so I eat a lot of meat to fuel my massive muscles.”

Navin considers himself the most nutritious person that attends Penn Manor. Candy is no part of Navin’s to the extent that he denies any piece of candy offered to him.

“The only sugar that I eat is natural from fruits,” said Navin.

“Over the break, I don’t plan to workout because I play real sports, and I’m not trying to be the best at exercising,” said Navin.

According to ehow.com, there are few good steps that could be taken to eat a little healthier over the Christmas break.

1. Eat a healthy breakfast and lunch prior to Christmas dinner. By eating well during the day, you will not be famished by night time. This avoids the risk of you doubling up on calories later in the day. The best foods to eat are cereal, wholemeal breads and soups. They are high in fiber and will keep you feeling satisfied for a while.

Christmas Dinner. Photo by nelsonideas.com

2. Once at the dinner table, eat only half portions. For main course, try using a salad plate. This will make you have to put less food in your plate, and you will soon realize that you don’t need a large portion of food to feel satisfied.

3. Drink plenty of water during the day. Sometimes people confuse hunger for thirst, so they may eat more while trying to hydrate themselves. This will not happen if you drink enough water during the day, and when it comes to dinner time, the water in your stomach will make you feel fuller faster.

4. If you are in charge of cooking, make substitutions in order to keep your meal lower in fat and calories. For example, switch your regular mayo for extra light mayo. Use skimmed milk and low fat cheeses. Use sugar substitutes instead of sugar.

5. Keep your drinking under control. Between Christmas and New Year, most of the calories consumed in excess comes from drinks. So limit yourself to two glasses of wine with your meal, or avoid drinking altogether if you can.

By Kyle Hallett

Gift Buying Time Running Out

They say early birds get the worm, or in this case, present.

Procrastinating shopping for Christmas gifts this year just isn’t going to work. Time has ran out for some of the hottest and most popular gifts already. Last year, according to usatoday.com, retailers were left with too many left over items from the holidays, and now this year, they made sure they were more conservative with ordering merchandise.

According to usatoday.com, this year some of the most popular wants and purchases simply ran out in many different stores.

A hard gift to find, a Kindle. Courtesy photo from http://www.google.com/imgres

Time is running to put those checks on the Christmas list. These items include Kindles, a Kitchen Aid Mixer at Kohls, Old Navy’s $5 pajama pants, a $498 Coach Satchel, Victoria’s Secret waist cinchers, and the list continues. Some of these items listed are completely out of availability, others can still be purchased, its just a matter of finding them.

Penn Manor students and staff are also having trouble finding gifts for family and friends this year.

“I have been having so much trouble finding things that I just decided to get everybody gift cards instead of going through all the trouble,” said senior Olivia Rinier.

“I actually had to order a pair of shoes online because they weren’t available in stores,” said senior Kayla Pagan.

The Kinect for xbox 360. Courtesy photo from http://www.google.com/imgres

“Finding Under Armor that fits my dad has been a struggle for me this year,” said junior, Taylor Goldberg.

“I still have two of my closest friends to shop for and they are hard to find things for so this could be difficult for me this year,” said senior Cassey Graeff.

Waiting until the last minute to shop this year could put you in danger of finding the right gifts for your family and friends. Many gifts are slowly becoming scarce to find in stores, and online.

“If it’s not on the internet, and it doesn’t have free shipping, I don’t buy it,” said administrator Jason D’Amico.

“I am having a really hard time trying to find the Kinect for Xbox 360. I have called several different places to try and get a hold of it, but everybody that I talk to says it’s unavailable at the time,” said administrator Eric Howe.

The Kinect for Xbox 360 was one of the scarce and hard to find items. One of our administrators had trouble himself finding one. This year was the year for early Christmas shopping. Procrastinating shopping may end up with late Christmas gift arrivals or no late arrivals at all.

By Allana Herr

Learning to Drive a Harrowing Experience

Author Kendall Seigworth hard at work. Photo by: Whitney Reno

Learning to drive

My first time behind the wheel I was a natural, but the second time around I made a fairly big mistake.

Luckily for me, my Dad had me practicing in his junky white Reliant K that exceeded my age by several decades. It was going to be euthanized in a couple months, so any damage I caused to the car couldn’t be considered catastrophic.

My Dad and I went to a vacant parking lot and cruised around, eventually we decided we wanted to drive back home. That’s when I hit a concrete parking divider. My big question was “why is there a random concrete thing in the middle of the road?” My rush of fear came before my vehement anger. It was like driving over the world’s largest speed bump and we actually flew in the air a little, like we just skated over a ramp.

When we crashed back to the ground, the hub caps came flying off, each in an opposite direction. My Dad jumped out of the passenger’s seat and began to chase after the runaway hubs. I began to look under the car, and I soon discovered the oil pan was dented. To the satisfaction of my Dad and I, it was not pierced and dripping. The car became even more fragile than it once was before, and my Dad decided he should drive it home very slowly and carefully.

Sadly, the car could not be salvaged. It was the last great adventure for my Dad’s Reliant K.

Driving with my Mom is much different than driving with my Dad. My Dad is really calm, and my Mom on the other hand just yells. She already yells at people who have years of experience, so imagine how much screaming I heard as a new driver. My Mom used every curse word in the book at me when I drove. It is still that way to this day. The funny part is, you can tell my Mother’s cursing is a fear response because she doesn’t even remember doing it once she gets out of the car. My Dad and I often have to tell her what she had said, and she ends up just laughing with us about it.

Overall, my driving has been fairly uneventful. Besides one major driving mishap and a cursing mother, it has all gone well.

By Kendall Seigworth

New Grade Reporting Procedure for Athletes Has a Positive Influence Backing It Up

Penn Manor coaches no longer have to bug their athletes to turn in grade sheets each week, a new procedure and policy will provide coaches with everything they need to know.

A list of those student athletes who currently have a grade below a 70 percent will be sent to coaches automatically.

An email from principal Phil Gale was sent out Dec. 14 notifying teachers and coaches of the new procedure.

“In an effort to solidify the reporting of grades for our student-athletes…,” stated Gale in the email, “(athletic director) Jeff Roth and (assistant) Cindy Bachman have developed a system of pulling grades from Sapphire on a weekly basis for all student-athletes.”

The email described the new procedure and how it will be handled.

Coaches will receive the list with those athletes who have a grade below a 70 percent. They will then inform the athlete of his or her grade and instruct the athlete to speak with the teacher of the class. This will allow the student to attend tutoring on Thursday or to turn in any missed assignments in order to try and raise their grade, according to the email sent out by Gale.

Gale sent out an email alerting teachers and coaches of the new procedure

The email also stated that any athlete with a failing grade on Wednesday must turn in a report sheet to their coach on Friday, having it signed by the teacher, explain why they are failing or identifying that they are passing.

By Friday, if that athlete has below a 60 percent, they will be ineligible the following week to play (Sunday to Saturday).

They then are required to receive an hour of tutoring for each subject they are failing.  Athletes will be giving their coaches a tutoring sheet to verify that they are getting help.

“I think its nice as a teacher and as a coach that I don’t need to fill in and collect a grade sheet for every athlete,” said English teacher and swimming coach, Cece O’Day. “It will make students more accountable for their grades.”

Physics teacher and wrestling coach, Steve Hess, thinks it makes the process easier for coaches.

“I can see who is eligible very easily,” said Hess. “It holds kids accountable.”

“I hope it benefits. The expectations are the same. Its the same policy, just a different procedure,” said O’Day.

Sophomore student, Travis Wells, also has positive feelings towards the new procedure.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Wells.

By Jenna Reel

White Christmas to Come?

Penn Manor is dreaming of a white Christmas.

As winter rolls along and Christmas approaches, some are wondering if Lancaster can expect snow for the holidays.

Last year, Lancaster had over six feet of snow in total all winter long, making a new county record. This snow blew in just in time for the cheery holiday. This year however, the luck might run short.

“It is certainly cold enough to have snow, but in order to hope for a white Christmas, we need the right storm in the right spot,” said Millersville meteorologist Eric Horst.

“I really want to have snow for Christmas, it just makes everything complete,” said Penn Manor alumni Kirsten Bechtold.

Horst explained that because of the dry winter pattern the East Coast is experiencing, the chances are slim.

“As of now, there are no big disturbances coming to the East Coast to suggest a snow storm,” said Horst.

“if we don’t get snow, I’m gonna be really mad!” said another alumni Jessica Stetler. “Snow just adds to the Christmas spirit.”

Don’t stop wishing though, a small ‘storm’ might be heading this way. Horst explained a very small pattern is making its way towards Lancaster and should be here by the end of the week.

“If it does end up getting here, we can expect maybe one to two inches,” said Horst. “If the weather plays out this way, then yes, we may have some flurries for Christmas.”

“Having a white Christmas makes everything more ‘Christmasy’,” said senior Hannah Willett.

WGAL’s “White Christmas Probability Map” seems to agree with Horst. According to them Lancaster can expect a 25-50% chance of a snow filled holiday.

There might not be a blizzard for Christmas, but snow is a definite possibility.

By Toni Warfel

Christmas Guitars Usher in Winter Fun Day

It was the little strummer boys…and some girls too.

The Penn Manor guitar class was preforming at all three lunches on Dec 23, 2010 for a little entertainment.

“Slappin da bass mon,” said senior Mike Gebby.

Gebby was playing the bass guitar having the most important part in the whole show.

Rebecka Eckman was singing Christmas carols while the guitarists were playing.

The conductor Skip Reddig, also the teach for the guitar class, taught the students a great number of music pieces so they would not have to repeat anything over each lunch period.

Students at lunch enjoyed all of the background music during their lunch period.

“I have more Christmas spirit now that I have heard these songs,” said Thomas Embry.

By Kyle Hallett

Remembering Eric Torbert Jr.

A former Penn Manor student, remembered fondly here, died recently in combat during his service in Afghanistan.

Corporal Eric Torbert Jr. courtesy of Lancaster Newspapers

Eric Torbert Jr., was a marine corporal and former graduate of Penn Manor High in 2003.  He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007.

He died December 18 during combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

He was a combat engineer. His unit was based at Camp Pendleton, California.

He was recently married to Marcelle L. Sebastian Torbert on June 12, 2010.

He was remembered by former Penn Manor High Principal Janice Mindish.

“He wasn’t very outgoing, but he was a nice kid. He never got in any trouble,” said Mindish. “You have to be proud that he was brave enough to do what he did.”

Librarian assistant for Penn Manor Pamela Yarnell said, “The whole thing with Eric definitely makes me worry about my son who’s over there now.”

“When you’re a teenager, you feel invincible. Until you go over seas and do what they do.”

Yarnell’s son, a graduate of Penn Manor in 1998, is a flight engineer for KC10s.

“Don’t forget to worry and think about those guys when they’re not here,” Yarnell said.

Torbert always  enjoyed music and playing guitar, as well as playing in a local band, Whyte Lightning, according to a report in Lancaster Newspapers.

“I remember trying to get him to play basketball for the high school team back when I coached,” said John Erisman, a history teacher at Penn Manor.

Torbert worked as a newspaper carrier for the Lancaster Newspapers, and worked for BP Gas on Centerville Rd., as well as Just-4-Kids Furniture Store, according to Lancaster Newspapers.

Dr. Leichliter, Superintendent of Penn Manor School District, said the family is thankful for all the notes of condolences and is looking for ways to give back to the community in remembrance of Eric.

A memorial scholarship fund is being set up in Torbert’s name that will help high school students further their musical career.

Anyone interested in donating to Cpl. Eric Torbert Jr. memorial scholarship fund please send to: Cpl. Eric Torbert Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund. Susquehanna Bank; 536 Park City Center; Lancaster, PA 17601.

By Jenna Reel and Jessen Smith

Mindish Keeping Busy with Teaching, Volunteering

Wondering what Dr. Janice Mindish has been up to since her retirement in 2008? The former principal of the year has been staying busy over the past two years and does not seem to be slowing down.

The Lancaster County Academy, Penn Manor’s Twilight program, the district’s Education Foundation, Lancaster Museum of Art and the Millersville Woman’s club are all part of Mindish’s busy schedule.

Dr. Janice Mindish multi-tasking. Photo by Robert Henry

Once a week for three hours, one hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, Mindish talks to teens at the Lancaster County Academy who are nearing graduation about their plans after graduating. She helps out the math, science and social studies teachers. But mainly helps students with their writing.

“I can help in any area, but I mostly help with writing,” said Dr. Mindish, “this past week I was helping former Penn Manor students who are writing their thesis.”

Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays,  Mindish’s time is spent with the Twilight program, the alternative education program at Penn Manor.

“Being the principal, sometimes you only get to see the bad side of kids who are struggling.  At Twilight you actually get to know them and your perspective changes,” said Mindish.

Within the Education Foundation the former principal is on three committees; the marketing committee, the development committee, and the education committee. This requires Mindish to attend about three meetings a month for this volunteer work.

Mindish is also on the Board of the Lancaster Museum of Art as well. Currently, she is helping out with the Trees Galore project, this involves local students and artists who have done art work and are contributing their work to the museum’s fund raising efforts. The next activity she will be involved in is the Scholastic Art Awards show.

Dr. Mindish is also a member of the Millersville’s Woman’s Club. One of the club’s main goals is to support education. Mindish keeps them involved in education by getting the women in the club interested in some of Penn Manor’s projects and extracurricular activities. The women help students out with their graduation projects as well as helping out with Quiz Bowl.

On top of everything else this multi-tasker is also teaching a psychology class at York College.

“I love, love, love it!” Mindish exclaimed.

And luckily for the Penn Points Staff, Mindish comes in once a week to help young reporters develop their photojournalism skills, since she was once a photography teacher.

“I decided when I retired that I didn’t miss actually being the one to run the school, I missed the kids a lot,” she remarked.

Just because Penn Manor’s former head principal is now retired does not mean she’s not doing many, many things. She is still keeping very busy and helping out with the community at the same time.

By Chassidy Sowersby and Robert Henry

Students, Staff Give Unusual Christmas Gifts This Year

Clothing, electronics and jewelry.

These items can usually be found under nearly every Christmas tree.

Christmas can be about the spirit of giving.

Here at Penn Manor, however, some of the staff and students are thinking outside the box.

When you think of Christmas gifts, material things usually come to mind. But to many at Penn Manor, time and charity are the epitome of the “Christmas spirit.”

Penn Manor cheerleaders are getting into the spirit by donating canned goods to people who are unable to have Christmas dinner. Canned items can be brought to the basketball game this evening in place of paying for a ticket.

“It’s really great to know we’re helping the less fortunate, rather than giving only typical gifts,” said sophomore and cheerleader Erica Williams.

Senior Jesse Graham spreads Christmas cheer to the elderly with his youth group.

“We go over and visit and give cookies and sing songs [to the elderly]. It makes them really happy which in turn makes me happy,” said Graham.

Librarian Sue Hostetter does not deal with busy malls and picking the perfect gift. She simply makes a donation to a charity in the name of each person she would normally buy a gift for.

“Christmas is the spirit of giving,” said Hostetter.

The Humane League, the Ronald McDonald House and Heifer International all accept donations for the holidays.

For those last minute shoppers or those who feel charitable, donations and community service are always an option.

By Sarah Schaeffer and Lauren Pironis

Students Here Reach for Soda – The Taste of Unhealthiness

“I drink chocolate milk in the morning, orangeade at lunch, cherry Pepsi during fourth block, and then some Gatorade when I get home,” said junior Joey Jackson.

What happened to drinking water throughout the day? Penn Manor seems to have forgotten, or doesn’t care, that the human body is made up of about 70 percent water.

“I only drink water when I’m doing a physical activity and feel like I actually need to put the water back into my body because I’m sweating it out,” said Jackson.

Penn Manor students are replacing water with soda and other drinks that experts say are unhealthy.

According to a forum on Nutrition and Exercise,”Soda instead of water will lead to a lot of problems. Lots of calories (weight gain), worse triglycerides in the blood (bad), more tooth decay, and much less quenching to your thirst due to the concentrated sugars.”

Unhealthy drinks that Penn Manor students seem to enjoy

“I just don’t like the taste of water,” said sophomore Samantha Horst.

Soda, sadly, is one of society’s favorite beverages. Each year, billions of gallons of soda are sold in the United States alone. Experts believe drinking soda may have serious health consequences. Obesity is a main cause of drinking too much soda, due to the fact that it is high in sugar and calories.

“I’ll be honest, I drink too much soda,” said senior Jeremy Vital, “When I’m at work I get a Mt. Dew every time I get a chance, or when I’m on my break.”

“I normally drink a lot of Gatorade when I’m at home, and sometimes soda, but never water,” said Horst.

If you drink a whole bottle of Gatorade you are still consuming about 56 grams of sugar, and this is not required in a normal sedentary lifestyle and in this situation it could be considered “bad” for you.

A few wise choices when reaching into the refrigerator

Gatorade is considered a sports drink and can be beneficial to athletes when it is drank during an activity but if it is being drank when someone is not doing physical work than it is a waste of time and can be bad for you.

According to a Nutrition and Health website, “The healthiest beverage to quench your thirst always has been, and always will be, plain old water. Water ensures proper hydration and cellular function, and these health benefits are delivered with no calories or unnatural ingredients. Drinking water also flushes out impurities and will help keep your waistline in check.”

By Dillon Walker