Mac vs PC – The Great Debate

Hello, I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC.

In a recent Penn Manor study, students were asked what their favorite computer is, Mac or PC?

We found that of the 20 students polled, a majority (11) chose PCs over Macs.

But on both sides of the discussion, opinions are strong.

“Macs are more convenient,” said Justin Herr, “PCs have a lot of ins-an-outs and what-have-yas.”

When buying a Mac, some people say you’re just paying for the name.

The lowest priced MacBook is $999 and the lowest priced iMac is $1,199.

For only $479.99 you can buy an HP laptop with nearly the same specs as the $999 MacBook.

You can buy an HP desktop for $549.99 with almost the exact specs of the $1,199 iMac.

The new iMac model. photo coutesy of techfresh.net

Penn Manor science

teacher, Paul Chismar said, “The only reason I like Macs is because I have gotten use to using them at school.”

“PC’s you can right click, Macs you have to control, apple, F,Q and crap,” said Penn Manor junior Cody Welch.

“I love macs because of their user friendly format and the lack of viruses,” said Penn Manor English teacher Greg McGough, pointing out one of the major upsides of a mac and one of the major flaws of a PC.

As far as an exact number of viruses for macs, it is hard to tell because it all depends on what you consider a virus and what operating system you are using.

When looking at the number of viruses for a windows operating system like Windows Vista, their is not an exact number, but according to Networkworld.com, “The total number of viruses will reach 1 million by year-end, according to security experts.”

One argument is that PCs are better than Macs when it comes to gaming, which

An HP Desktop. Photo courtesy of elerush.com

attracts a lot of young users.

On the other hand, Penn Manor sophomore Matt Ulmer said, “I like Macs because they’re better for gaming.”

Welch disagrees, “I’m a gamer you know,” when asked why he is a PC user.

So it comes down to a matter of opinion when you are talking Mac versus PC, but at Penn Manor, PC is victorious, slightly.

Stay tuned next week, when the debate continues over video games.

By Zane Sensenig and Paul Slaugh

What are your plans for Memorial Day weekend?

Great weather brings out family traditions for this Memorial Day weekend.

According to the Lancaster Intel/New Era, this weekend will be sunny and warm with temperatures from 75 to 86 degrees.

Some Penn Manor students are looking forward to carrying out their tradition with their families.

“I’m going to the beach with my family and friends and having a barbecue,” said senior Ashley Rinehart.

“Every year I go to the beach with my family and we bond over s’mores and time by the ocean,” said junior Veronica Willig.

“I’m going to visit my grandma and spend time with my boyfriend,” said junior Genny Leonards.

Although some students are waiting for their beach trip or visiting family, some Penn Manor students are doing otherwise.

“I have a soccer tournament,” said junior Melissa Martin.

“I’m going to a softball tournament at Shippensburg,” said junior Brittany Wright.

The students are not the only ones with plans for this Memorial Day weekend, the administration has plans of their own.

“I’m waking up Saturday morning and going to the beach,” said Principal Phil Gale.

“I’m going to my oldest’s softball tournament, playing golf and cutting the grass,” said Jason Hottenstein, Penn Manor’s school resource officer.

By Sarah Garner and Kendal Phillips

Career Day Aimed at Students’ Future

Penn Manor was taken over by DJs, chefs and accountants Friday to give students the opportunity to explore their future during Career Day.

The counseling department worked for months to prepare and organize the annual event.

Marjean Long, guidance counselor, said, “I think it went very well. I wanted to get kids into the speakers they wanted, but it was hard because of the snow day because some speakers couldn’t come today.”

Students met by graduating class in the auditorium to learn about life after high school. Photo Jim Yearsley

But setting up this massive event had it’s challenges.  Students attended three sessions including a large-group seminar in the auditorium with eight speakers who have attended various colleges.

Penn Manor students learned about various jobs on Career Day. Photo Jim Yearsley

Professionals across the spectrum were represented from attorneys to a dog trainer, a psychologist to a state police officer – and everyone in between.

“It was hard getting all the kids to sign up because it was our first year using SurveyMonkey,” said Long.

Sophomore Christina Stoltzfus said she would have enjoyed Career Day more “if the speakers would have been more enthusiastic. They were just too long.”

But more good came from it than bad.

“Yes I did [enjoy Career Day]. The assembly was very long and a bit boring, but I enjoyed listening to the speakers,” said freshman Nick Charles.

All kinds of careers were represented including art, dance instruction, health fields, teaching, the military, landscaping, nuclear engineering, small business and accounting, to name a few.

Principal Jason D’Amico said, “It fits in with our goal to help students prepare for life after high school.”

By Sarah Schaeffer and Mike Nitroy

Penn Manor Officials Prepare for Future Pension Woes

Compared to other local school districts, it appears that Penn Manor’s got the big bucks.  But it still isn’t quite enough.

Schools have known for years that there would someday be a major increase in the amount of money they must pay into employees’ pensions. That nightmare has become a reality for Lancaster County public schools and few of them are well-prepared, if prepared at all.

Pensions are retirement funds for employees of public schools. Each year, school districts are required to put a certain percentage of money into a pension for each employee, along with what the school employees contribute themselves.  In the coming years, the percentage of school budget going into these pension funds will dramatically increase from around 4 percent to somewhere around 15 percent.

Retirement funds will be a problem for many school districts in coming years.

The increase is needed in part because, for several years, the state legislature delayed these contributions for schools, creating a big hole in what should have been regular pension contributions. Public schools will have to dig deep in their pockets for some spare change to catch up, according to officials.

Of the 17 school districts in Lancaster County, many are looking at a financially stressful future. The School District of Lancaster will need an estimated $1.7 million to put into pensions in just this year alone, and currently have no money reserved. Manheim Township and Octorara also have no money reserved.

Penn Manor’s budget, however, is looking more solid. From the 2009-10 school year through the 2012-13 school year, Penn Manor will need about $4 million for pensions.  Luckily, the district has $4 million in reserve funds for this purpose, making them the most well-prepared for the “pension tsunami.”

Dr. Michael Leichliter, superintendent of Penn Manor School District, attributes the district’s preparedness to planning ahead.

“In 2005 [legislators and school districts] projected a big jump [in pensions] to 15%. They assumed the market would get better, but Penn Manor saw that jump, so they started saving,” Leichliter said.

Chris Johnston, business manager of Penn Manor School District, agreed.

“We have had some warning that the problems were coming,” Johnston said, “and have had some time to prepare.  But no amount of preparation can help us to avoid the problems we’ll be facing.”

Funding for extracurricular activities or specialized classes may be cut in the coming years.

Although Penn Manor has $4 million set aside, there will still need to be funds generated for future pension contributions. Since taxes for this purpose can’t be increased higher than a state-mandated index, rumors have been bouncing around about increasing class sizes, charging fees for extracurricular activities, and cutting certain counseling programs.

Leichliter said nearby Wilson School District has launched a proposal to charge a flat fee of around $80 to students wishing to participate in extracurricular activities.

Leichliter said that this idea has not been given serious consideration at this time in Penn Manor, but it is not entirely off the table.

He said the money generated from activity fees would not be anywhere close to covering the increases necessary to fully fund the pension contribution. He said the majority of expenses in the school district’s budget are for personnel, so that is where the focus will need to be.

“When somebody retires, we’ll have to ask if they really need to be replaced,” Leichliter said.

Leichliter believes there could be an elimination of some elective classes that aren’t as popular as others. He said there could also be an increase in class size for some classes.

Johnston believes teamwork is what will help make the next few years less difficult.

“The key is to work together with the community and the staff to come up with a solution- there is no magic solution that will make everyone happy,” Johnston said.

By Sarah Schaeffer

Jess Burkhart Swims to a State Medal

Jess Burkhart sunk much of her competition  March 17, as she came in eighth place at the state level swimming competition.

It was her first state medal.

“I am very proud of her,” said Burkhart’s coach, Cece O’Day. ” There hadn’t been a female state champion for swimming in 16 years. This was amazing.”

Burkhart achieved a personal best time of 24:05 during the 50-meter freestyle, bettering her time by just one crucial second.

Jess Burkhart won eighth place at the state competition. Photo by Abby Wilson

“At that (state) meet I was competing against 32 people,” Burkhart said, “but there were levels [to the competition] so it was like I was competing against the whole state.”

And Burkhart has learned that to be good, a swimmer needs to put in the miles.

“[Swimming] takes up all your time. I practice twice a day because I’m a part of the school team and a YMCA club team,” Burkhart said, “and I have about three meets a week. It doesn’t leave much time for anything else.”

However, all this swimming glory comes with a price.

“Practices are really tough,” said Burkhart, “and having practice all the time is really tiring.”

Because of her medal performance at states, Burkhart gets the chance to do a little traveling.

April 5 – 10, Burkhart will be swimming at the national competition held in Florida for the YMCA club team on which she swims.

At the competition, Burkhart will be competing in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle events.

But Burkhart isn’t just interested in the awards.

“I was 6 when I started swimming,” she said. “I guess I’m just naturally talented. I do it for fun, really.”

By Lindsey Ostrum

Another National Champion at Penn Manor

It was just another race for this Penn Manor junior, Ryan Connelly, going into nationals.

Connelly won the AMA Winter Flat Track Nationals, held Feb. 27 to March 3.

Flat track racing is done on motorcycles with challenging curves and at speeds up to 100 mph.

Being just one class away from the pros, Connelly knew the victory would only bring him closer.

“Its hard work and determination,”  Connelly said of his achievement.  His goal is to race in the pro class by the summer of 2010.

Although winning the championship was great, it was a long, surgery-filled journey to make it there.

Penn Manor junior Ryan Connelly is a flat-track national champion.

In the spring of 2007, Connelly was in a multiple motorcycle crash which put him in the hospital for months. He had to have total intestinal reconstruction and was told he would never race again.

But only six months after his surgery, Connelly was back on the track, only to be let down once more.

He suffered a shoulder injury in a similar wreck, which put him out of racing for the next few months.

Making his return in the fall of 2010, Connelly had only two months to train for the national championship.

When the weekend of the race came, Connelly and his parents drove to Florida in an RV where he stores his 3 bikes.

Ryan Connelly number 57 racing at nationals

“You have to have an open mind, expect nothing,” said Connelly about how he felt going into the race.

He raced in the 451cc open class, riding his 2007 KX 450F. It was in this class that he won the national championship.

While at the event, he also entered in some of the other classes including the 251-500cc DTX and the 450cc mod. In those events he raced his 2009 KX 450F.

After all the injuries and surgery he had to go through, Connelly said he was only able to overcome the setbacks because of  the help of his family and sponsors including Spa and Pool Place in Willow Street, Lancaster Harley Davidson and Don’s Kawasaki.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” he insisted.  “They got me where I am today.”

By Paul Slaugh

State Champion Hopeful Gives a Valiant Effort

The five-foot-six, 125-pound, lean, mean wrestling machine of Penn Manor represented us well.

With a 36 and 6 win-loss record in the regular season, Bobby Rehm made it all the way to the state championship wrestling tournament, in the 125-pound weight class.

At states, once you lose your first match you go into a consolation match, which was the case for Rehm, losing both matches in the final seconds.

“My teammates made of fun of me,” said Rehm after returning from states, “but seriously, they supported me all the way.”

Bobby Rehm taking down his oppenent. Photo courtesy of Pennlive.com

Rehm grew up in a wrestling environment, his father wrestled in high school and his parents support him all the way.

“I let my nerves get to me,”  said Rehm, explaining his losses in the early rounds.

He also described his first time at states and how awe-inspiring the tournament was.

There is definitely something positive that comes out of this experience, Rehm said.

He is only a junior, so next year he may be miles ahead of the state champion hopefuls who have never been to states.

Bobby looks forward to competing next year for the state championship, and wants to continue his wrestling career after high school, wrestling for a college.

Luckily for Rehm, he works out in the off season so he won’t have to cut too much weight for next year.

By Zane Sensenig

Unfamiliar Faces Square Off in NIT

Memphis, Connecticut, and defending national champions North Carolina headline the National Invitational Tournament. North Carolina and Connecticut both went to the final four last year with the Tarheels winning it all.

Mississippi State, with a 23-11 record,  had the biggest snub, by not making the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs had a chance at an automatic bid but Demarcus Cousins sent the game into overtime and after that, it was all Wildcats that took an emotional 75-74 win. The Bulldogs will face Jackson state in their opening game.

Mississippi State easliy beats Jackson State in its opening round game of the NIT. Jarvis Varnado scored 20 points and grabbed 11 boards to lead the Bulldogs to an easy win. They will face  North Carolina on Saturday.

UCONN looked like a strong contender  in February but heads into the NIT taking on Northeastern. They head into the NIT with four consecutive loses, along with a four seed.

UCONN will head into the second round of the NIT after coming back to beat Northeastern. They were led by guard Jerome Dyson, who scored 18 points. He scored UCONNs 11 of its last 13 points, to erase a six-point deficit.    

Memphis, with a three seed, is scheduled to play St. Johns in their opening round game.

Virginia Tech and Illinois head into the NIT, their names were not called on Sunday. They are number one seeds along with Arizona State and Mississippi State.

Tech will face off against Quinnipiac.  The Hokies had a better ACC record than Wake Forest who made the Tournament.

Arizona State will face off against Jacksonville in the first round of the NIT. The Sun Devils finished second in the Pac 10 conference.

The Sun Devils’ postseason dream comes to an end on a 24-foot jump shot.  Devils’ senior guard, Derek Glasser, missed his second of two free throws with 8.6 ticks left, giving them a 66 -64 point lead which they thought was the end. But the Dolphins’ junior guard, Ben Smith, pushed the ball down the floor and hit a game ending three to give Jacksonville ther first postseason win.

The Tarheels were seeded fourth and went against number-five seed William and Mary. The game was close but,, at the end, it was North Carolina celebrating on their home floor because of a 72 – 80 victory.

Illinois the last number-one seed will face Stony Brook tomorrow.  

By Sam Valentin

Prom-Seniors Try to Keep Costs Down

A 15-year-old girl steps into a high school hallway on the first day of her freshman year. As she walks to her very first class, she imagines all of the things that will take place while she’s here, both good and bad. Her first real relationship, football games,  late night cramming for finals, and of course, prom.

For many teenage girls, prom is one of the most important events in their high school career.  It’s an event that they can look back at and smile about, hopefully.

In order for prom to be the magical night that everyone hopes for, many things have to fall into place. First and foremost, you need a dress.

And that’s going to cost you.

Fifteen girls say they have set limits for the most they are willing to spend. Their limits ranged from $150-$600.

Senior Dessie Jackson says, “Its not that I don’t have a limit, but prom only happens once. I’m not sure [what my limit is], it would depend on how much I love the dress.”

Although there are varying opinions on what is an acceptable amount to spend on a dress, there seems to be an overall desire to find the perfect one.

And you can’t have the perfect dress with a not-so-perfect pair of shoes and old tarnished jewelry.

Depending on where you shop and the style of shoe you’re interested in, you could be paying anywhere from $15-120, and possibly even more than that number.

On top of this, you have to include the amount you may be spending on a matching necklace, earrings and any other jewels you will need to finish off your look.

Some girls, such as Kayla Kauffman, say they will try to wear some jewelry they already own. “If I have something to match my dress I’ll wear it, if not I’m buying something new.”

Kristina Mast says she too can cross something off her list of expenses since she already has a pair of shoes she is planning to wear.

Of course all of this means nothing if you aren’t going to prom, and you can’t go to prom if you don’t have a ticket.

In previous years, tickets have cost around $30, with an extra $15 tacked on if you are bringing someone who is not a senior here at Penn Manor. Add this all together, and you could be looking at an awfully large price tag.

On the plus side, the senior class this year has raised somewhere between $1,700-$1,800, according to class advisor and English teacher, Lisa May.

As a member of the senior class officers, Jackson says “We’re in a comfortable place as far as paying for prom goes. Freshman year we set a goal of how much [money] we wanted to raise and we’ve exceeded that.”

May also said that although an exact amount for ticket price has not been set yet, the senior class can expect to spend $25 ticket with a $5 additional charge of the regular ticket price for any students who aren’t a part of the graduating class.

The class is planning on keeping the costs as low as possible, and since the class has raised a large sum of money,  this should be a fairly simple task.

By Stephanie Carroll

Brains On and Off the Court

College basketball players may be forced into facing their toughest enemy of all this March: college.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is proposing that teams have to face the facts, and their textbooks.

Duncan believes that if college basketball teams can’t carry out a graduation rate above 40 percent for their team members, then teams should not be eligible to participate in the March Madness tournament.

“That’s a low bar,” Duncan recently told USAToday. “If you can’t graduate two out of five of your student athletes, how serious are you about the academic part of your mission?”

If this rule came into play, 12 of the teams in this year’s tournament would not be able to play, resulting in far less talent being able to compete.

These teams include the number-one seeded powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats and two other highly ranked participants, Baylor and Maryland.

Maryland, which is a number four seed this year, has the lowest graduation rate: only 8 percent.

Eliminating these teams from competition could devastate the overall skill and talent that enters the tournament every year.

This gets you thinking; what if brackets were based on best in the class, not the actually court?

A possible outcome of this would be BYU, Duke, Marquette, Notre Dame, Villanova and Wake Forest becoming perennial teams (even though they generally are) in the tournament. All of their graduation rates are at 90% or above.

Another surprising statistic is that these graduation rates do not even include players that leave early for the NBA draft, or players that transfer in and out of the programs.

Although this rule may seem  a little far-fetched, Arne Duncan still believes it would be the more collegiate thing to do.

By Simon Zimmerman