New Sapphire – Hot or Not?

By Brandon Bowers and Iris Santana –

The new and improved Sapphire program is now on line for students and parents to see their up-to-date grades. But here are some new features: you get to see your pictures, your semester class grades, also it shows recent school postings and now report cards are available digitally.

“I like the new layout. I like the fact that my mom has to look through it in order to look up my attendance,” Penn Manor junior, Zac Burke said with a chuckle.

“Ehh, I don’t mind it if the school wanted to change it like they did then go for it, but I just don’t like that my senior picture is up. Everything else is fine. The best feature is the report card,” added Kyle Black.

The new Sapphire Parent Portal has ‘My Backpack’ on the left side with all of your information under it with your last attendance, your transcript, letters and progress reports teacher put on for you.

“We are one of the districts that are in the advisory pool for K-12 Systems, the vendor that produces the Parent Portal,” said Penn Manor technology director Charlie Reisinger.  “We’ve been working with them to give them some feedback on what we would like to see in the next generation development as are other districts – Hempfield, CV,  Township, Ephrata, and a number of local districts.  Two of those have already lit it up, Hempfield and Penn Manor, the next generation (version).”

Screen shot of new sapphire program. Photo by Brandon Bowers

Also you get to pull up your report card online and see what you got without taking it home or the school mailing it out. It has your grades from every class and reports teachers gave you.

Penn Manor senior Rachel Shetler doesn’t like the new look.

“I think it’s stupid because I don’t like change and it has my senior picture which is really bad,” said Shetler.

Reisinger said the major changes include a “graphic refresh,” easier navigation around the site and “the big piece” the ability for districts to send digital report cards and progress reports.  He said the new Sapphire will enable officials to send all kinds of digital communication to families, unlike the older version that did not allow it.

At the high school level, families will need to opt in to receive a paper report card, said Reisinger.  Otherwise they will have digital access to all grades and communications.

“It’s a huge savings in paper and processing time for report cards,” explained Reisinger, who also observed that since parents can see their child’s grades at any time, it makes traditional report cards obsolete.”

“We’re kicking it off now so people can become familiar with the portal opt-in,” said Reisinger.  “Middle schools are taking a look at it to see if it makes sense for them.”

Like the saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” some students think the Sapphire should not have been changed but others like the fresh new options.

 

 

Some Skeptic of Post Prom Hypnotist

By Taylor Skelly and Shadrack Kiprop-

One of post prom’s most anticipated events year in and year out is the hypnotist.  But is it real or,  is it fake?

That is the debate that is filling Penn Manor’s halls as post-prom goers reminisce about this year’s prom, which already seems to have happened an eternity ago.  But in actuality, it is only a few days past.

Joanna Cameron in the middle of a performance. Photo courtesy of joannacameron.com.

“I think some people were actually hypnotized, but others were definitely faking it,” said senior Ryan Dettrey who was a bit skeptical of some of the volunteers’ actual state of hypnosis, “Some of the stuff they were doing was too fake to be brought on by hypnosis.”

Joanna Cameron, otherwise known as “The Trance Lady,” has an array of qualifications including a doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy, and is responsible for the hypnosis of countless Penn Manor High School post-prom goers for the past year 12 years, according to her personal website, www.joannacameron.com.

She has performed in 49 states and is the author of two books.

Dylan Kniesley, a senior at Penn Manor was one of the students who volunteered to be hypnotized at the post prom festivities. Despite the critics and nay-sayers, he claims he was definitely under  a state of hypnosis.

“I heard the hypnotist lady, Joanna Cameron, was coming to Penn Manor, and I wanted to try it,” said Kniesley, “I was totally zoned out, and couldn’t remember much.”

She made me act like famous figures such as Michael Jackson and Charlie Sheen, I thought it was funny so I didn’t mind doing it. I actually had a blast, remarked Kniesley.

According to Cameron’s website, “Hyypnosis is a focused state of awareness when the conscious, judgmental mind slows down and the unconscious mind comes to the forefront. The unconscious mind is the “seat” of your emotions and imagination but still able to use words and ideas to alter perceptions.”

However, many remain skeptic, claiming there is no concrete way to prove someone is in a state of hypnosis.

“I think most people thought it was fake,” said Dettrey.

The jury is still out. Does the Trance Lady really contain the powers to bring the unconscious mind to the forefront, or is the whole thing just an elaborate hoax? It’s up for students to decide.

PM Students Create Open Campus Logo

By Alex Sorce and Alex Cummins –

Penn Manor students were selected to help design and make final touches for the new Open Campus PA online schooling logo.

Nine students – three from Hempfield, three from Township, and three from Penn Manor got together last month and spent a full day at Hempfield High school in Landisville, PA to brainstorm and start designing the new logo.  Juniors, Hannah Breidenbaugh and Trent Shaeffer, along with the help of freshman Olivia Stekervetz, made up the trio that represented Penn Manor on the first day.

The logo will be used to mark the three districts’ venture into a hybrid schooling that will launch this fall.  It will allow some students from the districts to take classes offered in another district and online.  It is the first such arrangement to occur in Pennsylvania.

The three Penn Manor students who worked on the logo design were chosen by Teri Hay, a Penn Manor art teacher.

All of the students who  went to Hempfield for the day came up with ideas for designs. One kid from Hempfield had a design that was chosen in the end. Then we had to fix it and tweak it a bit yesterday, according to Shaeffer.

After the exhausting day of work at Hempfield High school, the nine students finally came up with a draft of the final product.

“I was stuck in the same room for six hours, but it was worth the time and it felt good to get picked to help out,” said Shaeffer.

About a month after the initial design was brought to life, four students, which included Breidenbaugh and Shaeffer, met up and tweaked the initial product to create final options of the logo.

One of the final options for the new Open Campus PA logo. photo courtesy of Principal Phil Gale.

Now there are four final options that are very similar besides the small shadows and outlines creating more detail in some aspects of the design. There is a choice between three of the very similar options for the website and a very simple option that could possibly end up on t-shirts.

The students weren’t completely on their own while coming up with initial designs. The nine artists had some influence from a guest speaker, Carol Aubitz, who works with businesses with whatever needs they may have.

Aubitz has experience in various marketing and advertising positions for private companies whose products were primarily sold in the U.S., but who also had international markets.

The designs have been run by each school district’s advisers before deciding on the final drafts, said Penn Manor Principal Phil Gale.

Mechanical Shark and Hypnotist Take Over Post Prom

By Austin Rowley and Becca Hess –

No Penn Manor senior at Post Prom left without a prize and, more importantly, no one left without special memories to take with them for the rest of their lives.

Every year, after the Penn Manor’s Prom, a Post Prom is held at the high school. Post Prom is organized and planned out by a Post Prom committee. The committee is comprised of the parents of the graduating class of that year. Linda Simpson and Lynda Charles were the the heads of the committee.

Learning support teacher Kathy Kirk also played a huge role in conducting the activities that would take place at Post Prom.

Post Prom- Picture by Melanie Herr

“People were so good about helping out… I can’t say enough to thank them,” said Kirk. “Everybody had a hand in it, whether it was donating money or equipment. We used connections from all over to get donations and sponsorships… We went all over the place.”

Activities at Post Prom included a mechanical shark, a casino and beach volleyball. The committee also called in Chris Ivy, a fourth grade teacher at Eshleman Elementary, who juggled everything from bowling pins to machetes and Joanna Cameron, also known as “The Trance Lady,” who is a hypnotherapist.

Dylan Kniesley, a senior at Penn Manor, was one of the few students who had the opportunity to get hypnotized by Cameron. She gave those on stage who were getting hypnotized suggestions, and they would do what she said accordingly. Some of the suggestions included performing as Michael Jackson or Brittany Spears, playing the role as a Disney character running for president, and acting like a five year-old.

Kniesley was most noted for his Michael Jackson performance.

Senior, Dylan Kniesley, was hypnotized at Post Prom. Photo by Becca Hess

“I was zoned out the whole time. I don’t remember a thing,” said Kniesley. “You feel really relaxed once you start zoning out.”

Her Michael Jackson suggestion cued “Beat It,” to play in the background and Kniesley willingly took the stage and danced and sang along with the song. Videos of his performance were then posted on Facebook.

“I thought it was funny; I didn’t mind the videos on Facebook at all,” said Kniesley.

At the end of the night, prizes were raffled off. Students won tickets while playing the many games at Post Prom. The tickets that were awarded were placed into bags with different prize options on them, and a ticket with a name on the back was randomly selected for a lucky winner.

Kevin Brubaker, also a senior at Penn Manor, won an Xbox 360. Brubaker said that winning the Xbox was “sweet.”

“I only put in two tickets for the Xbox. I already sold it because I already have one,” said Brubaker. “Post Prom was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.”

Glow in the Dark Mini Golf- Picture provided by Melanie Herr

“(Post Prom) was a lot of fun,” said senior Ryan Dettery. “Me and Austin (Hess) were doing the bungee thing and I was getting thrown around. It was more fun then I thought it would be and there were a lot of good prizes.”

Senior Elisa Ott also commented on how much she enjoyed Post Prom. “Seeing people getting thrown off of the (mechanical) shark and the hypnotist were funny… It was all great, ” said Ott.

The preparation that was involved to bring Post Prom to life, according to Kirk, took about a year. Anyone that attended Post Prom came to a pretty clear consensus that their efforts paid off and it was a huge success.

Penn Manor Shows Appreciation to Worthy Staff

By Blake Wales – 

With all the hard work that goes on in Penn Manor High School – preparing lesson plans, dealing with students, grading papers, handling phone calls  it would seem that school staff would get the recognition and thanks they deserve.

But unfortunately most of the time students neglect to thank the teachers and staff for all their hard work. Fortunately the school board has an award to show the teachers and staff that what a great job they are doing. This award only comes around once a year and staff members say it is a great honor to be elected as “Employee of the Year.”

The two lucky ladies who won the award at the high school had no idea it was coming until they got the news.

Diana Alston working hard to keep our school in full swing. Photo by: Blake Wales

Diana Alston who has been a secretary at Penn Manor for 12 years was recognized this year for all her had work. But it came as a definite surprise to her and she recalled her emotional reaction.

“I am a very emotional person so when Mr.Gale told me the news I immediately began to cry,” said Alston.

To Alston,  it was a great honor to win this award because, she said,  you go through your days not thinking your hard work is being noticed and its nice to know that someone was paying attention.

There is outstanding educator and outstanding employee. Diana was chosen for outstanding employee because of her postion as secretary.

“I felt that I won really for not myself, I won for all of us secretaries because we all work so hard,”, said Alston.

Mindy Rottmund showing some of her books that she incorporated in her program. Photo by: Blake Wales

Another staff member worthy of  recognition is family and consumer science teacher Mindy Rottmund. Rottmund won second place this year in a national competition for FCS projects.

She was recognized by the American Association of Family and Consumer Science for her program on diet literacy that she completed in 2011.

Rottmund was selected as the winner of the state-wide competition in Pennsylvania in 2011, which made her the state representative when she competed as the FCS teacher of Pennsylvania against a representative from every other state.

“I was pleasantly surprised that I won this award,” said Rottmund.

Mindy said her goal was to make her curriculum more dynamic by incorporating other subjects like  math, reading, and writing into her program.

Volks-Fest 2012 Promises Family Entertainment

By Tyler Funk –

Show season is finally here! The sun shall shine and let the good times roll.  Saturday April 28th will kick off the car show called Volksfest, rain or shine. The show will open up for vendors at 7 a.m and 8 a.m for show field and spectators. Registration ends at noon and awards will be given out at 3 p.m.

Both spectators and vendors will have the opportunity to show their love and support for European cars. The show has had many great outcomes and plan to have yet another stellar year. The show consists of cars, vendors and people who love European autos.

VW Bus at Volksfest

Senior Ryan DiCamillo plans on going to the show with a couple of his buddies, ” I can’t wait, show season, race season and a bunch of good times with my buddies!”

The weather looks to be be on the positive side for tomorrows car show and so do the students at Penn Manor.

Senior David Burch is also attending the car show tomorrow and plans to tag along with his brother and friends.

“It’s going to be sweet,” said Burch. “Car shows are nothing but a blast! The people there are friendly and love cars.”

With that being said, the car show is a great place for a family fun event. There is no alcohol, pets or grills permitted. The car show is nothing but laughs, nice cars and a great time.

There will be awards given to cars with the Best Exterior, Best Interior, Best Display, Best Engine and Best OEM (Most Original)
All awards will be done for both Air Cooled & Water Cooled  vehicles. There will also be a Best of Show and Worst of Show Award for either Air Cooled or Water Cooled.

Usually people were happy to have one car show, now there are several local ones. If you would like to know more information regarding Volksfest, check out their online site and feel free to contact them with questions or concerns.

http://www.parenfaire.com/volksfest/

 

 

Stardom Only One Dunk Away

By Jordan Rineer-

A video camera, three teenagers, and some free time.

You’re thinking this will end with some angry parents or an arrest.

Nope. Just a basketball and some motivation to be a YouTube sensation.

Everyday after school, to achieve our goal, we headed to a friend’s house by ourselves.

No girls.

No alcohol.

No drugs.

How much trouble could we cause trying to perform the basketball trick shots and make it big in the world of YouTube.

Trials on end. Some shots took hours. Some first try.

Some didn’t even make it within ten feet of the basket.

Anything to make to it big on the internet.

We all had a class together. Instead of doing schoolwork we would think of more shots. If we had been graded on creativity we would have definitely gotten an A.

Photo credit to Photo Booth.

We had a paper of the shots each of us we were going to do. We studied it and refined it until the paper in the notebook grew thin.

Behind the back, from the trampoline, over the house.

Anything that ran through our troubled minds, we attempted at least once.

Every time we were together, trick shots were the only things we talked about.

My dad delivers Herrs chips to businesses. Every one used to make fun of me when my dad would pick me up in the giant Herr’s truck from places. I would be lying if I told you it didn’t bother me. But finally  having a Herr’s truck in my driveway was not only good  for the occasional snack. We could travel with the hoop anywhere.  We moved it all around.

We put it in the yard, this opened up the window for bigger and better shots.

Filming was the worst part. It was soooooo boring. We supposedly “took turns” but it seemed like I was the only one with the camera in my hands.

On the flip side, making a shot was the best feeling in the world. That’s why we did it. It was kind of like our drug. It got us high. We were addicted.  We worked at it almost every day for two months.

We honestly thought we would make it big. With a little more publicity we could have. We should of. We would have.

We got two different initial reactions to the video from some people.

“Dude that video was sick!”

or

“That has to be fake!”

Taking months out of my life to show some hard work or “luck.”

With only 217 views to show, almost all hope is lost.

It’s just disappointing to see the hard work basically to go to waste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjTGvmWJJu8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls Lax Season, Not Over Yet

By Aaron Brown, Alexa Stewart, and Breiana Herr –

Hold on, the season is not over yet.

This season has had its ups and downs for Penn Manor girl’s lacrosse team.

This year has been an above average year for the Comets. They have always had very strong teams, but this year’s team has what it takes to take them from a strong team to a dominant team.

They made it to their second consecutive league final game, but lost to undefeated Manheim Township 18-7 on Saturday.

Now, there is a strong district run in the Comets future. The girls have played the number one seed, Township Blue Streaks, in the district tournament 3 times already this season and know exactly what to expect when they see them again. The girls are supposed to play Hershey today.

First Team Emily Eddowes. Photo by engleonline.com

“We need to beat them this time (Hershey),” said head coach, Kimberly Marsh. “The girls didn’t play to the ability, but they are ready for the second game.”

The lady Comets lost a heart breaker to Hershey the first time on March 23, 10-9.

This was the girls first game of the year. The Comets are a totally different team, now. The girls know what they have to do, they just have to do it

“We have a pretty good chance of winning; the team is more prepared and together now,” said Eryn McCoy, an L-L League first team and all L-L League team player.

The girls are ready for this much anticipated rematch.

“We need to work harder and play smarter than last time we played them,” said Shannon Sloss, an L-L League first team and all L-L League team player.

Along with a strong offense, the girls have a very strong defense this season full of seniors ready to shutout Hershey tonight.

Along with Eryn and Shannon, Emily Eddowes also received L-L League first team and all L-L League team honor. Emily McCoy and Lauren Ali, both received second team honor.

The team has been led by their all-star cast on offense and defense.

They are looking forward to the challenge ahead of them, but are preparing one game at a time.

The goal at the beginning of every team’s season is to make it to the league, district and state tournaments. The girl’s goal now is to win the district and state tournaments.

With everything the girls have been through this year, they are definitely capable of accomplishing these goals, they just have to keep working hard, and bring there best effort and ability to each and every game.

 

World Football Challenge comes to U.S.

By Ryan Flexman –

It will be known as the champion’s challenge.

Spain’s very own Real Madrid, which happens to be ranked first in its league, is scheduled to play in Los Angeles this summer against last year’s Major League Soccer champion LA Galaxy.

The event will be held on August 2, 10:30 p.m. ET at the Home Depot Center in California and soccer fans from Penn Manor will be tuning in.

Austin Wilson, a Penn Manor soccer player said,  “I’m excited for this game, I know Galaxy won’t win but hopefully it’s an exciting game.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas of Real Madrid trade jerseys with Landon Donavon and David Beckham after last year’s meeting. Photo credit soccerpic.net

This is the fourth time that Madrid is coming to the US, many believe that it will be another embarrassment to US soccer like the last three meetings.

But others beg to differ.

“I feel like this year its going to be different, the Galaxy are hot after winning the [MLS] championship last year and want to show the world that US soccer is no longer a joke,” said Penn Manors Ian Burns, an enthusiastic soccer fan and player.

Burns believes that LA Galaxy will come away with a 3-2 victory over the Spaniards.

The first time the Galaxy and Madrid faced each other was in 2005 when current Galaxy star and captain David Beckham played for Real Madrid.

Madrid went home with a 2-0 victory.

The second was in 2010, when Madrid squeezed a surprising 3-2 victory. The third game was different in 2011, Madrid came to play and left with a 4-1 victory.

“We are excited to give our fans a chance to see the Galaxy take on one of the best clubs in the world in Real Madrid,” said Galaxy COO, Chris McGowan. “This will be a tremendous event for Southern California soccer fans, especially with the opportunity to see this game in such an intimate setting as The Home Depot Center. It will truly be one of the must-see sporting events of the year.”

This event gives soccer fans the opportunity to watch some of the worlds most valuable players, including Cristiano Ronaldo who is arguably the best player of this generation. Last year’s match held over half a million crazed soccer fans, and both teams were supported.

Not only is it a wonderful atmosphere for soccer fans around the country, but the players get a lot out of it too. Playing against some of the world’s best players is nothing but a plus for the less-skilled American players.

Some of the players from the MLS’s dream is to play on the same field as Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars from around the world, and this is their chance.

 

 

 

 

Alecxih Taking his Talents to South Beach

By Jordan Rineer –

Sitting and waiting for the NFL.

Penn Manor graduate Chas Alexcih waited through all 253 picks for the National Football League potential recruits to see if his name was going to be up in lights.

It wasn’t.  But that wasn’t the end of the story.

“Initially I was very disappointed because going through the process I had been given a draftable grade by many scouts and coaches,” said Alexcih.  “But towards the end of the draft I began to get a lot of calls from teams to sign me as a free agent so the disappointment was short-lived since I had so many options after the draft.”

Shortly after the draft he got a phone call from the Miami Dolphins, offering a spot on the practice squad.

Penn Manor’s eyes were focused on Alexcih ever since his days as a Penn Manor Comet.

Chas Alecxih. Photo courtesy of cardiachill.com

Alexcih and fellow football star for Pitt, Jordan Gibbs, both graduated from Penn Manor in 2007.

Gibbs got offered a scholarship by the University of Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst.  He waited three years and finally got what he deserved, a starting spot on the team his senior year.

Alexcih however initially was not offered a spot on the team. The University of Pittsburgh coach, Paul Chryst,  liked what he saw, but had no scholarships available. He told Alexcih if he walked on and if he worked hard enough, a scholarship would be his for the taking.

Alexcih has not only earned his scholarship, he became a college standout. In all four years of his college career, he totaled 127 tackles (29.5 for a loss), 18 sacks and an interception. The interception was returned for 47 yards.

Alexcih was invited to the NFL combine. The NFL combine (also called the National Invitational Camp) is a week long event in February in Indianapolis. All the professional scouts come out and see the best college athletes compete for a spot in the draft.

Although Alexcih didn’t hear his name called on TV, in the end he got what he wanted. A chance to play in the NFL.

Lisa Mayo, an English teacher at Penn Manor has been following him since her son Tony and Alexcih played on the same team in eighth grade.

“Chas going into the NFL was huge, Chas going to the Dolphins is beyond my wildest dreams and I cannot wait to get my jersey,” said Mayo.

Chas has a lot people rooting him on in Pennsylvania.

“It feels great man, I had a great support base at Pitt and since I’ve signed with the Dolphins there has been an unbelievable amount of people contacting me saying good luck, it really means the world,” said Alexcih.

All eyes in Penn Manor will be on Alexcih this season.