Penn Points Online

Angry Birds Space Shooting For The Stars

By Dakota Jordan –

Space, the final frontier. But for Angry Birds creator Rovio, space is a whole new horizon.

Angry Birds Space is the new title from the meteoric company and it’s showing the same popularity as their past titles, in the first three days after release ABS had already netted 10 million downloads.

ABS is the new high flying adventure which places you in the hands of six birds trying to rescue their eggs from the pigs, everything you’ve come to expect from Angry Birds except with on big difference, they’re in space. And this isn’t just a simple re-skin of Angry Birds with a new space background, this takes Angry Birds to a whole new level utilizing small planetoids each with their own gravitational pull so instead of launching birds straight at a structure you may have to send your birds in an arc through two planets or even put them in centripetal orbit until they finally come crashing down.

The new game puts you in control of 6 birds, 4 returning and 2 new ones, the basic red bird, the tiny blue bird that can split into three, the large bird now colored green instead of red, and the black bird which explodes on impact. along with these 4 birds the two new birds include a purple one who is much like the yellow bird except this bird changes trajectory to there target and a blue bird who changes all blocks it makes contact with into ice.

The new Angry Birds has become a hit, with a marketing campaign so huge that even the seattle space needle was rigged up to look like a huge slingshot.

With all this mad success and with Rovio now having 4 hit Angry Bird games, three of which still have updates rolling out every couple of weeks the real question to ask is where The next golden egg will come from.

The Girl on Fire Blazes the Box Office

By Dakota Jordan and Corina Connelly –

The Hunger Games was set to light the world on fire when it reached theaters Friday, And with over one million tickets already pre-sold its expected to be a feast for fans everywhere.

The Hunger Games takes place in a post apocalyptic world in what’s left of a nation that was once called America this nation of Panem is split into 12 districts each with its own commodity there districts are all controlled with an iron fist by the capitol and the all powerful president Snow. Each year as a show of subservience each district must present two tributes, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18. These tributes are then thrown into an arena to fight to the death until only one is left standing, that one is then declared the champion of the Hunger Games.

As the film’s premier quickly approached, fans eagerly awaited the chance to step into the theater and get lost into a world that has engrossed their minds since the day they opened the pages of the book. The numbers were expected to keep rising as the release day quickly approaches. The producing company Lions Gates is reporting an expected profit of $95+ million in the first weekend alone. The gross receipts actually topped $150 million in the initial weekend.

The sold out signs started to be posted up in over 2,000 theaters. Fandango is already ranking it one of their top selling movies. Early reviews by some critics before the opening date, exclaimed your eyes will be thoroughly entertained as the two hour movie plays across the screen and that it is true to the books, which for many fans is what they want to hear. In Los Angeles, the movie brought in $155 million and it is near the top of the record book according to the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal. As the next week rolls in, the odds seem that they will be in the film’s favor.

“Kony 2012” and Invisible Children gaining Skepticsm

By Connor Hughes and Jake Shiner –

The Kony 2012 movement was created to help African children, specifically Ugandans, who were under Joesph Kony’s wrath.

Now, with new reports that Kony is no longer in Uganda, and the founders of The Invisible Children being a part of acts that are hardly charitable, people are starting to become skeptical.

“I don’t think the money is being used for what they say it is,” said Penn Manor senior Zane Krieder.

That type of concern has prompted a Penn Manor class to switch the benefactor of their fund raising efforts.

Through social media and other modern ways, The Kony 2012 movement has gained rapid popularity. The “Kony 2012” video was viewed over 50 million times in the first five days it was on YouTube.

Although, many people have doubts about the entire movement.

Where’s the money going? How much is Jason Russell (founder of The Invisible Children and creator of the “Kony 2012” video) profiting? Is Jason Russell a reliable character?

These questions are now being asked after recent reports about Russell.

On March 15, Russell was detained by San Diego police and taken to a local hospital after allegedly vandalizing cars, making sexual gestures, and indecently exposing himself.

Jason-russel — Jason Russell, founder of The Invisible Children foundation, spreading the word about Kony.

This may not determine how effective the Kony 2012 fundraiser is, but it may give donors a grasp on the type of people that are running this organization.

Two weeks after Russell’s apparent breakdown and detainment, The San Diego charity behind the Kony 2012 video was making news once again, for the wrong reasons.

An executive of The Invisible Children has been filmed talking about keeping $900,000 of a charity award for himself.

The celebrity website TMZ released a 52-second video Tuesday showing Jedidiah Jenkins, Invisible Children executive, drinking from a vodka bottle, slurring his words and bragging about keeping most of a $1 million charity award for himself.

“I don’t know if you heard this or not but we won a, we won a million dollars, so … That’s pretty rad,” says Jenkins, the Invisible Children director of ideology. “Here’s $100,000 for Haiti and $900,000 extra for me. Get on the bandwagon.”

Jenkins claims the video was a joke, sent to a co-worker who was out of town to inform them of the new grant they received. Whether that claim is true or not, the video left a bad taste in many Kony 2012 support’s mouths.

Because of this and other questions regarding how much of the donation to the Invisible Children money really goes to helping Africans, Penn Manor’s entrepreneurship class isn’t going through The Invisible Children foundation to provide money to Uganda.

“They decided not to go through Invisible Children… because students want (the money) to go straight to Ugandan children,” said entrepreneurship teacher Christa Craig.

DSCN2284 — Penn Manor student Truman Mylin holding up his new Kony 2012 t-shirt.

Craig says that the students realized there were concerns with the reliability of Invisible Children and this prompted them to use Red Cross as their conduit. Also, the students aren’t just worried about the amount of money donated, but the message.

“They’re looking at awareness,” said Craig.

Suspicion of the classes’ motives also have been growing throughout the school. The disclaimer that $3 dollars will be donated to the Red Cross from each shirt has spawned skepticism in some students.

“$3? Isn’t the shirt $15? They must be profiting a lot,” said Penn Manor sophmore Kasey Burkhart.

However, they shouldn’t worry. Craig informed Penn Points that part of the profit has to go into paying back investors in the project, such as Penn Manor business manager Mr. Johnston who loaned the group start up money.

According to Craig the group “Ordered 300 shirts” to sell during school lunches.

“We’d like to sell all 300 t-shirts, that’s the ultimate goal,” said Craig.

The goal remains the same; help African children. It just depends how you want to go about it. Craig’s students think the Red Cross is more reliable, and you can’t blame them.

For Penn Manor, One is Too Many

By Becca Hess –

Last fall J.J. Mowery was thinking about dropping out from Penn Manor. A junior, Mowery was one of a handful of kids who teeter on the edge every year- close to graduation but feeling like they are far from finishing.

“I have four jobs,” said Mowery. “I work on three different farms and I work with my dad.”

Mowery doesn’t know if he sees the point in finishing high school when he can make a living working right now.

He feels that school is holding him back from making money and that having a high school diploma is not necessary for him to succeed in life. He recalls during eighth grade he would be working so much that he neglected his homework and he had to repeat the grade.

Across the state, graduation rates have been stuck around the 80 percent mark and, although Penn Manor’s is much better, more than 97 percent each year, the kids who do drop out not only hurt themselves, they can reflect poorly on the school especially now that the state is calculating graduation rates a different way.

“We make it as hard as humanly possible for them to dropout,” said Penn Manor guidance counselor Melissa Otrowski.

Otrowski explained that Pennsylvania’s state government has changed to a cohort system mandating that schools start with a freshmen class and have to track all of those ninth graders for four years. Moving schools, transferring to cyber or twilight school, health issues or going to rehab all effect this formula.

“Sometimes things happen that are legit, but they hurt us,” said Ostrowski.

Pennsylvania has compulsory education. This means one must attend school through the age of 16. Once a student reaches age 17, they are legally able to sign themselves out of school.

Ostrowski said that there are underlying causes as to why students dropout or at least attempt it.

According to many child behavioral experts, a range of factors may increase a student’s risk of dropping out, including high rates of absenteeism, low levels of school engagement, low parental education, work or family responsibilities, problematic or deviant behavior, moving to a new school in the ninth grade, and attending a school with lower achievement scores.

So how does a school keep kids from dropping out?

Penn Manor has a few tricks up their sleeve. They have backup plans which give students who are considering dropping out more options.

Options like, cyber (online) or twilight( night) school as well as the Lancaster County Academy located in Park City Mall. All of these are great options for students. They are a non traditional way of school and still allow them to get the necessary credits they need to graduate and receive a diploma.

“The key, is options,” Ostrowski said.

These options are not the only factor in making sure students stay in school, she said. Penn Manor has a plan known as the Truancy Elimination Plan or the TEP.

“The TEP is developed cooperatively with involved stakeholders through a school-family conference, which is required after the first unlawful absence. Teachers are the first line of defense,” according to the Pennsylvania Truancy Toolkit.

Another key aspect in keeping students in school are the teachers, coaches and club advisers, said Ostrowski. Having kids connecting with caring adults who will put in that extra effort to make them feel like they belong.

“It’s all about the teachers in the classrooms knowing their kids. That’s dropout prevention,” said Otrowski.

“More high school students across the country are graduating on time but dropouts continue to be a significant national problem,” according to a report in the Washington Post.

Not having a high school diploma, can make life more challenging. As the workplace is becoming more demanding and havinghigher expectations for potential employees, those without a high school diploma don’t really have a high change of getting a great job.

According to points in a report by the Massachusett’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education:

Dropping out of school impacts student’s self esteem and psychological well-being, faced with the reality that they lack skills and knowledge to fulfill their desires.
Earnings for young men and women who quite school have steadily declined over the past three decades. In 1971 male dropouts earned an estimated $37,087, which decreased by 35 percent to $23,902 in 2002.
In 2001, 45 percent of adult high school dropouts were unemployed compared to 26 percent of high school graduates and 13 percent of graduates from a four-year college.
Dropouts are substantially more likely to rely on public welfare and health services.
Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school graduates to be incarcerated during their lifetime.
90 percent of the 11,000 youth in detention facilities have no more than a ninth grade education.
Dropouts cost the U.S. more than $260 billion in lost wages, tax revenue, and productivity over their life times.

“Young people who drop out of high school are unlikely to have the minimum skills and credentials necessary to function in today’s increasingly complex society and technology-dependent workplace. The completion of high school is required for accessing post-secondary education, and is a minimum requirement for most jobs,” according to Childtrendsdatabank.org.

According to a recent report by Education Week, Children Trends Database:

8,300 kids drop out of high school in the U.S. each day, that’s 3,030,000 kids each year.
High school dropouts are ineligible for 90 percent of U.S. jobs.
A high school graduate will earn on average, at least $260,000 more then a high school dropout over their career.

Educationweek.org also explained how the economic value of having a high school education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau In 2009, adults ages 25 and older who had dropped out of school or had not acquired a GED earned up to 41 percent less than those who had completed high school or had GEDs.

“You’re up against some significant barriers without a degree,” said Ostrowski. “It affects everything. If you can’t support yourself, someone has to.”

According to edweek.org, the overall dropout rate has declined since the 1980s, falling from about 14 percent in 1980 to 8 percent in 2008. It also noted how there are some differences in dropout rates among different ethnic groups.

“The dropout rate for white students in 2008 was 4.8 percent, compared to 9.9 percent among African-American students, and 18.3 percent for Hispanic students,” from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Despite the facts that those who dropout will earn less money overall during their lifetime and that some become reliant on other or the government for aid, Penn Manor junior JJ Mowery is not yet sure what he will do.

His parents, friends and teachers are all encouraging him to stay in school and receive his diploma. He explained how there isn’t really a deciding factor in his case, regarding whether or not he will drop out. Something drastic will have to happen for it go one way or the other.

Mowery also plans to start his own business in excavating.

“You don’t need a diploma to run your own business, you just need to be good enough,” said Mowery.

Penn Manor Student Stars in 16 and Pregnant

By Alicia Ygarza –

Many new things have been happening to Penn Manor senior Jordan Howard. She’s had a baby, and she’s had her own feature on the MTV Documentary Series, 16 and Pregnant.

It will premiere tonight at 10 p.m.

“My family knew I was pregnant before I did, I was in denial. I was showing, and was having mood swings,” said Howard.

Howard and Dr. Drew, photo taken from Howard's Facebook page

16 and Pregnant records teens for five to seven months, as they experience their first pregnancy.

The teens experience tough times through adoptions, family arguments, and breakups.

Howard said her pregnancy was “stressful, not enjoyable.”

She said, “I wish I wouldn’t have had sex. My advice to other teens is don’t have sex.”

However, sometimes those troubles were not caused from Howard and her family.

Howard said the staff of MTV that was filming her were instigators.

“There was one time when Tyler bought a crib and put it in my mom’s house,” recalled Howard. “My director told me that I should go get what’s mine, stealing the crib out of my mom’s house was the biggest thing he conned me into.”

“According to a new public opinion poll of 1,000 young people (ages 12-19), commissioned by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, shows teens think programs dealing with teen pregnancy make teens think about their own risks of getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy, and how to prevent it.

Additionally, 82 percent of young people who watch 16 and Pregnant believe that the show helps young people better understand the challenges of pregnancy and parenting,” states www.thefutoncritic.com.

Howard’s son Chase was born May 31, 2011, he’s now 10 months old.

Jordan_Howard_16_and_Pregnant — Howard with her son Chase, courtesy of http://starcasm.net/archives/145053

Howard is African American, and her baby’s father, Tyler Zeplin, is white, which seems like a controversy the show plans to play up, according to the trailer.

The couple has had their differences in the past year.

An online document shows that Howard and Zeplin had a court hearing, entitled Jordan Howard Vs Tyler Zeplin. The issue was protection from abuse, and Howard was the plaintiff while Zeplin was the defendant.

Millions will be watching Tuesday’s episode, but Howard said she will not be, and she did not enjoy the experience at all.

“I wish it wouldn’t air, I didn’t even tell anybody about the show. I signed up because we got reimbursed,” said Howard.

She declined to say how much money she received for being on the show but a report on the Huffington Post said the show pays the girls $5,000 and then provides opportunities for interviews which can pay between $1,000 and $2,000 per interview.

“I actually didn’t sign up until I was 36 weeks (pregnant),” said Howard. “I don’t know how other girls signed up but I sent in a picture and a sentence. I would never do it again.”

Besides appearing on the show, Howard said she may be on magazines and possibly Teen Mom, the sequel show to 16 and pregnant.

Howard and Zeplin have patched up their differences now that taping for the show is over.

Nowadays, the couple seems to be happy as they continue to post pictures of themselves together on their individual Facebook pages.

In fact, the couple is engaged, and they have been for three months.

“We were able to set aside our differences to co-parent,” said Howard.

If Chase doesn’t have his parents living together just yet, he still has Howard’s family.

“I have too much support from my family, sometimes everyone wants to take care of Chase even when I’m taking care of him,” said Howard.

Why isn’t Pink Slime a Crime

By Chris Gotwals –

It’s pink, meaty,and filled with chemicals. It’s “Pink Slime.”

The “meat” is the low-grade trimmings of meat that isn’t sold to stores or restaurants. First it is spun out to remove the fat, then it is bathed in ammonium hydroxide to make it acceptable for food health standards. Then it is infused into higher grade meats to increase the poundage and increase the price.

Most schools are now dropping this meaty substitute off the menus and for awhile, many school cafeterias, will not have hamburgers and other Pink Slime-created meals until a “consumer acceptable” substitute is found.

Randy Wolfgang, Director of Support Services in the Penn Manor School District said, “I can’t say we don’t have it here at Penn Manor because I specifically prohibited it, I just use reputable processors and don’t buy cheap food.”

Also in a newsletter sent to the Penn Manor District’s staff Wolfgang stated that, “These beef products come from our two suppliers, Tyson and Silver springs. Both of these companies have provided documentation to the school district that finely textured beef is not used in their products processed for the school lunch program.”

Sherlyn Wolf, the Penn Manor High School Cafeteria Manager stated, “We have never used pink slime or low grade meats.”

Penn Manor Junior Deion Valentin, didn’t even know what Pink Slime was and said that if he ever found out the school uses it or any of his favorite restaurants he would never eat there again.

On the other hand Penn Manor senior Michael Schneider said that “If this meat is said to be safe and is approved by the food safety organizations then obviously it is safe to eat and people are blowing this out of proportion because they think it’s gross.”

Pink slime, and other similar methods like it have been used for years. Fast food chains used to or still are using it, cafeterias have been serving it to children for years, and just now companies are giving it up.

So the next time a piece of steak falls on the ground, dip it in aluminum hydroxide, it should be safe.

Tennis In For A Rebuilding Year

By Alex Cummins and Brad Kruger –

The boys’ tennis team is looking to have a learning and rebuilding season. Since last year, the tennis team lost their top five players. With an already tough league for AAA tennis.

“We lost our entire starting line up and our top seven players due to graduation,” said coach Jon Boxleitner

This year the format for the entire league has been changed. The Lancaster – Lebanon League is switching to the college format with four singles and three doubles. Last year the format was five singles and two doubles. The team has actually had two matches already. They played at Red Lion and had a home match against Pequea Valley. Unfortunately they lost both.

“Its going to be difficult for us but the kids are working hard and we’re going to pick up some wins here and there if we can,” said Boxleitner.

There are going to be a lot of tough competitors for the Comets this year. Their section is one of the toughest with some of the best teams around.

“There’s always what I call the big 4, and they are always good… and those schools are Manheim Township, Hempfield, Cedar Crest, and Conestoga Valley, so those schools are always at the top, and usually Township is our toughest team to play,” said Boxleitner

Ian Tahmasbi, a junior tennis player for Penn Manor said that everyone on the team has to work hard every single day at practice. Everyone on the team wants to win every match but the boys just need to have some more training. The team agreed, saying they have the best coach that they possibly could with Boxleitner leading them everyday.

“We have to work hard every single day if we want to get a win,” stated Tahmasbi.

“Jake Shiner and Troy Diffenderfer along with some others are looking really solid at practice and in matches,” said senior and first year player, Tyler Smith.

“They’ve done some really nice things in the off-season and now they are our one and two players,” said Boxleitner

Everybody’s ‘Four’ McGlynn

rsz_four_mcglynn_ap — Four McGlynn Cutting Down the Net

By Brady Charles, Jordan Rineer & Daulton Parmer

A local kid is livin’ the dream.

From being a Dallastown Wildcat to a Vermont Catamount, Patrick ‘Four’ McGlynn IV, led his team to the 2012 NCAA tournament.

“It’s crazy to believe I played him last fall,” said Jaq Presbery, a former Penn Manor basketball player.

“I’ve never played anyone with such quick feet, you cannot stop him. All you can do is try to slow him down, but that still never works. He can do so many different things during a game, he’s insane,” said Presbery.

In the 2010 Messiah Shootout, Penn Manor faced off against McGlynn and his Dallastown squad. McGlynn had his way against the Comets, scoring at will and carried his team to victory.

According to University of Vermont Men’s Basketball page, McGlynn averaged 24 points a game his senior year at Dallastown, along with five assists and four rebounds.

Besides being some 450 miles away, not much has changed in 2012 for McGlynn.

McGlynn led the Catamounts in scoring his freshman year (12.0 ppg), along with being named American East Rookie of the Year.

“It’s crazy to see him on the TV playing against some of the best teams in the nation (North Carolina)”, said Marc Summy a senior basketball player at Penn Manor who has a close relationship with McGlynn.

“We played AAU ball together, his dad coach’s my team, at one point we played together on a weekly basis in a church league. It’s good to see him playing so well at the D1 level,” said Summy.

The Catamounts won their first round match-up against Lamar University in the NCAA tournament 71-59, McGlynn led the Catamounts in scoring with 18.

Two days later, McGlynn tried to rally the troops and upset the number one seed North Carolina. The Catamounts fell to the Tar Heels 77-58, which ended a successful freshman year for Mcglynn.

The Catamounts finished the year 24-12 and won the American East title.

McGlynn has a lot of scouts talking about his game, the common word of mouth is with hard work put in on his ball handling, he could make the step to the NBA.

“He’s not a normal freshman,” said Vermont head coach, John Becker.

Confidence is one thing McGlynn always carries with him, it’s something that makes him.

Not a normal freshman.

Help Yourself in the Next Interview

By Richard Schulz –

With summer on it’s way, students are looking for that special kind of money-maker, that pay-for-gas, movies, dates and pizza that is supposed to last all year A summer job.

Finding a job isn’t the only hard part in getting the job it’s the interview that can actually determine if you’re hired or not. Teens may be aware of the simple tips while be interviewed but that doesn’t mean they’re prepared.

“I’ve never researched the place I was going to work at,” admitted Anthony Polaski, a student from Penn Manor High School.

Polaski says during his interview for his current job at Woodcrest, the Mennonite retirement community, he dressed appropriate, turned off his phone and showed up ten minutes early.

“If you go in ignorant, it’ll reflect,” said James Yearsley, a Penn Manor school counselor.

Yearsley agrees to be early to an interview and most importantly, speak correctly and politely. Another important thing to remember is to sanitize any social networks students may have.

Not only can school officers look into Facebook accounts but the interviewer can too. The interviewer can also ask for the email and password of the students social network and if the information’s, the door will be shown.

“My interview was really easy actually,” said Juan Cubano, a junior from Penn Manor. “They didn’t ask much and it was over in about ten minutes.”

Apparently the grammar of the interviewee is being closely examined by the interviewer as they speak. The simple use of pronouns can affect the chances of being hired. The difference between the pronouns of “my friend and I” vs. “me and my friend” can also mean hired, or given the boot.

Top 5 tips in an interview

Arrive early
Use proper grammar
Dress the part (ex. cover tattoos, formal, etc.)
Research the job to ask the interviewer questions
Make frequent eye contact

In Like a Lamb Out Like a Lion

By Taylor Skelly-

Don’t put all your winter clothes away yet.

After an unusually warm and dry month of March, much of Penn Manor has swapped their blue jeans and hoodies for khaki shorts and t-shirts, disregarding the fact that according to the calendar, and Rita’s, spring has just begun.

However, local meteorologist Eric Horst, who is the Director of the Weather Center at Millersville University, says that last week’s hot spell with temperatures in the 70’s almost every day was nothing short of an anomaly.

“This week will be a reality check,” said Horst.

As April approaches quickly, expect to see a wide range of weather as summer becomes closer. Instead of experiencing an entire week of high temperatures, there will only be days that are consecutively warm. On the contrary, below seasonal temperatures will most likely occur as well.

“April will be more of a roller coaster, it won’t be as consistently warm as March was,” said Horst, ” The jet stream will be more progressive, things will be more variable.”

For some students at Penn Manor, the thought of cooler weather creeping back into the forecast is enough to make them cringe.

“I’m sick of the cold,” said junior Harrison Schettler, “When it’s warm it’s just nice to be outside, it makes track so much more enjoyable.”

I think a lot of people felt like summer was finally here, you saw a lot of people driving around with their windows down, sunroof open said senior Marc Summy.

“I spent a lot of time shooting basketball in my driveway, playing with my dog in the backyard, I even worked on my tan a little bit,” said Summy.

And for others, the news of cooler weather coming back is exactly what they wanted to hear.

“Of course I love the summer and the hot weather, but it’s not even April yet, I like that transition phase too,” said junior Adam Hess, “Personally, I would get sick of having summer weather for six months out of the year.”

“Weather” you’re for or against the warmer weather, expect April to be a fresh reminder that the summer is still an entire season away.