Penn Points Online

The Peyton Manning Sweepstakes Begins

By Connor Hughes and Jake Shiner –

It’s not everyday an all-time great is looking for a new team, but Peyton Manning is on the market.

The Super Bowl winning, record breaking, injured neck, golden boy is up for grabs for whichever team can reel him in.

Manning has had meetings with Broncos, Cardinals, Dolphins and Titans officials.

Students and alumni alike don’t know where the future hall of famer will go, but they certainly have their opinions.

“Arizona, because Kevin Kolb isn’t good and Peyton Manning is one of the best to ever play the game,” said Penn Manor alum Jessen Smith.

Kolb had only a measly 9 TD passes in his 9 games played during the 2011-2012 season. (8 INT’s)

“As a Colts fan, I believe he will go to the Broncos because he is supposedly impressed with their organization,” said avid Indianapolis fan Harry Manning. “Or maybe the Dolphins because he has a house in Miami.”

Miami is a very likely possibility. Already has a house there, perfect weather, what’s not to love?

But what about his home town, Tennessee? The Titans have one of the best running games in the league and a new coach who’s ready to win as soon as possible.

“He’ll go to the Titans because he played college football for Tennessee and he loves it there,” said Hartley.

There are many possibilities for Manning.

So why isn’t every NFL team trying to acquire him? Well, there are a few question marks with the new free agent.

First and foremost, his health. Peyton Manning started every single game for 14 seasons straight. That being said, he didn’t take a single snap for the Colts last season.

Manning has had a series of neck surgeries, and has only recently started throwing the ball.

What will happen when Dwight Freeney comes full-speed at his former teammate, seeking revenge for the years of untouchable practices? Will he be able to take a hit?

Only time will tell, but a group of NFL teams aren’t too concerned.

Each team has pros and cons:

Broncos

Pros – John Elway. One of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. He runs the show in Denver, and he seems to be fed up with running/quarterback Tim Tebow. He will let Manning run the offense the way he wants.

Also, their defense finished a respectable 11th overall in total yardage given up.

Cons – No star wide receiver, terrible weather.

Cardinals

Pros – One of the best wide receivers in the league, and a head coach who is used to older, already accomplished QB’s. (Kurt Warner)

Cons – Suspect defense.

Dolphins

Pros – Not too many compared to the other competing teams

Cons – They just traded their best receiver, Brandon Marshall, to the Bears.

Tennessee

Pros – Manning’s hometown, they have a great run game and a good enough defense.

Junior Ian Noll agrees that Tennessee is the best option for the currently team shopping Manning.

“Titans, because Vince Young era was awful,” said Ian Noll. “Also, Manning is better than Hasselbeck. They are already making the right moves with their new offensive line signings.”

Many teams are trying to convince Peyton Manning to play for them, but the one thing for sure is that wherever he signs, he will absolutely make a huge, positive impact.

The Simplest of Things Can Have the Most Meaning

By DaYonte Dixon –

Nowadays it seems like good deeds go unrewarded, but Penn Manor is challenging that statement.

With a simple rocking chair.

Former librarian of Penn Manor High School, Susan Hostetter, retired last year and, to mark a long career of her great service to the school, including keeping the library organized and in good shape for the students, her colleagues decided she should be remembered in a special way.

A beautiful wooden rocking chair was donated from former Penn Manor English teacher Carole Shellenberger to the library in Hostetter’s name.

“I was overwhelmed and surprised when I first heard,” said Hostetter, referring to the rocking chair that was donated in her honor.

The rocking chair is currently sitting in the library and, although not currently in active use, it is covered in balloons and decorations and is on display for everybody to see.

“Any student is allowed to sit in the chair that has been dedicated to Hostetter,” said library assistant Barbara Trostle.

Hostetter was a key part of the Read-a-Thon celebration that took place at Penn Manor High School library every year to encourage younger children to read.

According to newly hired librarian Diane Bounds, Hostetter would bring a rocking chair to every Read-A-Thon.

“I think she deserved the rocking chair,” said library assistant Pam Yarnell. “She played a huge role in the Read-A-Thons.”

The chair is symbolic of reading and enjoyment of books, something the Read-A-Thon has been promoting to increasing success with district youngsters.

About 12 years ago Hostetter and teachers Amy Wall and Shellenberger started Penn Manor’s Read-A-Thons.

According to Hostetter, during the Read-A-Thons there were stations. At one of these stations was the rocking chair where a guest speaker would read aloud to a crowd.

“I honestly love rocking chairs,” said Hostetter “rocking is such a soothing motion.”

Hostetter dedicated 17 meaningful years to Penn Manor High School before retiring.

Since the retirement is so new, most students do not know the meaning of the rocking chair.

That simple rocking chair holds a lot more meaning.

John Carter – Messy but Fun

By Gabrielle Bauman –

Disney really messed this one up.

John Carter, which appeared in theaters March 9, is the story of a Civil War veteran who is transported to Mars and has general shenanigans with the natives peoples living there. The movie is adapted from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a slim novel almost 100 years old.

This movie has been in production, in some way, shape, or form, since the 1920s – E.R. Burroughs himself wanted to see it on the screen. There’s plenty to set it back. Some of the main characters are eleven feet tall, four armed green men. Up until recently, special effects technology hasn’t been up to snuff to give it visual justice. And now technology can.

John Carter has great visuals and every action scene is enjoyable.

john-carter-2 — John Carter premiered in theaters March 9. Image credit Disney.

The best part of this movie? One word: Woola.

Carter’s massive, bull-dog-meets-komodo-dragon pet. Any scene Woola is in makes this movie better, from the ridiculous speed in running to the adorable/terrifying grin on his face.

The Martian is adorable the same way E.T. is adorable. You aren’t sure why, but he just is.

Unfortunately, there is more than just action.

The dialogue is uninspired, and there are scenes when characters just sit around talking. That’s the best time to go for a bathroom break, because I would have rather gone without having viewed it.

The plot wasn’t particularly too hard to follow, but then again I’ve read the story John Carter was based off of. For the uninitiated, it shall appear to be just what it is: a big incomprehensible mess. And Taylor Kitsch as Carter is as wooden on the Daniel Radcliffe level.

That said: I liked it. I came in expecting to hate this movie, and left the theater wishing for a sequel. It had moments of greatness, but came just shy of the mark. As much as I boo when bad movies get sequels (I’m looking at you, Alvin and the Chipmunks), I would like to see a version of this movie with a good script. A sequel might just be out of reach, however – $30.1 million in the box office out of a $250 million budget will attest to that.

Carter feels like an old sci-fi pulp movie, it’s bizarre and confusing, but somehow it grows on you. I’m not quite sure what moment I decided to like it, most likely when the heroes traveled back and forth and back and forth between all the (pretty) Barsoomian (yeah, that’s what they call it on Mars. Barsoom) cities, looking very epic and sweaty in the process.

Like an old pulp movie, its a bit incomprehensible to fully explain. See, it’s about alien politics, the classic save the princess love story with a touch of Pocahontas, but it’s also about superheroes. That’s right, superheroes.

John_carter_poster — Even the poster says nothing about the movie. Image credit Disney.

Oh yeah, because of the gravity difference Carter can leap amazing heights, and is much stronger than a normal Barsoomian.

Let me repeat myself. This series has been around for over a hundred years. It basically kick-started the superhero genre, and film makers have been cherry picking it for decades. James Cameron’s Avatar is a prime example of this.

It’s a shame that this movie came out when it did. It feels like someone is trying to capitalize on an already full genre, when really it’s the opposite.

I feel bad for this movie. I have never seen a worse marketing campaign for any movie than what Disney halfheartedly decided to spew out – one very bad Superbowl spot and no real television presence. Disney has put its weight behind bad movies before, in fact, lots of studios have. Look at that awful Green Lantern movie.

To Disney I ask where’s the limited edition soda? Where are the toys? The merchandise? The television mentions? Not only did Disney give up on the movie before it came out, it also didn’t believe in it from the start.

The title of the book is A Princess of Mars. Why isn’t the movie named that? Because the studio thought that no boys would see the movie. How about John Carter of Mars? The studio thought — and I’m not making this up — that no girls would see it. Hence John Carter.

Now no one will see it, and they ruined their own potential franchise.

399px-Princess_of_Mars_large — A Princess of Mars, the first book in the Barsoom series.

So while I give the film itself 7/10 stars, I have a disclaimer. If you are willing to stretch your suspension of disbelief, you will like it.

If you like Buck Rogers, Soylent Green, or even Pulp Fiction, you will probably like John Carter.

So please go see it, so I get a sequel.

More at 4c3ofsp4des

Penn Manor to “Open (its) Campus”

By Iris Santana –

High school students might think they are at college next year if they go to Penn Manor, Hempfield or Manheim Township when a first-in-the-state “open campus” program kicks off in the fall.

School officials said the open campus project will blur the lines between school districts and alter the traditional school schedule, while helping to preserve teaching jobs, cut costs and stem the tide of students fleeing public schools for cybercharters.

The overall goal for the three districts in the 2012-13 school year is to “offer select online and hybrid classes to juniors and seniors,” Penn Manor superintendent, Micheal Leichliter said in an interview with Lancaster Newspapers.

Penn Manor will offer a variety of math classes, Manheim Township will offer English and history classes and Hempfield will offer science and foreign language classes.

The entire list includes college prep and honors English classes, college prep government and economics, honors government and economics, honors calculus, college prep pre-calculus, Latin I, business Spanish, college prep and honors physics and chemistry and astronomy.

Hempfield High School will open its campus to students from Penn Manor and Manheim Township for certain classes.

Anthony Carrodo, a math teacher here at Penn Manor said it was natural that Penn Manor took the lead with math.

“We have a pretty good reputation for our math.”

“It’s going to be a learning process for both students and teachers,” Carrodo added.

The Penn Manor school board is making many surprising changes, in some eyes. They even approved lending space to the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 for an adult GED program.

According to Leichliter, Penn Manor teamed up with Township and Hempfield because they are connected geographically, they have the technology and the vision to work together.

The new program will allow students to take classes that best suit their personality and schedule. Some will be held online and some will be in the evening.

“Statistically, it is not best to get a high school student up at 7:30 for school,” Leichliter said.

Students and teachers at Penn Manor have differing views about this plan, but overall they think it’s a good idea.

It seems like this program is interesting to many students who are independent and like to do things alone.

Juniors Laura Myers and Erica Williams are two students are of those students.

Myers considered the program for a history course, but the open campus doesn’t offer the class she was looking for.

Myers feels as though it will benefit the students who miss a lot of school.

“It gives them a block to catch up on extra work,” Myers said.

Williams on the other hand plans on taking college prep English 12 and college prep Government and Economics that is offered here at Penn Manor.

“I like to do things alone. I don’t like people, plus I already take online classes at HACC,” Williams explained.

Samantha Padua, a junior at Penn Manor isn’t one of the optimists about the program.

“Bogus. What do I look like sitting on a computer for that long,” Padua said.

Aaliyah Glenn is another student who is skeptical about the new plan.

“I think it’s not gonna be a good idea because math is a subject that needs to be learned, not through directions,” she said.

While Padua and Glenn think it’s a waste of time, Hailey Gavlick and Janeece McDonald, two juniors at Penn Manor think some students may benefit.

“It won’t be as stressful for some students,” Gavlick said of the proposed schedule.

“Yea, I just hope people don’t take advantage of it,” McDonald added with a nod.

Not only are the students affected by this, but so are teachers and they have their own opinions on it.

“I think it’s hard to substitute an online class for the real course,” Nicholas Swartz, a teacher at Penn Manor stated. “But it definitely has a purpose.”

Penn Manor school board members have said they have not received any negative feedback about their decisions for next fall. The program offers a chance for students in cyber school to take public school classes.

In an interview with Lancaster Online, Hempfield superintendent Brenda Becker said there is a perceived “battle” between public and cyber schools.

“Choice is coming whether we like it or not and we need to get out in front of it,” Becker said. “We need to change the way we do business if we’re going to survive.”

After assistant superintendent, Ellen Pollock announced her retirement for the end of the year, Leichliter decided her replacement should solely be focused on secondary education.

Just as Pollock’s replacement, Penn Manor’s technology director, Charlie Reisinger’s position will be altered as well.

“My role is obviously shifting,” said Reisinger who has been an integral part of the technology planning for the new open campus.

But the main question still remains.

Will this plan be a success?

“We’re planning on it,” Phillip Gale, one of Penn Manor’s principals said with a chuckle. “Some kids may feel it’s for them and others won’t. That’s how we’ll figure out what kids will benefit from this and what kids will struggle.”

Within the next five years, Leichliter said students may be able to have more options and this may expand beyond the original idea and options we have now. Leitchliter also added that by that time it could also include more districts.

This can actually be of an advantage to some kids. As Penn Manor, Township and Hempfield may have the same goal, Gale feels it will provide students a quality education with teaching that meets different needs.

Penn Manor Students Watch “The Children’s Hour” Presented by Millersville University

By Cody Straub –

It has been called a classic and compared to the great play “The Crucible.”

Time will tell if the drama lives up to the classic by Arthur Miller but students from Penn Manor recently had a chance to find out.

Three Penn Manor English classes, along with students from the Twilight program, took a short walk through the rain to Millersvile University to watch the play “The Children’s Hours,” presented by the University Theatre. The play, which is directed by Tony Elliot, was shown at the Rafters Theatre on the Millersville campus in a special matinee performance just for Penn Manor students.

“It was good because I got to see a different form of art, I never get to go to live theater performance,” said senior Michael Andrusisin who attended the performance.

The play which premiered in 1934 on Broadway, and was revived in 1952 during the communist Red Scare in America, “is a classic American drama that deals with the fear of being different,” according to Elliot who was quoted on the Millersville University website.

Lillan Helman the playwright of “The Children’s Hour,” has written over ten other plays along with memoirs and novels. Her plays focus on “various forms in which evil appears and exhibited the tight structure and occasional overcontrivance of what is known as the well-made play,” according to Millerville’s playbill of “The Children’s Hour.”

“The Children’s Hour,” is a play about Karen Wright and Martha Dobie who run the Wright-Dobie School For Girls. Wright and Dobie are accused of “unnatural” things by a estranged student named Mary Tilford, and her lies keep snowballing. The play has been compared to Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” because both plays involve false accusations.

The "Children's Hour" presented by Millersville University Theatre. Photo from Millersville University website.

The cast is made up mostly of students at Millersville University along with some Millersville alumni. Karen Wright was played by Kathleen Verbo, Mariah Mamas played Marth Dobie, and Mary Tilford was played by Sarah Williams.

Students who took time out of their school day to watch the play benefited greatly from watching the play, according to English teacher Brian Reinking who was one of the teachers who organized the field trip.

“They [students] will be able to write about the performance,” said Reinking.

Along with being able to write about what they saw, and seeing a different type of presentation of a story, students were also able to learn about the great message the classic play has to offer.

“We re-stage and watch and discuss this play again and again, said Elliot in “The Children’s Hour” playbill, “because we need to be reminded of the negative power of lies.”

He continued, “It’s not a perfect play… but I hope it makes you think.”

The state of Apple- Now more valuable than Poland

By Dakota Jordan

Apple’s tree of influence continues to grow and now they hold a new moniker, being more valuable than Poland.

It was revealed last week that the software and computing giants GDP has continued to grow as many analysts expected after there initial jump in stocks about a month ago. Apples new height, $500 billion. With this amount Apple has become the fifth most valuable company in history topped only in the past by Microsoft, Cisco, Exxon Mobil, and General Electric.

“I think the company’s past growth is unsustainable,” said Charlie Reisinger the technology director for Penn Manor school district. “Typically, the larger a corporation becomes, the more difficult it is to grow rapidly. My guesstimate is that Apple will experience the same slowdown.”

But as this company continues to grow schools become more and more apprehensive of the prices of their products, including Penn Manor.

“The high school received virtually all of the existing Macbooks as part of the PA Classrooms for the Future grant. At the time, we decided on the Mac platform (the more expensive option) due to the poor implementation of the grant’s hardware/Windows Vista combination.” said Reisinger. “Districts are now faced with replacing the aging equipment. Needless to say, the costs associated with replacing hundreds of laptops is enormous.”

Apple after discontinuing their basic Macbook last year is now offering a stripped down Macbook air for $1000 to high schools.

“The “special” school Macbook Air includes a mere 64GB hard drive, 2GB of non-upgradeable RAM, lacks an ethernet network port, and contains no DVD drive. With paltry specs for a thousand dollar laptop, the replacement Air is not a satisfactory long-term solution for our students and teachers,” said Reisinger

So with a rapidly aging fleet of white boxes and no cheap apple solution in sight what is Penn Manor to do about laptops in the future?

“Lenovo’s ThinkPad Edge is one of many alternatives we could consider.,”Reisinger said. “HP, Dell, Acer, Samsung and others have low-cost, high-quality laptops worth review. PC laptops would offer dual boot options for Linux and Windows, giving our teachers even more computing platform choices without compromising on software selections.”

On the coattails of Apple’s much anticipated ‘new’ iPad which sports the same $500 price tag as older models, it is hard for district administrators to see any cheap Apple laptops on the horizon to potentially replace Penn Manor’s aging fleet.

Reisinger summed up the whole situation by saying, “Fundamentally, it is not worth the expense just to have a brand name on the devices used in the district. Education is about the student–not the logo.”

Penn Manor Bowlers Take L-L League

By Austin Hess and Becca Hess-

Immense concentration, utter silence, hours of practice and they each get one chance.

Sitting in on a high school bowling tournament for the first time, one may be surprised by the level of skill and focus each bowler needs to do well for their team. Whether they are doing well or bad – each bowler remains focused, making the Penn Manor bowling team the strongest they’ve been in eight years.

“They are the ‘team to beat’,” says bowling coach Chris Vital, “I’ve never seen a team like this is in the eight years I’ve been doing this.”

With a record of 80-4, the Penn Manor bowling team has the best record of any Penn Manor bowling team, as well as the top record in the L-L League. The team as a whole received first place in team leagues. Senior Will Welsh finished fourth in leagues and second in districts along with Brendon Yarnell in fourth and Cody Simet in fifth place for districts.

Will Welsh in Singles Championship Photo By: Becca Hess

“Best team by far,” Vital said with a huge smile on his face. That fact that they all have really solid games and make spares better then any other team.”

Coach Vital mentioned that out of all the years he has coached, none of his teams have ever come close to the level that this year’s team is. Right now, the bowling team has won more championships than any other varsity team in the history of Penn Manor.

“I think they feel like this is their year,” Vital explained. “We’re the team to beat,” he reemphasized.

Although we have an amazing team this year, Vital has to think how things will be next year after seniors Brendon Yarnell, Tyler Bitts, and Will Welsh graduate.

“Last year I had three freshman come in,” says Vital, ” the two girls, Liz Burkholder and Julie Bianco, and Cody Simet. In their first year they’ve made a huge impact.”

Now a sophomore, Cody Simet has already scored a perfect game in his short career on the bowling team.

“I expect great things from them,” Vital says with confidence, “I know I’ll have a solid foundation in them for two more years.”

But just like any other team, the younger players respect the older, veteran players.

“Brendon’s a great bowler and so are Will and Tyler. I look up to them,” said Liz Burkholder.

For those on the bowling team, being in the “spotlight” is the last thing on their minds when they prepare for their next match. When they step into the alley to compete, the respect each member of the team gets from their peers from other bowling teams is easily noticeable when you get a chance to watch them do what they do best. Seeing them compete, they have earned all the respect they receive.

Even when they have to go head-to-head, the Penn Manor bowlers continue to pick each other up and encourage one another. They stay strong as a team which greatly attributes to their success.

“If one of us is doing bad we pick each other up. We stay positive and try to help each other out,” said sophomore Liz Burkholder.

Not only do the players encourage each other, they get a lot of help and support from their coach as well as their families. During the singles championships which took place ( insert here), many family members and friends of the bowlers came out to support and cheer them on.

“I think Coach Vital gives everyone on the team the same opportunity and attention to improve their bowling and I think that’s why we not only have strong bowlers, but a strong team,” said Jeff Roth, Penn Manor’s athletic director.

This year’s team won the team championship, finishing the season with an 80-4 record, while individual team members also placed well in the singles event. Will Welsh finished fourth in leagues, and second in districts, while Yarnell finished in second, and Simet finished fifth in districts. This year’s bowlers made up the best team in eight years, had great turnouts and successes at each of their competitions, and have shown that bowling is much more than what many think.

Hard Times Call for Extreme Measures

By Alexa Stewart –

The economy’s hard times have led to a trend in adult behavior which consists of a lot of coupons resulting in free or almost free groceries.

This trend started when a few adults with a good background knowledge of math figured out how to use their coupons to get free groceries. They use multiple coupons on sale items and coupons that grocery stores allow to double meaning instead of 50 cents off, the grocery store will give them one dollar off. If the item is on sale for one dollar, the customer gets the item completely free. It’s called Extreme Couponing.

Even Penn Manor teachers are joining the trend…

“I got started with extreme couponing when I first saw the show premiere on TLC. I searched online and even found a book online for tips on how to get started and be successful. The book was called “Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey,” said Ms. Brady.

The process of getting to the free groceries takes a lot of practice, and the customers have to be correct and precise on all of their calculations before going to the grocery store to purchase the items.

“I cut all of my coupons Sunday morning and it takes me almost two hours. I look online and in the newspaper for the best deals,” said history teacher Donna Brady.

Customers collect newspapers for their coupons and search online for them as well. Some have even taken it to the point where they’re searching for coupons like it’s a full-time job.

The trend has become so big that they’ve turned into a TV show on the television network TLC.

“I mostly joined the extreme couponing trend to stock up on all of my essentials from the grocery store and to sometimes even donate to charity,” said Chrystie Corns, a recent star of the hit show Extreme Couponing.

A lot of extreme couponers establish a stock pile which is when they use so many coupons to buy in bulk and store it usually in a basement or storage. These stock piles can last for months to years.

“I established a few rules which one of them is no stock pile. I don’t agree that you need to buy so much food where it’s probably just going to go to waste. I’ll stock up on things such as toothpaste and cosmetics because I know I’ll always need them,” added Brady.

The biggest reward for being an extreme couponer is the end result. They pay nothing or almost to nothing if your calculations are correct.

“My biggest saving was saving 75 percent of my bill. So instead of paying $100, I only paid $25,” recalled Brady.

There’s a lot of controversy that goes along with Extreme Couponing. Some people who watch the show don’t agree that these extreme couponers are really saving as much as it seems like.

“These people spend so much money on newspapers and buying coupons offline that in reality, they might only being saving half of what they really do,” said Cindy Roff, a blogger about Extreme Couponing.

Extreme Couponing is a trend that is attracting people left and right. The thought of free groceries, who would pass an opportunity like that up?

Tablet PCs, More then Just a Trend

By Chad Gates-

Take it with you, use it here, there, everywhere.

Portable electronic devices such as tablet PCs aren’t a new thing but the number of people, including students here, show it is a trend. In 1979, Sony unveiled their landmark product the “Walkman,” which allowed people to listen to their music wherever and whenever they want. Since then, these devices have grown into a prosperous market that has captured the public’s heart and wallet.

A tablet PC, or tablet computer, is a mobile computer that is larger then a smart-phone or PDA, but smaller then a laptop. Tablet PCs often use a modified version of a desktop operating system, (ex. Windows 7) integrated into a flat touch-screen that can be navigated using either your finger or digital stylus. Additionally, the keyboard appears on-screen, i.e. virtual keyboard.

But it wasn’t until recently that tablet PCs became popular. Microsoft released a precursor to the tablet PC in 2001, and unfortunately for Microsoft, it wasn’t successful.

Then in the April of 2010, Apple released the Ipad. They sold 14.8 million units and Ipads accounted for 75 percent of all tablet sales that year.

Saying that tablets are a trend of the era is a serious understatement, but they are much more than just a trend or fad. Tablet PCs have worked their way into many aspects of everyday life. These devices are becoming prominent within businesses and education. iPads, especially have been praised for their use in home-schooling. Tablet PCs are also an ideal substitute for computers and even laptops because of their greater portability and how they retain complex features of a laptop with the simplistic size and functionality of a smart-phone.

Although Apple’s iPad seems to be the most popular it is not the only tablet on the market. Many other developers of other electronic devices have joined the competition. Here is a list of other tablet PCs.

-RIM: (Makers of the Blackberry smart-phones) Blackberry Playbook

-Dell: Dell Streak 7

-HP: HP Touchpad

-Motorola: Motorola Xoom

-Samsung: Samsung Galaxy Tab

-Toshiba: Toshiba Tablet

Sales of tablets have skyrocketed. Apple insider projects that tablets will outsell desktop PCs by 2013.

H20 To Go Splashes Here with Students

By Brad Kruger and Alex James Cummins

It seems that teenagers these days like anything that’s portable. Penn Manor students are no different, especially with bottled water. They would rather carry water than go to the fountain.

The International Bottled Water Association said that since 2009, bottled water consumption in the United States increased to 8.75 billion gallons of water. Every person in America is now drinking, on average, around 28.3 gallons of bottled water as of last year.

Don’t be surprised to be walking the halls of Penn Manor and feel like an outcast without a plastic bottle of water in hand.

“Most definitely, in every class there is a good 75-80 percent of kids with a water bottle slurpin’ away,” said Austin Richwine.

Water bottles are popular with students and teachers because they are convenient and eliminate trips to the water fountain.

“Yeah a lot of people seem to have a water bottle nowadays,” said senior Mitch Domin, who usually brings a water bottle to school.

The rise in bottled water in Penn Manor has many reasons.

One common reason is people feel bottled water is better in taste and even health than the water at school water fountains.

“Some of the school water fountains are warm,” said physical education teacher Billie Jo Atkins.

“People want nice clean, crisp water so they bring it in themselves,” said Domin.

“I don’t think the water fountains taste very good,” said senior Taylor Goldberg.

Cindy Bachman enjoys her daily bottle of water

“Millersville water is horrible, I always have a water bottle with me in school,” said Cindy Bachman, Athletic Director Secretary

The IBWA also wants consumers to know that bottled water safety and quality result from multiple layers of regulation and standards at the federal, state and industry levels.

The industry is touting that bottled water is truly going to be clean and pure, and taste incredible.

Another reason students and teachers have been bringing in bottles of water is because they are easy to carry on the go.

“They are more easily accessible then having to sign out and go to a water fountain and are good for after-school activites,” said Richwine

Students love having their their water bottles in class and most teachers are okay with it.

“I don’t have a problem if the students have it in class,” said Steven Widener, a physical education teacher at Penn Manor.

Widener also stated that it is more convenient for him and the students because they don’t have to leave in the middle of class just to get a drink.