Students Hoping They Find Their Perfect Match

By Maggie Dubbs –

Who knew you would ever find your soul mate from a piece of paper.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, students at Penn Manor were anxious to receive the Matchmaker forms they filled out in mid- January.

At a cost of $2 each, Matchmaker forms would in turn tell the students who could be their best possible match-up among students in their grade and other grades as well.

Student Council, a club at Penn Manor, decided to put these together as a fundraiser.

“There was about 250 turned in this year,” said Jillian Heckman, a class officer for the juniors. “It’s definitely less than we’ve had in the past years.”

Matchmaker forms

Megan Schlegelmilch is on student council and is in charge of Match Makers this year.

“It was a longer, more complicated process this year with homeroom not being where the student’s primarily filled them out in years past,” said Schlegelmilch.

This year students were asked to fill them out in their first block classes, so many of them weren’t turned in, Schlegelmilch reasoned.

“Last year there was like, four boxes to pick the Matchmakers out of, but this year there was only one,” said Schlegelmilch.

The results were based off  a personal survey and preferences that students filled out. Certain questions such as hair color preference and height were included in the questionnaire.

Junior Robbie Conover said he just does it for fun, not necessarily to find his match.

Erica Williams and Kenzie Caterbone, both juniors, said they were each others’ number sixth most compatible friend.

Junior Robbie Conover, looks over his matchmaker.

“It’s weird because my actual good friends are lower on my friend’s list, and people I’ve never heard of are up higher than my good friends,” said Caterbone.

Williams also found this interesting because her and Caterbone are close friends.

Billjo Atkins, high school gym teacher, is in charge of student council.

The money raised from this fundraiser was around $120, said Atkins who said it will be used to benefit general student activities.

Student council says they look forward to next year as this fundraiser not only benefits them, but is also enjoyable for the students.

“It might not have been a lot, but any money we bring in is always beneficiary,” said Aktins.

Teen voting on the rise… Awareness not so much

By Joey Jackson and David Mohimani –

Rock the Vote, Vote or Die, and Choose or Lose have all been initiatives to try and get young people, specifically ages 18-29, to go vote, and, apparently it has been effective.

According to CIRCLE, (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) an estimated 23 million young Americans under the age of 30 voted in the 2008 presidential election, an increase of 3.4 million compared to the 2004 election. CIRCLE estimates that youth voter turnout rose to between 52 and 53 percent, an increase of

four to five percentage points over CIRCLE’s estimate based on the 2004 exit polls. The 2004 election was a strong one for youth turnout, reversing a long history of decline.

With the election coming in November and the primary season in full swing, some Penn Manor seniors plan on exercising their right to vote, while others do not.

“I don’t like politics because it’s boring. Nothing ever changes, they (politicians) just tell you what you wanna hear,” senior Mitch Domin explained.

Even more scary is the fact that teens who are voting don’t follow the campaigns, which asks the question, what foundations do they base their vote on?

“I get my opinions straight from my daddy,” senior Michael Andrusisin answered.

So what does daddy say?

“I wish America would strengthen the future of our nation rather than hindering it,” Andrusisin stated. “Both of my parents are teachers, so education is a big deal to me.”

“[It] doesn’t matter who the president is, the same things will happen,” senior Michael Andrusisin added. “And I think Obama is a cool dude.”

Further yet, some people claim allegiance to a particular side yet not all young voters fully understand what that particular party represents.

“I’m definitely more liberal, I think people should be able to do what they want,” said senior Alex Lombardo.

“I want less government control,” added Lombardo.

Other students expressed disinterest in the process or what it takes to understand the issues and the candidates.

“…maybe it’s their civic duty not to vote because they don’t know anything,” ABC reporter John Stossel stated in an interview conducted by ABC that can be found here.

“Teenagers don’t understand the profound effect a new president can have. “[Teenagers] don’t seem to care unless the laws directly apply to them,” said senior Brandon Schuman.

Another worrisome fact is that some high school seniors are not interested in entire topics like health care or foreign policy.

“What’s that?” senior Bob Warfel said in response to a question regarding foreign policy. “I care a lot more about stuff like education because the cost of college is so high.”

Even with so much confusion about the issues, nearly every Penn Manor senior we talked to said they did indeed plan on voting.

It appears that Penn Manor will be well represented in the voting booth the only question that remains will they be voting  just to vote or will they knowingly and responsibly decide who they think the best leader for our country will be.

Aaron Sellers contributed to this story.

If you’re 18 and you aren’t yet a registered voter, CLICK HERE to register.

Date of PA’s GOP primary: April 24, 2012

Date of Presidential Election: November 6, 2012

Steam Admits User Data Compromised

By Gabrielle Bauman – 

The hackers just might have gotten your information. If you use Steam, that is.

Users of the online computer gaming platform Steam may be familiar with the hacking of the site that occurred in November 2011. To purchase games on Steam, users have to enter in their billing address, credit card information, phone number, email address, and real name among other things.  A security break-in might just equal a stolen identity, and prior to now Valve — the publisher of Steam — wasn’t talking about what data was compromised.

The Steam store frequently features deals on video games and downloadable content,

Until now.

Steam is popular with Penn Manor’s gaming crowd, for its ease of use and networking possibilities. It has a chat interface for user to chat as they game, whether it be Skyrim or Team Fortress 2.

“All the time,” said a Penn Manor student about the frequency that he uses Steam.

“I love it,” said another.

According to Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, released information listing new information that he claims has just come into being. “Recently we learned that it is probable that the intruders obtained a copy of a backup file with information about Steam transactions between 2004 and 2008,” he said in an email send to Steam users.

While he claims that the data was probably not decrypted, Newell urges caution, “As I said in November it’s a good idea to watch your credit card activity and statements,” said Newell.  “And of course keeping Steam Guard [Steam’s security system] on is a good idea as well.”

Police have apprehended 15-year-old hacker TehWongZ, who is taking credit for the hacking and claims that he obtained 32,000 Steam usernames and credit card details. Whether these claims have any substance to them has yet to be determined.

Steam is an incredibly popular tool for PC gamers.

“The data was encrypted, and they’d have to break that encryption [to get at the user data],” said a Penn Manor student.

Inside of this file were user names, email addresses, encrypted billing addresses and encrypted credit card information. Passwords were not included in the document. Newell stated that he was not aware of any compromised accounts, but users should be on high alert just in case.

“It’s a good thing I wasn’t using Steam in 2008,” said one Penn Manor junior.

Many of the large gaming companies offer extensive lists of titles in the Steam catalog. Bethesda has The Elder Scrolls series, Valve has Portal and Team Fortress 2, and Activision has Call of Duty. Because of the ease of use associated with it (no need to order online or run to the store, simply buy and download it on your computer) and that Steam offers frequent sales on popular games, it owns a large share of the videogame market.

It’s no surprise then that Steam was targeted. Anyone with access to the Steam user database would have almost all of the information they would need to steal thousands of identities.

Right now, however, its unclear whether the user data was actually obtained from the backup file as the Valve team suspects. There seems to be much that the users and Valve team don’t know — what information was stolen, who was compromised, and whether or not any data was taken at all. Even if the hacker in question hadn’t obtained any solid or workable information, he or she certainly would be able to claim bragging rights of The One Who Broke Into Steam And Defiled The Forums.

Users should be warned: watch your credit statements, because there’s a chance that your private data may not be private anymore.

More on: 4c3ofsp4des

Fashion Manipulation Influences Style Here

By Iris Santana –

“We look at Kim Kardashian and we see a banging body and what she wears and we want to mirror her (pauses and looks around) or at least get someone close to her,” Adrian Viruet, a junior at Penn Manor said recently.

Fashion is manipulated in many ways through movies, music videos, models and celebrities. A lot of students feel as though what they see on TV and in stores is what they need to be in real life.

“They wanna be what they see on TV,” said Dimitrius Dennison, a senior at Penn Manor.

“It makes young girls think that’s how they’re supposed to look,” Glady Clay, another senior at Penn Manor added.

Clay also added some advice for girls with insecurities about themselves.

“Be happy in your own skin and be proud of what you have.”

A huge influence right now is from the movie, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”

The character of Lisbeth Salander is based on a real person, but not all of the characteristics are the same. The movie version is quiet and almost secretive, considering she works for Milton Security as a researcher and computer hacker. She also has a very deep, dark and troubled past, causing her to have hatred towards men that abuse women.

Stores like H&M have made their own line ‘imitating’ the Lisbeth Salander character.

Some customers didn’t approve of the line and were in fact offended by it.

“The collection is based on and inspired by the film and character of Lisbeth Salander and though we think Lisbeth Salander is a strong woman who stands up for her ideal, we are not trying to represent her specifically. Our goal is to rather offer a collection that we see in today’s trend picture that will appeal to many customers.” a H&M spokesperson stated to the Wall Street Journal, in regards to the disappointed customers.

H&M Versace Line

This may have been somewhat of an influence in Penn Manor.

“People wanna be rock stars, with the chains and the skinny jeans.” said a sophomore, who wished not to be named.

The edgy, ‘not normal’ look is in style.

“It’s a ‘dare to be different’ kind of thing.” said Bre Massey, a student at Penn Manor said.

Girls tend to be too sprung up about their looks nowadays.

“Basically, if they see it and others look like that… it’s all apart of fitting in.” Massey added.

The hardcore look isn’t the only style coming out.

Darker look that's in style

Adidas are starting to go after more teenage girls rather than teenage boys.

According to Erich Stamminger, the board member responsible for global brands, “Teenage girls are a target group we didn’t really reach so far, whereas boys are closer connected to Adidas via sports,”

“For girls, you need a bit more of fashion influence and that’s exactly what we are offering with NEO,” he stated in an interview with businessweek.com.

Girls are influenced by everything around them. Whether it’s friends, movies, music or TV, and it’s not going to change anytime soon.

From the Corps to the Class to the Courts

By Christopher Gotwals –

Jon Arthur Boxleitner, a history teacher, a author, a Marine veteran, and a coach without a team.

Well he has a team, it’s just not a very experienced one.

As the smell of spring occasionally taunts Penn Manor students and teachers, thoughts turn to warmer weather, flowers, even tennis.

But for Boxleitner, his work is cut out for him this year.

“We will be hard pressed to get wins,” said Boxleitner, affectionately called “Box” but his colleagues.  “We lost our top eight players…in a year that the our league is moving from a five-varsity player format to a seven.”

“This will be a rebuilding year for us.”

Previously, a high school boy’s tennis season the varsity consisted of the top five players. Players “Challenge Match” other players which is to try to beat them in the determined amount of sets given by Box, to steal their spot in the rankings. But now in the 2012 season the league rules have changed to increase the varsity slots from five to seven. Most teams will be thrilled with this update to the rules, but this high school might not be ready for the challenge with the eight best players off to college.

But Boxleitner is no stranger to challenging opportunities.

He served a three-year enlistment in the Marine Corp and said the best part of it was, “the travel and serving our country in uniform.”

In 1996 Boxleitner came to Penn Manor and started teaching with his bachelors in speech communication and he later earned his masters degree in political science.

In September  2009 Boxleitner published his first book “Balancing the Ticket: How Selecting A Vice President Has Changed in the Modern Era.”

The 100-page paperback is about how he feels the selection of the U.S. Vice President has changed from 1968 to the present.

Boxlietner has always been happy with each phase of his life.

“Never thinking my glory days were behind me,” he said.

With that out of the way, he said the phase of him getting married, and having young children was rewarding, yet challenging.

“I can’t say that I’ve had one seminal moment that has driven me to success in any particular area,” recounted Boxleitner.  “I seem to arrive at things through a process. However, I will say that I did have an awesome professor in college that got me deeply interested in politics, which drove me into teaching.”

But now in 2012 he is teaching his own created course Government and Economics, and coaching a small tennis team that lost eight of its top players last year with graduation, but the team is still hopeful and ready to have a “ace” season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMC’s Walking Dead makes Eventful Return

By Dayonte Dixon and Joey Jackson –

The wait is finally over.  AMC’s The Walking Dead season two returned last Sunday with a suspenseful and action-filled premiere episode. And even though accounting issues forced the season to be delayed a few months, the show picks back up seconds after where the last episode left off.

Previous Episodes Recap (SPOILER ALERT)

The World has been overrun during a zombie apocalypse. A small group fights to stay alive while searching for refuge. Obstacles continuing to rise. From dodging walkers (zombies), to finding transportation and not to mention the food and water shortages.

The crew holds strong to their faith as each of the places they travel to have failed to survive the apocalypse. At the end of the first half of season two, the crew is holding up on a farm that is currently a safe haven for a few other survivors. Both groups decide to combine their supplies and fire power, but the crew soon learns that this safe haven isn’t as safe as they thought.

The crew discovers that those who were at the farm before they arrived, were storing walkers in a barn with hopes that they would discover a cure. With safety in mind, the current walker situation begins to divide the group; those who think that they should keep the walkers in the barn, and those who believe it is to dangerous. This tension continued to build up to the point where one of the crew members break down and lets the walkers out of the barn. With the walkers storming out of the barn, the crew has no choice but to take fire. A decision that, to him, seemed a necessary precaution, but to others appeared as a massacre of their friends and family members.

Part of the show’s allure has developed from the constant cliff-hangers, which is common in most popular television shows.

“I don’t know what it is, the cliffhangers are so good,” senior AMC fanatic Aaron Sellers explains. “They remind me of LOST how good they are.”

But now-a-days a show with cliff hangers are a dime-a-dozen, what sets The Walking Dead apart is the character development and broad plots.

“The first half of the second season was pretty uneventful, all of that was character development,” Sellers continued. “Everybody can find someone they like and can relate to on the show.”

Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead. Photo Courtesy nerdreactor.com

The Walking Dead series spread through Penn Manor like a wild fire; with a considerable amount people in Penn Manor admitting that they watch the show, or have at least seen one episode.

Some Penn Manor teens are a part of an 11-member Facebook group dedicated to AMC original series, where they can discuss current episodes or other things like future air dates or marathons.

If you’ve missed out on the craze of The Walking Dead, the first season is now available on Netflix instant play, while other season two episodes are frequently reruning on AMC. Once you’ve caught up, the new episodes air on AMC, channel 36 in Millersville, at 9:00 Sunday nights.

Other things to keep your eye on this year on AMC is the fifth seasons of the award winning shows Breaking Bad and Mad Men. The final season of Breaking Bad is set to return in July while Mad Men comes back on March 25, both of this year.

Read-A-Thon and Seussical Coming to Penn Manor

By Jake Shiner and Patrick Simpson –

Penn Manor High School is hosting the 12th annual Read-A-Thon  Sunday, Feb. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the high school East gym.

This event is open to kids from kindergarten through fourth grade as well as the rest of the public. Organizers predict between 200- 250 people will attend the event.

In the past, the event got rave reviews from those who attended. This year kids will get cupcakes, a book reading of their choice, and they will also get to see the Cat in the Hat.

This year juniors Sarah Evarts and Julie Andrusisin will be reading at the event for the first time.

image courtesy of nea.org

“We’re going to read our favorite children’sbooks,” said Andrusisin.

They both said they understand the value of reading and the vital role it plays in education.

“Readers make leaders, so we want to encourage kids to read,” said Andrusisin.

Evarts added that part of the way they will be influencing the kids to read is through a connection with sports that the youngsters are interested in and the ones in which the volunteer readers participate.

Although neither girl attended any Read-A-Thons as kids they are looking forward to volunteering at the upcoming event.

Along with the school’s student athletes, the school’s drama department, which is in rehearsal for the play Seussical, is in cooperation  with the Read-A-Thon.

Melissa Minzter, head of the drama department, believes that the play and the Read-A-Thon will both benefit from each other, that it will help draw crowds to both events.

“It is a win-win for the play and for the drama department,” said Mintzer. They both gain publicity.”

Austin Richwine, a senior player on the school’s baseball team, is another athlete reading at the Read-A-Thon.

“I volunteered because I like volunteering with little kids and want to pass my knowledge onto them,” said Richwine.

Similar to some of the other volunteers, Richwine didn’t attend a Read-A-Thon when he was younger but wishes he would have.

“I wish I would have went when I was a little kid because when I was that age I really looked up to older kids and they could have inspired or influenced me in some  positive way,” Richwine.

According to English teacher Jeffrey Taylor, one of the coordinators, the kids are going to be able to interact with the Cat in the Hat and see him whisked away on a fire truck, which should prove to be a great experience.

The motto for this year’s Read-A-Thon is “Exercise your brain, read a book.” This simple but effective slogan for the event that really conveys the intentions of the Read-A-Thon, as well as intertwining it with the sports interests.

Kids attending the event should bring their favorite book to be read aloud and, if possible, a new book to donate to less fortunate children. If it snows the  Read-A-Thon will be rescheduled for February 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Make sure to register by February 21 by calling 872-9520 x1515 or go to http://pmreadathon.wikispaces.com.

Forgotten Sport at Penn Manor has a Banner Year of Competition

By Sam Valentin-

It is one of the most under-respected sports here at Penn Manor. It also is the most mentally challenging. It is played on a board with two players. Did you figure out what sports team this story is about?

Why the chess team of course.

Even though Penn Manor's chess team finished fifth in leagues, it is almost forgotten here at Penn Manor. Photo by Corey Fry.

They just concluded their season with a wrenching loss to higher ranked  Warwick in the semifinals of leagues 2-3.

Board one senior, Logan White and Trent Warfel picked up wins for Penn Manor. Chris Penn, Daniel Lyons, and Jake Shiner all lost to the Warriors. Daniel Lyons and Jake Shiner both made costly miscues which cost them their games and ultimately their season.

“It was a really good season,”said White. “We made it to semis and just barely lost. I had a good time and everyone improved.”

The Penn Manor Comet’s chess team finished the year 8-5. They started the year off very strong, leading the league. They dropped some close matches but still secured the fifth seed in leagues which handed them a meeting with Ephrata. They beat Ephrata 6-3 overall which set up their meeting with top-ranked Warwick.

Everyone on the team believed that they could beat Warwick and have a chance to face Lancaster Mennonite or Hempfield in the final. But the Lancaster- Lebanon League was very strong this year.

“Closest matched chess league in 20 years,” estimated chess coach James Yearsley about the L-L league. “Its like the NFL on any given day another team could beat the other.”

Even though the Lancaster-Lebanon league is highly contested when it comes to chess, the chess team here is just not very recognized. Several students at Penn Manor did not know the school had a chess team.

“I really don’t know. I think so,” answered Penn Manor senior Cody Diehl. “I have heard of chess club but did not know we had a competitive team.”

The chess team should not be confused with the chess club, although the chess team players do participate in the chess club.

Even the chess team recognizes the fact that they are relatively under the radar at Penn Manor.

“No it is chess. Not really something most people enjoy watching,” joked Logan White, Penn Manor’s number one player.

Although some students are in fact aware that there is a chess team here, the chess team hopes to gain more popularity next year  – and even more success.

 

Forgetting The Past and Looking Forward to a Bright Future

By Breiana Herr –

For a teen deep in trouble, it can be hard to turn your life around.

Allante Floyd, a Penn Manor senior, is working to turn around his reputation and his life.

Floyd, originally from North Philadelphia’s William Tennent High School, is happy to be working toward his goals at Penn Manor.

“There is nothing wrong with William Tennent High School, it’s a great learning environment but it’s boring in my opinion,” Floyd said.

Allante Floyd a senior at Penn Manor High School

Floyd’s parents passed away nine years ago, leaving his grandmother to raise him and his brother Rakim Herman.

“I was torn, lost every care and became rebellious,” Floyd said. “My turning point took place when I was incarcerated.”

Floyd said he was arrested multiple times on serious charges and went to several schools as he continued to be expelled for bad behavior.

Even then Floyd said he wasn’t ready to make the changes he needed.

It took one final run-in with the law before he realized he should be headed in a different direction.

“I wasn’t that scared, I felt like it was a part of becoming a man and I prepared myself mentally the best I could,” recalled Floyd.  “Being in a jail cell is very boring, it allows you to think, read and become crafty.”

Floyd said he noticed the people who were locked up didn’t seem to have a care in the world except getting out and doing more of the same activities that got them there in the first place.

Floyd decided being in jail wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be.  He knew it wasn’t too late to make a positive change in his life.

“I now understand the importance of education, and now I value its power,” said Floyd.

Recently Floyd got his own apartment in Millersville with his brother, Rakim, where they intend to start their new life while his brother attends Millersville University.

Floyd said his brother has a big influence on him because he takes education very seriously and enjoys helping people.  He is the only person that Floyd looks up to.

“He has my best interest at heart, so I trust him,” Floyd said.

They decided to grow up and take on the responsibilities of paying rent, buying food and clothing as well as other necessities.  Floyd has to keep his apartment clean and his brother works at the admission’s office on campus.

“Coming to Penn Manor, my mindset was putting my education first,” said Floyd. “I wasn’t worried about fitting in or making friends.  I just want to graduate and further my education at a four-year university.”

The number one school Floyd would like to attend is Millersville, where he wants to major in business management or accounting. If Floyd doesn’t get accepted in Millersville he would like to attend Penn State, West Chester University or Shippensburg.

Floyd said he wants to stay out of trouble and keep his life on the right path, so he can be successful out of college and get a good job to make money and start a family of his own.

The most important thing he has learned through all his experiences, said Floyd, is that the future holds many possibilities for him. He said he bleieves in the value of hard work and appreciates the opportunities that the future holds for him.

 

Gary Carter, 2003 Hall of Famer, Dies

By Alicia Ygarza –

According to ESPN breaking news, “He was such a man.”

World renowned  baseball catcher, Gary Carter, died from brain cancer at the age of 57, on Thursday, February 16, 2012. And fans here at Penn Manor and around the world felt the loss.

ESPN said Carter was reported dead at 4:10 p.m., Eastern time.

According to baseball-reference.com, Carter was a star studded baseball player throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

A photo of Carter when he was older, courtesy of www.ocvarsity.com

Carter was the true Sandlot character.

He was a mystical baseball player that kids looked up to, and a man that many people adored.

He was like a hero out of a cartoon.

According to abcnews.go.com, “A two-sport athlete as a boy, Carter won the 7-year-old national division of the NFL’s first Punt, Pass & Kick skills competition in 1961. He was a pitcher and shortstop in Little League and switched to catching in high school after a scout suggested it was the fastest path to the big leagues, turning down a chance to play football at UCLA.”

He was like a kid, being able to pick and chose whichever sport he desired.

Suiting him perfectly, “The Kid” was made his nick-name.

“Carter was known as much for his effervescent personality as his talents at the plate and behind it. He earned the nickname “Kid” as an eager teen in his first major league camp and the label stuck for the rest of his career, and beyond,” states abcnews.go.com.

Sadly, as you grow older your body changes, and you can no longer live in a kids body.

Waiting.com states, in May of 2011, “Carter was diagnosed with four small inoperable brain tumors, and he underwent chemotherapy and radiation at Duke,” according to the 2011 new reports.”But recently his condition has deteriorated, and on Christmas he fell and damaged his rotator cuff,” this article was written January 19, 2012.

Carter when he was young, courtesy of baseballreflections.com

Carter made his force known for 19MLB seasons, and he was also apart of four different teams.

Carter played for the Expos, Mets, Dodgers, and Giants, states baseball-reference.com.

According to abcnews.go.com,”Carter’s daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, wrote on the familywebsite. ‘This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to write in my entire life but I wanted you all to know.'”

Carter will be forever missed, just as much as those teams missed him once he had left.

R.I.P. Gary Carter.

-April 8, 1954-February 16. 2012