Steve Jobs Leaves Behind Legacy, Questions

By Sarah Schaeffer –

Last Wednesday, a visionary passed away, leaving behind not only a legacy, but questions regarding its future.

Co-founder and CEO of Apple Steve Jobs’ struggle with pancreatic cancer was no secret, however the loss still left many in shock, wondering where the future of Apple may lie.

“[Jobs] looked at design and development as a poet and as an artist,” said Shawn Canady, technology integration coordinator at Penn Manor.

Steve Jobs speaks about one of his iPhone products. Photo courtesy of thefreemanonline.org.

“Apple and Steve Jobs were so entwined,” said Charlie Reisinger, Penn Manor’s head of technology, “Apple might lose that edge.”

“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented,” said President Barack Obama in a statement commemorating the life and loss of Jobs.

Jobs made modern technology more accessible to the public as it began to grown and change, said Canady. This being one of the reasons Jobs left behind a major legacy.

Jobs began his work with Apple in the 1970s, walking with the developing technology to its future. Jobs can be credited for his work on revolutionary devices such as the Apple II (a large, word-processing macintosh computer) and, more recently, the iPod, iPad and iPhone 4s, revealed one day before his death.

The loss of Jobs may be synonymous with the loss of such outstanding creativity, according to Reisinger, but Reisinger still sees success in Apple’s future.

“Apple will definitely move on,” said Reisinger. “Steve Jobs set Apple up so they wouldn’t suffer without him.”

An iSad logo, celebrating Steve Jobs. Photo courtesy of gadget.featster.

“I don’t think it will change,” said senior Becca Hess. “[Jobs] set up such an expectation. Just because [Jobs died] doesn’t mean Macs won’t have the same high standard to live up to.”

“It’s amazing how many people depend on [Jobs’] products in everyday life,” said senior Aaron Alleman. “[Apple] won’t change, they just don’t have the same image now that they don’t have Steve Jobs as a figurehead.”

Reisinger also mentioned a “deep pipeline of undisclosed products” which Apple may have in store from Jobs’ work before his illness.

Even in the short time that has passed, many icons and logos have been popping up around the web in memory of Jobs, including the Mac apple with a tear, an inverted apple with Jobs’ silhouette on the side and a frowning “Finder” face. These “iSad” tributes are only a small sample of the world’s reactions to this unfortunate loss.

“Very few people in this world are game-changing visionaries. [Jobs] was one of those people,” said Canady.

Penn Manor School Board Focuses on Test Scores

By Adam Rohrer and Alexander Sanchez-Cruz –

Even after enrichment programs were put into place last year, several subgroups at Penn Manor High School continued to fail to meet state math standards for the second year in a row, which had the school board questioning the efforts Monday.

Math scores did not show adequate improvement at the high school for the second year in a row. Since this problem has persisted for two years school board members were questioning the direction and effectiveness of enrichment efforts so far.

Board members said they had hoped to see better improvement after all the enrichment that took place in the high school during the past year, which included all subject teachers teaching math during the enrichment period.

At least one school board member wondered if other subject teachers were prepared to teach math.

If there is a third year of declining scores, a restructuring program for the high school math department is slated.

Two subgroups in the high school also did not make Adequate Yearly Progress, AYP, as well.

The board approved change orders totaling $75,249 to construction costs at Central Manor Elementary School.

Comets Field Hockey Shines on Senior Night

By Sam Valentin –

The Comets handled the Tornadoes easily winning 8-0 on senior night. It was an emotional and entertaining night for the senior field hockey players.

“Yeppers, pretty emotional not another chance to play on field until Monday,” said senior goalie, Karla Mylin.

Matt Soto, Coach of the Penn Manor Field Hockey team. photo courtesy of the PMFH Website

The Comets got on the board early scoring about five minutes into the game. Then Rachael Suter scored just 45 seconds later to put the Comets up 2-0. The girls were just getting started by that time.

They scored four more goals to go into halftime with a six to nothing lead. The game seemed all but over. They added four more goals before the slaughtering ended. The Comets stormed on the Tornadoes winning handily 10-0.

After the game they recognized the four seniors on the team. It was entertaining to say the least.

A select few juniors spoke about teammates who were being recognized. The seniors were defender Kayla Bixler, goalie Karla Mylin, Vicky Nase, and Mikayla Herbert. The girls were all relaxed and joking after the easy win while recognizing the seniors who contributed a large part to the program over the years. But coach Matt Soto made sure they were all business during the game and it showed.

“Make sure they take it seriously,” said Soto before the game to his girls.

The girls play again Saturday against Donegal who is always good according to Soto.

 

Attack of the Nerds!

By Alex Kirk and Kyle Musser (photos by Kirk, Musser, Brandon Schuman, David Mohimani and Miranda Lee)

Penn Manor was taken over Wednesday by a nasal-congested, vision-impaired, pencil-pushing cult….the nerds.

Students at Penn Manor taped up their glasses, strapped on suspenders, rolled up their pants, and dusted off their pocket protectors to show their school spirit for Homecoming Spirit Week.

Nerd Day had the most kids participating of any spirit day known to Penn Manor.  The halls were full of high waders and slide rules, greased back hair and calculators on display.

“it was great because it was the best turnout,” said math teacher Mike Fowler. “Eighties day did not have a good turnout.”

Fowler had no comment about why he chose not to participate.

 

To see the range of nerd outfits, click on any photo to see the slide show below:

To see the lunch ladies in full nerd dress, click on “home” for the feature photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students and Employees Give Back to Flood Victims

By Becca Frankford-

After all the water receded, the community is giving back.

Flooded road leading to club in Rapho Township.

Over the past few weeks people around Lancaster, Mount Joy and Manheim areas have been on clean up duty.  Affecting entire communities ranging from Lancaster to Columbia was the huge flood that occurred last month.

The flood wiped out entire levels of homes close to the river, suspending school and activities and trapping some residents in their houses until help arrived.

Meals were being served at local fire companies for the victims that were a part of the flood. ABC 27 News held a phone bank for people to call and report damages along with what help they needed. Although the program is no longer in operation, while it was in progress many people were helped in cleaning up damages to their homes and property.

“We were hit hard,” Barbara Trostle, a librarian at Penn Manor High School said of the German clubhouse she is a part of in Rapho Township.

The clubhouse’s “ratz keller,” a storage area, was under water along with the pavilion that was submerged. The club lost 106 picnic tables and is working hard everyday to restore its original state.

One German club member’s house which straddles the creek running between the club and the creek was ruined. Members of the club are all pitching in to help their friend in need. Trostle, along with one Penn Manor junior are taking time out of their weekends to give back.

German Club house pavilion submerged. Photo courtesy of German Club Member.

“You can’t really get the impact until you’re actually standing there looking at the remnants from your house,” Trostle said referring to the damages to members Garry and Lesli Wanger’s house.

Trostle pitches in by taking the Wanger’s laundry every third day.

The clubhouse, a German speaking club that focuses on the culture and beliefs that Germans live by, has reached out to German students at Penn Manor. The students were offered community service to help accumulate their 30 hours.

Penn Manor junior Kyle Doman provided about four hours of community service to help a friend in need.

He helped the Wangers by cleaning up the yard around the house that was completely ruined. He also has pitched in to help clean up the inside of the house as well, where the kitchen and living area were bombarded with trash and water while all the appliances were scattered amongst the wreckage. 

“[Volunteering] is a nice thing to do. It feels good to help without being paid,” Doman said. He plans to help with the project again Saturday.

If interested in aiding the clean up, Trostle is available to speak with in the library.

Phillies Season in Review

By Alex Kirk and Brandon Schuman-

The Phillies last game of the season was a microcosm of their entire year; many ups and downs but in the end they finished on top.

The Phillies swiped the prize of the free agent market, Cliff Lee, away from the Yankees. This acquisition instantly gave the Phillies the best starting rotation in the majors.

Injuries plagued the team from spring training all the way up until the end of the season.  Two team veterans, World Series winning closer Brad Lidge and Gold-Glove winner Chase Utley, both missed a large chunk of the beginning of the season recovering from major off-season surgeries.

Both of the franchise stalwarts missed opening day. In the first game of the 2011 season the Phillies walked off on a John Mayberry single in the bottom of the ninth inning. The clutch play was the first of many in what would become a breakout season for the young outfielder.

Infielder Wilson Valdez pitches in the 19th inning for the Phillies. Photo by thephilliesblunt.com

Philadelphia had a stellar class of rookies contribute to the team’s success this season.

Michael Stutes made his major-league debut on May 25 and finished the season with 62 innings pitched and a record of 6-2.  Vance Worley, out of Long Beach State, finished his rookie season with 131.2 innings pitched and a record of 11-3.  Worley pitched as a starter after the all-star break. He filled in for Roy Oswalt, who had back problems throughout the season.

The Phillies were involved in a 19-inning marathon of a game against the Reds in late May. Wilson Valdez became the first player since the legendary Babe Ruth to start a game as a fielder and win the game as a pitcher. His hat was sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a memento of the feat.

In the last game of the regular season, in which they beat the Braves after 14 innings, the Phillies accomplished two different milestones.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, now the most winning manager in the history of the franchise. Photo by illlove.com

They broke the franchise record for most wins in a single season at 102 and  Charlie Manuel became the winningest manager in team’s history with 646 wins in his career.

All these accomplishments reflect the hard work the Phillies put in this season.

Penn Manor Students Tame Hogs

Alicia Ygarza and Amber Brenner-

Wednesday, Sept. 28, a bright and sunny day, the Lampeter Fair hosted its annual hog show.

People wandered around the fair drinking their ice teas and eating their french fries or even stopping by the petting zoo to pet the alpacas, bunnies, and goats.

Brad Groff and his winning hogs

However, there were not as many people in the petting zoo as there were seated by the hog show.

Penn Manor students flaunted their pigs while their parents intently watched to see which student would come in first.

According to Mrs. Fay, FFA teacher at Penn Manor, nowadays, produce companies prefer hogs that are lean and produce the maximum amount of meat.

“Meat companies don’t want a pig that is mostly fat,” said Fay.

Leanness, attentiveness and obedience were three categories the judges took note of.

“When we need the pigs to listen to us, or need to point them in a new direction. We use our whacking sticks,” said Brad Groff, a second and third place hog competition winner.

“Judges take note if the hogs are structurally sound and how they move around,” said Fay.

Cameron Long receiving one of his awards

Groff does not do much to prepare his hogs for competition, but Megan Herr, former swine competitor, takes her hog training very seriously.

“I tried to exercise my hogs everyday. I watched their weight gain and made their diet,” said Herr.

Many competitors were competing with pigs that were brother and sister.

Cameron Long, junior at Penn Manor, and his family breed hogs and sell them to their friends.

“We run it as a family, we breed our own stock and sell to other kids,” said Cameron Long’s mother.

Hogs will remain great animals to breed because they are interesting animals, and great competitors.

Note– The Penn Manor winners in the 2011 FFA Swine Show include:

First lightweight division-

1. Jennifer Drumm

2. Tori Rittenhouse

4. Bryson Neely

5. Jessica Herr

Second lightweight division-

2. Victoria Herr

3. Alex Cantey

4. Rose Drumm

Third lightweight division-

1. Kaleb Long

2. Brad Groff

3. Ben Groff

4. Tori Rittenhouse

First middleweight division-

2. Ben Groff

3. Brad Groff

5. Tyler Brauman

Second middleweight division-

1. Cameron Long

2. Caleb Hess

3. Cameron Long

4. Cody Rittenhouse

First light-heavyweight division-

4. Jennifer Drumm

5. Katie Hess

Second light-heavyweight division-

1. Alex Cantey

2. Aaron Breneman

4. Margaret Drumm

5. Bryson Neely

Third light-heavyweight division-

1. Aaron Steager

3. Margaret Drumm

4. Cody Rittenhouse

First heavyweight division-

1. Katrina Reiff

2. Victoria Herr

3. Kaleb Long

5. Caleb Hess

Second heavyweight division-

1. Katrina Reiff

3. Aaron Breneman

4. Aaron Steager

5. Katie Hess

Champion Winners-

Middleweight- Cameron Long

Light Heavyweight- Aaron Breneman

Heavyweight- Katrina Reiff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penn Manor Junior Runs Through Records

By Mark Dano-

Harrison Schettler just keeps on running and running.

Schettler has quickly become a superstar. Photo courtesy of Harrison Schettler.

On September 27, Schettler torched the 3.1 mile home course of Penn Manor in a blazing 16:49. This time, he came five seconds below the standing record. After falling short of the record earlier in the season, Schettler dug deep to beat.

“I knew the last time I ran on that course that I missed the record by three seconds,” said Schettler, “And I knew it was the last time this year that I would have a chance to break it so I had to go for it.”

Cross country is a sport that requires extreme physical endurance. The sport also requires the athlete to have the ability to put mind over matter. This combination of athleticism and mental toughness can take years to perfect. Schettler, a junior at Penn Manor seems to have completed this task in only his first season on the cross country team.

Schettler has already won two individual meets this year, and is currently ranked fourth in the LL League.  Despite the fact that Schettler broke the record in his first season, this moment has been a long time in the making. He played soccer and basketball for years, but never quite excelled as much as in cross country and track.

“Harrison came into his own on the track team last year as a 1,600 meter specialist and had an outstanding first season, finishing in 10th place at the League meet,” said Jeff Roth, Penn Manor’s athletic director. “Finding success in track, Harrison made the switch from soccer to cross country this fall.”

Schettler has used an intensive training program to turn raw talent into a refined skill.

Schettler finding his stride. Photo by Alex Kirk.

“He has invested many hours to get to the point where he can comfortably run a 12 mile training run or consistently run lap after lap at a specific pace on the track.  He has improved his aerobic capacity by running 40 miles or more per week,” said Cross country coach Tom Ecker.

Many runners have similar athletic ability, but they cannot bring themselves to keep going when the body is begging for rest. Schettler has been able to do this.

“Harrison is a very committed and focused athlete,” said Roth, “He is committed to training and pushing himself to become the best runner he can be.”

Attributing to his physical ability and dedication is Schettler’s winning attitude.

“I think in anything I do I always have a competitor’s mentality,” said Schettler. “I hate losing in anything. I guess that’s my motivation.”

The fact that Schettler has already performed at this level has left reason for one to think that Schettler has a bright future coming his way.

“Harrison is still “new” to the sport of cross country.  He has the potential to continue to improve through his Senior year and into college, if he chooses to do so,” said Ecker. “His commitment to quality training, year-round conditioning and good management of his diet, sleep and personal life will enable him to excel.”

Blue Slide Park Predicted to Blow up the Charts

By Eric Schlotzhauer –

His name’s Mac Miller, who the “frick” are you?

Probably a fan if you are a typical high school student at Penn Manor.

“We like him because we can relate due to his age,” said junior Ian Martzall.

With the upcoming release of his album Blue Slide Park on November 8th, 2011, Malclom “Mac Miller” McCormick’s, fan-base is growing faster than ever.  With over one million Facebook fans, and over 7 million YouTube views and counting on his new song “Frick Park Market,” most can’t comprehend the fact that he started his rapping off as an average high school student out of Pittsburgh Pa.

“The sky is the limit for this 18 year old,” said The Source Magazine just about a year ago.

One of Mac Miller's most popular songs on his new album Blue Slide Park. Photo by Eric Schlotzhauer

Now 19 years old, Mac Miller proved the critics right, reaching out to young teens and adults all around the world.

Starting off with his first album K.I.D.S produced by Rostrum Records, Blue Slide Park is the next next best thing according to Penn Manor students.

Not many people know the reasoning behind his new album cover’s name, Blue Slide Park.

“I am not exactly sure why he calls it that,” said Penn Manor High School senior Robert Warfel.

“I don’t know, why?” asked Penn Manor junior Grant Houck.

During a documentary style video on YouTube, it shows Miller’s thinking process during the time of the album cover’s creation.  He chooses to call it “Blue Slide Park” and explains that it’s a from his childhood.  Starting off as a just an idea, Miller slowly repeated the name to himself until he realized it was perfect.

After deciding on the name of the album cover, it was time to decide what it would look like.

“I knew I wanted to do something more with it than just, you know, a picture of me,”  said Miller in a video interview with MTV.  “We came across this 8-year-old’s drawing and we were like, ‘Yo, that is like the most simple but incredible thing ever; it’s right to the point.’”

“Basically, the point is making something simple that can represent the whole idea. You look at it and it doesn’t look like a park, but you know that’s that Blue Slide Park,” said Miller in regards to the album cover during a video interview with MTV.

Now, a few months later, the album tops the charts on iTunes at number 5 (taking into account pre-orders and song downloads), competing next to artists such as Lil Wayne, Adele, Blink 182 and Lady Antebellum.   Miller now also ranks #6 on the charts for under 21 artists on a popular music website, Billboard.com, beating out famous young artists such as Miley Cyrus, Victoria Justice,  and Nick Jonas.

There are 16 songs total on the album, and Rostrum Records is  still in the process of making music videos for the majority of them.

Mac Miller's album cover to Blue Slide Park inspired by an 8-year-old's drawing. Photo credit deadendhiphop.com

The songs included on the album in order:

  1. English Lane
  2. Blue Slide Park
  3. Party on Fifth Ave.
  4. PA Nights
  5. Frick Park Market
  6. Smile Back
  7. Under The Weather
  8. Of The Soul
  9. My Team
  10. Up All Night
  11. Loitering
  12. Hole In My Pocket
  13. Diamonds & Gold
  14. Missed Calls
  15. Man In The Hat
  16. One Last Thing

The drop of the album is expected to be November 8, but Miller has been talking about exceptions if the album receives 100,000 pre-orders.  Although that is such a difficult goal to obtain, he never ceases to amaze the music critics.

“Miller’s skillful rhymes, humorous themes and upbeat demeanor are catching the nation by storm,” said The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story last year.

“So if they go hard and go crazy — ’cause you never know what my fans will do, they’re so unpredictable — if they go hard and get 100,000 and make history, I’m just gonna give them the album right away because that’s what they deserve and that’s what they would deserve anyway,” explains Miller in a video interview with MTV.

 

 

Students Shell out Big Bucks for Dual Enrollment

By Jacob Harvey –

Let’s say a $1,363 tuition payment for a college student is no big deal.

Well for most high school students, it is.  And with a steep price increase and a non-existing dual enrollment grant, some students have been put on the spot to pay for their dual enrollment classes.

A dual enrollment class is when a student in high school takes a college class at the same time they are attending high school. The big benefit is that the credits can be used by the student in a college they attend saving time and money.

Last year, while the dual enrollment grant was still in the Pennsylvania budget, Penn Manor had 45 students taking 55 classes. This year Penn Manor only has 32 students taking 39 classes, a noticeable decrease.

Image from http://mandarinlessonsingapore.com.

In the past, students have had to pay upfront for their classes, but were guaranteed at least a percentage back.  Now, because of budget cuts, the students won’t be receiving any money back.

“The main contributing factor to not take Chinese was the price. It was just too much for a kid in high school,” said Logan White a Penn Manor senior.

Over the past few school years the amount that the student would get back has been decreasing steadily by around 30% each year for the past three years.  This fact has caused students to bypass dual enrollment.

“I didn’t have to pay for Chinese my freshman and sophomore years but my junior year I did and it was too much hassle to get enough for the class this year,” said Logan White.

Along with the decrease in money returned to the students there was over a $200 cost increase for a majority of the classes for this year. Calculus 3 which would have cost a student $1,134 for a semester last year now costs students $1,363 for a semester.

Students can take dual enrollment at Millersville University.

The huge leap in dual enrollment prices has students in disarray trying to afford these classes.  Zack Kauffman, a Penn Manor Senior is paying for the classes out of his pocket. He is doing a payment plan where he slowly pays off the fee’s for his classes which are Russian and Calculus. He is still paying off the bill for them.

“I took calculus so I could get a head start on (college) classes so I didn’t have to wait a year to take calc in college,” said Zack Kauffman. “I wanted to take Russian because I just enjoy the class a lot.”

Some students have parents who are willing to put up the extra cash needed to take these advanced classes.  While the price increase and the decrease in money back has changed some students minds about taking their dual enrollment.

Still, students are signing up and teachers and counselors alike are happy with the number of students who signed up.

“I was really excited by the number of students taking dual enrollment classes. It’s great to see that students are willing to pay the money for the higher education.” said Kimberly Marsh a counselor at Penn Manor.

In the past if a Penn Manor student took a course at Millersville, HACC, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, LGH, F&M or an 0nline school that teaches languages called Blended Schools they would have been reimbursed at least a percentage because of an agreement that Penn Manor has with these schools. This year the refund for students is probably just out of the question with the dual enrollment grant being cut. However Penn Manor seniors have a chance to be selected for a class at F&M to take for free. For information on the free F&M class Penn Manor seniors should talk with Sallie Bookman or their counselor.