Facebook: Meet Me at the Wall - Lake

KnightLife
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Facebook: Meet Me at the Wall
Autumn Galka
KnightLife Photography Editor
Facebook, the social
networking site, has been a success since its first launch in
February of 2004.
Mark
Zuckerburg, founder and CEO of
Facebook, designed Facebook
while
attending
Harvard
University. It was first designed
as an internal friend circuit for
Harvard students, but it has
become a worldwide phenomenon in recent years.
The
name
Facebook is derived
from a tradition of universities across the
United States. New students, faculty, or staff at
universities
receive
paper Facebooks that
introduce other people
on Campus to them.
Facebook has amplified
from being sublet apartment based to a corporation office space.
The
website
has
expanded from college students,
to high school students, and now
anyone from the age of 13 and
over may have a Facebook. As
Facebook grew in popularity,
more and more investments and
offers from big moguls in the
industry poured in.
Mark
Zuckerburg turned down 1 bil-
Inside:
lion dollars from Yahoo and
Viacom, saying that he would
rather pursue it. By 2005,
Facebook had bragging rights of
membership from a million people.
When registering for a
Facebook, one would read,
“Facebook is a social utility that
connects you with the people
around you,” and it does just
that. Because Facebook’s networks are organized by school,
workplace, city, and region, get-
ting in contact with classmates,
friends, and family is as easy as
1,2,3. If you enter your education history into your profile, you
can befriend many of your classmates via the Facebook network.
As of September 2008,
in the Lake-Lehman Jr/Sr High
School, 298 students have a
Facebook: 99 seniors, 103 juniors, 77 sophomores, and 19
Class Officers 2008-2009
P. 5
Reviews
P. 6-8
freshmen. The number of people
getting a Facebook in LakeLehman is increasing tremendously every week.
There are many interesting features on Facebook that
offer a variety of ways to say,
“what’s up” to your friends. One
feature is “The Wall”, a user’s
profile where their friends can
send the user messages or attachments. Users can upload photos
and albums onto Facebook for
sharing. Status is where users
post where they are and what
they are doing. “Chat” is an
instant messaging system
where users can communicate
with fellow Facebook subscribers. “Gifts” is where the
users can send virtual gifts to
one another that can be seen
on the user’s page. “Gifts”
cost one dollar each and can
be sent with a message.
In September of
2006, Facebook launched a
new feature that would be on all
of the users’ homepage: a News
feed. The news feed has updates
from birthdays, events, and profile changes to each of the user’s
buddies. There was uproar from
users when the changes were
being made; they proclaimed
that is was too messy and full of
information that they really didn’t want or need. Others thought
that it would be too accessible
for unfriendly predators to track
users down. Mark Zuckerburg
sent out an apology to the users
for the websites unsuccessfulness to get customizable privacy
components. However, users are
now able to control their privacy
levels by preventing friends from
seeing information of many different kinds.
Facebook has been the
set of some controversy over the
short 4 years since its creation. It
has been blocked in some countries, like Iran. The site has also
been blocked at schools and in
places of work to multiply efficiency.
Facebook is frequently
compared to Myspace, but the
two are substantially different
from each other. Facebook
merely uses plain text, when
Myspace uses intricate HTML
for decorating profiles.
In June 2008, there
were 132.1 million visitors to
Facebook, whereas there were
only 117.6 million visitors to
Myspace.
In Lake-Lehman, 20
people were given a Facebook
survey, asking if they liked
Facebook or Myspace better, or
neither. 8 preferred Facebook, 9
would rather Myspace, 2 liked
them both equally, and 1 preferred neither of them.
Facebook and Myspace
are only two of hundreds of
social networking sites on the
internet. Facebook is a great site
when the right privacy precautions, which help people stay in
touch with relatives or friends,
are taken. On Facebook you can
share photos, set up events, meet
the world, and so much more.
Source: Fast Company
Magazine
Facebook
Membership in the
U.S. by Age
The face behind Facebook
P. 14-15
P. 10-11
P. 4
Facebook Safety Tips
P.5
Careers
Homecoming
Presidential
Campaign
13-17--16%
18-25--59%
26-34--17%
35-44--6%
45-54--1%
60-63--3%
65+--2%
Pro/Con
P.12-13
Medical
News
P. 16
Going to College?
You may need a Scholarship
Page 2
KnightLife Editors
Like most High School
students, you may be looking at
ways to earn or receive a little
extra money for all those college
bills. Though taking out a student loan or working four jobs
may be helpful, they are
extremely stressful later in life.
The best thing to do may be to
apply for a scholarship. You
may not be the Valedictorian or
the MVP, but never fret, there are
other scholarship options.
Being really tall always
seemed like a nuisance to everyone who isn’t a basketball player,
but now having your head up in
the clouds has a whole new
meaning. If you are a young
man 6’2” or taller, or a young
woman 5’10” or taller, you may
be eligable to receive a scholarship.
The
Tall
Clubs
International Scholarship will
give a $1,000 scholarship to all
those “giants” out there. To
enter the scholarship competition, all you have to do is write
an essay describing “What Being
Tall Means to Me,” and send it in
to the TCIS organization. You
may see over everyone while
walking down the halls, but now
you may have $1,000 more in
your college fund.
Maybe you don’t have
trouble walking through low
doors, but maybe you are interested and/or enjoy drawing or
writing.
The Writers and
Illustrators of the Future Contest
award a scholarship to student
authors and artists in the genre of
Science Fiction. Watching and
dressing up like Darth Vader
never seemed so un-nerdy. If
drawing or writing is your forte,
do not hesitate to enter this SciFi scholarship and “live long and
prosper” in the college of your
choice.
Maybe your peers see you
standing in front of Burger King
with a “Save the Animals” Tshirt on promoting vegetarianism. If you are, or aren’t, but
have celebrated the lifestyle of a
vegetarian in your school and/or
Graduation Project
Timeline
Katie Kohl
KnightLife Managing Editor
Attention all seniors!!
The due date is fast approaching
for your senior projects. Will
you be ready for it when it
comes? You’ve recently met
with your mentors, but do you
know when you’ll meet again?
If not, review the timeline below
to check for any future requirements expected from you.
October 6, 2008 – January 5,
2009- Meeting with high school
mentor (Form 5). If there are
any unforeseen circumstances
that require a change in the plan
of action, the student must have
committee approval and make
necessary written adjustments.
(Form2)
November 2008 – Seniors will
meet on a prearranged schedule
in the library with the completed
Works Cited Information sheets
to create the Works Cited page.
(Additional informational sheets
are available in the library or in
senior English classrooms.)
Monday December 8, 2008 –
FIRST SUBMISSION and
review of research paper by the
graduation committee. Paper
MUST be 4-6 pages. Students
should turn in their research
papers, works cited, and copy
of sources in the provided folder.
A five (5)-point deduction will
be taken for all late submissions and incomplete folders.
Please submit the folder to your
English teacher who will forward it to the graduation project
committee. *
community, this scholarship is
for you.
The Vegetarian
Resource Group Scholarship is
giving up to $10,000 in scholarships to all those anti-meat eaters
out there. So go out, save a cow,
and eat a carrot, you just might
get $10,000 for it.
You may not be the perfect student or the best member
of the Speech and Debate team,
but you still may be eligible for a
scholarship. Scholarships aren’t
just for those “perfect” students,
they are for the tall, artsy, vegetarian type of people and many
other people as well. Not sure if
you can apply? Ask your guidance counselor. They just may
be able to supply you with plenty of information on different
types of scholarships and the colleges who accept them.
Interested in these scholarships?
Go to the website listed below
for more information on these
specific scholarships.
Source:
www.collegeandfinance.com
Monday, January 12, 2009–
FINAL SUBMISSION FOR
ALL REVISED RESEARCH
PAPERS. Students should
turn in their research papers,
works cited, and copy of
sources. Please submit the folder to your English teacher who
will forward it to the graduation
project committee. *
If paper isn’t turned in at this
time, student must now write a
new 6-8-page paper chosen by
the committee.
January 12, 2009 – Monday,
February 9, 2009 – The third
mentor meeting should occur.
(Form 6)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 –
Turn in all documentation,
reflection paper, video, mentor(s) evaluations and meeting
forms to the high school mentor.
(Forms 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Note: Reflection paper is new
to this year’s project. A ten
KnightLife Editors
2008-2009
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Editor-In-Chief
Christina Lambacher
Managing Editor
Katie Kohl
Junior Class Editor
Jackie Eury
Sophomore Class Editor
Rebecca Farrell
Freshmen Class Editor
Rebecca Rosser
Photography and Arts Editor
Autumn Galka
Copy Editors
Allie Kachapuridze
Avery DeFranco
Layout Editors
Donald Searfoss
Erin Hohol
Zack Nase
(10)-point deduction will be
taken for all late submissions. *
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 – All
seniors must be present from
6:30 P.M. to 8:00 PM for the senior showcase.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 –
Graduation project interviews
will occur.
A fifteen (15)-point deduction
will be taken for all unexcused
absences on the day of the
scheduled interview. *
May 1, 2009 – Deadline for all
second interviews. Any student
who still does not successfully
complete his/her project by this
date will not participate in graduation exercises. If necessary, a
third interview will be scheduled
after June 12th. Additional
papers/forms are available at
h t t p : / / w w w. l a k e lehman.k12.pa.us/library Dates
are subject to change due to
unforeseen circumstances.
* If deadlines are not met, the
student will be placed on the
academically ineligible list.
Top 25 Colleges in the U.S.
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Allie Kachapuridze
KnightLife Staff Writer
Every year millions of students
go combing through books, magazines, and websites in search of
the best college. Many websites
rank colleges on how good their
education is, past alumni opinions, and scholar recommendations. Here are the top 25 best
colleges/universities from:
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com
25. University of California—
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
TIE
23. Georgetown University
Washington, DC
23. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
22. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
21. University of California—
Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Page 3
THREE WAY TIE
8. Columbia University
New York, NY
18. Emory University
Atlanta, GA
18. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
18. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
17. Rice University
Houston, TX
15. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
14. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
TIE
Institute
12. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
12. Washington University—St.
Louis
St. Louis, MO
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
TIE
Harvard University
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT
2. Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
The Chapel at Princeton University
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
The Medical Center at Duke University
The Library at Yale University
of
4. Massachusetts University of
Technology
Cambridge, MA
TIE
THREE WAY TIE
8. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
6. California
Technology
Pasadena, CA
16. Brown University
Providence, RI
11. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
8. Duke University
Durham, NC
Johns Hopkins University
Page 4
The Presidential Debate
Volume XXIV
Obama/Biden
Zack Nase
KnightLife Layout Editor
This year we are going
to make a change. Presidential
hopeful Barack Obama wants to
be the harbinger of that change.
Barrack must face a worthy
opponent, John McCain, in a
fight for the key to the White
House. Both have been battling
it out for months now in a heated
contest for the presidency. Many
think, however, that Obama has a
distinct edge because of his
political views.
As a senator for Illinois,
he fought to stabilize the energy
market and to prevent illegal
immigration from Mexico. Even
before he was a senator, Obama
was fighting for a better world.
He headed a civil rights movement for many years before let-
ting his wife take over so he
could try to change the world
from a place of authority.
While Obama may not
have the life experience that
McCain has, he also doesn’t
carry any ties to people who
have helped him out in the past,
including lobbyists. McCain
however has many Lobbyists in
his campaign party. These people
would then have a firm grip on
McCain if he was elected and
would probably influence the
way that he conducted business
in the Whitehouse.
Barack Obama, after
graduating from Columbia
University, went on to Harvard
Law and made history as the first
African American President of
the Harvard Law Review. Now
he hopes to be the first African
American President of the
United States of America. He
hopes to do this with the help of
this vice Presidential Candidate,
Joe Biden. He Chose Biden after
much deliberation, and this was a
great move, because Biden has
experience where Obama doesn’t: Foreign Affairs.
Joe Biden
Joe Biden was born
right here in Pennsylvania. He
became an attorney in 1969 and
became a part of the senate in
1972, making him the fifth
youngest senator in U.S. History.
Biden is a member of the foreign
relations committee, making him
a key component in Barack
Obama’s campaign for the presidency. Biden tried twice to gain
the presidential nomination for
himself from the Democratic
Party and fell out both times
early in the race due to a lack of
support.
Biden is also viewed as
Barack Obama’s balancer when
it comes to being liberal. Biden
is not very liberal and has always
-Senator Barack Obama was
born in 1961, making him 47
years old.
-Contrary to common belief,
Barack Obama is actually biracial; his father was a black
muslim and his mother was
white.
-Senator Obama does not practice the Muslim faith, but actually the Christian faith and says
that he “loves Christ”.
Above: Obama’s campaign banner
Below: McCain’s Campaign banner
The Issues
Obama’s campaign is
set deeply in the economic crisis
and the war in Iraq. Obama
believes that we need to pull the
troops out of Iraq and let the
government that has been established take its place or it will
never function on its own.
With the economy as it
is, Obama wants to stop the tax
breaks to big businesses so that
the U.S. can get back on its feet.
Barack Obama is also very firm
in his belief on gun control; this
is an important issue, because it
may help to cut down on gang
violence. While this year’s election will be all about the economy, it’s good to see that Obama
is not forgetting about other
important issues that exist.
While Americans are
struggling to pay their mortgages
and feed their families, many
politicians are giving breaks to
Presidential Candidates’
Facts
Facts about Senator Obama
Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the two Vice
Presidential candidates
had a very staunch view of the
issues of drugs and illegal immigration.
Facts about Senator McCain
-McCain is 72 years old, and if
elected, he would be the oldest
US President (at inaugaration).
Ronald Reagan, currently the
oldest president at inauguration,
was sixty-nine years old at the
time.
-Both his father and grandfather
were admirals of the United
States Navy. The senior McCains
were the first father-son pair to
achieve four-star Admiral rank.
-During the Vietnam War,
McCain was a POW for 5 1/2
years, and to this day, McCain
cannot lift his arms over his head
from the injuries sustained during this period.
-His naval honors include the
Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion
of Merit, Purple Heart, and the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
-Sarah Palin was the first-ever
female Governor of Alaska - and
its youngest-when she was
sworn in at age 42 in 2006.
Issue 1
big business, especially the oil
industry, who is charging four
dollars for a gallon of gas and is
looking to make a fifty billion
dollar profit this year. This
needs to stop or else people will
be out on the street and having
gas won’t matter, because no one
will be driving anyway.
What LakeLehman had to
say...
A poll was recently
taken at the Lake-Lehman
Homecoming Festival. The
results are as follows:
*61% of the people there
said that they would vote
for Senator Barack Obama
*39% of people there said
that they would vote for
Senator John McCain.
The Presidential Debate
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Page 5
Barack Obama vs John McCain
McCain/Palin
Christina Lambacher
Editor-in-Chief
John McCain himself
Senator John McCain may
seem like every other white male
and “getting up there in age”
president, but what Americans
do not know is that he has attributes that set him off from the
common presidential persona as
well as from his Democratic
opponent, Barack Obama.
First off, McCain has political experience dating back to
1982 when he was elected into
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives. In this position, he was already trying to
fight a better fight for Americans
by attempting to improve
Washington, cut back on uneconomical government spending,
and strengthen the U.S.’ Armed
Forces.
Though many other presidents and presidential candidates
have political experience similar
to McCain’s, they cannot say that
they have had the life experiences that McCain has.
Secondly, McCain breaks the
mold of “The Common
President” and his opponent
Obama by having military
experience.
Yes, some
other presidents have also
served in our country’s dutiful battles, but McCain has
not only served, but risked
his life numerous times in
his 22-year career as a Naval
Aviator.
After graduating from
the United States Naval
Academy and majoring in
aviation, McCain asked if he
could fight in the Vietnam
War as a fighter pilot. In
1967, as McCain was ready
to take off from the USS
Forrestal to engage in a bomb-
ing mission over North Vietnam,
a missile from a nearby plane
accidentally hit the fuel tank on
the plane that McCain was ready
to fight with. The explosion
caused a great and deadly fire on
the ship, killing 100+ men, injuring hundreds, and destroying
approximately 20 planes. This
was not the only life-threatening
event in McCain’s military
career. He volunteered to continue to serve his country after
this terrible inferno and again
was up in the air, flying over
Vietnam, when a missile struck
his plane, forcing him to eject.
As he crashed into the solid,
Vietnamese earth, the impact
broke both his arms and both his
legs. The Vietnam armed men
saw this as a golden opportunity
and held McCain as a Prisoner of
War for five and a half years.
The last reason McCain is
so unlike his opponent, and past
presidents, is his strategic plan of
the ever-so important Vice
Presidential decision.
John
McCain had choices few and far
between, but only met Sarah
Palin once before choosing her
to run the great race with him.
This tactical decision raked in
thousands of voters who agreed
with what Palin had to say.
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin, Governor of
Alaska, is the 44-year old spitfire
that was chosen to be the right
hand man, or in this case,
woman, of Presidential candidate John McCain. Not only has
she made history by being the
first woman to be chosen as a
Republican Vice President, in
2006 she was voted to be the first
woman as Alaska’s Chief
Executive. As the Governor of
Alaska, Palin has effectively
fought special interests such as
the lobbyists, the Big Oil companies, and the network to transform a system that had bred dishonesty and ineffectiveness in
Alaska.
Though she does not have
the military experience her running mate does, Sarah Palin has
some life experiences of her
own. She has five children, one
of which was diagnosed with
Down’s Syndrome, and one who
is set to deploy into Iraq soon.
She is right there next to all the
Americans who have loved ones
fighting in Iraq currently or who
are waiting to be deployed.
Palin also understands the difficulty in raising a child who has
a mental illness that stops
him/her from being “a normal
kid”.
Palin does not just have
life experience, she has political experience as well. Prior to
her vote into the Governor’s
chair, Sarah Palin was on the
City Council and also Mayor of
Wasilla, a town in Alaska. She
was also the Chair and Ethics
Commissioner of the ACC,
Alaska
Conservation
Commission. Palin had experience in numerous boards and
commissions before being elect-
ed Governor, and all this experience makes her a wonderful Vice
Presidential running mate of
John McCain.
About the Issues
A couple of issues that the
McCain/Palin presidential campaign have addressed are issues
on the economy and immigration. These two, out of many,
are currently the two hottest topics in today’s media.
McCain/Palin
have
addressed the issue of economy
in many different ways. One
way is they have mentioned suggestions on how to get relief for
families.
Not only are
Americans suffering from disease and self-tribulations, but
also from high costs of food and
gasoline. Both are needed in
order to live and survive in
America’s society today. The
dependency on foreign oil has
really taken America by storm.
They have raised the prices of oil
so much, which results in higher
gas prices, that it seems
Americans are paying to go to
work in order to pay for the costly gasoline. McCain/Palin, if
elected into office, will try and
let the world markets, such as
OPEC, understand that the U.S.
is slowly going to be cutting off
the dependency of such foreign
oil. This super team is also trying to raise the value of the dollar as soon as we have our own
source of oil, so that we can
afford to go to work.
Another issue that is presented in the McCain/Palin campaign is immigration. This
campaign is tired of looking at
hundreds of illegal immigrants,
dancing to the music of freedom,
walking over the broken U.S.
borders every day, and they have
a two step process on what they
will try to do to stop the music.
First, they will finish securing the National Border and
make sure that the border states
are aware of the new and important guidelines and objectives.
Then they will hopefully be able
to get adequate funding to build
training and technology facilities
along the border in order to
ensure proper security.
The second step is to ensure
National Job Security. The
“Bad-Actors”, or the people who
employ illegal immigrants, will
be prosecuted, and the desperate
Americans will be able to work
in order to pay the bills that are
getting higher and higher. Also,
by securing borders and
strengthening National Job
Security, McCain/Palin hope to
promise jobs for students who
have just recently graduated college or graduate school. By
doing this, they hope to lower the
unemployment rate and “lame
duck” period that most graduates
have after graduation.
Wrap-up
Senator John McCain and
Governor Sarah Palin are a
dynamic duo, and this great team
hopes to accomplish much more
than just securing national borders and helping to fix the failing
economy. What they hope for is
relief for Americans, secure borders, ensured safety in towns and
neighborhoods, much due
respect to veterans and citizens
serving in the military currently,
and
much,
much
more.
McCain/Palin will strive to win
the honor of being The President
and Vice President of the United
States of America, and if they do
receive such an honor, they will
do as much as possible in order
to guarantee an enhanced United
States of America.
Sources:
http://www.johnmccain.com/
www.experienceproject.com/stories/Support-John-Mccain-ForPresident
McCain vs Obama
cont’d pg 8
Page 6
Volume XXIV
The Reviews are in...
Stay Up or Get Down with The Maine
Winter Wenner
KnightLife Staff Writer
Like Metro Station, We
The Kings, Forever The Sickest
Kids, or All Time Low?
Check out The Maine. (I think
you’ll like them.)
Tempe, Arizona:
Indie /
Alternative / Pop
The Maine
was formed in 2007
when most of its members were still in high
school. Their first EP
was called “Stay Up,
Get Down”, and it was
released in May of that
year. That December
they released the EP,
“They Way We Talk”
when they signed with
Fearless Records.
Next,
they
recorded a version of Akon’s
“Wanna Love You” for the compilation album Punk Goes
Crunk. They played this summer
on the Smartpunk Stage at
Warped Tour. Their CD, Can’t
Stop, Won’t Stop, was released
the day they went on tour with
Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte,
and Metro Station on the
Soundtrack of Your Summer
Tour.
Their latest tour is The
Compromising of Integrity,
Morality, and Principles in
Exchange for Money Tour.
They’ll be playing with All Time
Low, Mayday Parade, Every
Avenue, and The Friday Night
Boys.
The closest show was in
Allentown at the Crocodile Rock
on October 11. (It’s one of only
two dates that The Friday Night
Boys will be at.)
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop ?????
Overall, I’d have to say it’s an
amazing album. The Maine’s
genre varies from more emotional stuff (“Into
Your Arms,”
and “Whoever
She Is”) to
happier kind of
stuff (“Girls
Do What They
Want,”
and
“Everything I
Ask For.”)
I really think that
their
earlier
stuff (like from
Stay Up, Get
Down)
should
have been included. It wasn’t,
but it’s still great. My favorite
songs are “You Left Me” and “I
Must Be Dreaming.”
Check Them Out:
http://www.purevolume.com/the
maine
Issue 1
Resident Evil
The Umbrella Conspiracy
Katie Kohl
KnightLife Managing Editor
The
Umbrella
Conspiracy, written by S.D.
Perry, is the first in a series of
adaptations of the Capcom video
game, Resident Evil.
The
S p e c i a l
Tactics and
R e s c u e
S q u a d
(S.T.A.R.S),
are investigating
a
series of murders
in
Racoon City,
New York,
when they
end up dealing
with
more
than
just a few
homicides.
The
book is an
almost perfect re-telling
of the storyline of the RE
game. Each
character's
story is told in the book including Chris Redfield, Jill
Valentine, Barry Burton, Albert
Wesker, and even Rebecca
Chambers.
Perry's storytelling adds
nearly the same degree of suspense that the game featured, and
her character development of
each person allows you to connect with him or her in a way the
game could not allow.
I am
a huge fan
of the game
series, but
even if you
have never
played any
of
the
games, I
still highly
recommend this
book for
you. The
U m b re l l a
Conspiracy
is by far
one of the
best books
I have ever
read...one
of the best
series
I
have ever
read. If I
could rate this book any higher, I
would, but I guess 5 stars will
have to do. Please read this book.
Once you start, you won't stop.
Other Books from the R.E. Series
1. Caliban Cove (1998)
4. Nemesis (2000)
2. City of the Dead
(1999)
5. Code: Veronica (2001)
3. Underworld (1999)
6. Zero Hour (2004)
Volume XXIV
More Reviews
Issue 1
Create Your Own
Spore
Nicole Cappa
KnightLife Staff Writer
The Sims, politics, and
science are all rolled into one
easy to play and very addicting
game. You will fight and eat your
way through five increasingly
complex stages from being a
group of cells in a tide pool to
controlling the entire universe.
In each stage you can
make decisions that will impact
later stages through consequence
traits. The mouth your creature
has in the cell stage will determine its diet and be the key factor in how you play.
In each of the five
stages, the game gets more complex, adding new features and
controls while getting rid of others. You will build your creature
during the Cell and Creature
stages, adding and removing
parts to get your imagination on
the screen. In the Civilization
and Space stages you can be as
creative as you want to build
your city and your vehicles.
This is a great game for
anyone who liked The Sims and
anyone who ever wished that
they could design their own
world. The tasks may seem simple, but they are really more
complex than they seem.
Five stars to the latest
game put out by the creator of
The Sims.
Page 7
Dine at The Iron Skillet
ily find it on Exit 178-B of I-81.
It’s part of the Petro
truck stop, and the food there is
divine. They have stuffed peppers to die for, the soups are
creamy and decadent, the salads
are always crisp and fresh, the
Evelyn Brislin
KnightLife Staff Writer
If you’re like most people, you don’t really associate
fine dining with truck stops.
Buffet table at Iron Skillet
Well,
you
better sit down, because I have
found one truck stop with amazing cuisine. This gem is called
the Iron Skillet, and you can eas-
chicken is always
perfectly cooked so the juice is
packed with flavor, and so much
more await those who go to the
Skillet.
If you want to, head
over to the arcade across the hall
before you head in. If you go up
on a Saturday or Sunday early
enough, you’ll get to indulge in
an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with all the fixings. You can
go up with a couple of friends
and enjoy a nice lunch, or you
can take that special someone up
there for an absolutely delectable
dinner.
Graduate Paul Kerr
says, “They have very good food
there, but I prefer the breakfast
buffet.”
Personally, I enjoy the
lunch and dinner buffets. They
even have shrimp on ice with
amazingly zesty cocktail sauce.
The pasta there is light, creamy,
decadent, and bursting with flavor. The steak is so juicy, you
can watch the flavors run on
your skillet shaped plate.
Overall, I would rate
this a 10 out of 10. It’s friendly,
the food’s amazing, and there’s
an arcade to play in if you get
bored. Check it out!
Wanna Be More Than Just Friends?
Jackie Eury
KnightLife Junior Class Editor
Goofy love, awkward
moments, and hilarious sibling
rivalry scenes make up Just
Friends. This romantic comedy
is perfect for any fans of Ryan
Reynolds or Anna Faris. The
movie is all about taking a
chance and being who you are.
That, of course, isn’t how the
film starts out.
Chris
Brander
(Reynolds) is in love with his
best friend, Jamie Palamino
(Smart). She, being the popular
cheerleader, thinks of him as the
brother she never had. He, the
retainer-wearing loser, wants to
take their ‘BFF’ relationship to
another level.
After an embarrassing
rejection, Chris leaves town. In
the next ten years he becomes a
successful, attractive music man-
ager in Los Angeles. His personality has undergone drastic
changes as well.
In the movie, Chris is
told to cater to singing sensation
and ex-girlfriend Samantha
Jones (Faris), who has a psychotic streak in her. When their
plane crashes in New Jersey, he
finds himself back in the place
he wanted to forget most. There,
he bumps into Jamie, and this
time decides he wants to be more
than “Just Friends.”
I recommend this
movie to any lovers of comedy
who need a good laugh. This
film contains everything and is
likely to entertain all different
kinds of groups. I give this
movie a 5 out of 5 stars.
Top 5 Romantic Comedies
1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
2. What Women Want
3. Hitch
4. Pretty Woman
5. There’s Something About Mary
Page 8
New Technology:Apple iPod
Winter Wenner
KnightLife Staff Writer
Apple has launched
their newest iPod, the nano-chromatic!
What’s new?
They now come in silver, black, purple, blue, green,
yellow, orange, red and pink.
The screen’s also longer, and the
sides are curved.
You can shake your
iPod to shuffle to a new song in
your library. You can turn your
iPod to see your album artwork.
The new genius feature goes
through your iTunes library and
creates a playlist of songs that
sound amazing together.
You can play games
Freshmen Presidential Duo
Volume XXIV
using
iPod
nano’s
new
‘accelerometer.’ You can play
games on your iPod like never
before by tilting and moving it.
You can also turn your
iPod to the side to see your photos in landscape view. Now you
can press the center button to
browse by album and artist
instead of going all the way back
to menu. Hold your iPod’s center button down to add a song,
album, or artist to your On-TheGo playlist. You can turn your
iPod sideways to watch movies
and TV shows in widescreen on
iPod’s high- resolution screen.
The new nanos also come in two
sizes, 8GB and 16GB.
V
i
s
i
t
http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/
for more information.
Mrs. Scott’s wellness
classes were asked to
draw pictures of different
ways to “Stay Fit” and
heathy. Some included
not smoking, exercising
daily, and other healthy
and important values of
everyday life.
Marissa Moosic and Kristen Boyle
KnightLife Staff Writers
Did you know that there
was once a tie for mayor of
Harvey’s Lake, and the new
mayor was decided by flipping a
coin?! Well, a similar event took
place in this year’s freshmen
class elections.
Instead of chancing the
title and responsibility of class
president on sheer luck, the two
tied candidates will instead lead
their class as co-presidents. This
is the first time in Lake-Lehman
history that there has been a
freshmen co-presidency.
The new presidents,
Bryan Carter and Hunter Root,
will have to put aside their campaign rivalry and work together
as partners.
When asked how it felt
being co-presidents, Hunter and
Bryan replied that it was surprising and great. They plan on listening to any student’s suggestions and contributing some
ideas of their own as well.
The first goal Bryan
Carter plans on reaching is reinstating the freshmen semi-formal. Hunter plans on trying to
relocate the refreshment break
Seniors!
Issue 1
snack cart. Hopefully, with these
two very different minds put
together, creative and useful
solutions will be made for a great
freshmen year.
A productive student
body cannot be led by just two
presidents. They need all the
help, opinions, and support of
their fellow officers. These
elected individuals include Vice
President Nina Jones, Treasurer
Matt Gorski, and Secretary Mike
Kiwak. They each gave a speech
to the freshmen class persuading
their classmates to vote for them,
and now that they’ve been elected, everyone is excited to get
started.
Nina says, “It feels very
good to know that my classmates
believe in me; it feels great to be
Vice President.”
Everyone agreed that
they are open to any suggestion
brought to them. In comparison,
each freshmen official is very
different than the next. Whether
it is his or her personality, interests, or participation in after
school activities such as band or
sports, all seem to be dedicated
and willing to work hard. With
these students leading the way,
the freshmen class better get
ready for an interesting year!
Juniors!
President: Neil Popko
President: Mariah Raspen
Vice President: Josh Perry
Vice President: Kate Williams
Treasurer: John Sweeney
Treasurer: Brittany Austin
Secretary: Bryan Poepperling
Secretary: Thereasa Restaino
Sophomores! Freshmen!
Vice President: Claire Sesson
Presidents: Bryan Carter and
Hunter Root
Vice President: Nina Jones
Treasurer: Brian Murphy
Treasurer: Matt Gorski
Secretary: Chad Carey
Secretary: Mike Kiwak
President: Erin Hohol
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Page 9
Time to Play Dodgeball!
Team Names and Warriors
Trixxxterzz
Meghan Paulson
Chelsey Stiles
Roxanne Erdman
Amanda Waligun
Katie O’Neil
Katelynn Bronson
Kylee Kaminstein
Inferno
Sarah Leskowsky
Danielle Miller
Nicole Melnick
Jill Cawley
Theresa Restaino
Anne Wallo
Kim Hozlock
Head Shot
Byran Poepperling
Jimmy Dalkewicz
Bobby Peron
TJ Brandt
Brad Kabosky
Zach Lofthouse
RJ Dante
Striped Bass
Roger Jayne
Scott Hizny
Vince Johnstone
Keith Roberts
Katee Peleschi
Jaime Wesley
Adam Harry
Ball Snatchers
Erica Johnson
Annie Van Scoy
Leigh Hillman
Pat Moss
Adam Holena
Greg Josuweit
Chris Prater
Baconators
Ryan Davis
Tony Walsh
Brett Steele
Alex Chinikaylo
David Chinikaylo
Joe Eddy
Casey Robbins
Dome Shotz
Ryan Murphy
Zach Yursha
Selena Adamshik
Chad Carey
Brandon Roberts
Kyle Wesley
Joe Faux
Dominators
Tyler Calkins
Shane Stark
Kyle Casterline
Zach Gruver
Adam Buzinus
Cody Komrowski
Pickett’s Charge
Christie Simoson
Leanne Grabski
Kody Sutliff
Natasha Udzella
Andrea Butchko
Brooke Matza
Raging Dragon Face
Machine
Kyle Farrel
Josh Perry
Eoin Ellis
Greg Grobleski
Matt Boyle
Cameron Pall
James Morrissey
French Toast Stix
Alycia Fowler
Katelyn Dawsey
Casey Dawes
Ellen Matza
Shane Grady
Codie Dawes
Dylan Dunn
Influence
Nick Hennebaul
Lindsey Wargo
Matt Taylor
Neil Popko
Jesse Jayne
Doug Sprau
W.W.C.D.
Caitlyn Gashi
Kianna Spencer
Leigh Anne Knauer
Sarah Hauze
Gabi Henry
Steph Brown
Tiff Oplinger
Global Gym
Kevin Cope
Richard Malinowski
Jeff Heath
Josh Everett
Bryan Mathers
T.J. Pearson
Dodgeball Sign
A team warming up
The Winning Team
was....
CRAW DAD’S
TJ Stepanski
Mike Eckman
Nate Volkel
Josh Brucher
Rob Perry
Cody Lamoreaux
Aaron Setzer
Another Dodgeball Team
More Dodgeball Pictures Pg 15
Page 10
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Issue 1 Volume XXIV
Page 11
When the Knights Go Marching In...
A Valiant Homecoming For Our Knights
Allie Kachapuridze &
DeFranco
KnightLife Copy Editors
Avery
Every
year
LakeLehman celebrates homecoming
with many festive activities such
as the pep rally, the dance, the
parade, and of course, the football
game. This year a carnival was
added to the mix. All of these
activities got everyone’s spirits
high and made a boring Saturday
in October a lot more fun. This
year’s theme for homecoming
was “Countries of the World”,
and all of the Lake-Lehman students represented it wonderfully.
The first event was
Friday’s pep rally where there
was a dance off, tons of cheers,
and the introduction of the homecoming court. The cheerleaders
did some dances and tried to get
everyone’s spirits high with
cheers like “We Are LakeLehman”, “LLHS”, and “When I
Say Lake”. There was a dance off
between members of each grade
to the song “Lolli Lolli (Pop That
Body)” by Three Six Mafia.
The 12 members of the
homecoming court were introduced in couples, wearing each
other’s clothes. The six nominated girls were: Gabi Dragon,
Kelsey Amy, Rachel Litchman,
LeeAnn Grabski, Jaime Wesley
and Chirstie Simoson. The six
nominated boys were: David
Heller, Cody Lameroux, TJ
Stepanski, Josh Brucher, Roger
Jayne, and Nate Volkel.
The
Homecoming
Dance was Friday night. It featured foods from all over the
world including fortune cookies,
mini hotdogs, and tiramisu. Cody
Lameroux was announced homecoming king, and students got
their groove on to music by DJ
Officer Young.
Hannah Smith, a freshman who attended the dance on
Friday night, spoke about her
experience at the dance. “ The
food was very good, and it was
interesting to see all the different
kinds they had. The decorations
were neat because they had all
different things from all the different countries. The tables and
centerpieces were amazing. We
also had our pictures taken by
Photography by Andy, and they
came out great. The DJ was
good; a lot of people who went
were dancing, which was unusual, because people don’t normally
dance. Overall I had fun, and it
was a very good time!”
Saturday morning was the newly added
Homecoming Carnival.
The
Carnival featured students, faculty, and parents vending different
foods, drinks, crafts, and games.
The freshman had a stand selling
popcorn and lollipops. The juniors were selling candy apples
with all sorts of delicious toppings to add. Lake-Noxen elementary sold cotton candy, and
the mini football and cheerleading squad sold old uniforms, as
well as a raffle to win a fivepound Hershey’s Chocolate Bar.
The KnightLife members sold
baked goods, and the LLHS
Cheerleaders raffled off homemade baskets. There was an air
bounce, a dunk tank, cow plop
bingo, and much more.
Every year the school
has a parade that starts at the
Lehman-Jackson
Elementary
School and finishes at the high
school. With the theme being
Countries of the World, students
from each grade dressed in traditional styles from other countries.
The seniors made an
Antarctic-themed float complete
with snowballs and fake snow.
The LLHS cheerleaders had a
castle-themed float complete with
princesses. The B and C squad
cheerleaders decorated trucks
with black and gold painted banners. The juniors, sophomores,
and freshman all had extremely
decorated banners. The juniors
took Jamaica by storm, with a
“Cool Runnings” theme. The
Sophomores of the World dressed
as different countries including:
Japan, Spain, America, France,
Tahiti, and Holland. They even
constructed their own Paper
Mache globe, which was carried
by sophomore class secretary,
Chad Carey. The freshmen also
got into the parade spirit by dressing as all different countries and
walking with their homemade
banner. The senior class won
Best Float. The members of this
year’s homecoming court (as well
as last years king and queen), all
rode in stylish cars. The parade
ended at the football field with
applause from spectators.
The football game started with a tribute to Justine
Martin, who would have been a
senior this year. This was a
touching moment for members of
the audience, as they remembered
the sweet girl Lake Lehman lost
just last year. Gabi Dragon was
then announced Homecoming
queen.
Lake-Lehman won the
game in a landslide shutout.
Cody Komrowski scored five
touchdowns, TJ Stepanski scored
one, and Scott Hizny scored the
final touchdown. Zack Yursha
proved to be the kind of kicker
that the team needed to be victorious.
The final score was 52-0
in Lehman’s favor. The crowd
celebrated as Lehman’s victory
kept them undefeated. Overall,
homecoming was a fun time celebrated by everyone.
Pictures of Homecoming Pep-Rally, Parade, and Game!
Football players walk the line after a play
was completed.
Lake-Lehman Cheerleaders cheering on
the Black Knights.
Cheering the Knights on.
Another beautiful tackle by LakeLehman.
Josh Lubin showing off some of
his his moves.
A valiant tackle for team.
Cheerleaders wait to perform
at the Homecoming pep-rally.
Footlball players sit on bench
anxious to get in the game.
The class of 2011 holds up their banner during the
Homecoming parade.
The score reads 13-0, Knights winning in the second quarter.
Spreading the spirit
Katelyn Dawsey
KnightLife Staff Writer
The Lake-Lehman varsity cheerleaders visited the elementary schools to pump up the
kids for the homecoming festivities.
During the 2 weeks
before the homecoming game, the
varsity cheerleaders visited Ross
Elementary and Lehman-Jackson
Elementary to promote school
spirit. At each school they held
pep rallies, hoping to increase the
students’ spirit and to have some
fun. They performed dances and
stunts that the kids really enjoyed
watching. To get them involved,
they performed cheers and a sideline dance with some of the C and
B squad cheerleaders. They also
did a few common cheers that the
children could yell along with.
“The kids really seemed
to be enjoying themselves,” said
Alycia Fowler, a junior on the
team.
Towards the end of these
pep rallies mini footballs were
thrown, which the kids went wild
for. The cheerleaders said this
was definitely a good idea to
pump the kids up and get them
more involved with high school
activities.
“I think the elementary
schools feel out of the loop, like
they’re not part of Lake-Lehman.
But this really showed them that
we’re one big school and everyone is included, even the elementary kids,” said Amanda Juckett,
another junior on the team.
The pep rallies were also
held to persuade the kids to come
and enjoy the array of festivities
for homecoming, and also to
attend the game itself. But did it
work?
“My friends and I decided to come! The pep rally was
fun!” said Ian Dawsey, a fourth
grader at Lehman-Jackson.
Though the cheerleaders
didn’t get to Lehman’s third elementary school, Lake-Noxen,
they hope that they can get to all
three schools to have a pep rally
next year.
“We definitely want to
do this again. It was great for the
kids and they really loved it.
Next year we’ll hopefully get
Lake-Noxen involved too,” said
Kirsten Litchman, a junior on the
team.
Many of the kids did, in
fact, come and enjoy the homecoming festivities. There isn’t a
better way to get everyone
involved than to spread the spirit
to all of the students, which is
exactly what the varsity cheerleaders had hoped to accomplish
with the pep rallies.
Jill Franklin performs a magnificent split for the
crowd at the pep-rally.
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Page 12
Takin’ a Break in the Hallway
Great Where it’s at...
Dan Herrick
KnightLife Staff Writer
As everyone in the high
school knows, the refreshment
snack cart is at the very end of
the 300 hall this year. The placement of the cart slows the flow
of student traffic getting past the
intersection of the 300 and 100
halls. Students get annoyed
because of the halt that everyone
experiences trying to get past
that particular point in the hallway.
You may have asked
yourself or friends, “Why is the
cart there? Couldn’t they have
put it somewhere else?” The
answer to that question is no,
they couldn’t have put it somewhere else. The refreshment cart,
although a nuisance to get past,
is in the exact spot it should be to
get the snacks sold. If you’re
still wondering why it is there,
ask yourself, “Do I walk pass it
everyday?” Maybe you do, or
maybe you don’t. If you do, do
you suddenly think, “Hey, I wish
I had a buck right now so I could
get something to eat”? I know
that I have.
Mr. Morgan has tried
various points throughout the
halls over the years since he has
been selling snacks off of his
cart. At one point, there was a
cart selling snacks in the cafeteria. As great a place as the cafeteria is to be selling some extra
snacks between breakfast and
lunch, it just isn’t a place in the
school that gets as much student
traffic going through it. Even at
the end of the 400 hall, it is a
high traffic area, but if you are
coming from the 200 hall, and
going to the 300 hall, it isn’t very
convenient. Almost everyone
has to walk past the 300 hallway
to get to their locker or to get to
their next class.
Although it is a roadblock in everyone’s daily routine, the refreshment cart should
not be blamed for creating a
block in the very busy halls. If
anything or anyone should be
blamed, it should be the students
who have their lockers right
there at the intersection of the
100 and 300 hallway. By staying
at their lockers for such a long
time, they create the same
amount of blockage as that of the
refreshment cart. When you
combine the refreshment cart
with the students at their lockers,
you get a complete standstill.
I’m sure that the students who
have lockers right there think
that they got lucky with the
placement of their lockers, but in
fact, it is worst place to have a
row of lockers.
Those of you who were
here last year and even in the
previous years, try to recall how
quickly you could get through
the halls. There were no sudden
stops or standstills. We have
been getting greater numbers of
students in the classes throughout the years. Even up until last
year, you could get through the
halls with relative ease. The
intersection of the 100 and 300
halls has always been a little
tricky to get past, but until this
year, it was manageable. Now, it
really doesn’t matter what period
it is, the hall still gets blocked up
because students are at their
lockers on both sides of the hall.
I don’t remember passing seniors on the side of the hall
opposite from the side the library
and Miss Cave’s room is on.
Only near Mrs. Wolfe’s room
were there ever seniors on both
sides of the hall. Now there are
sophomores and freshmen on
both sides of the 100 hall, and
that is what gets the hall blocked
up. It is not the refreshment cart
and Mr. Morgan’s fault. It is the
students who are constantly at
their lockers.
In case anyone has forgotten, or doesn’t know, the
refreshment cart sells candy and
snack foods to help fund the senior class trip to Washington D.C.
As a junior this year, and a senior
next year, I know that I would
like the refreshment cart where it
is so that I don’t have to pay
quite so much for my senior
class trip. A trip to Washington
D.C. is very expensive for high
school students, and I will take
all the breaks I can from paying
full price on a trip like that. I
would even put up with being
late to class a couple times
throughout the year (as long as I
don’t get detention) so that my
class trip isn’t as costly as it
would be without a great idea
such as a refreshment cart to
raise funds.
Crowded hallways cause problems due to the current refreshment break cart placement.
Mr. Morgan and Mr. Kerkowski setting up the refreshment break stand
before the 4th period bell
Nothin’ but Problems
Tyler Calkins
KnightLife Staff Writer
It’s that time of year
again. That’s right, school is
officially here and well underway. With all of the hustle and
bustle of our everyday lives, the
last thing we need are those little
difficulties that seem to occur on
an everyday basis. There are
certain expectations that are
placed on us by the school and
its staff. We are students, and
we are used to it.
Something
every
teacher hates is tardiness; students are supposed to be responsible. It wasn’t hard to get to
class on time in the past. Now
however, it is a real problem.
Everyone knows about it; it’s not
a secret. For whatever reason,
Refreshment Break was moved
to the time in between third and
fourth period. The snack cart is
placed at its convenient location,
right at the intersection of the
100
and
300
hallways.
Unfortunately, there have been
some difficulties as a result of
this. We’ve had refreshments for
years now, so what is the big
problem?
The fact is, the seniors
are no longer in their designated
hallway. This, combined with
the location of the carts, has created a total gridlock of the hallway intersection. Students buying snacks are lined up in a massive group, there are students on
either side at lockers, and the
snack carts themselves take up
space. No one can move. As a
result, people are ridiculously
late to class, and the hallway
intersection has transformed
itself into the survival of the
fittest. Whoever can push and
shove gets where they’re going.
Everybody else, on the hand, is
stuck standing still in the middle
of the hallway.
The snack cart is
designed to raise money for the
senior class and their annual trip
to Washington. It is definitely a
worthy cause. The problem is
the location. On paper it seems
like a great idea because of the
convenience of the hallways, but
it is a nuisance for students trying to get to class, as well as the
teachers marking them late.
When asked his opinion
on the traffic jam, Shane Stark
said: “It’s stupid. The main problem is the snack carts. If the
teachers want to sell snacks, they
should do it somewhere else. I
mean it’s a good idea, I’ve
bought snacks there before, but
put the thing up near the library
or someplace where there are
less people.”
Shane pretty much
sums it up. Students are fed up.
It is unnecessary too. If the cart
gets a better location, perhaps all
of the mayhem will settle down.
Until then however, it will continue. The flow of traffic will
stop, making it a total standstill
in the hall. As stated, it is a great
idea, but it just needs some
adjustments.
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Page 13
An Editorial : Some
Foresight for 4Sight Testing
Donald Searfoss
KnightLife Layout Editor
4sight testing, everyone
knows what it is. Every student
at Lake-Lehman High School
has taken them at some point by
now, and most do not like them.
They feel that the tests are a
pointless waste of time, and they
may be more right than they
know.
The 4sight test is
designed to help students prepare
for and do well on the PSSA
tests. Though the PSSA test
scores transfer over to our transcripts for college, they take up
valuable class time in which the
student needs to learn the subjects on the test. Also, a student
may have a great knowledge of
language, but when it comes to
tests, they do not do so well.
Because of their poor test taking
skills, their PSSA scores may not
be as high, therefore they do not
get the AP English course they
wanted. Instead, they get stuck in
Remedial English.
It is merely a way for
the state to assess how well the
school is teaching its students.
The test’s name says that for
itself.
PSSA stands for
Pennsylvania System of School
Assessment.
The problem with all of
this is, as stated before, none of
this helps the student at all.
Instead of focusing on the
PSSA’s, which mainly help the
school, the school should focus
more on the SAT’s, which have
been proven to have a direct link
with where a student will go
after they leave high school. It
helps them get into college and
can even get them scholarships
to help reduce the heavy burden
of college tuition. Most people
would say that that helps the student a bit more than doing the
tests.
Another problem with
the 4sight testing is that it occurs
four times within the school year
for each type of test. Where does
the school find the time to have
all the students take these tests?
Well, they take it out of their
class time. The students take the
4sight tests when they should be
in class; maybe that’s why the
classes that the school is offering
may not seem to be teaching all
that they are supposed to. By
taking students out of their classes to take these tests, they are not
allowing the teachers to teach
everything that they are supposed to, and the students are not
learning everything they are supposed to be learning in order to
be successful on the PSSAs and
SATs; therefore, they need things
like the 4sight tests in order to
prepare for them. In short,
maybe if the schools did away
with the 4sight tests, the PSSA
test scores would increase.
The final problem with
the 4sight tests is that even
though they help the students
prepare for the PSSAs, they
should be worried about the
SAT’s more than the PSSA’s.
Each quarter, the students take
the 4sight tests, but what the
school may not realize is that
each quarter, the tests are all the
same. The math questions are all
the same type of problem for
each open ended question; there
is one multi-part problem dedicated to combinations, and there
is one multi-part problem dedicated to graphing and solving
inequalities. The entire test for
the reading section is the same
each time; there is a story about
some musician, there is a poem
about the moon, a report about
how rockets work and landing on
the moon, and a set of questions
comparing the poem and the
report, and it is pretty much the
same for each other type of test.
It would be very easy for a student to memorize the questions
and fly through the 4sight test
without learning anything other
than how to cheat. The student
zips through the test and has a
free period to himself where
he/she and the other students
should be in their classes learning.
In conclusion, the
4sight test really does help the
student; it mostly benefits the
school. It takes students out of
their classes and is relatively
easy to do well on without actually learning anything. Though it
aids students in preparation for
the PSSAs, the school should
really be worried about preparing the students for the SATs.
Travel Agent: The Career
Behind the Counter
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Rebecca Rosser
KnightLife
Freshmen
Editor
Class
When we want to book
a vacation, some of us go immediately to the Internet. But some
of us prefer to talk to an actual
person, and the place to go is a
travel agency. One of the biggest
travel agencies is AAA. Senior
Retail Agent, Carol Rosser, of
AAA Mid-Atlantic, has been in
the business of vacations for
over 20 years. She answered several questions about her work
and “the career behind the counter”.
When did you know you wanted to become a travel agent?
When I was in college I was
offered an opportunity to study
the business at a specialized
school. I knew right then that I
had a passion for travel. I also
wanted to help people plan their
vacations. I had to go to Florida
for 6 weeks for that schooling,
but today Luzerne County
Community College offers that
same type of course.
What is travel school all
about?
We learned our geography and
about climate/ destinations. We
also learned how to make reservations for airline travel, trains,
hotels, etc. We learned how to
act professional in the business
environment. The greatest part of
that experience, to me, was being
Walt Disney World,
Orlando, Florida
in Florida so we could visit close
attractions (like Walt Disney
World) to get first-hand knowledge of the rides and entertainment. These outings are called
“fam trips” or familiarization
trips. The industry uses this technique so travel agents can more
easily sell trips to the places
they’ve already been.
What is a typical day for a
travel agent like? What kinds
of work do you do?
Most of our work consists of
answering phone calls from
clients and vendors, researching
destination quotes, which are the
pricings of vacations, and
requesting and stocking of materials, such as brochures
and maps. We also do
Trip-Tiks, or individual
map routings at AAA. I
make hotel and car rental
reservations and am
involved in customer
service. We have to keep
up with the ever-changing details of our industry, too.
Hawaii, and Walt Disney World.
European Vacations are still popular, even though the Euro’s
exchange rate is not so good
right now.
As a travel agent, where are
your favorite destinations? I
like historical places such as
Williamsburg, Virginia and
Washington DC, or maybe San
Juan, Puerto Rico. I recently visited a place known as the
Octagon House in Watertown,
Wisconsin that was featured on
the Travel Channel. I also like
beaches, like Ocean City,
Maryland and Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina.
How do
t r a v e l
agents stay
up to date
in
their
business?
We
have
constant
training
going on;
vendors will
refresh our
How do sites on the
skills when
Internet
such
as
they roll out
Travelocity
and
new ideas,
Hotwire.com affect the
and we take
business of a travel
a certificaagent?
tion
test
We use the Internet all
through an
day long, in research, and
organization
we were afraid at first
c a l l e d
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
that these sites would
IATA,
or
take away some of our business,
International Association of
but they are actually helping us.
Travel Agents. Our company
Some sites may have what seem
also gives us training on computto be bargains, but they may not
er and phone skills.
always be what the client needs.
Clients have come to us to douWhat is the advice you would
ble check things with us because
give aspiring young travel
they may not trust these sites,
agents?
and we can help them sort out
I would recommend you take as
the best deals. That’s what we’re
many opportunities for travel as
trained to do.
you can. Pay special attention to
the smallest of details. If you are
What are some of the popular
a quick learner, like people, and
places people go on vacation?
love going places, this is a career
Right now, Caribbean cruises,
choice for you.
tours of Alaska for 2009, maybe
Page 14
Top 10 Outdoor
Vacation Spots in the
United States
1. Grand Canyon
2. Appalachian Trail
3. El Capitan,
Yosemite National
Park
Grand Canyon
4.
MendenhallGlacier,
Juneau, Alaska
Yosemite
National Park
5. North Woods,
Ossipee River, Maine
6. Bondary Waters, Minnesota
7. Wind River Range, Wyoming
8. Hiking
the
Narrows in
Zion
National
Park
Zion National Park
9. Tree Climbing
in Atlanta
10. National
Forest, California
Appalchian Trail
London Bridge
Niagra Falls
Want More Pictures? Dodgeball
and Homecoming Pictures cont’d...
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Page 15
A group of the Homecoming King and Queen contestants at
the pep-rally.
One dodgeball team waits for the signal to go and
begin the match!
Team members await eagerly to knock the
other team’s players out.
Intense moments at the football game.
The Trixxxterzz wait anxiously against the wall.
One group of students built a float for the Homecoming
parade.
One dodgeball team huddles to plan out their game plan.
Gabrielle Dragon, Lake-Lehman’s 08-09 Homecoming
Queen
Craw Dad’s take their winning photo.
Page 16
Volume XXIV
Medical Awareness
Sleeping Your Life Away? Want to Wake Up?
Learn More About Mono.
Rebecca Farrell
KnightLife Sophomore Class
Editor
Have you ever wondered why some students end up
missing weeks of school without
any obvious symptoms of being
sick? The term “Mono” comes
to a lot of minds when related to
students being tired and missing
a lot of school. But, the question
that is raised is, what exactly is
Mono?
Mononucleosis (or as
most people call it, Mono or the
Kissing Disease) is an infection
caused by the Epstein-Barr virus,
or EBV.
Epstein-Barr virus is a
member of the herpes virus family. EBV causes mono 35 to 50%
of the time. EBV can lead to two
serious types of cancer:
Lymphoma and nasopharyngeal
carcinoma. Lymphoma occurs
when a person’s immune system
cannot
function
properly.
Nasopharyngeal
carcinoma
occurs in the nasopharynx,
which is located behind your
nose and above the back of your
throat. Infectious mononucleosis
is an acute, self-limiting disease.
In other words, Mono is a sharp
or severe disease that limits
itself. The disease is most common among young adults
between the ages of 12 and 25
years.
Mono is usually mild,
but occasionally can be incredibly severe. Rarely is it accompanied by serious complications. It
is believed that it is transmitted
by direct intimate contact. It can
also be transmitted by sharing
drinks or chapstick with other
people. Doctors typically ask
questions about things you may
have come into contact with or
even if you have a boyfriend or
girlfriend. They may also run
blood tests to be positive that
you have come in contact with
the disease.
Upon
becoming
exposed to mono, the period of
time that it lasts is usually 2 to 6
weeks. The main syptom of
Mono is usually fatigue, and
sleeping is what students associate with Mono most often. Some
other sypoms may occur anywhere from 10 days to 6 weeks
following exposure. Symptoms
vary in type, severity, and duration. Some symptoms are sore
throat, fever, fatigue, no desire to
eat, and lack of energy. A skin
rash can occur in some cases.
One common but rare concern is
the enlargement of the spleen,
which could cause a rupture.
Mononucleosis has no
specific treatment. Common
symptoms are treated with other
common remedies such as
Aspirin and bed rest. Doctors
also recommend that the patient
drink
plenty
of
fluids.
Antibiotics will be of no help in
the
process
of
healing.
Antibiotics cannot treat viruses.
One helpful tip is knowing
whom you are sharing your drink
with. If you think you have
symptoms of mono, call your
doctor right away and schedule
an appointment. Your health is
important.
Sources:
Nursing Care of Infants and
Children Whaley and Wong
www.familydoctor.org
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm
http://www.healthscout.com/ency/6
8/44/main.html#DefinitionofEpstein
-BarrVirus
http://www.healthscout.com/ency/6
8/304/main.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/n
asopharyngeal-carcinoma/DS00756
If you have a medical ailment
that you believe should be featured in the KnightLife, drop off
suggestions in the newspaper
room located in room 104.
Burning Your Largest Organ
Casey Dawes
KnightLife Staff Writer
Did you know that your
skin is technically the largest
organ of your body? Did you
know that stepping outside for
just five minutes damages this
vital organ? Though your skin
may not seem like an organ or
may not seem that sensitive, in
all reality, is even more fragile
than you think.
To keep up with today’s
fashions and fads, people are
doing things to themselves that
may be harmful. To look great,
many people think that they need
to be tan; darker skin just looks
better. However, getting darker
can damage your skin.
Sunburn is when you
expose your skin to too much
ultraviolet radiation, or sunlight.
It literally burns your skin.
Sunburn has many causes,
including going to the beach and
working outside. All of these fun
outdoor activities will cause you
to be subject to the sun for long
periods of time. If these periods
of time extend for too long, then
you will get sunburned. You can
also become sunburned from
things that stimulate the sun’s
U.V. rays, such as tanning beds.
Some people get burned
faster than others, staying outside for a short while and already
looking as red as a lobster.
Others can stay outside all day
and look tan immediately, not
experiencing any of the unsatisfactory side effects that sunburn
brings. Sunburn may make
somebody unable to move on
account of the pain, and it is definitely uncomfortable for days
after. Although it is uncommon,
sun poisoning can be fatal.
Repeated sunburn can lead to
skin cancer, so anybody who
goes to tanning beds ritually for
all of their lives are more susceptible to develop skin problems.
Everyone at some point
or another will be sunburned. If
we all have felt the consequences
of a raw burn, we wouldn’t want
to go through it again. There are
many ways to prevent sunburn.
Since avoiding the sun isn’t
practical, accessories are made to
help protect your skin. Hats with
wide brims can provide shade for
your head and neck. Longsleeved shirts and pants can be
used to cover the rest of your
body.
For people who dress
lighter, sun block is the way to
go. To ensure the best protection
from a sunburn, buy a sunscreen
that has a higher Sun Protection
Factor (SPF). The lowest SPF
amount recommended is 30.
One is supposed to take the SPF
number and multiply it by the
amount of time it takes for their
unprotected skin to burn. The
product is the time your skin will
be protected when wearing the
sunscreen. However, this time
fluctuates, because people do not
put on enough sunscreen; they
forget to reapply. You should
cover your skin with generous
amounts of sunscreen and
remember to apply it again after
activities like swimming or
sweating.
Also, tanning beds are
the worst way to try and get a
tan. They should be avoided
altogether, because a lot of tanning salons make false claims
about their safety. The Food and
Drug Administration stated that
many of the safety claims are
untrue; they are just trying to
make people think that it is safe
to tan in a simulated environment. If you want to get tan,
local pharmacies and most stores
have agents that will give you a
darker look. There are always
safer alternatives with no harmful side effects.
So remember, sunburn
can really hurt you in the long
run, and to get that beautiful tan,
use safer ways instead of tanning
beds. If you are outside for a
long period of time, apply a generous amount of sunscreen.
Although it may seem like an
annoyance, it can protect your
skin from serious harm.
Sources:
www.medicalnewstoday.com
Volume XXIV
A Call from College
Issue 1
Delilah VanGorder
KnightLife Staff Writer
Interested in going to
college? Well let’s see what one
of Lehman’s own graduates has
to say about it.
Erik Sandstrom now attends
Misericordia University. Here
are his honest answers to the following questions about college.
From where did you graduate?
And where do you attend college
now?
I graduated ninth in
my class from LakeLehman with a GPA
of 3.9. I now attend
Misercordia
University.
What is your major,
and why?
I am majoring in
biology, because I
hope to become a
veterinarian.
What do you like the most about
your college?
There is more freedom. You have
to rely on yourself and on your
own time to get things done,
which you have to get used to.
What thing do you dislike the
most about your college?
It takes a lot of work. At first it’s
a big change to be switching
environments and being surrounded by people you don’t
know, but you have to get used to
that too.
If you could change anything
about it, would you?
I would definitely want less lab
work.
Is it harder than you expected? Is
it harder than high school?
Page 17
It is not more difficult than I
expected, but it takes a lot more
time. Yes, it is a lot harder than
high school and a lot different.
decent grades. They look at SAT
scores, as well as possible essays
you have written for your application.
What is your favorite part?
There is better cafeteria food.
Are you involved in any extra
curricular activities?
I recently joined the Bio and PreProfessional
Club
for
Veterinarians and Doctors. Next
year, after I have adjusted to college life, I would like to join
cross country and track.
What is your least favorite part?
Still having to live at home.
How does MU compare to other
colleges you know of?
It’s better than some that I know
of, but it’s obviously not the
absolute best I could be attending.
What does it take to get accepted?
They like to know that you have
been active in your high school
community and that you have
Are you glad that you chose to
attend college?
Yes. Definitely.
Thank you Eric for your participation. It was greatly
apprecieated by the
KnightLife Staff.
spooktacular Jokes
Why did the vampire go to the
orthodontist?
To improve his bite...
What do you get when you
cross a vampire and a snowman?
Frostbite...
Why do witches use brooms to
fly on?
Because vacuum cleaners are too
heavy...
How do witches keep their hair
in place while flying?
With scare spray...
What do you get when you
cross a werewolf and a vampire?
A fur coat that fangs around your
neck...
Because they don't have any
body to go out with.
What do ghosts add to their
morning cereal?
Booberries...
What is a vampire's favorite
sport?
Casketball...
Dead ends...
What does the papa ghost say
to his family when driving?
Fasten your sheet belts...
What is a vampire's favorite
What do birds give out on
Halloween night?
Tweets...
What would a monster's psychiatrist be called?
Shrinkenstein...
Do zombies eat popcorn with
their fingers?
No, they eat the fingers separately...
Why do mummies have trouble keeping friends?
They're so wrapped up in themselves...
Why don't skeletons ever go
out on the town?
What kind of streets do zombies like the best?
What does a vampire never
order at a restaurant?
A stake sandwich...
What is a skeleton's favorite
musical instrument?
A trombone...
What is a vampire's favorite
holiday?
Fangsgiving...
What do you call someone who
puts poison in a person's corn
flakes?
A cereal killer...
What is a ghoul's favorite flavor?
Lemon-slime...
Why do vampires need mouthwash?
They have bat breath...
mode of transportation?
A blood vessel...
What is a ghost's favorite
mode of transportation?
A scareplane...
What type of dog do vampire's
like the best?
Bloodhounds...
What's a vampire's favorite
fast food?
A guy with very high blood pressure...
Why did the Vampire subscribe to the KnightLife?
He heard it had great circulation...
What do skeletons say before
they begin dining?
Bone appetit...
Where do baby ghosts go during the day?
Dayscare centers...
Who did Frankenstein take to
the prom?
His ghoul friend...
What's a monster's favorite
play?
Romeo and Ghouliet...
What do you call a dead chicken that likes to scare people?
A poultrygiest...
What do you get when you
cross Bambi with a ghost?
Bamboo...
What kind of mistakes do
ghosts make?
Boo boos...
What kind of cereal do monsters eat?
Ghost-Toasties...
Page 18
Are You Ready for
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Halloween?
Top 10 Costumes
People:
1.Stewie:
Guy
Pets:
1. Superman
Family
2. Batman
2. Burger King
3. Yoda
3. Clown
4. Prisoner
4 . C a t h o l i c
Priest
5. Dracula
5.Security Guard
6. Hippie
6.Bull/Horse/Ostrich Rider
7. 50’s girl
8. Skeleton
7. Hot Dog
9.Army Grunt
8.Tourist
10. Devil
9. Popeye
1 0 . W h o o p i e
Cushion
Orange and Black?
Let’s Go Green!
1. Swap costumes. Host a get-together with other parents
and trade costumes and accessories your kids have outgrown.
2. Replace traditional paper party invitations with online
invites.
3. Make your own costumes by reusing items found
around the home, at local thrift stores, or at yard sales.
4. Walk the streets of your neighborhood, don't drive! The
exercise is heart-healthy and eco-friendly.
5. Avoid plastic trick-or-treat bags. Instead, decorate an
old pillowcase, tote bag, or canvas shopping bag.
6. Treat the kids to organic and fair-trade goodies.
7. Shop for locally grown holiday treats and decorate with
apples, pumpkins and gourds.
8. Find alternatives to candy treats. Try soy crayons or
packets of seeds that can be planted in the spring.
9. Fill your flashlight with rechargeable batteries instead
of conventional ones.
10. Host a pumpkin pie bakeoff -- a great way to use the
post-halloween pumpkins.
Halloween Fang Facts!
--Jerry Ayers of Baltimore, Ohio
has the record for the fastest
pumpkin carver at 37 seconds.
--More than 93% of children,
under the age of 12, will go out
trick-or-treating.
--About 50% of adults dress up
for Halloween, while 67% take
part in the activities, such as
parties, decorating the house,
and trick-or-treating with their
children.
--86% of Americans decorate
their house for Halloween.
--Halloween candy sales average about $2 billion annually in
the United States. It is the
largest candy-purchasing holiday, bigger than Christmas,
Easter and Valentine's Day!
--The first Halloween card was
made in the early 1920's. These
days, over 28 million Halloween
cards are sent each year. U.S.
consumers spend about $50 million on Halloween greetings.
--Over $1.5 billion is spent on
costumes each year and more
than $2.5 billion on other
Halloween paraphernalia.
--Yet another reason you should
be glad you weren't born a
pumpkin! About 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically are turned into jack-olanterns
--90% of parents admit to
sneaking goodies from their
kids' Halloween trick-or-treat
bags.
--Proof that some pet owners
should seek therapy!
Over 10% of pet owners dress
their pets in Halloween costumes.
The biggest pumpkin in the
world tipped the scales at a
whopping 1,446 pounds.
Source:
http://www.iparty.com/halloween/halloween_fun_facts.asp
Volume XXIV
Issue 1
Page 19
Puzzle Page
Optical Illusions
Sudoku
2
9
1
4
3
8
6
4
6
3
2
5
4
9
Are the lines parallel or sloping?
6
2
3
8
Count the black dots.....
Do you see
a musician or a
woman’s
face?
Is the left center circle
bigger or smaller than
the right?
How many
legs does
the elephant
have?
7
1
9
1
Halloween!
5
Y
R
E
T
E
M
E
C
F
F
9
H
F
J
G
Y
P
R
L
Z
V
T M N U L P N
C U Z I O W G
Q T V T E C H
K E I R Q E O
D O E W R M S
N W J I J D T
O Q P B Y J K
N M H O D C G
A N B L O O D
T A Y M M U M
BLOOD
CEMETERY
COFFIN
DEVIL
GHOST
MUMMY
POTION
VAMPIRE
WEREWOLF
WITCH
S
A
Q
N
I
F
F
O
C
K
Are you excited when the KnightLife comes out, but sad when you don’t
have a copy? Now this problem won’t occur, because the KnightLife will now
have its own website!! The website will feature the issue(s) of the KnightLife
for the year 2008-2009 AND will also have blogs where you can post comments, suggestions, and even answer questions that will be posted there
daily. Not sure how to access it? You can get to the NEW KnightLife website by going to www.lake-lehman.k12.pa.us and clicking on student links.
There will be a link that will take you directly to the KnightLife homepage.
Be sure to read the issue when it comes out and check it out online!