LS News

2014 Record: 8-3 Returning Starters: 11 Biggest Question Mark: Coach John Manion -- the "dean of coaches" in the Lancaster-Lebanon League -- initially marked depth as an issue, but after a scrimmage against Manheim Township Manion sounded much more confident. The question mark will most likely be lack of experience, especially on the offensive line, as L-S currently has 28 sophomores on the team. Coach Manion is confident, but this is still a question mark through the first couple of games as these players become acquainted with varsity high school football. Most Important Game: The season opener at Hempfield will present the Pioneers with their biggest challenge. Not only is it the first game, but it was also one of the most tightly contested matches of 2014 and is on the road. With many factors going against the Pioneers, the season opener will be key indicator of future success or failure. Keys to Success: Bear Shank leads the offense and defense, essential

School has started again. That’s right, this week wasn’t a dream. And now that you’re staring the facts in the face and have to accept the attendant chaos you’re about to be subjected to for the next few months, you may as well be ready for it. And with the start of school comes cliches about turning over a new leaf … it truly is the best time of the year to start a good habit. So as follows, we introduce the LSNews.org list of good habits (and Cheap Tricks) for getting you through the school year (and understanding obscure references to rock bands). The first thing to remember is that gear is highly important. Have you been walking around with the same backpack since sixth grade? Do you suddenly feel that you’re terribly behind in fashion? Do you feel you have far too few books since you only have four classes? Then you’re probably fresh out of the middle school. For the rest of you, here’s a few tips. One, the binder is the heart of academic organization, and should be quite

In its first league match of the season, the girls' tennis team edged Cocalico 4-3 on Thursday. With a crowd of onlookers present to see the newly refurbished tennis courts, t he intensity of each and every player silenced the noise of the fans throughout the courts as the competition began.  The match began with doubles; sisters Taylor and Sarah Capoferri created a dynamic duo. The match was of equal skill level and a perfect competition for the sisters; they earned several points by the opponent’s inability to accurately return the ball. Together, they quickly won their first match with a score of 8 to 0. Of the three doubles matches that count towards the overall score, L-S won two. The competition of Cocalico was very well paired against the L-S team.  “I think that our players are doing a great job staying focused and working together,” senior Ashley Readinger says. While the remaining doubles matches continued, frustration grew -- the weather looked concerning. Lu

The second day of the 2015-16 school year brought a weightiness that was conspicuously absent on day one. Syllabuses having been distributed, class policies having been explained, learning was to begin. Fortunately for the weary students, a brief respite came in the morning for an assembly: one for freshman and sophomores, another for juniors and seniors. As loud students filed into the Performing Arts Center, phone screens' illumination coincided with the commencement of the presentation. Assistant Principal Mr. Benjamin Feeney -- whom fellow assistant principal Dr. Scott Rimmer announced would soon earn a doctorate himself -- opened the assembly, conversations largely dissipated. Mrs. Lefever, the cafeteria manager, drew raucous applause after her introduction; applause's vigor faded with each new presenter -- in fairness, food does generally interest students more than, say, policies on illegal absences. The final presenter was Dr. Rimmer, who gave a dissertation on upda

Fair Queen Fast Facts Name:  Sarah Rhineer Grade:  12th  Club:  Concert Band Escort:  Benjamin Eidemiller Favorite Fair Food:  Strawberry Milkshake Favorite Fair Thing:  Fair Queen Even new residents of Lancaster County know just how important the Lampeter Fair is to the area. The three-day fair is not only an expo of Lancaster County’s farming culture, but an event built on socializing, tradition, and good times, and it’s been like that for decades. Families have been coming to the fair for generations for this sense of fun and community. Sarah Rhineer is the Concert Band's nominee in the Fair Queen contest Sarah Rhineer, the L-S Concert Band’s Fair Queen Candidate,  typifies that longevity: her family has been coming to the Fair for years and whose great-great-grandparents sat on the committee that started the fair. And this is not her first literary connection to the fair. She can remember being interviewed by the newspaper when she was much younger for t

Nine hours. The time it would take for Michela (me-KAY-luh) Rodondi (ROE-dohn-dee) to travel to school at Lampeter-Strasburg. Michela Rodondi joins L-S as an exchange student from Italy That is, if she decided to travel from Italy every day. Fortunately for her, that is not the case. Rodondi has decided to take on the exciting challenge of going to school in a foreign country for one year. Her country: The United States. Her school: Lampeter-Strasburg High School. Departing her mother, father, and older brother, Michela arrived at the end of August to begin experiencing life in Lancaster. From joining the tennis team to registering for interesting classes such as Music Theory and Environmental Science, Michela is excited to try new things, do well in school, and make new friends -- all with a smile on her face. She is residing with the Vesey family in Willow Street. Rodondi is 17 and will be in 12th grade. As this would also be her last year of schooling in Italy, she w

Fair Queen Fast Facts Name:  Chelsea Hancock Grade:  12th Club:  Ski & Snowboard Club Escort:  Garrett Groshong Favorite Fair Food:  Fried Oreos Favorite Fair Place:  Cows Chelsea Hancock will represent the Ski & Snowboard Club in the Fair Queen contest Chelsea Hancock’s involvement with the Ski and Snowboard Club has been characterized by firsts: she is the club’s first female officer and now its first Fair Queen candidate. “Absolutely elated to be able to represent [the] club”, Hancock accepted the nomination when she learned that club advisor Mr. Jeff Landis longed to have a representative from the club. “I really hope that I’m a good first ski and snowboard representative -- a good Pioneer for the … club,” she says. “I have deep respect for our community, and to be chosen as the representative of our community would be an enormous honor.” In stark juxtaposition to several other candidates, the prospect of giving a speech excites Hancock, who says she e

Donning their scout uniforms and flanked by a member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Cole Crumpler and Kyle Johnson meticulously march down stairs that overlook the nation's capital, that stand next to the hallowed grounds where three unknown soldiers are interred in everlasting honor.  A sparse crowd watches with great attention as the trio comes to a precise halt. Crumpler and Johnson extend their arms to grasp the wreath, which another member of the "Old Guard" hands them. Together, they place it before the Tomb of the Unknowns as military personnel salute. They execute a crisp about face and issue the Scout Salute as the bugler sounds "Taps" with hair-raising vibrato.  At its conclusion, the pair completes another about face, again with precision that befits the future officers in the military they aspire to become, and they march back up the stairs. Enraptured onlookers watch them pass -- some take pictures, others stand in reverent silence. All

Fair Queen Fast Facts Name: Jaclyn Kuro Grade: 11th Club: Fellowship of Christian Students Escort: Josh Beiler Favorite Fair Food: Fried Oreos Favorite Fair Place: Pig Chase “My favorite animal is a cow.” Jaclyn Kuro is the Fellowship of Christian Students' nominee in the Fair Queen contest Such a declaration would seldom be uttered anywhere other than Lancaster County; in this case, it came from Jaclyn Kuro, the Fair Queen candidate from the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS). Following in the footsteps of her oldest sister – who was FCS’s Fair Queen candidate several years ago – Kuro accepted the nomination after Mrs. Garrett, the faculty advisor, asked her if she would be interested. “If my oldest sister can do it, I’m going to try to do it,” she thought. For Kuro, the Fair Queen contest means an opportunity to “lead people into better ways of communication and that I can build relationships with people and start new friendship

Editor’s Note: Please brace yourself. This is the most shocking news item you will read regarding L-S schools all summer, and may cause sudden panic attacks. Be advised … now, take a deep breath, and begin reading. Seven: the number of days in a week, the number of red stripes on the American flag, and, perhaps most notably to L-S High School, the number of students now permitted at a lunch table. In a monumental metamorphosis of administration policy, Mr. Eric Spencer, Principal of L-S High School, announced that for the 2015-16 school year, seven students will be permitted at each lunch table . In doing so, Spencer ceded to the desire of a burgeoning chorus of students, whose incessant criticism of the previous six-to-a-table policy grew into outright defiance, as students loathed the awkward situation of having to remove an “extra” person from their lunch table. The six-to-a-table policy originated upon Spencer’s arrival at L-S, and was ostensibly instituted to allow f

Fair Queen Fast Facts Name:  Maggie Johnson Grade:  12th Club:  Varsity Club Escort:  Nate Ferrari Favorite Fair Food:  Milkshakes Favorite Fair Place:  Cows ... especially when you can pet them Maggie Johnson will represent the Varsity Club in the Fair Queen Contest On a cloudy moonlit night in Maggie Johnson’s true home -- her community -- she gives a friendly laugh as she pops a peppermint into her mouth. Her carefree demeanor hides a fierce passion for making her community a better place. “I’ve already logged over four hundred hours of community service in my time in high school,” Johnson says. “I’ve helped out with the Masonic Lodge, the Lions’ Club, the Sertoma Club, the Strasburg-Heisler Library, and the SSRA (Strasburg Swimming and Recreation Association).” It is true that Maggie Johnson spends an enormous amount of time volunteering in and around the Borough of Strasburg. “I would be honored to represent Lampeter-Strasburg High School and my community as F