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Showing posts from June, 2016

L-S community gathers for 'Spirit Line' as softball leaves for quarterfinals

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As the first week of summer draws to a close, today a group of supportive parents and friends gathered to send off the Girls’ Softball team on their way with a "Spirit Line" to the PIAA Quarterfinals. The girls will travel to Lyons Field in Fleetwood to take on the Bangor Slaters later tonight at  6pm. The Pioneers have already defeated District 1 Champ Villa Maria 3-2, and head into this game 24-2 against their 23-2 opponent.  The winner will advance to the Semi-Finals to battle the winner of the Abington Heights vs. Bishop Shanahan game. Best of luck ladies! --Taylor Griffin,  LSNews.org  Reporter

Club slips across Canadian border in search of love and Shakespeare

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While the high school was waging its annual "Clash of the Classes" on the eve of Memorial Day weekend, another group had ambitious plans to across the Canadian border.  Lead by AP English teacher Mr. Cal Esh and accompanied by fellow English teacher Ms. Susan Fetterolf, the Shakespeare Club, left Friday, May 27 bound for Stratford, Ontario for the Avon Theater to see Shakespeare in Love and Macbeth . Mr. Esh, Joey Shiffer, Alyssa Van Lenten, Emily Bishop, Rowyn Nallo, Emilia Heiss, and Christian Nitchie are up early after stopping over at a cabin in Northern Pa en route to Stratford, Ontario. Christian Nitchie, Joey Shiffer, Alyssa Van Lenten, Rowyn Nallo, Emily Bishop, Emilia Heiss and Ms. Fetterolf eagerly await a matinee performance of Shakespeare in Love at the Avon Theater in Stratford, Ontario . Emilia Heiss, Emily Bishop, Joey Shiffer, Mr. Esh, Christian Nitchie, and Alyssa Van Lenten pause for a picture while they wait for the curtain to rise on Macb

Five Pioneer softball players named to 18 member L-L All-League team

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This week the Lancaster-Lebanon League softball coaches announced the 2016 All-League team. The Lampeter-Strasburg softball team has five players representing the Pioneers on the 18 member team which includes pitcher Jordan Weaver, first baseman Delaney Baker, second baseman Bri Garber, third baseman Hanna Garber, and outfielder Jordyn Kondras. Top to bottom: Jordan Weaver, Delaney Baker, Bri Garber, Hanna Garber, and Jordyn Kondras. Images courtesy of the L-S Softball Facebook . The All-League team has players from Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Metal students test their mettle producing finished pieces of jewelry

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To celebrate the finished school year, here are three finished pieces from Mrs. Jennifer Braas'  Jewelry and Metals courses. Bubble blower by Nevin Hoeninger from Jewelry & Metals 2. Bubble holder with blower by Steve Sines from Jewelry & Metals 1. In the Jewelry and Metals course students construct creative and original jewelry and metal pieces using basic hand metal skills. Construction techniques explored include sawing, filing, finishing, riveting, texturing, bending, and soldering of brass, nickel-silver, and copper. Throughout the semester students are encouraged to explore new ways of thinking in creating unique metal forms as they study the history and techniques used to create them. A ring by Emily Frey from Jewelry & Metals 1.

Class of 2016 concludes 4,665 day educational journey with call to remember that 'Pioneers are leaders'

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“Well this is a lot of people.” Valedictorian Benjamin Pontz opened up his speech with this short, yet accurate observation. Graduation highlight photos by Lauren Bliss. Despite the standing water in J. K. Mechanical Stadium, there were still, as Pontz said, “a lot of people.” The PAC was completely full, students and loved ones piled into the chorus room and cafeteria, and the teachers were shoved on the far wings of the Lampeter-Strasburg High School Performing Arts Center. Graduation is a special time, and special times call for extending invitations to all of your loved ones, even if it means shoving them into the cafeteria to watch the live stream. The first speaker, Sam Ingram, began her speech by reminiscing her third grade days, and when she drew a picture of what she thought she would look like in High School. She reassured the graduates that “Even if that picture changes, its okay.” Her conversational tone created an intimate exchange between her words and the audience

Your assignment for summer: Create

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You have homework this summer.  I know that the lyrics to Alice Cooper's "School's Out" are still echoing in your head but understand that summer's academic slide is real. You need some background before I tell you what the assignment is. When I started in education, the “divide” for students was between the digital haves and digital have nots . Over the past 13 years the divide has evolved as technology became ubiquitous. Today, it’s between digital creators and digital consumers . Unfortunately, the divide is wide with most students falling into the latter category. This should not come as a surprise. We live in a consumer society with our mobile devices offering a 24/7 all-you-can-eat buffet of free mindless content. That’s sad when you consider that today’s youth have more computing power in their pocket than all of NASA had when we landed men on the moon. These same devices have the power to deliver a carefully crafted message to a billion person

These heroes don't need capes. 2016-2017 L-S Heroes announced

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Recently, the 2016-2017 Lampeter-Strasburg Heroes were announced. Heroes represent an elite group of seniors, nominated by faculty, that travels to third grade classrooms in the district in order to serve as mentors. They teach lessons on making positive decisions that lead to future successes in life. Students selection in the program is based leadership skills, academic success, school and/or community involvement as well as freedom from drug and alcohol use. Students were further screened for attendance and discipline. As a L-S Hero, students gain public recognition, public speaking skills, reinforcement for maintaining a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle, as well as the respect and admiration of younger students. All heroes receive printed "trading cards" picturing the student hero, along with a short biographic feature that can be distributed to elementary students as Heroes share their positive messages. Students selected to participate include: Colin Ander

High school faculty says goodbye to colleagues

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On the last day of school, faculty say to goodbye to five staff members leaving the high school.  Mr. Angelo Albanese, Mrs. Mary Dalauro, and Mr. Steve Smith are retiring. Mrs. Jessica Mountz has taken a teaching position in Hawaii and will be moving there in July. High School Principal Mr. Eric Spencer is returning the classroom and gridiron as teacher and head football coach at J. P. McCaskey High School. Update High school physics teacher, Dr. Thomas Habowski recently announced that he had accepted a teaching position Delaware. Habowski would be starting there in the fall. High school math teacher, Mrs. Wendy Wolfe (Many will remember Wolfe as Ms. Richards) announced that she would be staying home to raise her two young children.

Art teacher's work on display this month at Red Raven Art Company

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Lampeter-Strasburg High School art teacher Mr. Scott Cantrell's art work will be on display starting today for the month of June at Red Raven Art Company . Cantrell had this to say about this exhibit. I am a teacher first and foremost in my life, and so this work is meant to teach the viewer. This show developed from a series I called the Visual Learner and are paintings about painting. This work is a celebration and an exploration of understanding the referential nature in the history of art. Artists like Sargent, Rembrandt and Ingres were chosen because of their ability to realize the cooperation of the paint and the subject. The studies include explorations in the application of paint, the viscosity differences in accents and passages, color isolators, magnifications of detailed areas, alla prima versus multiple sittings, and simultaneous contrast in color. Read more about Cantrell's art and process. Red Raven Art Company 138 N. Prince St. Lancaster, PA 17

Heading for states: Softball team recovers to win third place game in district playoffs

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The Lampeter Strasburg softball team took the field once again at Garrett Park to face off against the Garden Spot Spartans in the District III third place game. After suffering just its second loss of the season Tuesday evening at the hands of rival Donegal, the Pioneer ladies banded together and defeated the Spartans. Jordan Weaver delivers a pitch during the second round district game in Hershey Jordan Weaver pitched the entire game and came out hot, firing three strikeouts in the first inning. Brianna Garber led off for the Pioneers by getting on base with a bunt but was left stranded for the inning. The Spartans and Pioneers continued to switch sides and cycle through the batting order with no runs scored until Bri Garber returned to first base after another bunt in the bottom of the third inning. Following Garber, Jordyn Kondras made contact with the ball for a base hit. Hannah Garber grounded out, but advanced Bri Garber and Kondras to 2nd and 3rd base, which allowed Del

The Editor's Journal: Signing off from LS News

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To whom it may concern: It's time for me to break off a relationship. It's one that has gone on for quite some time, one in which I have found fulfillment and joy, as well as frustration and disappointment. It is a relationship in which I have invested hundreds of hours at all hours of the day. It has caused me to lose sleep at night, to stay up way past midnight texting and emailing, and to drive all over the county and sometimes out of the county to keep it going. It's one that has led me to devise detailed, often secret strategies to protect my interests, to build other relationships to protect it, and to constantly worry that at any second it could end due to circumstances beyond my control. And it's one that must be terminated. The cast of characters I have had the pleasure of calling "my staff" ... considering "editorial board" seems to overstate the seriousness of this group :-) So today, I announce to the world that I am endi

Class of 2016 "Senior Walk" hands out high-fives and hugs

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On Tuesday, the Class of 2016 conducted the first ever "Senior Walk" at Lampeter-Strasburg. The soon-to-be graduates walked through the campus schools giving excited young students high-fives and former teachers hugs. The practice of conducting a senior walk has exploded in popularity this year. It is seen as a way to inspire younger students to do well in school with the goal of graduating. Watch the entire LS News Senior Walk playlist with over seven minutes of footage. See all of Ashley Crutcher's photos here. Video by Hannah Stauffer, LSNews.org Reporter;  Photo by Ashley Crutcher, LSNews.org Co-Director of Photography

Softball suffers first defeat of season in semifinal District III playoffs against Donegal

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Jordan Weaver on the mount. For the third time this season, the Lampeter-Strasburg Pioneers softball team took to the diamond to play Donegal, but for the first time this season, it did not emerge victorious against the rival Indians, falling 4-1 in the semifinals of the District III playoffs. Jordan Weaver struggled to command the strike zone, and walked five hitters; meanwhile, the bats mustered only four hits. Those two ingredients were not conducive to success. Weaver walked the first hitter of the game and then walked another hitter in the first inning, but solid defense helped her escape a first inning jam unscathed. In the bottom of the inning, L-S had only one baserunner, Hanna Garber, who knocked a two-out single to right field and never made it past first base. It was much the same story in the second inning when the second hitter for Donegal reached base on a free pass. Two batters later, Donegal had runners on second and third with one out, and was poised to score