Lampeter-Strasburg High School students in extracurricular activities this fall will be subject to random drug testing.The L-S school board, in a 6-2 vote Monday night, approved new drug policies for the district, including random drug testing for students in extracurricular activities or ......

The post-concert conversation was going well. Local drummer Dennis Markley, in Red Lion to see Christian rock band Sonicflood, had introduced himself to the group's drummer. An hour of drum-speak about technique and equipment had ensued. Then Markley asked a question that would change ......

One could say the Lampeter-Strasburg Class of 2009 went out with a bang Friday night in the school's performing arts center.Principal Carroll Staub noted the class had the honor of being the largest L-S class ever, with 277 graduates, along with having the highest PSSA scores. The clas......

Even after Samantha Langone graduates from Lampeter-Strasburg High School tonight, her legacy will live on. A dominant force on the field hockey team, she holds the school record for the most goals scored in a season. This past year, she scored 20. The team captain, she was named to the La......

The Lampeter-Strasburg school board last week continued its discussion on proposed random drug testing.The district formed a drug and alcohol task force to study the issue and to make recommendations to the board. Its suggestions included the institution of random drug testing for students......

Composer Michael Story of Houston writes an average of one commissioned piece for a school each year, in addition to his full-time position with Alfred Publishing of Los Angeles. Often when composing for a school, Story works solely with band directors, who sometimes offer little input on the p......

A survey shows marijuana use among Lampeter-Strasburg School District sophomores went up 5.5 percent from 2005 to 2007, school board member Scott Riekers said last week, and a district task force has come up with some possible methods of dealing with the issue. At a May 5 board meeting, Riek......

Floating on his back in a pristine lake in Guatemala, Chris Waggoner thought, "It doesn't get any better than this."Then the crocodile bit his head."I was doing the backstroke in the tranquil, natural beauty of the clear water and everything was pretty much perfec......

Bartenders aren't baby sitters.That's the opinion of several local people in the bar business in reaction to prosecutors who recently filed involuntary manslaughter charges against a Dauphin County bar in connection with a fatal car crash that happened more than a year ago.O......

About one in three Lancaster County high school graduates enrolled in a state-owned university or community college can't pass a first-year math or English course, according to a study released this week by the state Department of Education.The study was presented to the state Board of......

Justin and Ben Welk are the caretakers of several pigs with personality on their family farm in Strasburg.Butterscotch, a 260-pound Yorkshire and Hampshire crossbreed, is the boss of the lot. She munches on marshmallows and keeps Miranda, named for country singer Miranda Lambert, and Jana,......

On Black Friday, Abby Arndt wasn't crashing stores to check out potential Christmas presents. The Lampeter-Strasburg High School junior didn't hang out with friends at the mall or go to a movie. Arndt, 16, and 20 of her L-S Interact Club classmates were teaching English to children......

Indulge your inner thespian, and check out these performances at schools throughout the county. From drama to comedy to musicals, there's something for everyone.
OCTOBER
• Elizabethtown Area High School, 600 E. High St., presents "High School Musical&qu......

As Marie Breneman descended the stairway in Willow Street Elementary School, memories of her childhood flooded back to her. "The room downstairs was our lunch room and assembly room," she said. "And I don't remember what year it was, but they had a TV installed to watch the a......

Katie Wieand, of Lancaster, is an opera singer of international note. But what is especially noteworthy for this longtime cook is when she strikes a chord among members of her culinary audience. "I like seeing pleased eaters," she says. "I like that first reaction when (t......

Phillip Brown slowed the locomotive to a lazy chug as the train rounded the turn near the tiny village church.He carefully maneuvered the cars past the post office and general store, letting them pick up speed as the train crossed the bridge heading into the east side of town."......

During their school presentations, Julie Armold and Gretchen Gaudioso, of Mental Health America of Lancaster County, challenge kids to choose. Who has a mental illness? Is it Armold or Gaudioso? Or both? They remain mum until near the end of their educational presentation, when the......

A high school student fight that took place in Millersville does not appear to have been instigated for the purpose of taping it and posting it online, contrary to what the victim's father suggested this week, officials said. A tape of the fight, which took place after a football game betwe......

For James Wolpert, vying for a shot at fame in the upcoming "High School Musical" movie was worth every ounce of energy it took, even if he didn't win the top spot. James, a 17-year-old senior at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, was one of 12 finalists chosen to appear in the ABC s......

Anticipation for the 84th annual West Lampeter Community Fair was felt at least a mile away, as motorists waited patiently to turn into the grassy lot.As they drove closer, the festival sounds became more distinct: a distant marching band, the patient voice of an announcer, the buzz of exc......

Police have concluded that a beating captured on cell-phone cameras and posted online was not orchestrated for Internet entertainment.•••The assault of a teenager on the Millersville University campus earlier this month was not carried ......

Correction — The story below, posted on LancasterOnline Friday, about SAT scores contained the wrong number for Warwick High School's total average score. The total average score for the Class of 2008 was 1575.......

Garden Spot High School principal Carol Kelsall says students are more inclined to stay in school if they believe their education is relevant to their lives — both today and in the future.They also need to feel they are succeeding in the classroom, said Kelsall, whose school has been......

Recent graduates of Lampeter-Strasburg High School finally can pick up new yearbooks, after the originals contained hundreds of errors — most notably, missing photos of a fellow classmate who died in April.The new yearbooks' arrival to the high school office is just in time, as m......

If you were to walk into a local high school's weight room on a summer morning, you likely would find a number of teenage athletes lifting weights and working out to ensure they stay in tip-top shape over the summer, so they will excel in their sports throughout the upcoming school year.......

Addie Cunningham admits things have changed in the 47 years she has lived in the 500 block of South Lime Street.She can no longer leave her door unlocked all day and is bothered by crime that occurs in the surrounding area.But she and her husband, Cornelius Sr., love their home and ......

James Wolpert got one step closer to landing the top spot on ABC's newest reality show Monday night.The Lampeter-Strasburg 17-year-old made it past the first cut on "High School Musical: Get in the Picture" and is now one of the final 10 performers vying for the grand prize....

Lampeter-Strasburg High School senior James Wolpert has earned the opportunity to break into showbiz's big picture and possibly make it to the big time.The 17-year-old is a contestant on ABC's reality series "High School Musical: Get in the Picture," during which contesta......

In the long run, it will be just a blip on his baseball career.Three-for-four with a pair of doubles.A game like that and a minor-league baseball player's future looks a little bit brighter.Especially when he's had to dodge a few clouds.Monday night was just su......

Lampeter-Strasburg students upset over the quality of their yearbooks have been promised a "super supplement" to the error-laden book.Students received letters, dated June 12, from principal Carroll Staub stating that a supplement to the yearbook will be published containing corr......

A navy blue book is the focus of anger and complaints at Lampeter-Strasburg High School.Recent graduates and current students are upset about mistakes in their 2007-08 yearbook. There are numerous typographical errors, photos of students from other schools and missing sports team stats....

Lampeter-Strasburg Class of 2008 said an emotional farewell Friday in Pioneer Stadium.In addition to the tough goodbyes after years of being in school together, 256 students paid tribute to a classmate who died before graduation day.Principal Carroll J. Staub paused with emotion whe......

The funeral is over, the flowers have been placed and the obituary has run, but many teens have found that grief doesn't end so quickly.Some use social networking Web sites, like MySpace and Facebook, to connect with others who share the same loss."I think you can get (feel......

Laughter. That's how members of Solanco High School's senior leadership group responded last year to the idea of holding its June 3 commencement at Clipper Magazine Stadium this year.Little did the then-junior students know high school principal Gerard Rosolie's on-a-whim inqui......

Lampeter-Strasburg High School plans to get its juniors and seniors on eight wheels this fall to help improve their fitness.The school has received a $5,000 grant to purchase 50 sets of inline skates, helmets and safety pads for a new inline skating physical-education program.Mark T......

If Ryan Weitzel could be heard today, his friends and family say, he would speak in a voice full of optimism and encourage people to live life to the fullest.As the sun set over Lampeter-Strasburg High School's football stadium Tuesday, the community turned out by the hundreds for a ca......

Seven weeks after a metal plate was inserted in his right thighbone, the 17-year-old badly wanted to play lacrosse one last time. Doctors, however, told Ryan Weitzel that playing in the all-star high school invitational tournament last July at Franklin & Marshall College was too risky....

A Lancaster County judge has ordered Lampeter-Strasburg School District to reinstate a student it expelled last fall, ruling the district wrongly based its decision on hearsay evidence and exceeded its authority in expelling the pupil.The Martin Meylin Middle School eighth-grader was expel......

WHO WE ARE
Samantha L. Feaster, 17
Lampeter-Strasburg High School
Alyssa Henry, 18
Lampeter-Strasburg High School
Even though they're best friends, Samantha and Alyssa say they're actually pretty different. "Sami......

Back in the 1980s, when Dr. Dan Good and John Yecker began photographing the universe, there were plenty of limitations to what they could do. It's an endlessly vast place, after all. But the digital revolution changed everything. The series of photographs Good and Yecker have on ......

This weekend, Lancaster Museum of Art's Scholastic Art Awards exhibit provided — as it does every year — a rich array of sketches, paintings, ceramics, sculptures and other modern art forms.Now in its 45th year, the event added a new wrinkle, one greatly appreciated by Will......

During a trip home from New Mexico recently, Lampeter-Strasburg High School graduate Dayna DaLauro stopped by her alma mater for a visit. DaLauro, now a pharmacist, did not just reminisce about old times. Instead, she brought the appreciation of the students and staff at Dowa Yalanne Elementary......

Ephrata High School has new prescriptions for students to take before they graduate: more math and more exercise. Beginning with this year's freshman class, students will have to pass four math credits before they graduate. They are also going to take four years of physical education. ......

The Christmas tree lights and the tinsel still glittered. Tony Bennett's version of "My Favorite Things" echoed through the hallways. And a few people wore floppy red Santa hats.Yes, Virginia, there's still shopping to do after Santa Claus delivers the loot.Wednesd......

Although the snow forecast for Sunday skirted to the north, Lancaster County still had to wrestle with its share of weather-related problems.Ice and high winds were blamed for causing about 6,200 county homes to lose power for at least some part of the day.As of late Sunday night, a......

The field of Republicans weighing a campaign for retiring state Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong's seat is getting more crowded by the day. Two more potential candidates have emerged — one a freshman lawmaker who beat Armstrong's son for the House in 2005, and the second a top aide to the......

Santa's Paradise Express is about to pull out of the station.The popular holiday train ride features Christmas carolers, brass horns and a personal visit with Santa during its 45-minute journey through the Amish countryside.Festivities will begin as soon as the visitor reaches t......

As a way of providing support to young people who may be considering dropping out of Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Assistant Principal Scott Rimmer is helping to pioneer a program that helps students make better choices when faced with a possibly life-altering decision in their teenage years....

Say the words "High School Musical" and you've got a phenomenon on your hands. Just ask Kevin Ditzler, who is directing the stage version of the smash hit Disney show at the Ephrata Playhouse in the Park beginning Friday and running through Dec. 22. "We've already......

Mary DeLauro said she loves it when her students exceed her expectations — especially in the generosity department.The Lampeter-Strasburg High School teacher said she spent one class talking about the Great Depression, relating the topic to the children who live on an Indian reservat......

Slowly but steadily, Lancaster County's public schools are becoming less homogeneous and more a melting pot of races and ethnic groups.From 2004-05 to 2006-07, white enrollment at county schools declined by nearly 1,100 students, while the black and Hispanic student body increased by a......

At this point, they own the two best records in the Lancaster-Lebanon League — something that many, back in August, might have predicted would be the case.More importantly, both seem to be growing back into the form that eventually led them to appearances in a PIAA final last fall....

One local field hockey coach said it wouldn't be a surprise to see all three Section Two teams knocked out in Saturday's quarterfinal round of the L-L League playoffs.While that prediction did come true, that coach, and most hockey aficionados from this area, probably didn't see Warwick al......

Carolyn Leaman still remembers growing up on her family's farm, where they raised cows, chickens and steers.The Strasburg resident said she wants to pass along what it's like to be around agriculture, so Thursday afternoon she took her granddaughters, 5-year-old Jasmin and 4-year-o......

Shelly Fairchild said she always dreamed of standing on the stage in front of her peers and telling them what West Lampeter Community Fair means to her.Wednesday night the 18-year-old Lampeter-Strasburg High School senior got her chance, and emerged as the 2007 West Lampeter Fair Queen....

Computers and interactive chalkboards. Projectors, scanners and video cameras. When it comes to high-tech 21st century classrooms, Lampeter-Strasburg High School is ahead of the curve thanks to a recent six-figure state grant."Thanks to this grant, we're going to be able to change the way ......

Under a clear moonlit Monday night, volunteers of all ages put the finishing touches on the West Lampeter fairgrounds — setting up animal pens and produce exhibits and preparing food stands.Billed as a true farm show — no carnival rides or games — the West Lampeter Commun......

Jon wasn't prepared for a geography test in his Spanish class, so he had to come up with a plan — fast.Did he quickly review the material? Not quite."I drew a map of South America on my ankle," said Jon, a 2006 Donegal High School graduate, who asked that his las......

Penn Manor High School principal Jan Mindish knew the Class of 2007 was an exceptionally bright group of students — and now she has the numbers to prove it.The school's SAT scores surged by 32 points in writing, 14 points in reading and 6 points in math from 2006 to 2007.C......

For marching band directors, one of the biggest challenges occurs before students even pick up their instruments:The challenge? Selecting the right music for each year's performances.Larry Royer, Lampeter-Strasburg director, said for him the process starts months before band cam......

The results are in, and the top 12 Lancaster Headliners finalists have been chosen. More than 3,400 votes were cast in July on the Lancaster Headliners' Web site, and the talented teens are preparing themselves for the finale show.The finalists will perform at the live finale 2 p.m. Su......

It didn't take long for Josh Burg to realize that fortune, and perhaps fate, were on his side Monday afternoon."When I got to 3-under after just being even(-par) … in 20 minutes," Burg said, "It was like, where did that come from?"Not that he was compl......

Jeff Swarr has the same problem many of us have. There are just not enough hours in a day.That fact became particularly evident over the last year when Swarr tried to teach part-time and perform the duties of head coach for the Millersville University's baseball team part-time.B......

Storm clouds may have threatened, but in the end a slightly shorter ceremony meant that all 243 members of Lampeter-Strasburg High School's Class of 2007 were able to graduate Friday in Pioneer Stadium before the rain came."By our estimation, 77 percent of this graduating class wi......

Manheim Township seniors Tim Stratton and John DuBois, along with a few friends, traveled to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships in Baltimore just over a week ago.Playing in the tournament were the Duke Blue Devils and a member of the squad was a freshman named Max Quinzani, who, pri......

The Lancaster-Lebanon League will have three softball teams beginning quests for state titles as the PIAA Championships get under way today with the opening round.In Class AAA, Lampeter-Strasburg (24-1) is making its first state tournament appearance in the history of the program, and will......

Many Lancaster County families will be celebrating high school graduations over the next two weeks.Students of public, parochial and private schools will march through stadiums, auditoriums and sanctuaries. Bad weather may force postponement or relocation of ceremonies to overcrowded, over......