High School Playbook

A senior at York Catholic High School was on NBC's "The Today Show" Monday morning.

Elizabeth Stoltz is one of 17 students who received New York Women In Communications Foundation scholarships.

The scholarship applicants must be majoring or declaring a major in a communications-related field, and have an overall GPA of a 3.2 or higher.

Stoltz also has many awards, including President's Volunteer Service Award.

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It's the night of prom and you and your friends are having the time of your lives. After prom comes post-prom and all the fun.

Within a split second all that fun changes if you choose to get behind the wheel after a few drinks, and the Red Lion Area Senior High School Red Cross Club is making sure seniors know the affects of drinking and driving.

High schools across the nation are doing their part to promote safe and alcohol-free proms. Each school does something different to get the message, and Red Lion students involved in the Red Cross Club came up with a mock vehicle accident.

So how did they reenact a drunken driving accident?

For starters, eight students volunteered to act as victims in the accident: Bobby Doyle, Brett Fishel, Mark Temple, Tim Gulley, Meisha Grady, Lara Snyder, Bri Baker, and Cacey Lavetan.

Two vehicles were "crashed" into one another, and then the "victims" were placed in the cars wearing appropriate prom attire, including fake flowers and bow ties. They also had on makeup to make it look as though they had blood and wounds from the accident.

The fire department ran things from there and all of the equipment like fire, EMS, and a medivac helicopter was dispatched to the scene to reenact what a real accident scene would look like. The York Area Regional Police identified the driver(s) under the influence using field sobriety tests, and simulated appropriate arrests.

According to Mr. Gouker, Assistant Princial and head of the Red Cross Club at Red Lion High School, the students received both a service learning project and a way to educate the senior class about the dangers of drinking and driving, particularly during prom season.   

This was the Senior High's 3^rd annual mock accident demonstration.

PROM'09 extras

Your family's guide to a fun & safe prom season, with expert advice from Seventeen magazine, Cosmogirl.com, and MyPromStyle.com. More

MyPromStyle.com's Dress Finder is packed with more than 1,600 beautiful prom dresses. More

Want to find your best look for PROM'09? Check out these great make-up tips from CosmoGirl! readers around the country. More

Don't know what to take to prom? Some readers tell you what they need to have! More

SEVENTEEN Q&A

Getting your crush to be yours for prom is nerve-racking! But these steps - plus advice from us - will add up to you and him on the big night. No algebra required! More

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What if there was a way to support your favorite high school sport, other than just showing up? Thanks to Nike and its Back Your Block program, you now have the ability to team up with Nike and help your community.

According to PIAA.org, Nike has launched a new grant program that is open to applications from high schools across the nation.

The company is investing up to $650,000 in communities across the country, and you can nominate, apply, and vote for programs in your community.

For more information, check out piaa.org

Be sure to check out Nike Back Your Block for the complete rundown. Nominate and/or vote for your program today! The deadline for applications is August 24^th.

Information courtesy of PIAA.org

The Lower Paxton Township Board of Supervisors has given final approval for Bishop McDevitt to move forward towards its goal.

A 175,000 sq. ft. world class educational facility.

"We are moving forward with the project and our goal," said Sr. Mary Anne Bednar, Bishop McDevitt HS principle. The purchase of the land is a big step towards fulfilling the promise of a new Bishop McDevitt High School.

The Diocese of Harrisburg has completed the purchase of the school's new land, which is centrally located to the population served by the school (see the map below forthe location. The land is marked by the red star).

The new campus will include:

• 1200 seat auditorium
• 120 seat chapel
• 1,000 seat gym
• State of the art library and fine arts center
• First class football stadium, as well as a variety of other athletic facilities
• Ample parking

According to Building committee chairperson John DiSanto, purchasing the land means the construction process can now begin. School and project officials will be spending the next 6 months reviewing the plans and getting ready for the next phase: the bidding, which will be followed up with actual construction.

Site work on the estimated $45 million project could begin in November of this year; building construction could start as early as late spring of 2010. If that is the case, the new high school would be completed by May 2012, and doors will be open to students come September 2012.

You can check out the original sketches of the plan here, released by the Diocese of Harrisburg in October 2008.

ALL THINGS BISHOP MCDEVITT >>

Hard work and years of practice have finally paid off for three Lancaster County teenagers. They are the best of friends about to participate in a big competition.

Kyra Knier, Megan Young, and Lucy Rutt will represent the East Coast at the Arabian Youth Nationals in Albuquerque, New Mexico this summer. It's considered the biggest competition in their sport.

Check out the hard work and dedication that goes into the best of the best, and what kind of special bond takes place between the rider and the horse!

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You're reading a story posted on WGAL High School Playbook.com and you think, "Gee, I would really like to see (insert story topic here) featured on the site."

Well, take those thoughts and write – well type – them down! There are more ways for you to get your voice heard then you can possibly imagine.

Chalk Talk. You know that little message board sitting directly on the homepage? That's for you to leave your comments! Congratulate the baseball team for rocking out. Wish the soccer players good luck. Or just give a shout out too all those hard working students athletes. Whatever you want to say, post it there, just remember to keep it clean! "How do I do this," you say? Follow the step-by-step directions below:

1. Step 1: Go to the School's page and click on your school
2. Step 2: Once on your school's page, click on "Post a Message" and start typing!
3. Step 3: Go to the WGAL High School Playbook.com home page and check out your post! Someone might respond!

Leave A Comment. Ever notice at the bottom of every single video/picture/blog/article there is a place to leave your comments? For example, fans really got into the comments when it came time to cheer on their fan base to victory! We keep an eye on what you say and take everything into consideration. Just keep it clean and in good spirits!

Contact Us. This one is easy. Just click "contact us" at the bottom of any article/blog (including this one) and send us a note! You can drop by just to say hey or let us know what we should be featuring more – or less – often!

Facebook. That's right, we have our own fan page on Facebook and we try to post new stuff as much as we do on WGAL High School Playbook.com. This is one place where you can connect with your friends in a social aspect, as well as students from other schools. Much like Chalk Talk, you can post a comment on the wall just to give a shout out!

Now that you know what to do, get out there and start connecting! You must be logged in to leave your comments

Not a member yet? What are you waiting for? It's free, it's fast, and it's easy! Click here to sign up today

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The goal was to raise $30,000 for the Four Diamonds Fund (at Penn State Hershey Medical Center). 400 students and 75 staff members from the Hempfield School District went above and beyond.

VIDEO: Hempfield's Mini-Thon Hits Home For Faculty And Students

On April 4^th, Hempfield held their first-ever mini-thon to raise money and awareness about child cancer. For Assistant Athletic Director Dennis Vicidomini and his family, the event was very special; his oldest son, 10, is being treated for Lymphoma.

The Vicidomini family was not the only Four Diamond family in attendance. Additional 5-6 Four Diamond families spoke throughout the day, all of whom have a connection to the Hempfield School District.

Attendees were treated to an array of activities from face painting to line dancing to a game a Twister to live performances.

At the end of the day when all was said and done, the Knights Unite mini-thon raised $38,468.65 for the Four Diamonds Fund – a Lancaster County record!

Check Out All The Pics From The Event

For more information on the Four Diamonds Fund and how you can get involved, click here.

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What do gift cards, chocolate, jewelry, and facials all have in common?

It's just a snippet of things being done to raise money for cancer. 

For the first time in school history, Gettysburg HS is participating in Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society's signature activity. And all it took to get the ball rolling was an idea generated by one student. 

"I watched a video at my cousin's house," said Andrew Robinson, sophomore student leader, "a story on someone who had cancer and really needed to get it started at the high school."

Watch more on how and why Andrew started Relay for Life

Andrew talked to his homeroom teacher Mrs. LaVoie into becoming the advisor/facilitator because it also became his senior project, but for Andrew the connection to Relay for Life goes much deeper.

"My cousin had cancer when she was a baby, and my mom also had cancer."

Almost 5 months have passed since the idea came to life and after several announcements, a commercial (you can check it out below), and some flyers later, 7 teams comprised of students have signed up to participate in the event.

The teams of students and teachers have come up with some innovative ways to raise some money. Students went door-to-door asking for donations from local businesses like Adidas, participation in the Lake Heritage Yard Sale, and even passing a toilet (yes, a toilet) around the high school classrooms to collect lose change.

"It's kind of hard not to notice a toilet sitting in the classroom!"

Mrs. LaVoie also came up with the idea of Music Mania Wednesdays, where students can vote on the genre they would like to hear during lunch on Wednesdays. The catch: $100 must be raised before the music can be played.

Several faculty members have also agreed to do something if a certain amount of money is raised. For Mrs. LaVoie, it's cutting her hair "very short." Another teacher has agreed to color her hair any color the students choose.

As the number of weeks leading up to the Relay for Life diminish, the students are still working hard towards their goals.

"If you can get the community involved and really into doing it, it's really a lot of fun."

For more information on Relay for Life, visit http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/.

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