A Day In the Life of Mrs.Czuprynski
She is a common face if you go to the library during a study hall or spend a period in there for a class. You need copies, have a computer problem, or need a certain book for a class? Mrs. Joyce Czuprynski (Faculty) is the person to whom you visit. She spends her day working with all the people in the high school, and is always there to help. Czuprynski has been working at JBHS for nine years as the librarian. She attended college at Penn State Main Campus and received a degree in Child Development.
Even before students arrive, Czuprynski’s day has already started.
“Usually when I get in here there is either someone already copying or maybe they already had a problem with the copier that I need to fix; maybe like a copier jam,” says Czuprynski.
Issues like the one described are extremely common all throughout her day. Mrs. Czuprynski also deals with computer issues in the school. Students take their broken or damaged Chromebooks to her, where she then takes them to the technology department. She also assists and advises students with checking out books that they need for assignments.
The library is a very common place for students and teachers to work and collaborate with technology and knowledge. Although the library is known to be very technological, it was not always this way.
“Basically it was a reader’s advisory, then helping people find things on the shelf, and then just checking the resources out, tracking overdues,”Czuprynski said.
Her responsibilities have changed tremendously over the years. Now Czuprynski is responsible for almost all of the technology in the school. Often times when students come in for resources, they search for books and other resources online. Her day is packed full of technological problems and using it to assist students.
To help her with all of these things, she has two service learners who often perform many of the same tasks that she does. Elena McNulty (12) and Kamari Moser (12) devote part of their day to Czuprynski and the library.
“We always fill the copier, we take care of students if it’s busy, we also troubleshoot with computers,” says McNulty.
McNulty also notes how important Czuprynski is to students and teachers alike.
“Without Mrs. C, simple problems with computers would take longer to be resolved and during study halls, kids can come to the library in a quieter environment,” McNulty said.
Czuprynski is someone who will have the resources needed throughout a student’s or faculty member’s day. You can find her typing away on a computer or talking to a student in the library anytime you need her, and she is always willing to help.
Stay Busy Over Summer
Sarah Kimmel (11) monitors the pool, while on her lifeguarding duty.
As the school year is coming to an end, summer is quickly approaching. Beginning in less than a month, many students are starting to make summer plans and figure out what they are going to do on their break. Many students are considering summer jobs. If you are one of those people who doesn’t know where to start, here are some ideas on local summer jobs.
Camp Counselor
A camp counselor will take on many adventures while supervising children of all age groups. Counselors are leaders and role models for all of the children within their camp. So keep in mind these main skills you will need to be a counselor: you should like kids, have patience, good communication, and problem-solving skills. This is a perfect job for people that think they may want to work with children or go into education. If you think camp counseling is the job for you, some local camps are Cove Valley, Camp Joy El, Whitetail Adventure Camp, and Mercersburg Academy Adventure Camp.
Restaurant Work
There are many areas in a restaurant that high school students can fill: a host/hostess, waitress/waiter, busser, or dishwasher. Usually, the host duties include greeting guest and escorting the guest to their tables. As a waitress your job includes taking orders from guests, answering guest questions, and delivering food and beverages. Busser duties include cleaning off the tables once the guest leaves the restaurant and taking the dishes back to the dishwasher. The dishwasher’s duty is to clean and put away dishes. Working in a restaurant helps give students valuable communication skills.
“My favorite part of work is the connections I make with my co-workers and the free ice cream I get as a benefit,” said Breanna Dukehart (12) who works at Lizzy’s Ice Cream & Sandwich Shop as a cashier.
Grocery Work
As a stocker at a grocery store, your job would be to stack and organize items on shelves. A stocker may also work as a cashier for the day, scanning and packaging items. As a cashier, you must possess quick simple math skills to give back correct change. You must also have good communication skills when working with customers.
“I would recommend this line of work to anyone because they are very flexible, have good pay, and it’s easy work,” said Owen Monninger (12).
Lifeguard
Lifeguards have a very serious job monitoring water while keeping people safe and happy. To be a lifeguard you must be CPR- and AED-certified. As a lifeguard, you gain a lot of responsibility and become a very trusted person. Lifeguards are depended on to ensure the safety of children and adults at the pool.
“I have learned that confrontation is something that you have to do no matter what even if you don’t want to hurt little kids feelings,” said Sarah Kimmel (11).
The responsibility involved with lifeguarding means that they must put the safety of others above everything else, even if that means they can’t always be the nice guy. This is a valuable life lesson because in life everyone isn’t always going to be pleased.
Farm Work
Another popular line of work around this area is farming. Many high school students learn hard work and responsibility working on a farm over the summer. Students can do anything from milking to bailing hay during their summer job on a farm. Work could start up to as early as three A.M., so this teaches many students the discipline of getting themselves up and ready on time to milk.
Now that you have some of the most common jobs for high school students, think about which one fits you. Get out there and apply so you can stay busy and get some money during your summer break.
10 Ways To Make Your Christmas Season Sleigh
After all the turkey and stuffing is gone, and 95.1 immediately begins playing Christmas music, it’s time to get into the Christmas spirit. You can finally crank up “Jingle Bells” and decorate your tree with no judgment of celebrating “too early.” There are many little things you can do to make your Christmas season as festive as possible.
Hershey Sweet Lights in Hershey, PA is a 2-mile drive through about 600 different displays of animated Christmas lights. As you drive through the winding path, you can tune your radio to the special station that corresponds to the dancing and twinkling lights.
Hershey’s Sweet Lights in Hershey, PA.
Another way to enjoy the Christmas season is to take advantage of the deals when it comes to holiday shopping. Many stores have special promotions going on for buying lots of gifts. Malls and stores are decorated for the season and luring shoppers in with their sales and festive music. Locally, many people go to the Valley Mall or the Hagerstown Premium Outlets to do their holiday shopping.
Immediately after Thanksgiving, the upbeat and happy Christmas music begins to play which makes it obvious that it’s time for the holidays and to celebrate. Listening to Christmas music is a central idea in the holiday season.
“Listening to Christmas songs makes me enjoy this season so much because it just warms my heart how happy everyone gets,” said Lizzie Pittman (12).
One prominent thing in the holidays is shopping for a Christmas tree. Picking out a live Christmas tree is a unique experience when it comes to just getting an artificial tree out of a box every year.
“Finding the perfect Christmas tree with my family really puts me in the holiday spirit,” said Nathan Walls (12).
Another idea is ice skating. Locally, you can go to the Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex and lace up a pair of ice skates. Admission is $5.00 and skate rental is $2.00.
“I really enjoyed going ice skating my first time”, said Marlee Barry (12), “I liked it so much I actually once thought about taking lessons”.
Many locals in our area also spend time at Whitetail Ski Resort throughout the winter season, whether it’s time spent working, skiing, snowboarding or tubing. Whitetail has not yet opened for the season but will soon begin making snow for lots of skiers and snowboarders to enjoy.
Around this time is when many family members and friends give and receive gifts from one another. Many people participate in “Secret Santa” gift exchanges. Names are drawn out and you must get a gift for that person and keep it a secret until you exchange gifts.
“Secret Santa is a great way to celebrate the holiday because of the suspense and excitement it creates by not knowing who is surprising you”, said Emily Gipe (12).
Student Council also holds the annual Food Drive for the holiday season where students can bring in non-perishable canned goods to donate to families in need. The competition that takes place between the homerooms to win the prize gets lots of students participating.
There are also many other ways to donate back to the community during the holidays. Many “Toys for Tots” boxes and local shelters and organizations are in need of donations.
“We should all aspire to help others because helping other should be a part of your life,” said Mallory Peck (11). “Seeing someone else happy and know you were able to make that happen in some sort of way is one of the best feelings.”
Snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, and sugar cookies are another way add to the holiday season. Many people bake treats to share with friends and family as a miniature present and a way to enjoy each other.
“My family always has a cookie bake day where we all get together at my great aunt’s house to eat lunch, bake cut out cookies, make a craft, and just have a good time in everyone’s company,” said Elena McNulty (11).
Memories and traditions made this time of year become annual and a special part of many people’s Christmas.
“My favorite tradition is playing Hershey Kiss Oven Mitt Relay Race at my Nana’s house after dinner,” said Harley Rife (12). “We put on oven mitts and try to unwrap a Hershey Kiss. When everyone on your team unwraps their candy, they get to open gifts first and also receive a mystery gift.”
When it’s time to relax by the Christmas tree, make sure you include watching lots of Christmas movies. This time of year, many TV channels and apps like Netflix have a wide selection of Christmas movies to enjoy with your families. Some movies to watch on Netflix are How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Princess Switch, The Christmas Chronicles, and A Christmas Prince.
“All my family watches Hallmark Christmas movies the entire day of Christmas Eve in our matching pj’s and then we make home made cookies for the younger ones to put out for Santa,” said Kali Rotharmel (12).
Many memories can be made and fun can be had while doing activities during Christmas. You can spend time enjoying the weather and seasonal activities, but always remember the real reason for the season and what it means to you.
A Direction Towards FCCTC
Elena McNulty, 10, and Tia Campbell, 10, are two students who attend FCCTC.
At school, you learn the basic subjects: Math, Science, History, English. There are some subjects that students excel in. These subjects may or may not play a role in students’ careers. There are many opportunities given to students that allows them to choose the right classes for their career. Franklin County Career and Technology Center, also known as Career Tech or FCCTC, offers classes that help students prepare for their future occupation.
Career Tech is considered a communal school that offers undergraduates a ‘hands-on experience’ through a specific line of work that students are interested in, such as nursing, veterinary assisting, cosmetology, and mechanics. Students from six different school districts attend, Tuscarora being one of them. This opportunity is offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Elena McNulty, 10, and Tia Campbell, 10, decided to apply for Career Tech.
During their freshman year, McNulty and Campbell talked to their guidance counselors about applying for Career Tech. They first heard of this opportunity from meetings that were held at school. There is an open house that takes place in November which students can attend to see what is offered from Career Tech. If students are interested, they have to go through a small process first.
“Students have to fill out a form online through the Career Tech website,” guidance counselor Mrs. Brenda Ford (Faculty) said.
“Once students fill out their online application, the Career Center will make a list of students who have applied.” Ford said.
The process does not end with just an application, though.
“Students will then have to have an interview with one of the representatives from Career Tech,” said Ford.
“During the interview, they will ask a couple of questions and, by the end of the interview, the student will know whether or not they have been accepted into their program.” Ford said.
During the interview process, both McNulty and Campbell were a little anxious. They did not know how their interview would go, but were relieved to know their ending results.
“I was not expecting the interview to go the way it did,” Campbell said. “I only had to answer two questions and then I was told that I was accepted.”
McNulty and Campbell were both excited to be a part of the Career Tech community. They wanted to be better prepared for the future that awaits them.
“I have always wanted to be a nurse,” McNulty said. “Career Tech gives me a head start on the career I want.”
“I am studying to be a nursing assistant,” explained Campbell. “The Allied Health Shop at Career Tech helps me out tremendously.”
There are quite a number of students who attend Career Tech, which allows them to be in a well-rounded atmosphere.
Career Tech is diverse compared to James Buchanan. Everyone is pretty nice and it’s just a really good environment.”
— Elena McNulty
“The one thing that I like most about Career Tech are the people,” Campbell explained.
“They are very likeable and easy to get along with. The teachers try to answer questions as best as they can. They are really helpful in the way they teach us.” said Campbell.
Like any typical school, there is work that students have to accomplish. They have a lot of studying to do and students have to keep up with every assignment given.
“I am not in favor of having a lot of work being assigned, but it’s one of the many challenges, which is my favorite part about Career Tech,” McNulty explains.
“I like a challenge every once in awhile. The way we learn our materials is different because it is more workshop and application than just reading from a textbook.” said McNulty.
“I normally stay up late to study for tests the next day,” Campbell said.
One thing that I would advise students is that you study the materials and always listen to your teachers. You will not pass without studying.”
— Tia Campbell
The Career center promotes lifelong learning and prepares students who may need a secondary education. Their goal is to further help undergraduates achieve new knowledge in their field of study. Students use hard work ethics and dedication to help themselves in the long run of their education.
More information is available through the FCCTC website at http://www.franklinctc.com/
