Manheim Township townlively.com
MAY 17, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXVIII • NO 51
Ecuador’s diverse terrain serves as Township classroom BY JEFF FALK
t was more than just some field trip. It was a class trip deeply focused on service and learning and diversity. With the power to alter existences, it was the trip of a lifetime.
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Recently, 43 sophomores, juniors and seniors from Manheim Township High School completed a special journey to the South American continent. From March 15 to 22, the students traveled to Ecuador to explore regions of the Amazon River and Andes Mountains as part of a global student exchange program. While there, the students received firsthand instruction on environmental science and conservation. For most, it was an eyeopening experience, but perhaps the most important lessons were the ones they learned about themselves. “Our students were inspired by what they saw abroad, enough to apply what they learned when they came back home,” said Tammy Sweeney, a Manheim Township social studies teacher and a chaperone for
Students from Manheim Township High School trek the Amazon.
See Ecuador Classroom pg 2
With new survivor center, North Star Initiative grows its mission A new survivor center is a sign of progress for North Star Initiative (NSI). It also represents progress in the war on human trafficking. North Star Initiative, a local, faith-based nonprofit focused on rescuing young women who are survivors of human trafficking, continues to settle into its new survivor center. After North Star raised funds for the project in 2021, the construction of the new building began in January of 2022 and was completed at the end of last year. “Modern-day slavery is real,” said
Janelle Esbenshade, North Star Initiative’s director of development. “It’s happening, and it’s happening in Lancaster County. It’s important to be educated in order to be able to help. Ultimately, we want to be able to help as many people as we can. We call them ‘survivors’ and don’t label them as ‘victims.’” The new survivor center will allow North Star Initiative to help more survivors, more completely. Built adjacent to North Star’s The Harbor, the survivor center houses North Star’s offices, administrative space, therapeutic areas and classrooms. The new building also allows See North Star pg 3
Manheim Township senior Victoria Lacerda displays a sapling she planted as part of a reforestation project in the Amazon.
Salvation Army seeks to foster spirit for giving back BY JEFF FALK
The Salvation Army Lancaster Corps’ mission is to do the most good. That includes financial aid for
county students seeking to further their educations at college. Recently, the Salvation Army Lancaster Corps awarded its annual Olga Ruth Stratton and Thomas E. Wolf
Members of the Salvation Army Lancaster Corps and recipients of this year’s Olga Ruth Stratton and Thomas E. Wolf scholarships
scholarships to 20 seniors from 13 Lancaster County high schools. The students formally accepted their scholarships at a special awards dinner on April 27 at Eden Resort and Suites, 222 Eden Road, Lancaster. Recipients and their high schools were Nicole Chen, Penn Manor; Mina Cooper, Dayspring Christian Academy; Savannah Henschel, Warwick; Natalie Klecker, Anchor Christian Academy; Ethan Lin, Hempfield; Kieran McFall, Penn Manor; Caitlyn McGough, Penn Manor; See Salvation Army pg 4
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BY JEFF FALK
the trip. “If we learn this knowledge and don’t apply it, it loses some value. This is the type of trip that changes our students’ worldview and their place in it. It helps them realize the effect they have on it.” In Ecuador, the students engaged in service activities like sustainable farming, restoration projects and planting trees. It was the type of hands-on learning that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom. “Spending time in Ecuador shifted my perspective on life in many ways,” said Manheim Township senior Alison Penner. “Hiking into the crater of Quilotoa reminded me of the vastness of nature and my place in it, something I often forget after spending months in the classroom. Visiting the Guayusa Runa people, an indigenous group, encouraged me to prioritize introspection and connection with others, practices that tend to be dismissed in the day-today business of high school. Seeing the pride the artisans at the market took in their work inspired me to take pride in and put more time into what I do.”