Penn Manor townlively.com
MAY 14, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXII • NO 3
Penn Manor Quiz Bowl team is feeling just peachy BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Georgia. Oh, Georgia. Ever since last season came to a conclusion, members of the Penn Manor Quiz Bowl team have kept Georgia on their minds. After a couple of close calls last year, a collection of quick-witted Comets will compete on the national stage in Atlanta. Senior team captain Brady Mitchell, junior Seth Gansner, and sophomores Natalie Aungst and Eliza Myer will represent Penn Manor in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) High School National Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 24, and Sunday, May 25, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and Hilton Atlanta. Penn Manor will play 10 Quiz Bowl games in the preliminary round - seven on May 24 and three more the following morning - in a quest to qualify for the playoff bracket.
Penn Manor participated in several major tournaments this season. Teams that finish in the top 15% of the field in a big tournament automatically earn a spot in the national competition. Teams that miss that mark but have excellent cumulative results can be invited through a wild card, and that’s how the Comets advanced. “It’s very difficult to get a wild card spot because they only offer a few around the country,” said Penn Manor social studies teacher Chris Meier, the team’s co-coach along with German and French teacher Angelika Koerner. Meier noted that the LancasterLebanon Quiz Bowl League is one of the most competitive conferences in the country. He said of the 11 teams from Pennsylvania that earned a national tourney berth, nine are within a twohour drive from Lancaster, including Manheim Township and Cedar Crest. Penn Manor’s Quiz Bowl team had taken trips to the NAQT in 2013,
Penn Manor High School Quiz Bowl team members (front, from left) Eliza Myer, Brady Mitchell,
A world of wonder awaits inside the bookmobile BY JEFF FALK
BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Penn Manor High School has a sports dynasty that doesn’t compete on a field or a court. Three of the Comets’ esports squads captured a championship plaque at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports Association (PIEA) Spring Finals on April 12 and 13. Penn Manor Rocket League defeated Lebanon, 3-1, at Alvernia University. The Overwatch team topped Reach Cyber School, See Esports pg 4
It’s more than books on wheels. The Library System of Lancaster County ’s (LSLC) bookmobile delivers knowledge, creativity, inspiration and joy. The bookmobile is kind of like a food truck serving up nourishment for the mind and soul. “Reading in general is very important,” said Audrey Lilley, the bookmobile’s driver, curator and full-time coordinator. “It’s important for kids to be reading.
It’s important for them to be able to pick up a book and see characters who look like them. Reading can be inspirational, and with retirees, it kind of comes full circle. I think retirees can find comfort in reading. For all people in between, it’s a way to relax and unwind.” When not on the go to multiple locations all across Lancaster County, Lilley parks the bookmobile at LSLC’s main office at 1866 Colonial Village Lane, Suite 107, Lancaster. The bookmobile See Bookmobile pg 2
Some members of Penn Manor High School’s esports teams
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Comets esports dominates Spring Finals
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See Quiz Bowl pg 5 Seth Gansner, and Natalie Aungst with (back) co-coach Chris Meier