Is there something wrong with this? ... Darlene Karcher works hard scrambling endless eggs to help out her sons' Boy Scout troop.

BSA Troop 175 Helps Out Troop 74 in Breakfast Fundraiser on Mothers’ Day

By Gabe L.

Early Mother’s Day, May 9, Chris Evanitsky drove three Boy Scouts: Ted W., Matt A., and Jakub K., along with two journalism reporters, Gabe L. and Evan H., to the Whitebirch Fly-in Drive-in breakfast to lend a hand.

The first thing that had to be done was, of course, raising the flag; this was followed by a rush to set all 20 tables. Other scouts (from Troop 74), including Connor O’Boyle and David and Matt Karcher, showed up and immediately started to help bussing tables.

Their parents flipped pancakes, sizzled the sausages, and fried eggs. The crowd came in droves and within a few minutes the whole room was filled with hungry customers.

The crew served an overflowing plate of home cooked chow for $5.30. Mr. and Mrs. William Gilmore came over from East Branch just like they have done for the past three years. “We look forward [to this breakfast] every week, and almost never miss a Sunday,” said Mrs. Gilmore. Her husband added that, “It’s nice that the Boy Scouts help out on Mother’s Day.”

Tim Fraosco, vice president of the flying club, and owner of the Whitebirch airport commented, “I’m just here to make sure everything runs smoothly.” However, there didn’t seem to be a leader, just a lot of people all doing their share of work.

Helen Wenk, from Lakewood P.a., and mother of a scout, took Mother’s Day off to help out with the cooking. “I’m doing this because the boy scouts are a wonderful organization; they do a lot for the community,” she said.

Overall 197 customers were served and $515, plus another $22 that was donated, were raised. The event happens every Sunday at the Whitebirch but with a different host each week.

Could It Ever Be Worth It?

By Liam M.

Over the past two years, I have grown to love this part of the world. Coming from a suburb in south-central New Jersey, I understand now why people refer to this as God’s country. When I return home at the end of the month, I will miss looking up at the seemingly infinite blue skies through the massive canopies of evergreen bristles, while cliff swallows and hummingbirds flutter throughout. What makes it worse, however, is the fact that there is a chance that when I come back to visit after college, the area could be stripped of its beauty, destroyed by the rush to harvest – at any cost – the riches of the Marcellus Shale.

A full-scale rat invasion in your basement starts with just one curious little critter scoping out a warm space to spend the night.  The Delaware River is currently being scoped out by a vermin of its own – one I would pick rodents over any day.

In late May construction began on a “test-well” three miles uphill from the Delaware River in Equinunk, Pa., a 15-minute drive from FFS. Sited on a hilltop in the middle of a beautiful ancestral dairy farm, the steel tower looks as if it were computer generated by George Lucas for a seventh Star Wars movie.

These test wells use the same blowout preventers that BP used on their off-shore exploratory oil rig which is still blowing crude oil into the gulf’s ecosystem, two months after the explosion.

Although it would take DRBC permission for this well to be transformed into a full-scale “production well,” I find it horrifying that such a location would even be considered as a possible drilling site. It is all downhill to the Delaware River, a nationally designated “wild and scenic” waterway and provider of clean, unfiltered drinking water for over 15 million people in New York City, Southern Pa. and New Jersey.

Earlier this month, a well in Clearfield, Pa. spewed out an extremely conservative estimate of 35,000 gallons of chemically contaminated wastewater 75 feet into the air. This wastewater, which is infused with some of the 500-plus volatile chemicals allowed in fracking fluid, as well as those that lie deep beneath the earth’s surface, rained throughout the delicate Moshannon State Forest for 16 hours before being subdued by a crew flown in from Texas.

Take that well and put it in the place of the test well in Equinunk. Where would all those chemicals have gone? Straight downhill into the river (and all over those dairy cows and their drinking pond).

Have you ever tried backing an elephant out of a room after you’ve brought him in? Well, me either… but I don’t imagine it would be very easy. Such is the situation we are in with this test well. Surely the Newfield Exploration Company, who installed the test well, has intentions larger than an elephant’s general curiosity.

Jason Shoemaker, a geologist with the state environmental regulator’s oil and gas division, said that given the more than $1 million investment, test wells are almost always converted for production.

“Some call them exploration,  but they’re going to produce them for sure,” said Shoemaker. “If they get gas out of them, they’re planning on it.”

Letting this well remain is about as dangerous as playing Russian roulette with six bullets in the chamber. When Josh Fox traveled throughout the Midwest making his documentary “Gasland,” the only recurring theme for families whose houses were located near wells was that their water and their way of life was being destroyed.

Gas companies have repeatedly shown their lack of concern for the environment. With them at the reins, I don’t believe that natural gas drilling can be done safely. Regarding the economic side of the issues, Fox stated “You can’t put a price on health or the character of an area.”

A complete moratorium on all forms of drilling in New York and Pennsylvania is our only hope for keeping so much of why we live here–and why we call this God’s country–safe, and not looking like a flattened moonscape.

By Erika C.

I used to love to write. Nothing too productive usually came out of the tales of my imaginings, but I was content in that place with paper and a pen as a very young child. When I started using drugs, my passions, the few that were important to me along with writing, took a backseat to my new 100 mph lifestyle. I arrived at The Family School a little over two years ago, scared, angry, and alone. As time went on I began to trust again, to love again, and to have fun again.

About a year ago I began researching colleges and majors. My interest in the media and how it affects society led me to choose communications and public relations as my prospective major. As Jason Garnar, head of College Counseling, and I continued to research, he matter-of-factly spoke the words that would change everything: “I think it would be a good idea if you joined the journalism class.”

Absolutely not. No way would I ever do that much work for one class. No way would I ever give my soul to the notorious Chris Stein. A week later I was sitting in 107 with a new schedule, a new computer, and a new reason to dread the school week. I had just made a year commitment to write for the school newspaper. I got my first assignment and began to volunteer for articles and as December graduation came closer I began to enjoy the class enough to consider applying for the internship for the following semester. My love of writing slowly crept back, and although it was sometimes painful to have my work critiqued, my writing began to sound better.

As the semester drew to a close I decided to have a conversation with Chris and express my interest in the position. However, when the  Spring 2010 Intern List came out I was extremely disappointed that I was not on it. I started the semester with a new resentment but determined not to let any one see how angry I really was. After multiple scheduling problems and Chris constantly complaining about me having too many classes, he began to send e-mails to the administration desperately trying to convince them that the best thing for me would be to have my schedule cleared of all unnecessary classes so I could work for him during my free periods.

One day Chris called me into his room. He said nothing, only handed me an e-mail saying that I was officially his fourth intern and that my schedule would be cleared of all extra classes. And that was how it all began. I began spending all of my time in 107 either writing or doing layout work for the newspaper, or putting my creative mind to the test making yearbook spread after yearbook spread.

As far as thrills and chills go, there have been mostly good times, with the exception of me getting so sulky after being critiqued that Chris had to revive me with two Ritz crackers and some positive reinforcement. I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to write for The Family Times and even more grateful that this school gave me an internship working for Chris Stein. He has taught me so much and although the last thing I would want to do is blow up his ego by saying that he really taught me how to work, it is so true. He has taught me how to perform under pressure and how to really push myself to produce the best work I am capable of.

I will be graduating from The Family Foundation School come June, and although I will miss the staff, students, and loving atmosphere that this school has introduced me to, it is my time to apply the principles and test my values in the unsheltered territory known to Family School students as the “outside.” I would like to thank Chris Stein for always pushing me and never letting me give up. I would also like to thank everyone who reads the newspaper.

As Students Look at Financial Options for College, They Often Take Out Student Loans, But They May Not Know What They’re Getting Into

By Ross A.

With graduation coming, many high school students are getting ready to enjoy summer—partying, hanging out with friends, and anxiously waiting to go to college.

The last thing on their minds is paying for college. Their ignorance is bliss, for a while. Some of them will be able to glide through their university years on the wings of their parents’ bank accounts, but some will have to take care of themselves.

These students will most likely take out student loans. They  will be getting a dose of reality, of capitalist America among the ranks of Citibank and Sallie Mae, two of the largest private student loan lenders, and there is some important information they need to know.

Many recent college graduates are finding out that they got in way over their heads during the process of taking out loans for school.

First, one must know that there are two different types of loans: federal and private.

Federal loans, such as Stafford loans, have much better options and protection than private loans. Some options include: Income Based Repayment (IBR) unemployment or economic hardship deferments, and forbearance.

You don’t have to fight hard for these options; if you meet criteria, they are your right under federal law. Sounds okay, right? You can make payments you can afford, hold off when you are having money troubles, and even wait for a while before you start paying.

The only problem with federal loans is that one can only receive so much money. A NYU graduate in a recent article in The New York Times could only obtain $20,000 in federal student loans, and racked up $100,000 in private student loan debt, which is now haunting her.

Private loans are dangerous territory for many reasons, beginning with their variable interest rates. These rates, which generally start low and get higher, fluctuate with the prime rate dictated by the Federal Reserve. The rates can range anywhere between a manageable 2.88% to an astronomical 11.85% or higher. When the interest rates are high, many people can hardly manage to cover the interest payments. Some are stuck paying this debt off for decades, while others are in trouble from the start and end up in default.

These high risk loans are made to students who have no guarantee of a job after graduation, and who may not find a job that pays enough for them to make their payments. Some think of filing bankruptcy. Although making that  move would result in a credit score that wouldn’t even qualify them a loan for a new microwave, and would create even greater financial headaches, it may seem to be the only option. Little known to many, though, is that it is impossible to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy court. Forgiveness is not an option when it comes to these private loans.

Why not fall back on your parents, who most likely cosigned the loan? Well, cosigners can be released after 12 months of on-time payments, leaving the students to pay off the debt completely for themselves, but even this option may not work for some families.

Sallie Mae, the largest student loan company in the country, is creating new options. The Smart Option Student Loan, for instance, makes cosigners liable for 24 months only, provides refunds for payments made and lower interest rates. But the decision is still risky. The best option would be for students to seriously consider their financial situation and decide accordingly. They can’t just go into the financial aid office, accept every loan they’re offered and expecting their debt to pay itself off.

Banks advertisements show “customers” with ear-to-ear smiles—happy couples gloating about their new house, young adults going off to college or driving away in a new car. But commercials convey very little of reality or what a loan entails. The college kid is only smiling because he hasn’t received his first bill yet.

So remember: when it comes to student loans, ignorance isn’t bliss forever.

Droppin' knowledge ... Josh Fox answers questions after the viewing in Walton, N.Y.

Josh Fox Documents Hydro-Fracturing Horrors In His New Film

By Jajce W. and Erika C.

Josh Fox’s journey on the road that is natural gas drilling began with a letter in the mail, a letter that he really knew nothing about.

The letter was from a natural gas company promising money and security if he would lease his land and allow hydraulic fracking on his Pennsylvania property. His curiosity led him to “Gasland” and eventually, on June 7, to the Walton Theatre, where locals gathered to view his documented journey before it airs on HBO on Monday, June 21.

“Gasland,” written, filmed and produced by Fox, puts you in the front seat next to him on his quest to learn and uncover the truth about natural gas drilling. His hunger for information takes him and the viewer, unexpectedly, on a country-wide tour that exposes the horrors of fracking in states such as Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, and our neighbor, Pennsylvania.

Although watching things catch fire is sometimes mildly amusing, there was nothing funny about it when a family’s drinking water is flammable or when a stream that was once fresh is contaminated with natural gas from a nearby well. What is amusing, however, is how the “big dogs” respond to this not-so-little problem. Fox, in his brilliance, collected contaminated samples of water from each household he visited.

Although the gas companies will swear that there is nothing wrong with flammable water, or water that is black, or that there is absolutely no connection between natural gas drilling and contaminated water, they also would prefer not to drink that water when offered. In fact, they refuse to. Yet they are asking the landowners to do just that, to drink water that has benzene 12% over the public safety health limit.

Natural gas companies will also swear that there is no connection between natural gas drilling and health problems, that the locals’ health problems are a result of other environmental factors. Fox’s investigation brought him to the doorstep of residents who were not only suffering from contaminated wells and lack of clean drinking water, but also from severe headaches, body pains, hair loss, and even severe brain damage. It still remains unclear what kind of natural environmental factors “the big dogs” are referring to but they seem to be saying that things such as snow showers and humidity can lead to serious health complications.

What Fox’s film shows, in the most obvious and heartbreaking way, are the people and the huge section of the country that are stuck. Stuck with homes on properties that are worthless. Stuck with drinking water that is poisonous. Stuck with sick family members, pets, and wildlife. Stuck in a gasland. Is that what the Marcellus Shale region can look forward to? Is the money worth it? Are we willing to let this region become a gasland as the West, Midwest and Southern parts of the country have?

Smells like victory... David K. spins his Frisbee while awaiting a match.

By Max Z.

Betton House went through a lot of struggles this month. Things started to get better once we cleaned house, did some program work and set goals as a whole.

For the past couple months, Robin and Mike Ducey, Betton House’s family leaders, have not been present, which was hard on the house as a whole. Fortunately, principal Ann Janauer and chemistry teacher Gerald Janauer are filling in as Betton House’s family leaders from now through June. “I’m very excited to be one of Betton House’s family leaders, but I know it’s a huge responsibility,” said Gerald. The Janauers are already settling in and the students are getting to know them.

Betton House is having some fun as well. Chorus and Show Choir’s Patty R., Emilie M. and Zach N. put on a great show at the North American Music Festival in Hershey Park and on Family Day. Adam S., Troy P. and Alex G. volunteered to help with stage crew. Nash B. and Matt W. are planting new vegetables in the garden, and although sport season is beginning to slow down, Scott M. will be preoccupied with skateboarding.

Many Betton House students have qualifiers and regents exams to take, so study halls are a lot quieter.

“I’m getting stressed out, but I do trust that God will provide,” said David K., a graduate who needs to pass his chemistry regents. The family’s graduates are still working hard and checking in at the table about their feelings on departing.

Betton House welcomes Alex A. to the family. “The people here in Betton House are helping me to feel at home,” he said. At this point, the family seems to be going at a good pace, and hopefully it will progress.

Red, white, and blue...Aubrey W., Cajai F., and Rylee B. spread the peace on Memorial Day.

By Nicole K.

As graduation creeps up around the corner Lake House family leaders Pete and Roxi have been encouraging students more than ever to start stepping it up. In the midst of it all student Johnny C. has taken advantage of his opportunity to step up and help out.

Johnny C. arrived at The Family School over nine months ago from Rocky Mount, N.C. as a violent 17-year old. He never felt like he fit in and isolated a lot while he was home. His isolation spilled over into his stay here and he found himself falling into negative mind frames. Johnny’s sponsor Pete Jacques encouraged him to explore a prayer life and start volunteering for crews to start the process of changing his ways.

Lake House has seen a whole new Johnny nowadays: “I owe much of my improvement to working the steps with my sponsor and helping out the newcomer in my family,” said Johnny about his recent success. Other students have seen a much happier student and collectively decided he should earn shadowing. There are no doubts in students’ minds that after June graduation Johnny will step it up even more and earn more responsibilities.

Other students in Lake House have seen positive rewards come their way in the month of May.

Student Nelsan B. received his second buddy and first sponsee, Dan M., while Lily G. also received her second sponsee, Lindsay N.

As the family starts to gain new members, the older students see it as a great opportunity to help out and more is yet to come in the future of Lake House.

It was AWESOME ... Jake H. expresses his excitement to Chris B. after an amazing catch in a frisbee game.

By Jill M.

This month has been stressful for Wilson House. With upcoming regent’s qualifiers, the family is working hard to prepare for them academically. In the past Wilson House students have done exceptionally well on the exams and they’re not expecting anything less this time around.

“We have received many new students, some of whom are older and will bring a needed maturity to the family,” said Kurt Hock. “With June graduation approaching, the family is getting nervous; however, the graduates are helping the other students to step up and hold down the fort.” Despite the nervousness, five new leaders have emerged, Joanna B., Parker S., Jillian M., Ross A., and Ben B. all received anchors. “Receiving an anchor gives me the opportunity to actually give back; I feel that now I can be a bigger support in my family,” said Parker.

The family is sad to see their brothers and sisters move on and graduate but many are anxiously awaiting their chance to be the graduates. Wilson House student Joanna B. is very excited that she is graduating in December. Since Joanna is only taking one class this semester the academic aspect of things should be pretty simple. The real test during her last six months will be on her program. She will be spending a lot of time figuring out who she is and what kind of person she wants to be when she leaves the school. “I’m very nervous about the hard work that lies ahead of me but I know that if I have faith things will turn out how they’re supposed to,” said Joanna.

When graduation rolls around things always get a little crazy, but we always pull through as long as we’re there to help one another.

What a beautiful day ... Talbot House students sit on the hill outside the house before classes start, reminiscing about the day.

By Brooke C.

Talbot House has undergone many changes this month. The family dynamic has switched as the number of new students in the family. There are seven new students in Talbot House, which has given the family a chance to change the way it works and welcome newcomers into the program. Talbot House has also welcomed a new staff member, Bernadette Musgrove, who’s working in the Health Office.

Talbot House students have also participated in many events this past month. Liam M., Brooke C., Andrew D., Raven S., and Nick P. all went on the chorus trip to Hershey Park, and also performed three times for the school. They were joined by Kate D. and Lindsay R. who danced in the ballet. Michelle J., Karen S., and Sarah B. ended the softball season, while Fran H., Kevin D., and Adam S. finished golf.

Some of the newer Talbot House students have been struggling, and the family is trying to pull together to help them. The seniors are helping by reaching out before they graduate and passing on what they have learned at The Family Foundation School.

Also, Liam M. handed off his anchor to his friend Nick P., and multiple other students have begun to try and step up in the past month. Kevin D. said, “Many people have a desire to get better, it’s a hopeful occurrence to witness.”

The family has also worked a lot on becoming closer and acting more as a family, and it seems to be paying off. As Jack S. said, “The family atmosphere is filled with happiness.”

By Jajce W.

Mann House students have been spending valuable time with one another before the June graduates depart in less than a month. Many grads have been stepping up and throwing themselves into their program work before their departure.

With graduation around the corner, Family Foundation School student Phillip P. has been taking actions that benefit both himself as well as other Mann House students. He has been giving his best advice to the newcomers, helping them through their struggles during his remaining time. “Phil is a miracle. Phil is the reason why I work here, to see the outstanding changes that kids make and prove that the program truly works,” said Family Leader, Joe Petriella. After June Phil will be going back to high school to finish his senior year at home.

Sarah V. just recently switched her sponsor from Robin Ducey to Nanci Newcomb. She wants to take advantage of the staff and what they have to offer. She has began to go over the 12 Steps and has frequent program talks with Newcomb in hopes of gaining as much experience, strength, and hope to take with her when she leaves.

Evan P. has done work by giving back to the community through service and action. He shows great effort on family crews. Volunteering is an expected thing for Evan; his support was a big help in Mann House. “I have been focused on helping my sponsees and preparing myself for college in August,” said Evan. Also, being a junior sponsor, Evan has been giving back his own experience, strength, and hope to all of his sponsees and new kids.