Vol. 119 No.8 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 February 24 - March 1, 2008 he BATLAS POST. SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE DALLAS POST John Engler Jr., of Trucksville, is turning 76 this week, but technically he'll only be 19. Born on Feb. 29,1932, Engler came into the world on Leap Year Day. In non-leap years, Engler celebrates his birthday on Feb. 28, March 1or a Sunday close to the date. How can he be 19 years old? & By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com John Engler Jr. is turning 76 this week, but technically, he’ll only be 19. How is that possi- ble, you ask? Engler was born on February 29, 1932 — a Leap Year Day. Because each year is actually 365.6 days, leap years are ob- served to compensate for the extra six hours not included in a calendar year. Leap years oc- cur in years divisible by four and in century years divisible by 400. Typi- cally, every four years is a leap year. In non-leap years, Engler, OTHER Some famous “It’s like a journey, but the journey is inward to discover my true self, who I really am. And part of that journey is letting go.” Sister Barbara Craig Zen Meditation classes provide spiritual journey toward relaxation to reduce stress CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Pat Smith, of Shavertown, falls in line during an introductory meditative Zen walk at Mercy Center. Seeking relief February 29 who lives in birthdays Trucksville, (source: www.fa- is forced to mousbirth- observe his days.net) . 1976: Jeff "ja Pirthday on Rule” Atkins - February 28, rap/hip-hop March 1 or a singer Sunday close 1972: Antonia to February ao Jr. - 29 but he nev- P2940: Gretchen op feels cheat Christopher - € . singer Some- 1904: Jimmy times I can Dorsey - band leader 1860: Herman Hollerith - engi- celebrate it twice or even three times,” By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com h the tone of a bell, the room fell completely silent. Staring at a spot on the floor, everyone silently counted their breaths for 10 minutes. Another bell notified the group the period of sitting medita- tion was almost over. A clap of two pieces of wood indicated it was time to move on to the Zen walk. Ten women and two men found themselves at a beginner's Zen meditation class during the eve- ning of Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Mercy Center in Dallas. With their shoes lined against the wall in Zen dis- Time, life and everyday worries slip away during a Zen meditation class at Mercy Center conducted by Sister Barbara Craig, of Dallas, and Gail Shemo, of Shavertown. circle. Many came for stress relief Catholic nun from Dallas, and Gail while others sought pain reduction, Shemo, of Shavertown, instructed a spiritual journey and relaxation. neer/computer he said. inventor And as a 1736: Ann Lee child, En- -religious zealot gler’s “real” birthdays brought about more expensive gifts such as a bicycle and a sled. “I don’t know why they (my parents) did it,” Engler said. “It was just more or less to show that was my real birthday.” According to leapzine.com, one in every 1,461 people is born on Leap Year Day. That amounts to 684 Leap Year Day births per one million people. There are about 200,000 peo- ple in the United States and four million people in the world with a February 29 birth- day. “There’s not too many of us around,” Engler said. Once, Engler just missed someone with his exact birth- day. A few years ago during a leap year, Engler went to Coop- er’s Seafood House in Pittston to receive a complimentary lobster or steak on his birth- day. In order for his birthday to be verified, Engler had to show & employee his driver’s li- cense. He was then informed that not much earlier in the See OLD, Page 5 098151200798 oo cipline, the individuals sat in a half Sister Barbara Craig, a Roman See RELIEF, Page 5 Hoping to keep grads safe, secure By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com The tune of Pomp and Cir- cumstance signals the opening of a new chapter in students’ lives. At Lake-Lehman, parents and administration want to make sure that chapter isn’t closed the very night it begins. In an effort to keep students safe on graduation night, Last Knight 2008, formerly called the lock-in, was created to give seniors a fun tobacco-, alcohol- and drug-free party. The stu- dents are locked into the school around 10 p.m. and kept until 5:00 the following morn- ing. Parents and some mem- bers of the administration serve as chaperones. “Statistically, graduation night tends to be one of the deadliest nights for kids who are seniors,” said Nancy Ed- kins, Lake-Lehman Junior/Se- nior High School assistant principal and chair of Last Knight 2008. The lock-in was created in 2007 by Superintendent James McGovern. Despite planning that started late and a teachers’ strike in the spring, the lock-in attracted 85 seniors, a little more than half of the Lake-Leh- man Class of 2007. “One of the responses that we got back from the kids was, ‘Wow, this was a lot better than we thought it would be,” Ed- kins said. Neighboring school district Dallas also has an annual lock- in. The parent-run event will be held for the ninth year this June at Dallas High School. At the Lake-Lehman lock-in, seniors are treated to plenty of food throughout the night. The students are entertained by ac- tivities such as kickball and volleyball tournaments, a pho- to booth, a band, disc jockey and a hypnotist. This year, the students have requested laser tag. Since it is an expensive ac- tivity, the committee needs to raise more money before it can grant the request. To raise money, the committee has sent letters home, asking parents to contribute and plans to have dress-down days in the district. Seniors are also presented with prizes throughout the evening. A video iPod was giv- en as a door prize last year and Sharing books so that others can enjoy Susan Schilling of Dallas leaves books in public places for fellow readers By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Susan Schilling was having a lousy day when she came across a hardcover book called “Geisha, . A Life” on a bench at a doctor’s office in Bethlehem. This was no ordinary book. A label on the cover said, “I'm not lost; I'm free” and indicated the book came from a user of Book- Crossing.com. Schilling’s mood lifted and, intrigued, she took the book with her back to her Dallas home. That's how Schilling first heard about and got involved with BookCrossing.com. On its Web site, BookCrossing is described as “the act of releas- ing books ‘into the wild’ and then following their journeys and the lives they touch.” Founded in April 2001, the site enables users to create free accounts in which they can follow and review books they release and find all over the world. BookCrossing.com also allows people to hunt for books by location. Schilling, 44, registered for the web site in October 2007 and logged that she found and has “Geisha, A Life.” But that wasn’t enough. She chose books of her own and those belonging to her husband, Jim, that were collect- ing dust on her bookshelf. She added each book into the Web site and then the real fun began. During her travels as a phar- maceutical sales representative, Schilling began leaving books at locations like Starbucks in Sha- vertown; Penn State/Wilkes- Barre in Lehman Township, where she is a cycling instructor; Panera Bread in Wilkes-Barre Township and in locations out of the area. She has also given books to her sister-in-law, who lives in Georgia, to leave near her home. So far, two people have logged into the web site to say they have Susan Schilling, of Dallas, leaves books at area coffee shops, restaurants and offices for others to enjoy. She registers and tracks the books through the Web site BookCross- ing.com. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST found books Schilling left-oneat has yet to receive a book review, Starbucks in Shavertown and which is what she would really one in the restroom of a doctor’s office in Mount Pocono. But she See BOOKS, Page 5 Edkins would like to have an- other large-scale prize this year. The Last Knight 2008 plan- ning committee has already started getting ready for gradu- ation night but the committee isin need of more volunteers. A committee meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the high school cafe- teria and new members are welcome. “We really need people, their ideas and their energy to help us pull it off again and be suc- cessful for our kids,” Edkins said. In addition to volunteers, the committee is seeking dona- tions of prizes, gift certificates and gift baskets to award to the students at the event. Financial contributions are also desired. Vv Nil WER) Last Knight 2008 meeting Wednesday, Feb. 27 7 p.m. Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School cafeteria Anyone interested in helping with Last Knight 2008 is asked to attend a planning committee meeting or call Principal Nancy Edkins at the school at 675- 7458 extension 2793.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers