MHS Courier December 2022

Photo by Ariana González

Hello, Mandan High students and staff! Welcome back to another issue of the Courier, and our last for this semester. Next semester, we will be introducing new and extremely talented additions to our staff and I can’t wait to show you what kind of articles they have in store for you all.

All of the articles in this issue were written with a lot of patience and hard work, and all of the effort is reflected in the quality of the articles. My personal favorite for this issue is on page 22, “Injured Athletes Share Injured Experiences.” As an athlete, Michael empathizes and focuses on the struggles of being an injured athlete and the struggles that come with it, besides the physical effects.

To get into the holiday spirit, Emmanuel reviews Christmas songs on page 6 and 7 and shares his musical insight. Following along with the holiday cheer, Dylan shares experiences of multiple students regarding Santa Claus’ existence.

I loved working with the Courier staff this semester to write articles for everyone to enjoy. I am looking forward to another great semester with fresh ideas and new members. Once again, I hope you enjoy this issue of the Courier, and I’ll see you next semester!

From The Editor... Staff

Ariana González........................Editor-In-Chief

Co-Feature Editor

Lily Giggee................Assistant Editor-In-Chief News Editor

Emma Helbling..........................Opinion Editor

Cambry Fyllesvold.................Co-Feature Editor

Michael Pfliger...............................Sports Editor

Emmanuel Dolo....................................Reporter

Dylan Campbell....................................Reporter

The Courier is a news/feature magazine that is published throughout the school year. As an open forum for student expression, all content online and in print is decided and moderated by student editors. The staff welcomes letters, articles, submissions, of any student, faculty, or community interest. Submissions may be turned into the Courier, room 221, and by message to mhscourier@gmail.com. All submissions must be signed by the author if they are to be published and subject to editing if space is restricted. The Courier strives to be objective in its news coverage.

Columns and letters reflect only the opinions of the writers, not those of the Courier staff, administration, teachers, or student body. Editorials that are not signed reflect the consensus of the staff.

The Courier is funded entirely through advertising sales. Contact the Courier at mhscourier@gmail.com if interested in advertising.

Ariana González, Editor-In-Chief

Mandan High School Paves Way For New Beginnings

— Cambry Fyllesvold, Feature Editor

Mandan High School will be looking a little different in the fall of 2024. With construction underway, the progress is moving along at a solid rate for the new High School.

To start, the new school will be about 300,000 square feet making it one of the biggest schools in North Dakota topping Legacy High School that was built in 2015.

“I think the new building will give us a better learning space,” Sophomore Ethan Benham said.

The new building will include five common areas for students, a cafeteria with an upper and lower deck to maximize seating, over 1,200 parking spots, and much more.

“I am looking forward to more parking spots and to just be able to say we go to a new school,” Benham said.

The new school also is giving electives more room to grow. The musical arts wing being one to expand the most. The band and choir rooms will be gaining more square feet and will connect to the auditorium where there will be upper and lower seating and will hold up to 800 people.

“Growing the electives will give students more opportunities to learn,” sophomore Camdyn Engelhard said.

Along with the musical arts expanding, other electives like CTE and FACS classes will also have more space for more hands-on learning whether it be in shops, labs or the kitchen.

Overall, the biggest change from the existing school to the new school will be security. Everyone will have to go through the front doors during the school day. This will help keep everyone in the building safe and limit the amount of traffic through scattered doors throughout the school.

“Every other door will be electronically locked throughout the building during the day,” Andresen said. “This is to keep everyone safe and maximize security.”

Currently, the building is in the process of getting walls of concrete poured near the auditorium and CTE wing. The academic wing’s footings are finished and are awaiting walls to go up. This is on track to happen this winter or spring time.

Having a new high school with more space and better ways of teaching will benefit the student’s future learning opportunities and can better prepare them for life outside of high school.

Photo by Cambry Fyllesvold

The image shows construction underway at the new Mandan High School.

Speech Team Seeks Expansion

‘Tis the season for shining lights and gift giving, with winter weather fast approaching the Winter Sports season is as well. Sports like hockey and basketball are often popular winter activities; but as these teams begin preparing for their newest season, so does the Mandan High School Speech Team.

“Our season starts at the beginning of February and the last official meet before Regions is at the end of March. We will do Regions and State and that normally ends the third week of April.” Loren Nieuwsma, Co-Coach of the Speech Team said.

The main difference between this year’s speech team and the former years is that they have two coaches instead of one. Mr. Nieuswma will coach the beginning of the year practices and Mrs. Bender will coach the end of year practices.

The Speech Team hopes that having two head coaches will help the team grow more.

“It’s difficult to gauge where you’re at in Speech because we’re not like a sports team. There’s so many factors involved throughout the year.” Nieuwsma said.

The Speech Team is looking to expand to the Mandan Middle School in an effort to get a few more middle grade students involved. Getting students involved with the club at younger ages makes it easier for talents to take shape and grow.

“We are trying to grow our program so that it extends to the middle school.” Mrs. Bender said.

Having younger students join the team that place in certain competitions balances out the placing senior students. The problem with the expansion is that it is difficult to have a full time coach at the Middle School, which there needs to be if a Speech Team was to be formed there.

Some of the current strongholds that are returning to the Speech Team happen to be underclassmen–specifically Sophomores. Showing that younger students’ talents grow the achievements of the team

One of those Sophomores, who was on the team last year, is very excited to get back into the swing of things.

“I am just looking forward to competing. I have a lot of anxiety and public speaking helps me with it,” said Sophomore, Megan LaFleur.

The team does have young talent returning for the season with one being the alternate on the North Dakota state team last year.

“I ended up going to nationals in Louisville, Kentucky they had extra room on ND so they took extra people and they wanted a freshman so they picked me and I am very thankful for that,” said LaFleur.

Though they have many returning teammates, the Speech Team is still looking for new recruits.

Some of the current strongholds that are returning to the Speech Team happen to be underclassmen–specifically Sophomores. Showing that younger students’ talents grow the achievements of the team

Though they have many returning teammates, the Speech Team is still looking for new recruits.

“We have a couple of really strong speakers in Student Congress and Student Council that we are trying to get to join Speech. I also have some other students that participate in speaking around the school that I’m trying to sneak in.” Nieuwsma said.

-Emma Helbling, Opinion Editor

“I am just looking forward to competing. I have a lot of anxiety and public speaking helps me with it.”

December 2022

The Mandan Tennis Center Prepares For Grand Opening

Editor-in-Chief

The Mandan Tennis Center will have its official grand opening on December 22nd and will be open for play starting December 23rd. Construction for the facility began in the summer of this year after being pitched to the Mandan Park District two years ago by now President of the Mandan Tennis Center, Tracy Porter.

“I approached the Mandan Park District about two years ago on the concept of building an indoor tennis facility that the Park District would own, but they would lease the operations and management of the facility to a non-profit company that I established,” Porter said. “The non-profit company is named Mandan Tennis Center and will be managed by a nine-person board.”

The idea of an indoor tennis facility was inspired by Porter’s children’s own love for the sport.

“The idea for an indoor tennis facility in Mandan started for me when my children played tennis in high school and college,” Porter said.

Construction of the Mandan Tennis Center went well, despite the winter storm earlier in November.

“The project has been very smooth so far. Most of the complexity was in the design work and then just the coordination of all the contractors on the project,” Porter said. “The blizzard in early November certainly created some challenges in the parking lot and around the facility with the blowing and drifting snow, but the inside work on the dome and the building continued on as scheduled.”

The facility’s 41,600 square feet, six tennis courts and ten pickleball courts will allow for a variety of tennis and other racket sport events to happen away from the winter weather.

“In addition to open public play, we are interested in hosting the West Region and State Boys and Girls Tennis Tournaments, college tennis tournaments and local tennis and pickleball leagues and tournaments,” Porter said.

Besides the tennis and pickleball courts, the new Mandan Tennis Center will also allow community members of all ages to play smash tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

“The sports you can participate in at the tennis center are considered lifetime activities and we look forward to hosting people from age 3 to age 93,” Porter said.

Porter hopes that the new Mandan Tennis Center will be a place where everyone can have a good time.

“We consider this facility to be another very nice addition to our community,” Porter said. “We hope people will find the tennis center to be an enjoyable atmosphere and a place where they can participate with family and friends.”

For any more information regarding the Mandan Tennis Center, visit www.mandantenniscenter.com.

Photo by Ariana González

— Ariana González,

The new Mandan Tennis Center is currently getting ready to be opened next to the Starion Complex.

Song Spot Winter Harmonies

— Emmanuel Dolo, Reporter

In this issue of the Song Spot, Santa’s on the prowl and the Christmas spirit is as jolly as ever. Swap your earbuds for earmuffs this year, because keeping these jolly tunes to yourself would be a train ride straight to the naughty list! We hope to spread Christmas joy through these well renowned tracks; listen as each song sets you right into the holiday mood that even the naughtiest Grinch, and the most miserly Scrooge couldn’t resist. As each track is heard we hope the listener feels as though they’re in a set straight from the Hallmark channel!

“I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas”

Gayla Peevy

Throughout childhood , our Christmas lists might have been the most important thing during the holidays. “I want a hippopotamus” spreads the joy and excitement kids feel when making their lists, and shows how important it is to let your imagination run wild. With its insane popularity and unique lyrics, when this holiday track plays, even adults can’t help but reminisce what their own requests to Santa were like as kids. Whether it be something you saw with another student in school as a kid, or the neighborhood’s coolest new muse, there is no denying the excitement that comes with making a Christmas list in kids and adults alike, as well as the joy we feel when said list is fulfilled.

“Last Christmas” Wham!

This Christmas track gives the holidays a different shade of glee, with simple yet perfect chords, Last Christmas is one of the many beloved holiday songs that bring people together. This track packs a sense of having learned new lessons of how valuable love is; whether it be self love, romantic love , or the love a family shares with each other during the holidays. With memorable lyrics Last Christmas creates an atmosphere of togetherness that is the prime element of what the holidays are all about.

“All I Want For Christmas is You”

Mariah Carey

With an intro as grand as the chorus, All I want For Christmas definitely carries the Christmas spirit, Mariah uses a jolly bell tune with a fluent background and beat to express a more energetic flow that gives this song a smooth demeanor. With its booming popularity, Mariah is still receiving several awards for this song to date, having earned $2.5 million per year, and about $60 million in total. Not only are the earnings for this track impressive, but the influence it has had on many families, groups, and individuals during the Christmas is what keeps this track Carey has used her heavenly vocals to elucidate how much love goes around during the holidays, and that love is just enough.

“Jingle Bell Rock”

Bobby Helms

Like many holiday classics, this track is a marvel to the Christmas spirit; Jingle Bell Rock consists of a smooth background chorus and a slow tempo that gives you time to soak in the overall vibe of Christmas. With simple and gleeful lyricism, the Helms makes the demeanor of this track feel like that of a Christmas party. The most important emblem in this song is its easy going tone, one can’t help but be in the holiday mood once this Christmas jubilee is played.

“‘All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth’”

“‘The Grinch’ because Jim Cerry is hot”

“Money because college is expensive”

“The Peanuts one, ‘Christmas Time is Here’”

“‘Peanuts’ ... wait no, ‘Die Hard’”

“Ice house”

December 2022

THE FLIPSIDE

“Frank

‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’”

“‘Die Hard’”

“My two front teeth”

“‘Snowman’ By Sia”

Jaylei Eisenbeis Freshman “I don’t know, all of them”

What is your favorite Christmas song?

“‘Rise of the Guardians’ it is debatable but in my heart it is”

“Girl Scout cookies but I don’t know, if they sell them during Christmas”

“‘Die Hard’”

What is your Favorite Christmas movie?

“A new computer”

What do you want for Christmas?

“‘8 Crazy Nights’ by Adam Sandler”

What is your favorite Christmas song?

“‘Elf’”

What is your favorite Christmas song?

“ A Red Rider BB gun”

What do you want for Christmas? Feature 08

Senior Morgan McMillan

Sophomore Emma Mosbrucker

Junior Lucas Bieri

Teacher Mr. Solemsaas

Teacher Mr. Lau

Sinatra

— Lily Giggee , Assistant Editor-in-Chief

Students Speak Up: The Pledge of Allegiance

— Michael Pfliger, Sports Editor

In a recent poll sent to MHS students asking whether or not they believed that the Pledge of Allegiance should be said in school or not. of the 174 students that took the poll 64.5% of the 174 students that took the poll said that they belied that it should be said in school and 35.5% said that it should not be said in school.

Grade: Junior Name: Omar Foley

Supporters of the Pledge of Allegiance being said in school think it should be said for a number of reasons, one of them being, instilling a strong sense of patriotism in students.

“Yes. I think it should be said in school because it helps instill American values into our brains,” Junior Omar Foley said.

Another reason that supporters think that it should be said in school is unity.

“I think it should be said in schools because it helps unify us and show us that we are one country and we are together and we should be working together on issues,” Foley said.

For many a controversial phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance is “under God” however supporters of the pledge are looking at a deeper meaning in the phrase.

“Even if it says something about God in there, I think that you can look past that and understand what’s behind it versus what’s being said at face value,” Foley said.

Supporters’ main reasons for saying yes is unity and some believe that in high school there are other things that unify people instead of saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

“I think in high school we have things that unify us a lot more like sports and clubs versus at the middle and elementary schools they don’t really have that so it helps unify them more,” Foley said.

Many supporters find the pledge to be something that should be said in school and is important in American values.

“I think that the Pledge of Allegiance no matter what your beliefs are is good and it helps unify us and the Pledge of Allegiance is important because it shows that we are one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,” Foley said.

Grade: Junior Name: Stella Boehm

Naysayers of saying the Pledge of Allegiance find it unnecessary to say.

“I personally do not think that the pledge of allegiance should be said in schools, because it seems a little bit over the top to have to recite how much you care about your country,” Junior Stella Boehm.

Naysayers of the Pledge find the phrase “under God” to be improper separation of church and state.

“There should be separation of church and state. The pledge of allegiance says the phrase ‘under God’, even though not everyone believes in any god or religion. I do not think that there should be anything forced upon children like this when America is supposedly a free country,” Boehm said.

Some naysayers of the pledge think that it shows America as the best and most perfect country.

“The pledge enforces kids to believe America is perfect and always right, when this is not the case. America as a country has made mistakes in the past and I’m sure it will continue to do so,” Bohem said.

Some naysayers of the pledge think that students begin to say it too early in life without understanding what they are saying.

“I think making kids who have barely had enough brain development to form their own thoughts and opinions on the pledge of allegiance is wrong,” Boehm said.

Some naysayers think that the Pledge should not be mandatory and should not be said in the first place.

“If it was mandatory, some students will not stand for or say the pledge of allegiance because it is not something they think is right, and other students will be upset because of this and most likely make it a big deal,” Boehm said.

Teen Jobs Filled By Mandan High School Students

-Emma Helbling, Opinion Editor

What to know when driving in the winter

As the annual atmosphere of winter sets in, so does the importance of driving safely. It is important to be aware of the dangers of winter driving; Keeping composure when things go wrong can be the difference between a safe call and a horrific circumstance. All the fears drivers have on the road are shared, remembering this factor is important because it gives a driver a deeper understanding of what they must do to be safe. With insight from Driver’s Ed instructor Mr. Mack, this article informs drivers of all the measures they should take to protect themselves and other drivers on the road in winter.

— Emmanuel Dolo, Reporter

As the annual atmosphere of winter sets in, so does the importance of driving safely. It is important to be aware of the dangers of winter driving; Keeping composure when things go wrong can be the difference between a safe call and a horrific circumstance. With insight from Driver’s Ed instructor Mr. Mack, this article informs drivers of all the measures they should take to protect themselves and other drivers on the road in winter.

Slow Down

Although this point seems obvious, many young drivers are ignorant to the benefits of driving slowly in the winter time. Out of the small group of individuals that answered a poll about the realities of winter driving, 82% ruled that slowing down is the main element that may help prevent sliding on the road, or worse, accidents.

Mr. Mack shares his own experiences as a teen in terms of slow driving, he states, “As a teen driver I believed I was invincible on the road, as many other teens do today.” The biggest mistake drivers make in the wintertime is driving too fast, or faster than the conditions allowed,” Mack said. “When one’s speed does not correlate with the road conditions, the vehicle loses control. A responsible driver knows when and how to execute their movements with the appropriate speed and distance from those around them.”

Plan/Think Ahead

drivers can protect an individual from any circumstances that put them and their vehicle in danger. Whether it be dealing with an inconsiderate driver on the road, or an individual losing composure when their car slides, planning and thinking ahead is a defensive way to protect yourself and those around you.

Mr. Mack gives insight on what to do in situations involving inconsiderate drivers in the winter.

“Many drivers are inconsiderate of your right on the road, I cannot control their vehicle so I try to be cautious and watch other drivers very carefully, Mack said.

A new driver enters their car the night before it snowed heavily in their neighborhood. With the new atmosphere this driver must adapt to slower speeds, bad traffic, and unexpected situations; such as icy roads and jammed brakes.

Actively watching, listening, and maneuvering on the road is one factor that sets a responsible driver apart from an inconsiderate one. Being a defensive driver is the safest way to protect yourself on the road not only during winter months, but all throughout the year.

As a new driver, an individual may not understand what it means to be cautious, therefore a lack of understanding is yet another element that defines the overall demeanor of a driver on the road. Making responsible choices may not be a challenge for many drivers, but one person’s bad decision can affect everyone around them. It is important to consider this factor when driving to protect yourself and those around you. Mr. Mack shares his regrets as a teen when on the road; as well as the things he wished he did to keep people around him safe.

Being licensed to drive may seem like a thrill filled privilege to some, but in the winter months, driving requires more active thinking, planning, and execution of maneuvers than any other time of the year. Thinking ahead before you merge, change lanes, as well as planning in situations that are out of your control can help create a safe system for all individuals on the road. When a driver is in a situation that is out of their control during the winter, keeping a safe following distance from other

“I would drive way too fast and I wouldn’t think about the consequences of how my actions would affect those around me, my passengers and their families as well. If I could go back I would drive a lot safer, and think about those around me more,” Mack said.

Mr. Mack’s experience may serve as a reminder to be cautious on the road, whether a driver is an adult or adolescent.

Photo by Emmanuel Dolo

December 2022

Into the Medical Field

The medical field is a vast landscape with a multitude of professions that stem from various forms of health. These different branches of healthcare require different specialized skills for their corresponding careers, and everyone can be provided with an occupation in the medical field based upon their talents, values, and goals.

Internal Medicine Hospitalist and Vice President of Clinic at Sanford Bismarck, Dr. Mubashir Badar acknowledges the extensive curriculum medicine assumes and the opportunity that comes with it.

“When I went into medical school, I saw myself as a surgeon. Then, when we start doing rotations, you see yourself getting more involved,” Badar said. “That’s where medicine was more intriguing to me, because it was more intellectually challenging. The medical field is so vast. If you have the capability, any personality or any interest that you have, can fit in.”

Inpatient Orthopedics, Neurology, Stroke Program, and Total Joint Program Nursing Director, Samantha Richter elaborates on the opportunities available in the plane of nursing.

“If I look back on my journey as a nurse, I started as a med-surg nurse. Then, I became a little more specialized in orthopedics. Then, I was offered a job as a Clinical Care Leader in patient rehab. Now, I’m the director of nursing,” Richter said. “I’ve changed my career path every two to four years, and that happened organically. There are opportunities that you can find a niche that you love, and work your way up the clinical ladder, or you try different things and become a well-rounded nurse with many different attributes. The opportunities are endless.”

Badar thinks pursuing a career in healthcare offers intellectual and emotional challenges.

“If you like problem solving, if you like to be challenged on a day-to-day basis, this field is for you,” Badar said. “Now at the same time this comes with having to deal with sadness, breaking bad news, or unintended consequences. This field does require some amount of strength to bear that, and to be strong for somebody else when they’re at their weakest.”

Badar feels the biggest benefit from his profession is the satisfaction from helping his patients.

“Even on the tough days, where I’m seeing complicated patients, just the fact that you’re able to help one individual in their suffering or healing. That just means the world to me,” Badar said. “If you’re that individual that gets personal satisfaction from helping people, there’s no better feeling. The impact you can have is huge, and you can touch many people’s lives.”

Lead Technical Consultant of the blood bank and Medical Technologist, Kelly Guenthner feels a job in the medical field is an act of service.

“I find it incredibly satisfying to know that I am saving lives. I joke around at work, when people ask ‘are you busy?’ I’m like, ‘I’m saving lives!’ But we are, in small ways, and in large ways,” Guenthner said. “We’re a whole planet of people who have to take care of each other. You have to care for the most vulnerable people in your community, it’s an act of service.”

- Dylan Campbell, Reporter

Photo submitted by Kelly Guenthner

Kelly Guenthner loads specimens on to the hematology analyzer.

THANK YOU!

FRIEND OR FOE: A LOOK INTO NEW AGE FRIENDSHIPS

-Emma Helbling, Opinion Editor

If you walk the halls of Mandan High School, you can find all sorts of differing friendships. In one friend group you can hear them exchange excited chatters about the newest movie hitting the Grand Theatre this weekend. In another you can hear them whisper frantically about the Biology test next period.

But a common way you might hear friends speak to each other is in a way that may seem concerning. With friends telling their peers to end their lives or that they don’t matter whilst laughing.

Psychology Today states that the current generation of Gen Z, “Kids today are about 40 percent lower in empathy than their counterparts of 20 or 30 years ago.” This lack of empathy is being made clearer in the presentation of friendships between current Gen Z’s and their peers.

Current students believe that teasing is often a form of communication in friendships but they also recognise that there can be some truth behind these barbs.

Juniors Scott Piper and Jackson Olson acknowledge that there can be truth behind so-called jokes between friends.

“It can be a form of friendship,” Olson said. “But it can get out of hand.”

“It can be, you know, nice giving your buddies crap about somethings.” Piper agreed. “But it can most definitely be taken out of hand.”

Some students don’t exactly see a bad side in harmful language in friendships.

“You can definitely be a friend and just joke around with them.” Junior Jayden Brobst said.

But where is the line between bully and friend drawn? Students say that if you pay attention to the kids saying the harmful words, you can quickly spot the difference between friend and foe.

“If you see those two kids together like all the time and then they are bullying each other then I’d just let it slide.” Olson said. “But if it’s just two kids that you’d never seen together then it would be hard to figure that out.”

There have been some situations in our school where teachers really didn’t know if a student was being bullied.

“I remember this one time when a teacher yelled at me and my buddies and we were just messing around.” Piper said.

It can sometimes seem to be a little bit impossible for teachers who have twenty-some kids in seven different class periods to keep track of who is friends with whom. So in instances like Piper’s above, they only see and hear half of what is actually going on. And they have a split second to make a decision that can majorly impact a student’s life.

In the end, some students believe that harmful language is healthy in friendships. That in some cases and in the end that it is only a form of constructive criticism.

“There’s a difference between shaping your buddies up and then making fun of them to the point where it goes too far.” Piper said.

“Like if you’re making fun of your buddy about something that he’s insecure about that’s not needed.” Olson said. “But if he’s wearing some dumb shirt you know, then it’s okay.”

There can be truth behind jokes between friends.

Students Question Santa Beliefs

The legitimacy of Santa Claus is a prevalent debate amongst children of all ages, with at least fifty-three poll respondents of Mandan High School’s student body under the belief that St. Nicholas truly presides in the North Pole. One side of the debate argues that Santa Claus is a fallacy, a construct created by parents who want to manipulate their child’s behavior. However, the other presents rebuts to the Santa Claus skeptics.

An anonymous source brings the hit song, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” by Harry Reser as a claim to Santa Claus’s existence.

“I point you to the hit song, ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’ This song proves not only that Santa is real, but that he is also coming to town. Many non-believers try to say that this song is merely a work of fiction, and to that I say blasphemy,” Anonymous said. “Why would the Jackson 5 and all others who have sang this spectacular song lie about Saint Nick’s existence? They would gain nothing from fabricating this lie.”

A number of students have had their parents admit to them of the Santa Claus sham. The parents of senior Gabriela Martin have never let her believe in fictional figures, admitting her childhood was aloof.

“My parents never let me believe in any characters like the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny, because they didn’t want to teach me ‘about lying to children about real and fiction,’” Martin said. “Hence, why I’ve never been allowed to believe in Santa Claus. My childhood was very grim.”

Martin still keeps the Christmas spirit while she finds silver linings in her stern childhood.

“I think the silver lining is that I know I can create that happy environment for my family, and I can show the people I love how much I love them because I never had that growing up,” Martin said. “My holiday spirit is a lot of baking cookies and watching all the stupid Hallmark movies.”

Mandan High School has come to the general consensus that Santa Claus is a con. Sophomore Anna Sheese tries to believe in spirit.

“I know he isn’t real but I believe in spirit. I’ve had multiple experiences. When I was three, my siblings and I went to see Santa,” Sheese said. “He knew things my parents couldn’t even tell him. He made key chains appear out of nowhere, and made a hat from crushing a piece of paper.”

Sheese confesses to how she came to the conclusion that Santa Claus is a fraud.

“My older brother already knew, and he was watching me. We snooped through the presents, and I realized that those were the same presents we got from Santa,” Sheese said. “I asked my parents, and they told me the truth.”

Martin shares that Christmas may not be for everyone, but it’s important to appreciate loved ones.

“Christmas isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay,” said Martin. “It’s important to take time and show love to others, and yourself however you see fit.”

Whether someone believes in Santa Claus or not, the holiday spirit is alive and well in Mandan High School.

- Dylan Campbell, Reporter

GAMES WITH

— Lily Giggee, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

GIGGEE

The games reviewed are from the poll that was sent out to the school. These are some of the most popular games from the poll. The hearts are from one out of five.

Freshman Cooper Anderson and Kam Ekstrom show off their retro bowl teams

Retro Bowl is a football game where you play as a football player, a team manager, a coach and recruit players on your team. The game was released in January 2020.

I have seen my brothers playing this game constantly. I have personally tried the game and I suck at it.

The reason this game has become so popular is the different varieties the game has. You start off pretty much at the bottom of the system and work your way up to the top by winning games. You can pick a team or randomize it and work towards your favorite team.

This game really took off because of the popular app Tik Tok. Also because football is a fan favorite in America with the NFL.

The teams are actual NFL franchises so that also helps with the appeal. You may not be able to play for that team or manage them but you sure can pretend to. It is like playing with the Chiefs but not really.

Recently I have seen football take off in the younger generations because of how streamlined football is. At an elementary school level some kids this Thanksgiving are thankful for the LA Rams.

In the grand scheme of things this game is very popular among many different age groups. A lot of people enjoy football and this game has all those aspect. This game is also free on all phones and has a website game.

Photo by Lily Giggee

Pokémon Go has blown up over the past couple months. Personally, I started to pick up the game again in July.

The purpose of this game is to walk around and catch wild Pokémon in your surrounding area. There are tons of different Pokémon to catch and some special ones that happen only during certain events.

This game has been around since 2016, and it had a lot of momentum rolling for them. People were obsessed with it but it slowly started to fall off till now.

The game is a spinoff of the hit show where a young boy

named, Ash Ketchum, goes on adventures catching and fighting with his Pokémon.

The origin of this game goes back to a game called Poketto Monsutaa, which is translated to Pocket Monsters. This game was popular on the Game Boy, it was a game where kids would raise and train monsters.

Overall, this game is a pretty straight forward and fun game to play with or without friends. You may even see some of your teachers playing the game.

Owen Brockett, Camdyn Engelhard, Trevor Stock, Ethan Benham, and Vincent Rohde proudly show off their favorite Pokémon.

Photo by Lily Giggee

Integrating An Inclusive Culture

Modern culture has brought progress to looming social issues that have lingered amongst the United States ofAmerica for decades, some centuries. Perhaps, the step towards common ground could take stride by sharing a time everyone holds fondly: the holiday season.

Christmas is emphasized inAmerican education as the primary celebrated holiday. However, an environment that treats every religious holiday with equal respect could help students become more cognizant of each other’s individual realities.

Bruce Vento Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota, proposed a solution to this issue, but rather to expose each pupil to their peer’s culture. The provided solution set to eradicate all holidays that were celebrated in school, including: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and even Valentine’s Day

This solution may treat all holidays equally, but Bruce Vento Elementary School subjecting the student body to ignorance obstructs an inclusive holiday environment. Furthermore, it erases the holiday culture altogether.

While most school environments are not as restrictive as Bruce Vento Elementary School, a lack of encouragement of a more inclusive holiday season can be equated to the ignorance placed upon the students at Bruce Vento Elementary School.

For true inclusive holiday conditions to occur, holidays that are rarely represented in schools need to be just tolerated, but celebrated. To open people’s minds to foreign experiences that will help us better recognize each other.

This step can be seemingly big or small, but all that is required is an effort for people to better understand one another.

-Dylan Campbell, Reporter

Let’s Talk About Sex, Or Not

— Ariana González, Editor-in-Chief

Sexual education is one of those topics which, no matter how far society progresses when it comes to keeping an openmind, still remains taboo. With a large portion of the American population, including North Dakota, receiving abstinence-only sexual education, it is really no surprise that many teens turn to pornography as means to educate themselves.

Schools should provide accessible and inclusive sexual education for everyone regarding medically accurate anatomy, effective methods of contraception, consent, and sexual boundaries. These skills can help prepare teens for adulthood and have respectful relationships with healthy boundaries by improving teens’ communication and decision-making skills.

It is important for teens to have the proper social and emotional skills needed to have healthy sex lives. Abstinenceonly sexual education does not stop teens from partaking in sex, instead, it turns sex into a danger with life-long consequences.

Teens who rely on pornography as educational content often fail to realize that most of the time the content is acting and not realistic at all. Many studies have been done to demonstrate the effects of excessive pornography usage in the brain, one of which is misinformation and unrealistic expectations due to its fantasylike nature.

Learning about sex through pornography has been the subject of a variety of studies, many of which have found incredibly negative consequences of this method of sexual education many

teens partake in. Often, pornographic scenarios depict hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as borderline unconsensual sexual activity. A 2021 study done on six European countries found a link between pornography exposure in teen males and aggressive behavior.

The internet has proved to be a very educational tool time and time again, but it can also serve as a way for dangerous misinformation to be spread. Pornography often depicts unrealistic depictions of how sex works and often leaves out important conversations regarding consent.

People who depend on resources like pornography for sexual education miss out on vital knowledge that could be covered in a health class with effective and accurate sexual education. According to cultureframed.org, US youth are more likely to seek out pornography as a source on sexual information, with 25% of people aged 18-24 claiming that helpful information most likely came from pornography.

Having the expectation that all students will remain abstinent is unrealistic, and abstinence-only sexual education makes these students to be more at risk of unwanted pregnancies and STIs. If having conversations regarding sex were to happen effectively within a school setting, it could help students feel more educated about sex and reduce these risks.

Photo by Ariana González

Learning sexual education by using unreliable sources limits the information that can be received by teens, like information regarding effective methods of contraception.

ROUNDUP SPORTS

Girls Wrestling

“Our biggest goal this season for women’s wrestling is to have most, if not all girls to be able to wrestle at state. We are most looking forward to pushing the hardest we can in the room, looking to continuously improve.”

Boys Wrestling

“Our team goal is to get better throughout the season, but also create a team bond in and out of the wrestling room.”

Boys Basketball Girls Basketball

“We are very excited for the season, we have a great group of guys who are very committed and talented and I think we can go far for our goal of a state title.”

-Senior Matt Mudinguyi

“We have a lot of really great talent on our team that will help us on the court.”

-Senior Mya Sheldon

Boys Swim &

Dive

“Our team goal is to get more state qualifiers and to win more duals.”

-Sophomore Andy Bierman

-Junior Warren Fleck

— Cambry Fyllesvold, Feature Editor

Junior Jayden Wiest throws a free throw for a extra point.

Photos by Lily Giggee Senior Matt Mudingayi looks for a opening to shoot the ball.

-Sophomore Hayleigh Fischer

Girls Hockey

“This season is going to go well. We have been progressing to get stronger as a team. As the season goes on, I think we are going to get better so we can place higher at state and go even further this year.”

Boys Hockey

“Our goal for this season is to go far into WDA and make state again. We have a really great team this season and I think we will do well.’’

Kachinas

“Our competitions have been good and our last competition we placed best overall. The team is hoping to continue that to nationals.”

-Sophomore Mya Johnson

Gymnastics

“Our goal is to place 6th at state this year and we want to place higher than we did before. We are looking forward to the skills our new coaches will teach us.”

Cheerleading

“We are working to perfect our stunts at competitions and come together as a team.”

-Addyson Weldon

- Junior Alex Arnegard

-Junior Madison Hertz

-Junior Owen Brincks

Junior Bennett Leingang grabs the puck to stop play.

Girls hockey players celebrate after they score to tie the game to put the game into overtime.

December 2022

Injured Athletes Share Injured Experiences

With more and more people joining sports, more and more athletes are getting injured. When injured, an athlete can oftentimes expect to be unable to compete.

“My injury affected my season greatly. I missed the first game and from there on even running hurt very very bad,’ Junior football player Leelyn Desiletes said. ‘So I missed a lot of conditioning things and had to take a week off and just take it easy.”

Although injured athletes cannot compete or sometimes even practice with the team, that doesn’t stop them from showing up to practice.

“I wasn’t able to do anything with the team, I was helmet only so I was only able to do half the drills and spent the rest of the time watching trying to take mental reps,” Desiletes said.

Many athletes enjoy the company that a team provides, but when they are injured and watching from the sidelines, they begin to miss that company and friendship.

“If you’re hurt and you’re not at practice, then it’s real tough when you come back and attempt to play because you weren’t there. If not for anything, go for your teammates and go for yourself if you want to play,” Desiletes said.

Even though an athlete’s season ends they still have to deal with their injury in many different ways until it goes away and many times past their injury healing.

“I’m still doing rehab on it and exercises and physical therapy so that eventually it heals,” Desiletes said.

Athletes may feel a strong urge to come back to their sport early even if they aren’t fully healed in order to get to play again. Oftentimes when athletes return to play too early, they can end up getting injured worse than before or have a new injury appear.

“For other people who are hurt, take care of yourself, don’t feel obligated to get right back in there because someone else expects you to. If you’re hurt you got to take care of yourself because if you’re still hurt and you get back in there the chances of you getting hurt either with the same injury or something else because you’re compensating for that injury is way too high.’ Desiletes said. ’Be smart

Sports 22

do what you can, push yourself it’s going to hurt, but do as much as you can, but don’t get bullied into doing more than you can and risk getting hurt worse,”

Photo by Michael Pfliger

Injured athletes will receive treatment to help heal their injuries faster so they can return to play sooner.

— Michael Pfliger, Sports Editor

“If you’re hurt and you’re not at practice, then it’s real tough when you come back and attempt to play because you weren’t there,”

Boys Hockey

Skates into A New Season

— Cambry Fyllesvold, Feature Editor

Mandan boys hockey is looking into this season with high hopes. The team is looking for a strong start to the year that will continue with them throughout the season.

There are some new faces this year for the Braves. Coaches Matt Winkle and Marshall Tschida have taken over this season as the new co-head coaches, after the Braves’ previous head coach Leif Mattson resigned after last season.

“We really have adapted well to their coaching style,” Senior Brady Helbling said. “It is going pretty great and they treat us really well.”

The team is excited to see what this season will bring. This season the Braves have 11 seniors that will help the team have an advantage over other teams in the WDA.

“With the amount of seniors we have I think we should have a great opportunity to make it to state and do really good,” Junior Chantz Delzer said. “Overall the skill we have gained through the whole team is more than we’ve had in a long time.”

This season also brings lots of young talent with 11 sophomores on the team. The Braves have the potential to have a strong season ahead.

“They have definitely filled the spots of the seniors we lost from last year,” Senior Carter Kilen said. “Playing at a higher level from the beginning will really help them grow as players and will give them more experience for the long run.”

Last season the Braves had an amazing finish. They won three out of their four games allowing them to make it to the state tournament where they finished sixth overall. The Braves were considered the “Cinderella story” of the year and the team hopes they can keep up the momentum that they finished with last season.

“Anything can happen. It is going to be a tight WDA, and it will not be easy to win against any team,” Helbling said.

The team has big plans for this season. The players are working towards another WDA appearance that will hopefully lead to another state tournament placement.

“We definitely want to put more points on the board this season,” Helbling said. “It is one thing to make it to state but we definitely want our record to show it.”

Defenseman Parker Bachmeier saves a Legacy shot from entering the net.

Photo by Lily Giggee

Photos by Lily Giggee

Matthew Haider (left) and Kyyan Jahner (right) celebrate with their teammates after a goal.